tihvaxy  of  trhe  tlveolojical  ^emmarjo 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 
PRESENTED  BY 

Prof.  Paul  Van  Dyke,  D.D. 


THE 


PULPIT    COMMENTARY, 


EDITED   BY   THE 


REV.   CANON    H.    D.    M.   SPENC?e:,   M.A., 

VICAR  AND  RURAL  DEAN   OF   ST.    PANCRAS,    AND   EXAMINING  CHAPLAIN   TO   THE  LORD 
BISHOP  OF  GLOUCESTER  AND  BRISTOL  ; 


AND   BY   THE 


REV.    JOSEPH    S.    EXELL. 


INTRODUCTIONS 


REV.  CANON  F.  W.  FARRAR,  D.D.,  F.R.S. — RIGHT  REV.  H,  COTTERILL,  D.D.,  F.R.S.E, 

VERY  REV.  PRINCIPAL  J.  TULLOCH,  D.D. — REV.  CANON  G.  RAWLINSON,  M.A. 

REV.   A.   PLUMMER,    M.A. 


NEW    YORK: 
ANSON    D.    F.    RANDOLPH    &    COMPANY, 

38  WEST  TWENTY-THIRD   STREET. 

LONDON : 
KEGAN    PAUL,  TRENCH   A.   CO..  1    PATERNOSTER   SQUARE. 


AiJ'c'    ft     1956 


THE  XjJgGjUL  SttfV^ 

PULPIT    COMMENTARY 


EDITED   BY   THE 


VERY  REV.  H.  D.  M.  SPENCE,  M.A.,  D.l)., 


DEAN    OF   GLOUCESTER ; 


AND    BY   THE 


REV.  JOSEPH    S.   EXELL,   M.A, 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN. 


Sntrobuction  anb  (Exposition : 

By  rey.  h.  r.  Reynolds,  d.d., 

PRESIDENT   AND   PROFESSOR  OF   THEOLOGY,    CHESHUNT   COLLEGE  ;    FELLOW   OF   UNIVERSITY 

COLLEGE,    LONDON. 

i^omilctice : 
By  rev.   prof.   T.   CROSKERY,  D.B., 

LATE    PROFESSOR   OF   SYSTEMATIC   THEOLOGY,    MAGEE   COLLEGE,    LONDO.VDERRY. 

i^omilice  bu  l^arious  QVutl)ors : 

REV.  PROF.  J.  R.  THOMSON,  M.A.  REV.  B.  THOMAS. 

REV.  D.  YOUNG,  B.A.  REV.  GEORGE  FROWN,  B.A. 


VOL.  II. 


NEW  YORK: 
ANSON  D.  F.  RANDOLPH  &  COMPANY, 

38  WEST  TWENTY-THIRD   STREET. 

LONDON : 
KEGAN    PAUL,  TRENCH    &    CO..  1    PATERNOSTER    SQUARE. 


/ 


THE 


GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


EXPOSITION. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Thesechapter3(ix.andx.)briugtheconflict 
with  the  Jews  to  a  climax  before  the  com- 
mencement of  the  PcraeaQ  niinistiy.  They 
are  doubtless  closely  connected  with  what 
has  preceded ;  but  the  note  of  time  (ch.  x.  22) 
implies  an  interval  of  some  months  of 
intense  activity  elsewhere— to  have  carried 
on  the  ministry  of  Christ  from  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles  to  the  winter.  If  ch.  x.  22 
points  back,  as  Westcott  argues  by  alteration 
of  the  Received  Text  and  by  special  transla- 
tion, to  the  preceding  discourse,  we  are  com- 
pelled to  dissociate  the  cure  of  the  blind 
man  from  the  teaching  of  ch.  viii.,  and  to 
regard  the  opening  verse  of  ch.  ix.  as  entirely 
distinct  from,  and  discontinuous  with,  the 
stormy  scene  in  the  temple.  Dr.  Eustace 
Conder, '  Outlines  of  the  Life  of  Christ,'  con- 
siders the  connection  so  close  between  the 
eighth,  ninth,  and  tenth  chapters,  as  to  bring 
the  entire  series  of  instructions  into  one 
group,  and  to  intercalate  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  later  Galilean  ministry  and 
also  that  in  Pt-rsea  between  the  seventh  and 
eighth  chapters.  On  that  hypothesis,  after 
the  break-up  of  the  Sanhcdrin  on  the  last 
great  day  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  (ch. 
vii.52),an  absence  of  some  months  intervened 
before  Jesus  (ch.  viii.  12)  again  spoke  to 
them,  and  said,  "  I  am  the  Light  of  the 
world,"  deriving  his  illustration  from  "  the 
Feast  of  Lights,"  which  accompanied  the  en- 
iainia  of  ch.  x.  22. 

The  removal  of  the  closing  words  of  ch. 
JOHN— It. 


viii.  59  from  the  text  as  a  gloss,  favours  a 
pause  between  the  attempt  to  stone  Jesus 
and  the  miracle.  Lange  has  the  incon- 
sistent remark  that  the  irapaywv  is  "  the  par- 
ticiple of  the  preceding  though  doubtful 
■Kaprtyiv."  If  it  were  a  gloss,  the  nupriyev  had 
been  introduced  by  some  copyist  from  the 
irapayuv,  and  therefore  the  latter  can  derive 
no  meaning  from  the  former.  Admitting 
tlie  spuriousness  of  the  gloss,  the  connection 
between  the  chapters  is  not  close  enough 
to  allow  the  supposition  that,  on  the  passing 
out  of  the  temple  with  his  disciples,  the 
conversation  and  miracle  took  place.  Godet 
thinks  that  the  most  j^robable  time  was  the 
evening  of  the  memorable  day  when  our  Lord 
and  his  disciples  had  returned  to  the  temple. 
True,  in  Acts  iii.  2  a  congenital  cripple 
sat  at  the  gate  of  the  temple,  asking  alms; 
but  in  this  place  there  is  no  mention  of  the 
temple.  Our  Lord  may  have  "  seen  "  this 
beggar  on  any  one  of  his  peregrinations  over 
the  slopes  of  Olivet  or  on  the  road  to  Beth- 
any, and  now  he  seems  to  be  in  the  company 
of  the  disciples,  and  with  them  alone.  They 
are  not  apparently  suffering  from  the  recent 
excitement  of  the  angry  contest  in  the  temple- 
court.  They  have  had  time  to  recover  tliem- 
selves,  and  to  draw  from  Christ,  not  as  the 
eternal  I  am,  but  as  their  "  Rabbi,"  a  solu- 
tion of  a  most  pressing  psychological  and 
theological  puzzle  which  has  agitated  all 
schools  of  thought.  Yet  the  reply  of  Jesus, 
involving  a  fresli  illustration  of  his  being 
the  "  Light  of  the  world,"  shows  that  the 
great  utterances  of  the  preceding  discourse 

B 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCOKDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  ix.l— 41. 


were  still  the  theme  uppermost  in  his  own 
mind.  We  know  that  the  discourse,  etc.,  took 
place  on  a  sahhath,  and  the  result  of  the 
healing  relates  itself  most  closely  to  the  dis- 
cussion which  followed  the  healing  of  the 
impotent  man  in  ch.  v.  and  vii. 

Vers.  1 — 7. — (8)  The  Lord  confirms  by  a 
sign  the  declaration  that  he  is  the  Light  of  the 
world,  by  giving  eyesight  as  loell  as  light. 
That  which  had  been  proclaimed  as  a  great 
truth  of  his  Being  and  mission,  viz.  that  he 
was  the  Light  of  the  world,  was  now  to  be 
established  and  confirmed  to  the  disciples 
by  a  signal  miracle.  The  "higher  criticism  " 
finds  explanation  of  this  and  other  similar 
miracles  at  Bethsaida  and  Jericho,  in  the 
prophecy  of  Isa.  xlii.  19;  xliii.  8;  xxxv.  5; 
xxix.  18.  Volkmar  holds  that  the  story  of 
Zacchseus  is  thus  rewritten !  Thoma  thinks 
that  we  have  a  spiritualization  of  the 
"miracle"  on  Saul  of  Tarsus.  It  would 
be  waste  time  to  point  out  the  differences 
which  are  patent  to  the  simplest  criticism. 

Ver.  1. — And — the  Ktti  suggests  relation 
both  in  subject-matter,  in  time,  place,  occa- 
sion, and  theme,  with  that  which  had  pre- 
ceded— as  Jesus  was  passing  by,  going  along 
his  way,  he  saw  a  man  blind  from  birth  (cf. 
4k  KotAias  firjTphs  ai/Tov,  Acts.  iii.  2;  xiv.  8). 
He  was  obviously  a  well-known  beggar,  who 
had  often  proclaimed  the  fact  that  he  was 
blind  from  birth  (see  ver.  8).  Such  a  con- 
dition and  history  rendered  the  cure  more 
difficult  and  hopeless  in  the  view  of  ordinary 
professors  of  the  healing  art,  and  the  juxta- 
position of  such  a  symbolic  fact  with  the 
uear  activity  of  those  who  were  boasting 
of  their  Abrahamic  privilege  and  their 
national  and  mere  hereditary  advantages,  is 
one  of  the  instances  of  the  unconscious  poesy 
of  the  gospel  history.  There  he  sits,  the 
very  type  of  the  race  which  says,  "  We  see," 
but  wliich  to  Christ's  eye  was  proclaiming 
its  utter  helplessness  and  blindness,  not 
asking  even  to  be  illumined,  and  revealing 
the  fundamental  injury  done  to  the  very 
race  and  nature  of  man,  and  calling  for  all 
the  healing  power  that  he  had  been  sent 
into  the  world  to  dispense.  The  man  who 
had  been  struck  blind,  or  whose  eyesight  had 
been  slowly  closed  by  disease,  became  the 
type  of  the  effect  of  special  sins  upon  the 
cliaracter  and  life ;  thus  e.g.  vanity  conceals 
radical  defects  and  weaknesses ;  pride  hides 
from  the  sinner's  own  view  his  own  trans- 
gressions ;  temporary  blindness  to  great 
faults  is  one  of  the  symptoms  of  gross  sin  like 
David's,  and  prejudice  is  proverbially  blind 
and  deaf ;  but  here  is  a  man  who  is  nothing 


less  than  the  type  of  a  congenital  bias  to 
evil,  of  hereditary  damage  done  to  human 
nature.  Unless  Christ  can  pour  light  upon 
those  who  are  born  blind,  he  is  not  the 
Saviour  the  world  needs. 

Ver.  2. — And  his  disciples  asked  him,  say- 
ing, Eabbi.  This  honorific  appellation  is 
found  in  ch.  i.  38,  49  ;  iii.  2  ;  iv.  31 ;  vi.  25 ; 
xi.  8 ;  but  very  rarely  in  the  other  Gospels. 
It  is  applied  to  John  the  Baptist  (ch.  iii.  26). 
The  question  seems  to  denote  a  very  dif- 
ferent frame  of  mind  from  that  with  which 
the  previous  chapter  terminated.  Who  did 
sin,  this  man,  or  his  parents,  that  be  should 
be  born  blind  1  It  was  the  current  idea  and 
popular  doctrine,  not  only  that  all  sufiering 
in  this  life  had  its  origin  in  sin,  and  was  a 
witness  to  the  damage  done  to  our  nature 
by  sin,  by  the  disruption  of  our  normal  re- 
lations with  the  living  God,  but  further- 
more that  every  peculiar  disaster  pointed  to 
some  special  or  particular  sin.  Doubtless 
the  Book  of  Job  was  a  formal  discussion  of 
the  qiiestion.  The  writer  of  that  work  re- 
pudiates the  right  of  any  onlooker  to  infer 
special  sins  from  peculiar  punishments. 
Jesus,  moreover  (Luke  xiii.  1 — 3),  had  re- 
peatedly discouraged  the  tendency  to  judge, 
but  he  did  this  by  the  still  more  solemn 
assurance  that  all  men  deserved  the  special 
fate  of  some.  Still,  the  calamity  of  con- 
genital blindness,  with  all  its  hopelessness, 
provided  a  very  apt  occasion  for  raising 
the  question,  "  Who  did  sin,  this  man,  or 
his  parents?"  It  is  and  always  will  be 
difficult  to  say  whether  the  disciples  thought 
that  they  had  exhausted  the  alternatives,  or 
believed  that  they  had  plausible  reasons  for 
thinking  either  alternative  possible.  Some 
have  argued  that  they  had  Scripture  ground 
for  the  second  of  the  suppositious,  that  the 
sin  of  the  parents  of  the  blind  man  was  the 
real  cause  of  the  blindness  of  their  son. 
Thus  (Exod.  XX.  5)  the  idea  is  embedded  in 
the  Decalogue,  and  it  is  repeated  in  Exod. 
xxxiv.  7  and  Numb.  xiv.  18,  that  the 
iniquities  of  fathers  are  visited  upon  their 
children.  The  forty  years  in  the  wilderness 
was  a  case  in  point  (Numb.  xiv.  33,  34; 
Jer.  xxxii.  18),  and  numerous  examples  may 
be  given  of  the  punishment  descending  from 
parent  to  child ;  e.g.  upon  the  house  of  Ahab, 
and  on  the  sufferers  from  exile  in  Babylon. 
Compare  the  continuous  threatening  of  ven- 
geance for  unfaithfulness  upon  the  genera- 
tion to  come.  The  argument  may  have  been 
strengthened  by  observation  of  the  lot  of 
men  who  have  brought  poverty,  disease,  and 
disgrace  upon  their  unborn  children.  Eze- 
kiel  had  deliberately  repudiated  the  infer- 
ence that  Israel  had  drawn  from  their 
Scriptures,  in  the  dictum  or  proverb  (xviii. 
2)  that  "  the  fathers  have  eaten  sour 
grapes,  and  the  children's  teeth  are  set  ou 


CH.  IX.  1—41.]       THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN. 


edge,"  and  maintained  with  great  and 
pasBionate  earnestnesa,  ''  The  soul  that  sin- 
neth,  it  shall  die."  This  may  have  led  the 
disciples  to  put  the  conjocturul  solution, 
Did  this  liiaii  sini  Is  there  any  way  or 
sense  in  which  the  man's  own  sin  could  be 
the  cause  of  so  great  a  calamity  ?  It  seems 
entirely  gratuitous  to  derive  from  this  passage 
any  final  conclusion  as  to  the  method  in 
which  they  supposed  it  possible  that  the 
man's  personality  preceded  his  birth,  or  any 
certain  conviction  that  they  meant  more  by 
their  question  than  this — if  sin  is  the  cause 
of  such  fearful  privation,  it  must  either  bo 
the  man's  parents'  or  his  own.  It  could 
not  have  been  his  own ;  was  it  then  his 
parents'?  Tliere  was  suflScient  discussion 
of  the  problem  among  the  Jews  for  one 
or  more  vague  and  unsettled  opinions  to 
bo  floating  in  their  minds.  (1)  It  cannot 
be  proved  that  the  doctrine  of  metempsy- 
chosis was  ever  held  by  the  Jews.  The  lan- 
guage in  which  Josephus  refers  to  the  views 
of  the  Pharisees  is  ambiguous  (cf.  'Bell. 
Jud.,'  ii.  8.  14;  'Ant.,'  xviii.  1.  3).  The 
view  held  by  them  was  simply  that  "  the 
immortal  souls  of  the  good  (only)  pass  into 
another  body,"  are  raised  into  a  new  life ; 
"  but  that  the  souls  of  the  sinful  al5i(i>  Tifiaipia 
Ko\Ci(4<r6at,  are  afflicted  with  eternal  punish- 
ment." This  diflers  profoundly  from  tbe  Ori- 
ental, or  Pythagorean,  or  Platonic  doctrine 
of  transmigration.  (2)  The  Jewish  specula- 
tion of  the  pre-existence  of  souls  has  some 
countenance  from  Wisd.  viii.  19,  20,  where 
the  pseudo-Solomon  says,  "  I  was  a  witty 
child,  and  .  .  .  being  good,  I  came  into  a  body 
undefiied,"  modifying  somewiiat  the  Platonic 
idea  of  a  harmouy  between  the  pre-existing 
soul  and  the  body  (seeGrimm.'Exeg.  Handb.,' 
in  he. ;  Bruch,  '  The  Pre-existence  of  the 
Soul,'  freely  translated ;  American  '  Biblio- 
theca  Sacra : '  1863) ;  but  beyond  this  there 
is  no  sound  indication  that  tlie  Jewish  mind 
had  accepted  the  doctrine  which  played  so 
great  a  part  in  the  later  discussions  as  to  the 
views  of  Origen.  (3)  Lightfoot  ('  Horse 
Hebraicse,'  in  loc.)  thinks  "  the  dogma  held 
by  R.  Akiba,  commenting  on  Eccles.  xiii.  1, 
to  the  effect  that  "in  the  days  of  Messiah 
there  will  be  neither  merit  nor  demerit " — i.e. 
that  neither  merit  nor  demerit  of  parents  will 
be  imputed  to  posterity — may  account  for  the 
query  of  the  apostles.  (4)  The  idea  of  the 
possible  sinfulness  of  the  child  while  in 
the  womb  of  its  mother — a  theory  based  upon 
the  supposed  moral  activity  of  Jacob  and 
Esau  in  the  womb  of  Rebecca  ('  Bemidbar 
Rab.,'  fol.  230.  2),  and  the  statement  tliat 
John  the  Baptist  leaped  in  the  womb  of  his 
mother  Elisalieth  (Luke  i.  41) — may  have 
co-operated  with  other  vague  views  floating 
in  their  minds  with  sufficient  intensity  to 
explain  the  first  part  of  their  question.    (5) 


The  supposition  of  some  (Tholuck),  that  the 
disciples  may  have  thought  that  the  man's 
sins  were  foreknown,  and  that  the  blindness 
was  punishment  beforehand,  is  so  abhorrent 
to  any  notion  of  the  justic^L  of  God,  that  we 
cannot  suppose  that  it  ever  entered  into 
their  inquiry.  The  fact  that  no  fewer  than 
five  distinct  hypotheses  as  to  the  possibility 
of  culpability  before  birth  having  had  some 
place  in  Hebrew  and  contemporary  thought, 
is  an  adequate  explanation  of  the  fact  that 
they  should  have  put  tliis  ever-recurring 
problem  of  evil  in  the  particular  form  in 
which  we  find  it. 

Ver.  3. — Jesus  answered,  Neither  did  this 
man  sin,  nor  his  parents  (tliat  he  should  be 
born  blind).  There  was  no  immediate  con- 
nection between  the  special  sin  of  the  parents 
and  this  particular  calamity.  Our  Lord  does 
not  assert  in  these  words  the  sinlessness  of 
these  people,  but  severs  the  supposed  link 
between  their  conduct  and  the  specific  afilic- 
tion  before  them.  But  (he  was  bom  blind) 
that  the  works  of  Ood  should  be  made  mani- 
fest in  him.  The  disciples  will  soon  see  in 
the  history  of  this  man  the  meaning  of 
his  lifelong  blindness.  In  the  man  himself 
the  grace  of  God  will  work  mightily,  both  a 
bodily  and  spiritual  illumination.  Evil  in 
this  case  is  to  redound  to  greater  good.  This 
provides  no  opportunity  for  any  to  fosten  on 
one  or  another  some  charge  of  special  trans- 
gression, but,  as  all  evil  ought  to  do,  it  pro- 
vides opportunity  for  the  redeeming  work 
which  Christ  came  to  accomplish,  and  which 
he  permitted  his  disciples  to  share. 

Ver.  4. — We  '  must  work  the  works  of  Viim 
that  sent  me,'  while  it  is  day.  The  emen- 
dation of  the  text  certainly  throws  much 
beauty  into  the  statement.  Christ  identifies 
himself  with  his  disciples.  They  are  pledged 
by  accepting  his  call,  and  he  has  been  himself 
charged  by  his  own  sublime  mission  to  work 
while  it  is  called  day.  The  sun  was  going 
down  over  the  holy  city  on  that  sabbath 
day,  and  Jesus  will  not  wait,  nor  lose  the 
opportunity  of  doing  the  merciful  will  of 
tiie  Father.  He  did  not  say,  "  Him  that 
sent  u8  "  (as  Tischendorf '  reads),  for  "  As 
the  Father  had  sent  him,  so  he  sent  them." 
But  he  adds.  The  night  cometh,  when  no 
man  can  work.     The  materialistic  interpre- 

*  'HjuSj  is  here  read  by  Tregelles,  Tischen- 
dorf (8th  edit.),  R.T.,  Westcott  and  Hort,  and 
Meyer,  with  N,  B,  D,  L ;  although  A,  C,  X, 
N"  "■■  ^  and  many  others  retain  tiie  f/nf,  on 
the  ground  that  it  is  more  probable  that 
tlie  latter  was  a  correction  to  bring  it  into 
harmony  with  ifii  in  the  latter  part  of  the  sen- 
tence, than  the  reverse.  Ti.schendc<rf  (8th 
edit.)  reads  vnas  also  after  ir(tJ.\pavTos,  in 
which  Westcott  and  Hort  and  K.T.  do  not 
follow  him. 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  ix.  1^1. 


tation  of  Paulus,  "Christ  must  have  daylight 
for  a  delicate  operation,"  is  too  puerile  to 
deserve  refutation.  The  suggestion  of  the 
Greek  Fathers  (Chrysostom,  Theophylact, 
etc.),  -who  here  drew  a  distinction  between 
the  work  of  this  world  and  the  work  of  the 
future  world,  between  work  done  before 
and  after  his  Passion,  representing  the  work 
of  his  earthly  ministry  as  done  in  the  day, 
and  that  of  the  Spirit  as  work  done  in  the 
night,  is  singularly  unfortunate.  Our  Lord 
is  merely  adopting  the  phrase  as  a  custom- 
ary image  for  life  and  death.  Death  puts 
an  end  to  all  human  activity  on  earth,  even 
to  Christ's  own,  as  a  human  Friend  and 
Teacher.  Numerous  attempts  have  been 
made  to  suppose  some  emphatic  contrast  be- 
tween the  lifetime  of  Christ  and  the  period 
that  should  follow  his  Piission.  They  all 
fail,  because  Christ's  own  activity  resumes 
another  form  by  his  resurrection  and  the 
gift  of  his  Spirit.  The  night  of  death, 
accompanied  by  the  cessation  of  active 
labour,  is  tlie  general  idea.  The  day's  Avork 
must  be  done  in  the  day.  The  probation 
involved  in  the  bare  fact  of  its  limitation,  and 
in  this  case  its  rapidly  approaching  consum- 
mation, is  the  main  thought,  without  press- 
ing the  imagery  too  far.  By  saying,  "  We 
must  work,"  etc.,  he  gave  a  Itssou  and  an 
example  for  all  time.  The  '  Pirke  Aboth,' 
"  The  Sayings  of  the  Fathers,"  record  the 
words  of  R.  Tryphon,  "  The  day  is  short,  and 
the  task  is  great,  and  the  workmen  are 
sluggish,  and  the  reward  is  much,  and  the 
Master  of  the  house  is  urgent." 

Ver.  5. — While — or,  whensoever — I  am  in 
the  world,  I  am  the  Light  of  the  world.  He 
had  said  (ch.  viii.  12),  '•  I  am  the  Light  of  the 
world  :  he  that  foUoweth  me  shall  not  walk 
in  darkness."  He  was  sublimely  conscious 
of  his  power  to  do  for  the  moral  world  what 
the  sun  was  doing  for  the  physical  world. 
He  was  the  Occasion  of  its  life,  the  Condition 
of  its  activity,  the  Means  of  its  instruction, 
the  Source  of  all  its  beauty,  its  joy,  and  its 
progress.  The  orav,  which  is  translated 
quamdiu  in  the  Vulgate,  and  "  so  long  as  " 
in  the  Autliorized  Version,  means  strictly 
"  whensoever,"  and  refers  to  the  entire 
period  of  his  activity  (see  ch.  i.  5).  But 
while  the  sun  of  this  world  cannot  open  the 
eyes  of  the  blind,  and  wastes  his  radiance  on 
their  sightless  sockets,  so,  unless  Christ  were 
more  than  the  sun,  and  could  give  the  power 
as  well  as  the  opportunity  of  seeing,  he 
would  never  have  done  the  work  of  him 
that  sent  him.  The  fact  that  he  is  the 
Light  leads  him  to  remind  the  disciples  that 
he  is  the  true  Source  of  eyesight  as  well  as 
of  the  conditions  of  vision.  Light  enough 
for  all  the  world  shines  into  the  darkness, 
but  the  darkness  comprehendeth  it  not.  Tiiis 
Jewish  people  are  surrounded  by  floods  of 


light.  The  spiritual  world  stands  revealed 
fully  to  Christ's  own  gaze.  But  mankind 
hates  the  light,  loves  darkness  on  these 
matters  rather  than  the  light.  There  is  a 
radical  fundamental  change  that^ust  come 
over  men,  or  they  will  never  see.  This 
evil,  this  terrible  calamity  that  has  befallen 
man,  will  vitiate  all  the  jirovision  of  mercy. 
Tiiere  must  be  a  new  beginning,  a  new 
birth,  a  work  of  God  wrought  in  men,  as 
well  as  a  sublime  revelation  made  to  men, 
or  the  whole  mission  of  the  Christ  would  be 
incomplete. 

Ver.  6. — When  he  had  said  these  thinjjs, 
he  spat  on  the  ground,  and  made  clay  of  the 
spittle,  and  with  the  '  clay  thereof  anointed 
his  (the)  eyes  (of  the  blind  man).  'J'lie  pre- 
cise meaning  and  motive  of  the  process  here 
described  has  been  a  source  of  gieat  per- 
plexity to  the  commentators.  We  see  that, 
on  other  occasions,  our  Lord  used  his  own 
saliva  as  a  means  of  cure  (Mark  vii.  38 ; 
viii.  23).  Thoma  finds  in  the  spittle  the 
symbol  of  the  imimrity  of  the  man  thus 
dealt  with  (Isa.  1.  5,  6),  but  somewliat  in- 
consistently compares  the  "clay"  with  the 
"coUyrium"  of  Rev.  iii.  17 — 19,  and  the 
"  ausduss  des  Logos."  On  some  occasions 
Jesus  touched  the  diseased  or  deficient 
organ,  put  his  hand  on  the  leper,  and  his 
lingers  in  the  ears  of  the  deaf  mute.  On 
other  occasions,  again,  he  healed  with  his 
word  only,  and  even  from  a  distance,  those 
who  in  the  freeness  and  royalty  of  his  love, 
he  elected  to  relieve  from  their  sufferings. 
He  was  moved,  doubtless,  in  every  case  by 
the  special  condition  and  temperament  of 
the  objects  of  his  compassion.  The  use  of 
these  means  was  probably  intended  to  evoke 
the  nascent  faith  that  predisposed  him  to 
receive  healing,  to  stir  the  mind  of  the 
sufferer  into  some  conscious  relation  with 
himself  through  those  other  powers  of  tactile 
sensitiveness  which  were  in  all  similar  cases 
singularly  acute.  Moreover,  tlie  virtue  of 
saliva  in  cases  of  blindness  was  well  under- 
stood. Lightfoot  gives  some  curious  proof 
of  this,  and  Tacitus  ('Hist.,'  iv.  81)  and 
Suetonius  ('  Vesp.,'  ch.  vii.)  both  record  the 
healing  of  a  blind  man  by  the  Emperor 
Vespasian  by  the  use  of  jejuna  saliva. 
Pliny  ('  Hist.  Nat.,'  xxviii.  7)  speaks  of  the 
same  remedy  for  the  diseases  of  the  eye. 
"  Clay  "  also  is  spoken  of  as  being  sanative 
by  a  physician  by  name  Serenus  Samonicus 

'  The  avTov  is  introduced  here  by  Tre- 
gelles,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Westcott  and 
Hon,  and  R.T.,  and  so  read  by  Moulton  and 
Meyer,  on  the  authority  of  N,  A,  B,  C-,  L, 
1,  33,  and  numerous  cursives;  and  D  reads 
ai/ra,  with  avTov  after  6(p6a.\/j.ous,  with  the 
Gothic  and  -i3Ethiopic  Versions.  Godet 
rejects  both  emendations. 


cii.  IX.  1—41.]       THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


Csco  Tholuck,  Wettstein.  Lange,  in  loc). 
These  ideas  may  liavo  had  eomo  truth  in 
them,  and  for  the  blind  man  to  find  the 
process  described,  applied  to  himself  by  One 
who  spoke  of  the  Divine  operations  bein<» 
wrought  in  liini,  would  work  some  powerful 
effect  on  his  moral,  physical,  and  spiritual 
nature.  Such  result  our  Lord  intended  to 
produce.  But  this  was  only  part  of  the 
healing  process. 

Yer.  7. — And,  having  done  this,  he  said  to 
him,  Go — depart,  haste,  there  is  something 
for  thee  to  do— wash  into  the  pool  of  Siloam. 
^tKudfi :  this  is  tho  Greek  form  of  the 
Hebrew  word  n'iW(nS!r,  with  the  article 
nVc'n,  the  shortened  Pihel  form  r\bz',  to  send 
forth,  with  the  omission  of  the  dagesh) 
adopted  in  Isa.  viii.  6  by  tho  LXX.,  and 
also  by  Josephus('  Bell.  Jiid.,'  v.  4. 1).  The 
only  other  place  in  the  Old  Testament 
where  the  pool  of  Siloam  is  referred  to  is 
Neh.  iii.  15.  There  the  Hebrew  word  is 
nS^n,  and  rendered  by  the  LXX.  -ruv  KwSiuv — 
i.e.  of  sheep-skins ;  that  is,  the  pool  that  was 
used  to  wash  s^heep  before  shearing  them,  or 
even  the  tan-pit  (so  Schleusner  and  Hesych.) 
— but  it  is  rendered  by  ISiloii  in  the  Vulgate. 
Isaiah  is  contrasting  the  waters  of  the  Shi- 
loah,  which  tlow  softly,  with  the  turbulent 
streams  of  the  Tigris,  which  represented  the 
pomp  and  power  of  this  world.  The  sweet 
waters  from  the  pool  of  Siloam  still  flow  from 
their  apparent  source  through  what  once  were 
the  king's  gardens,  into  the  Kedron  near  the 
junction  of  the  Valley  of  Jehoshaphat  with 
that  which  used  to  be  called  the  Valley  of 
the  Son  of  Hinnom.  Silwan  is  the  Arabic 
name  of  the  fountain  and  pool  of  Siloam,  and 
also  of  the  village  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  valley.  Nehemiah  is  referring,  in  all 
probability,  to  the  same  pool,  the  walls  of 
which  were  in  part  the  walls  of  the  city  itself 
on  the  lower  spur  of  Mount  Ophel,  which  is 
now  finally  determined,  to  be  the  Zion  of 
Scripture  and  the  city  of  David.  A  "  tower 
of  Siloam"  is  also  spoken  of  (Luke  xiii.  4). 
It  is  not  necessary  here  to  review  tho  argu- 
ments in  favour  of  this  position,  with  its  ac- 
companying conclusion  that  the  TyropseOu, 
the  valley  of  the  cheesemongers,  which  se- 
parated Ophel  and  the  temple-mount  from 
the  upper  city,  was  the  Valley  of  the  Son  of 
Hinnom  (see  '  Survey  of  Western  Pales- 
tine,' pt.  ii.  pp.  345—371 ;  Professor  Sayce  on 
"Pre-Exilic  Jerusalem"  in  'Quarterly  State- 
ment of  Palest.  Explor.  Fund'  (1883),  pp. 
215 ;  and  '  Fresh  Light  from  Ancient  INIonu- 
ments,'  p.  98,  etc.).  The  position  of  the 
fountain  and  pool  of  Siloam  is  one  of  the 
best-authenticated  sites  in  Palestine  (see 
Robinson's  'Biblical  Kesearehes,'  i.  493 — 
507).  Sayce  gives  strong  reasons  for  believ- 
ing that  it  was  made  in  the  days  of  Solo- 


mon, and  that  tho  proceeding  of  Hezekiab, 
referred  to  in  2  Chron.  xxxii.  30,  when  ho 
diverted  the  water  from  (iihon,  and  brought 
it  to  the  west  side  of  the  city  of  David,  was 
not  on  account  (as  Edersheim,  Canon  Birch, 
and  others)  of  tho  formation  of  tho  zigzag 
tunnel  from  the  Fountain  of  tho  Virgin,  but 
referred  to  tho  formation  of  Colonel  AVarreu's 
tunnel,  by  which  the  waters  of  the  same 
fountain  were  made  available  within  the  city 
by  drawing  them  further  to  the  north-west, 
and  reaching  them  by  a  flight  of  stairs  that 
go  down  from  the  city  of  David  (2  Kings  xx. 
20).  He  thinks  that  2  Chron.  xxxii.  30  is 
interpreted  of  tho  lower  pool  of  Siloam.  Tho 
contemporary  references  of  Isaiah  (vii.  3; 
viii.  G ;  xxii.  9)  apply  only  to  the  Siloam 
tunnel,  the  Siloam  pool,  anil  that  lower  pool, 
which  was  repaired  by  Hezekiah.  The 
upper  pool,  and  therefore  the  tunnel  which 
supplied  it,  were  known  in  the  time  of  Ahaz.' 
Josephus  makes  frequent  reference  to  the 
fountain  of  Siloam,  and  expressly  says  that 
it  was  situated  at  tho  mouth  of  the  Tyro- 
pa36n.  The  '  Itin.  Hier.'  and  Jerome  both 
say  that  it  was  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Zion 
(see  especially  Jerome's  '  Comm.  in  Esa. 
viii.  6').  Antoninus  Martyr  (in  the  seventh 
century),  William  of  Tyre,  Benjamin  of 
Tudela  (11G5),  and  Phocas  (1185),  all  refer 
to  it.  This  remarkable  connection  with  tho 
Fountain  of  Mary  was  known  to  Quaresmius 
in  the  seventeenth  century,  but  not  fairly 
discovered  till  Eobinson  entered  it  at  both 
ends,  and  found  that  there  was  a  direct 
subterranean  communication  between  the 
so-called  Fountain  of  the  Virgin  and  the 
Fountain  of  Siloam.  In  1881  the  accidental 
discovery  of  an  inscription  in  pure  Hebrew, 
of  uncertain  date,  describes  the  process  of 
the  excavation,  and  accounts  for  the  false 
starts  made  by  the  two  parties  of  excavators, 
who  eventually  met  and  discovered  the  dif- 
ferent levels  at  which  they  had  been  work- 
ing. Whenever  made,  whether  by  Solomon, 
Uzziah,  Ahaz,  or  Hezekiah,  it  was  obviou.sly 
intended  to  bring  fresli  water  within  tho 
walls  of  the  city.  Tho  intermittent  charac- 
ter of  the  flow  of  water  in  the  Fountain  of 
the  Virgin,  by  which  sometimes  twice  or 
thrice  a  day,  and  at  other  seasons  twice  or 
thrice  a  week,  the  water  suddenly  rises  and 
disappears  with  gurgling  sounds  into  tho 
conduits  made  for  its  removal,  was  referred 
to  by  Jerome,  as  an  eye  and  ear  witness  of 
the  occurrence.  We  leave  the  questionof 
the  identification  of  the  Fountain  of  the  Vir- . 
gin  with  any  of  the  fountains  mentioned  in 
the  Old  Testament.  The  point  of  singular 
interest  is  that  the  waters  of  Siloam  were 
in  direct  communication  with  the  upper 
spring,  which  itself  may  be  yet  proved  to  be 
in  relation  to  some  more  abundant  sujjply  of 
water  in  tho  temple-rock.     Into  tho  further 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [en.  ix.  1—41. 


intricacies  of  this  problem  it  is  unnecessaiy 
to  enter.   The  pools  of  Siloam  are  still  to  be 
seen  near  the  raouth  of  the  TyropjBon  valley. 
The  point  of  connection  with  the  Fountain 
of  the  Virgin  cannot  be  doubted,  nor  can 
the  fact  be  disputed  that  from  Siloam,  during 
the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  the  sacred  waters 
•were  brought  in  solemn  procession  and  with 
gaered  rite  (see  ch.  vii.).    Our  Lord  sent 
the  blind  man,  thus  startled  into  some  re- 
ceptivity of  grace,  to  that  which  was  the 
symbolic  source  of  the  water  of  life.    He 
did  this  on  the  sabbath  day,  claiming  co- 
operation with  Jehovah  in  his  truly  sabbatic 
deed:   "My  Father  worketh  hitherto,  and 
I  work."     Siloam  had  been  already  the  type 
of  that  which  Jesus  was  in  reality,  when  he 
had  cried  and  said,  "  If  any  man  thirst,  let 
Mm  come  unto  me,   and   drink."     Conse- 
quently, there  is   striking   appositeness   in 
the  language  of  St.  John  here  parentheti- 
cally introduced  (which  is,  being  interpre- 
ted, Sent) ;  ni'^ty,  equivalent  to  missio,  from 
rh&,  equivalent  to  mittit  or  missus,  which 
may  be    synonymous   with  ryh^,  viz.   the 
strengthened  participle   Kal  with  passive 
signification.     John  is  correct  in  his  ety- 
mology.    Siloam  probably  derived  its  name 
from  the  fact  that  its  waters  were  seiit  from 
the  higher  sources,  through  known  channels, 
with  special  significance  as  God's  gift  for 
the  preservation  of  the  life  of  the  jjeople, 
and  the  agelong  memorial  of  his  goodness. 
The  old  poet  Nonnus,  Euthymius,  and  Meyer 
Bee  here  a  reference  to  the  man  who  was 
"sent"  thus  to  wash  and  be  healed;  but 
a  host  of  commentators,  from  Theophylact, 
Calvin,   Cornelius   a  Lapide,  down  to  Lu- 
thardt,  Godet,  and  Westcott,  rightly  urge 
that  "  Siloam,"  as  meaning  "  Sent,"  was  in 
John's  thought  emblematic  of  him  who  had 
BO  often  spoken  of  himself  as  the  Sent  of 
God.     The  point  of  the  parenthesis  is  that 
the  very  name  of  this  healing  and  symbolic 
fountain  is  a  type  of  Messiah,  who  thus 
identifies  himself  with  the  Heaven-sent  gifts 
of  the  Divine  hand.    He  then  (therefore)'de- 
parted,  and  washed.     The  blind  man  needed 
no  guide  to  Siloam,  and  if  he  had  done  so 
there  would  have  been  a  score  of  helpers  or 
curious  on-lookers  anxious  to  test  the  mean- 
ing of  the  Lord's  command.     And  he  came 
away  from  Siloam,  seeing;  in  all  the  strange 
and  wonderful  excitement  of  a  man  who, 
with  his  first  possession   of  this  imperial 
sense,  was  moving  indeed  in  a  new  world. 
The  miracle,  of  course,  provokes  the  critical 
sthool  either  into    repudiating   the  super- 
natural element,  or  doubting  the  historical 
faat.    Thoma  dreams  through  a  world  of 
parallels  with  the  healing  and  apostleship 
of  St.  Paul. 
Vers.  8— 34.— (9)  The  proof  of  the  reality 


of  the  miracle,  the  antagonism  of  the  Phari- 
sees, and  the  persecution  of  the  healed  man. 

Ver.  8. — The  neighbours  therefore,  and 
they  who  beheld  him  aforetime  that  (or,  bt^ 
cause)  he  was  a  beggar."  This  is  the  first 
time  that  his  well-known  position  is  men- 
tioned, and  (if  we  translate  on  "because") 
the  very  fact  of  his  begging  (probably  with 
loud  voice)  had  made  him  a  well-known 
individual.  Said,  Is  not  this  he  that  sat  and 
begged  1 

Ver.  9. — Some  said.  It  is  he  :  others,  No ;  * 
but  he  is  like  him.  So  great  a  change  might 
well  have  provoked  inquiry  as  to  liis  iden- 
tity, and  the  two  classes  of  speakers  add 
amazing  vivacity  to  the  picture.  He  (e'/cet- 
vos) — the  man  who  now  stood  forth  as  the 
central  object  of  the  excited  group  (see 
Westcott  for  the  use  of  e/cetws  elsewhere  in 
St.  John:  ch.  ii.  21 ;  v.  11  ;  x.  6 ;  xiii.  30; 
xix.  21) — rather  than  "he  himself" — he 
said,  I  am  (he)  that  sat  and  begged.  The 
man  settles  the  doubt  ofi'hand,  /  am  he. 
The  evidence  of  identity,  if  the  question 
be  raised,  is  at  once  settled.  The  vivacity 
and  verisimilitude  of  the  scene  reduce  the 
laboured  parallel  with  St.  Paul  to  literary 
trifling. 

Ver.  10. — They  said  therefore  to  him, 
How  then  were  thine  eyes  opened  ?  If 
you  are  the  very  man,  how  has  this  come 
about  ? 

Ver.  11. — He — the  man  there  singled  out 
— answered  (and  said),  The  Man  that  is 
called  Jesus  made  clay,  and  anointed  my 
eyes,  and  said  to  me.  Go  to  the  ^  Siloam, 
and  wash.  So  I  went,  and  when  I  washed 
I  received  my  sight.  Nothing  more  as  yet 
than  the  name  of  his  Benefactor  has  broken 
upon  him.  The  name  is  full  of  significance 
to  him — the  "  Saviour,"  the  "  Healer ; "  but 
he  knows  nothing  of  his  Messianic  claims, 
nor  of  his  Divine  authority.  He  began, 
where  all  disciples  must,  with  the  Man. 
The  manner  of  man,soon  wakes  within  him 
loftier  questionings  and  a  better  explana- 
tion. At  present  the  process  seems  magical, 
altogether  inexplicable.     Clay  and  Siloam 

*  UpocrairTis  is  the  reading  of  N,  A,  B,  C, 
D,  K,  L,  X,  ten  cursives,  and  several  ver- 
sions, and  is  preferred  by  K.T.,  Tregelles, 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Westcott  and  Hort, 
Meyer,  and  Godet,  to  tv4>\6s. 

^  Ovxi  aW  ojnojoy  is  the  reading  of  N,  B, 
C,  L,  X,  Vulgate,  Syriac,  Coptic,  and  is 
adopted  by  R.T.,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.), 
Westcott  and  Hort,  but  not  Godet.  It  adds 
piquancy.  They  have  begun  to  doubt, 
though  they  acknowledge  resemblance. 

»  X,  B,  D,  L,  K,  Old  Latin  and  Syriac  Ver- 
sions read  rhv  2iX«c{ju,  with  R.T.,  Tischen- 
dorf, and  Tregelles,  instead  of  riiv  KoKv/xfiri- 
6pav  ToO  2iAe«a>t,  found  in  other  uncials. 


CH.  IX.  1—41.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


water  do  not  cnre  birth-blindness.  He  is  in 
a  maze,  as  well  he  might  bo.  The  avf0\f\l>a 
should  be  rendered,  according  to  Meyer,  "  I 
looked  up  "  (see  Mark  xvi.  4).  It  cannot  be 
so  translated  in  vers.  15  and  18.  Doubt- 
less it  strictly  means,  "  I  received  siglit 
again  ;  "  but  there  is  something  in  Grotius's 
explanation,  "  No  one  is  incorrectly  said  to 
receive  that  which,  though  he  be  deprived 
of  it,  belongs  to  human  nature  as  a  whole  " 
(see  Westcott).  The  eyes  were  there,  but 
unused.  Meyer  quotes  from  Pausanias  the 
similar  use  of  oya/SA-e'Treiv,  in  reference  to  the 
recovery  or  obtaining  of  sight  by  a  man 
bom  blind. 

Ver.  12. — They  say  unto  him.  Where  is 
that  Man  (Jesus)  ?    He  saith,  I  know  not. 

Ver.  13. — They  bring  to  the  Pharisees 
Mm  that  aforetim«  was  blind.  The  "Pha- 
risees "  is  not  a  conclusive  definition  of  the 
Sanhedrin  itself,  which  is  generally  denoted 
by  the  addition  of  the  phrase,  "the  chief 
priests  "  (ch.  vii.  32  or  45).  The  Pharisees 
were  a  liighly  organized  society,  and  some 
well-known  gathering  of  them  may  have 
been  easily  accessible.  They  were  the  gene- 
rally accredited  religious  guides  of  the 
people.  One  thing  militates  against  such 
a  casual  gathering.  In  ver.  18  the  term, 
"the  Jews,"  the  synonym  of  the  ruling 
ecclesiastical  powers  in  the  city,  is  once 
more  introduced.  Moreover,  the  authorities 
before  whom  the  discussion  and  examina- 
tion were  taken  appear  to  possess  the  power 
of  excommunication  from  the  synagogue. 
It  appears  that,  in  Jerusalem,  there  existed 
two  minor  councils  or  synagogue-courts,  of 
twenty-three  assessors  each,  corresponding 
with  the  similar  courts  in  the  Jewish  cities, 
standing  in  relation  to  the  Sanhedrin,  and 
possessing  the  faculty  of  delivering  the 
minor  degrees  of  excommunication  from  the 
congregation  of  Israel.  It  cannot  be  said 
that  this  presentation  of  the  case  to  an 
ecclesiastical  court  of  more  or  less  authority 
necessarily  took  place  on  the  day  of  the 
healing.  It  is  an  open  question  whether 
the  courts  sat  on  the  sabbath.  There  is 
nothing  to  prove  immediate  trial  of  the 
matter. 

Ver.  14. — Now  it  was  sabbath  on  the 
day  '  that  Jesus  made  the  clay  and  opened 
his  eyes.  The  phrase  is  peculiar,  and  im- 
plies that  the  day  may  have  been  a  festival 
sabbath.  The  introduction  here  shows  that 
the  difficulty  of  the  neighbours  and  other 
friends  had  already  been  raised,  and  some- 
thing more  than  a  desire  on  their  part  for 

'  'El'  jf  vixfoa  is  found  in  K,  B,  L,  X,  and 
the  Syriac  and  Italic  Versions  (so  Tregelles, 
Tischendorf  («th  edit.),  Westcott  and  Hort, 
and  li.T.).  The  T.R.  2t*  is  read  by  A,  D,  r, 
A,  A,  n,  and  many  other  authorities. 


religious  guidance  actuated  their  appeal  to 
the  Pharisees.  'WTiy  should  the  healod  man 
bo  taken  to  the  Pharisees,  or  the  synagogue- 
court  at  all,  unless  some  question  of  casuistry 
had  been  raised  ?  The  movement  was  one 
unquestionably  adverse  to  Jesus.  It  could 
have  had  no  other  motive.  Nor  can  any 
doubt  arise  that  Jesus  had  violated  the 
rabbinical  rules  of  the  sabbath,  though  his 
act  had  been  in  perfect  harmony  with  the 
spirit  and  even  letter  of  the  Mosaic  Law. 
The  making  of  clay  with  the  spittle  and 
the  sand  was  an  infringement  of  tlio  rule 
('  Shabbath,'  xxiv.  3).  It  was  curiously 
laid  down  in  one  of  the  vexatious  interpre- 
tations (preserved  in  Jerusalem  Gemara  on 
'Shabbath,'  14)  tljat  while  "  wine  could  by 
way  of  remedy  be  applied  to  the  eyelid,  on 
the  ground  that  this  might  be  treated  as 
washing,  it  was  sinful  to  apply  it  to  the 
inside  of  the  eye"  (Edersheim).  And  it 
was  positively  forbidden  (in  the  same  Ge- 
mara) to  apply  saliva  to  the  eyelid,  because 
this  would  be  the  application  of  a  remedy. 
All  medicinal  appliances,  unless  in  cases  of 
danger  to  life  or  limb,  were  likewise  for- 
bidden. Consequently,  the  Lord  had  broken 
with  the  traditional  glosses  on  the  Law  in 
more  ways  than  one  (see  Winer,  '  Bibl. 
Realw.,'  ii.  346  ;  Lightfoot,  '  Ad  Joan.  ix. ;  * 
Wetstein  on  Matt.  xii.  9  ;  Wiinsche,  in  loc-). 

Ver.  15. — Again  therefore  the  Phariseei, 
before  whom  the  blind  man  had  been 
brought,  unwilling  to  rest  with  mere  hear- 
say evidence  of  such  grievous  transgression 
of  the  Law,  themselves  also — or,  in  their  turn 
— asked  him  {ripaiTcnu,  imperfect,  were  inter- 
rogating) how  he  received  (recovered)  his 
sight  (see  note  on  ver.  11).  Not  the  miracle 
itself,  but  the  manner  of  it,  interested  and 
excited  them.  And  he  said  to  them,  (He) 
pat  clay  upon  mine  eyes,  and  I  washed,  and 
I  see.  This  is  a  shorter  and  significant 
abridgment  of  the  process  already  described. 
The  liealed  man  seems  to  guess,  by  their 
manner,  that  some  charge  was  being  medi- 
tated against  his  Benefactor,  and  he  shrewdly 
omits  the  saliva  and  the  maldng  of  the  clay, 
and  the  order  of  the  Saviour,  and  the  place 
whither  he  had  been  sent  to  wash. 

Ver.  16  indicates,  as  the  evangelist  so 
often  does  elsewhere  (ch.  vii.  43 ;  x.  19), 
that  the  words  and  works  of  Christ  produce 
opposite  efifects  on  different  classes.  Certain 
individuals  of  the  Pharisees  therefore  said 
among  themselves,  This  Man — referring  to 
Christ,  then  uppermost  in  their  minds  and 
in  their  machinations— This  Man  is  not  from 
Ood,  beoause  he  keepeth  not  the  sabbath. 
The  form  of  the  sentence  is  peculiarly  con- 
temptuous, the  word  "man"  being  thrown 
very  emphatically  to  the  end  of  the  sentence. 
This,  in  their  opinion,  is  another  offence 
against  the  Law,  after  serious  warning.   The 


THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  ix.  1— 41. 


previous  controversy  (ch.  v.)  had  produced 
no  effect  upon  Jesus.  He  continued,  in 
their  opinion,  to  invalidate  all  his  claims  by 
violating  the  sabbath  laws,  which  they  had 
brought  to  the  highest  point  of  periection. 
Kenan  and  others  insist  on  Christ's  repeated 
violation  of  the  sabbath  ;  but  the  fact  is  that 
the  Lord  sustained  the  highest  meaning 
of  the  sabbath,  though  he  resolutely  repu- 
diated the  inhuman  glosses  and  manifest 
absurdities  of  the  traditionary  customs  and 
rabbinical  rules.  Jesus  could  not  be,  they 
tbougiit  (or  argued),  "  from  God,"  invested 
with  his  authority,  or  doing  his  works,  so 
long  as  he  would  not  take  their  view  of  the 
sabbath.  This  Jesiis  is  making  obstinate 
assault  upon  their  prejudices.  On  seven 
distinct  occasions  the  Lord  chose  to  heal  on 
the  sabbath,  and  thus  to  set  the  restrictions 
of  august  rabbis  st  defiance.  But  even  in 
the  great  Sanhedrin,  in  the  highest  council 
of  the  nation,  sat  men  of  the  character  of 
Joseph,  Nicodemus,  and  Gamaliel,  who 
would  get  some  idea  of  the  Divine  com- 
mission of  Jesus  from  the  simple  fact  of  the 
miracles.  In  this  smaller  court  the  op- 
ponents of  Christ  ignore  and  doubt  the 
miracle  itself,  on  account  of  the  unsabbatic 
heresy,  while  a  few  are  convinced  that  signs 
of  this  kind  (and  probably  they  had  many 
in  their  minds)  were  in  tiiemselves  proof 
of  Divine  co-operation  and  approval.  But 
others  said,  How  can  a  man  that  is  a  sinner 
(on  your  hypothesis)  do  such  signs  ?  "  As 
far  as  they  go,  these  miracles-  are  demon- 
strative proof  that  at  least  God  must  be 
with  him,  as  he  has  said,  and  they  make  it 
extremely  doubtful  whether  he  can  be  a 
bad  man  after  all — can  have  verily  broken 
the  Divine  Law."  Such  a  speech  as  this 
from  Pliarisees  is  an  emphatic  proof  of  the 
profound  efi'ect  produced  by  Jesus  uprn  the 
life  of  the  nation.  It  stands  in  close  asso- 
ciation with  the  remarkable  statement  of 
Nicodemus  (ch.  iii.  2),  "We  know  that  no 
man  can  do  these  miracles  (signs)  which 
thou  art  doing,  except  God  be  with  him." 
Jesus  and  rabbin  ism  are  here  face  to  face. 
Eitler  he  is  from  God  and  tJiey  are  actually 
making  the  Law  of  God  void  and  vapid  b}'^ 
their  traditions,  or  they  and  their  code  are 
from  G«  d  and  he,  having  broken  with 
them,  has  broken  with  God,  and  the  miracle 
will  turn  out  to  be  magic  or  falsehood,  col- 
lusion or  worse.  Thus  a  solemn  crisis  of 
profound  importance  occurs.  And  there  was 
a  division  (ax'^o-fxa,  cutting  into  two  parties) 
amongst  them.  These  opposite  effects  and 
conclusions  are  the  confirmation  of  the 
words  of  the  prologue  (ch.  i.  4,  5,  11,  12), 
and  they  further  triumphantly  refute  the 
charge  that  the  author  of  the  Gospel  was 
actuated  by  an  untiring  hostility  to  the 
kingdom  and  polity  of  the  ancient  Israel. 


Ver.  17. — They  ;  i.e.  the  Pharisees,  divided 
in  opinion,  though  probably  united  in  their 
interrogation.  Those,  on  the  one  hand,  who 
believed  in  the  miracle,  and  held  that  it 
carried  Divine  approbation  of  the  conduct 
of  Jesus,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  those  who 
were  so  satisfied  of  the  moral  fault  involved 
in  the  transaction,  that  they  held  that  the 
miracle  itself,  if  not  a  piece  of  deception  or 
collusion,  might  even  indicate  some  dae- 
moniac  source,  rather  than  a  Divine  one, 
say  therefore  unto  the  blind  man  again — the 
TrdXiv  points  to  the  virtual  repetition  of  in- 
quiries already  made  (ver.  15) — What  dost 
thou  say  concerning  him,  seeing  that  he 
opened  thine  eyes  ?  "  What  explanation  hast 
thou  to  offer?  Whsit  view  dost  thou  entertain 
of  the  Man  himself  ?  Some  of  us  think  that 
his  trifling  with  the  sabbatic  law  puts  out 
of  court  the  idea  of  any  Divine  aid  having 
enabled  him  to  work  this  marvel.  Other 
some,  as  you  see,  declare  that  the  fact 
which  has  occurred  is  proof  that  Jesus  must 
have  had  God's  approval,  and  be  sustained 
by  Divine  grace.  But  what  dost  thou,  the 
healed  man,  say?  What  conclusion  hast 
thou  adopted  ?  Seeing  that  he  has  opened 
thine  eyes,  what  sayest  thou  of  Jesus  ? " 
There  is  a  bare  chance  tliat  the  man  might 
give  a  vague  answer,  or  one  which  would 
minimize  the  miracle.  It  is  obvious  that, 
while  the  Pharisees  were  contradicting  each 
other  and  in  danger  of  open  coUioion,  the 
faith  of  the  blind  man  who  had  received  his 
sight  became  stronger.  The  light  was  dawn- 
ing on  him.  The  answer,  so  far  as  it  went, 
boldly  took  the  side  of  Jesus,  and  perhaps 
its  cue  from  the  language  of  those  who  had 
said,  "  How  can  a  bad  man  do  such  signs  as 
these?"  And  he  said.  He  is  a  Prophet  (cf. 
ch.  iv.  19 ;  vi.  11).  Prophets,  as  divinely 
sent  men,  are  even  more  authoritative  than 
learned  rabbis.  If  Jesus  has  broken  through 
some  of  these  restrictions  by  which  they  have 
"  placed  a  hedge  about  the  Law,"  .'urely  he 
had  a  prophetic  right  to  do  it.  The  heal- 
ing marks  a  Divine  commission,  and  the 
healed  man  owned  and  freely  confessed  to 
so  much  as  this  :  "He  is  a  Prophet."  Mai- 
monides  (quoted  by  Dr.  Farrar)  shows  that 
the  idea  was  current  that  a  prophet  might, 
on  his  own  ipse  dixit,  alter  or  relax  even  the 
sabbath  law,  and  that  then  the  people  were 
at  liberty  to  obey  him. 

Vers.  18,  19. — The  narrative  once  more 
brings  "the  Jews"  into  prominence — the 
hierarchical  party,  adverse  to  Jesus.  'I'he 
angry  magistrates  who  were  in  the  court 
allowed  it  to  be  seen  at  once  that  they  will 
not  be  tampered  with,  nor  lose  the  chance, 
if  possible,  of  pursuing  their  malicious  plans 
already  formed  against  Jesus.  They  take 
the  ground  that  no  miracle  had  occurred. 
At    all    events,  they    must    have    further 


cii.  ix.  1—41.]      THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN. 


evidence  of  the  fact.  The  Jews  then  did  not 
believe,  or  refused  to  hclieve,  concerning  him, 
that  he  had  been  blind,  and  received  his 
sight,  until  they  called  the  parents  of  him 
that  had  received  his  sight,  and  asked  them, 
Is  this  your  son,  who  ye  say  was  born  blind  1 
How  then  doth  he  now  see?  There  were 
three  questions  proposed  after  the  delay 
involved  iu  fetching  the  parents  of  the  blind 
befrsrar.  The  first  was  identification  of  the 
blind  man.  The  second  was  the  fact  of 
Lis  congenital  blindness.  The  tiiird  was 
tlie  means  of  his  cure. 

Ver.  20. — To  the  first  and  second  questions 
the  parents  give  affirmative  answers.  The 
identification  is  complete,  and  the  astounding 
quality  of  the  cure  is  demonstrated.  His 
parents  (then) '  answered  them  and  said,  We 
know  that  this  is  our  son,  and  that  he  was 
bom  blind.  In  none  of  the  Gospels,  and  in 
no  narrative  of  this  Gospel,  is  more  certain 
proof  given  of  the  reality  of  a  perfectly  in- 
explicable phenomenon. 

Ver.  21. — The  third  question  is  prudently 
remitted  back  to  the  consciousness  and 
testimony  of  the  man  himself.  The  parents 
had  some  justification  for  their  cowardice. 
Tliey  ha<}  no  information  beyond  that  which 
their  son  had  given  them.  He  had  stumbled 
forth  as  usual  on  the  morning  of  that  sab- 
bath, and  had  returned  home  in  transports 
of  joy.  Their  son  had  doubtless  told  them 
the  story  (the  use  of  o^Sanfv  instead  of 
yivQXTKonfv  is  significant).  They  knew  by 
incontestable  intuitive  knowledge  the  per- 
sonality and  lifelong  affliction  of  their  son  ; 
but,  say  they,  We  do  not  know  (absolutely) 
how  he  now  sees ;  or  who  opened  his  eyes, 
we  know  not.  Ask  him  (if  you  want  to 
know) ;  he  is  of  full  age,  and  therefore  his 
testimony  is  valid  in  your  court.  He  will 
speak  (concerning)  for  himself.  "  We  can 
only  come  to  know  from  his  testimony  what 
he  tells  us,  and  he  can  himself  speak  for 
himself,  and  tell  you  all  he  has  told  us." 

Ver.  22. — Tiie  evangelist  accounts  for  the 
reticence  of  the  parents  by  tlieir  fear  of 
consequences.  These  things  said  his  parents, 
because  they  feared  the  Jews.  This  pa.ssage 
provides  strong  evidence  of  the  technical 
use  of  the  term  "  the  Jews."  Doubtless 
these  parents  were  Israelites,  but  they  were 
not  "Jews"  in  the  Johannine  sense.  The 
"Jews"  were  the  hierarchical  and  ecclesi- 
astico-political  authorities.  For  they  had 
already  come  to  the  agreement  (Luke  xxii. 
5;  Acts  xxiii.  20;  1  IMacc.  ix.  70);  had 
mutually  determined— it  does  not  follow  that 
the  Sanliedrin  Imd  issued  a  public  order, 
but  that  a  formidable  party  of  "  Jews  "  had 


•  Tisrhendorf,  Lachmann,  and  Westcott 
and  Hurt  insert  oiv,  with  K,  13,  and  omit 
aiiToh,  with  ll.T. 


made  a  a-wOvKV,  had  pledged  each  other  and 
made  it  sufficiently  known  even  to  such 
persons  as  the  poverty-stricken  parents  of 
the  blind  beggar,  that  it  would  be  carried 
out  by  the  adequate  authority  in  such  a 
matter — that  if  any  man  should  confess 
that  he  was  Christ  ("  lie  "  (avruv)  is  remark- 
able— it  shows  how  full  the  thoughts  of  the 
evangelist  were  of  the  Pensonality  of  Jisus), 
he  should  be  put  out  of  the  synagogue ;  or, 
become  unsynagogued.  The  Talmud  speaks 
of  three  kinds  of  excommunication  (cf.  also 
Jlatt.  y.  22),  of  which  the  first  two  were 
disciplinary;  the  third  answers  to  complete 
and  final  expulsion  (in  '  Jcr.  Moed.  K.,'  81, 
d,  ^npQ  ^i3>  t<in,  Edersheim).  The  general 
designation  was  shammata,  from  npc,  to 
destroy.  The  first  form  of  it  was  called 
nesephah,  and  did  not  amount  to  more  than 
severe  rebuke.  It  would  exclude  from  re- 
ligious privileges  for  seven  or  tliirty  days, 
according  to  the  dignity  of  the  authority  by 
whom  it  was  pronounced  (cf.  1  Tim.  v.  1). 
The  seco!id  form  of  shammata  was  called 
ni'ddni,  which  lasted  for  thirty  days  at  the 
least,  and  might  be  repeated  at  the  end  of 
them.  If  these  admonitions  failed  to  pro- 
duce their  right  effect,  it  might  lead  to  the 
third  and  linal  excommunication,  called 
cherem,  or  ban,  whose  duration  was  in- 
definite. The  second  of  these  forms  was 
accompanied  by  blast  of  trumpet  and  terrible 
curses,  wliich  deprived  the  8ufi"erer  of  all 
kinds  of  social  intercourse.  He  was  avoided 
as  a  leper ;  if  he  died,  he  was  buried  without 
funeral  or  mourning.  The  cherem  was  even 
a  more  terrible  anathema,  and  might  last 
for  life.  The  parents  of  the  blind  man 
might  easily  fear  such  a  curse.  The  ban  to 
which  this  blind  man  was  eventually  ex- 
posed did  not  prevent  him  from  moving 
about  tbe  city.  The  ban  pronounced  on 
Jesus  led  doubtless  to  the  condemnation, 
issuing  in  his  ignominy  and  trial  for  a 
capital  offence.  It  was  probably  the  second 
of  the  three  forms  of  anathema  to  which  he 
was  ultimately  condemned.  It  was  quite 
sufficient  temptation  for  these  poor  parents 
to  have  preserved  an  obstinate  reticence. 

Ver.  23. — Therefore  said  his  parents.  He 
is  of  full  age  ;  ask  him.  They  would  not 
incur  responsibility  for  the  opinions  of  their 
son  about  his  Healer.  They  knew  perfectly 
well  that  it  was  the  Jesus  who  was  said  to 
be  the  Christ  of  the  nation,  and  they  would 
not  implicate  themselves  in  giving  any 
judgment  on  his  claims. 

Ver.  24.— So  they  ("  the  Jews  ")  called  a 
second  time  the  man  that  was  (had  been) 
blind,  and  said  unto  him ;  no  longer  asking  for 
any  details  of  the  process  of  tlio  cure,  they 
sought  witii  ingenuity  to  blunt  the  edge  of  the 
powerful  testimony  which  this  man  hud  home 


jlO 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.   JOHN.      [ch.  ix.  1— 41. 


to  the  prophetic  rank  and  even  Messianic 
claims  of  Jesus,  by  inducing  him  to  recant. 
Give  glory  to  God,  said  they.  Many  have 
urged  (see  Calvin,  De  Wette,  Lange,  Liicke, 
and  Meyer)  that  this  is  only  a  solemn  form  of 
adjuration,  which  corresponds  with  Josh.  vii. 
19 ;  Ezra  x.  11 ;  3  Esdras  ix.  8,  and  was  a 
hypocritical  appeal  to  the  man  to  eat  his 
own  words  on  oath ;  and  Godet  urges,  "  They 
demanded  that  this  guilty  assertion,  '  He  is 
a  Prophet,'  should  be  blotted  out  by  the 
contrary  one,  '  He  is  a  sinner.'  "  Moulton 
says,  "  A  formula  used  when  a  criminal  who 
was  thought  to  be  concealing  the  truth  was 
being  urged  to  make  a  full  confession." 
Luthardt,  Lampe,  and  others  rightly  observe 
that  this  adjuration  theory,  though  it  suits 
Josh.  vii.  19,  does  not  fit  1  Sam.  vi.  5  or  Jer. 
xii.  16,  and  that  the  Pharisees  rather  wished 
the  man  to  give  glory  direct  to  God,  and  not  to 
Jesus.  They  implied  that  their  action  was 
dictated  by  zeal  for  the  honour  of  God,  and 
tempted  the  man  to  disclaim  the  mediation 
of  Divine  grace  through  the  lips  and  at  the 
will  of  Jesus.  They  add.  We  know  (o^Safxtv) 
absolutely,  on  theologic  grounds  beyond  the 
comprehension  of  the  poor  man,  and  we  can 
sustain  it  with  all  the  weight  of  our  tradi- 
tion and  custom — we  know  that  this  Man  is 
a  sinner.  They  give  no  reference,  and  do 
not  condescend  to  particulars.  They  would 
overawe  the  man  with  their  assumption  of 
superior  knowledge. 

Ver.  25. — He  therefore  answered  (and 
said  ')>  Whether  he  be  a  sinner — using  the 
words  of  "  the  Jews "  ironically — I  know 
not.  You  assert  it,  but  the  facts  of  my 
experience  are  altogether  of  a  different  kind. 
I  do  not  hnoio,  as  you  say  that  you  do. 
The  Jews  reason  from  foregone  prejudices ; 
the  healed  man  has  no  such  evidence,  no 
such  grounds — he  adds  in  immortal  words, 
One  thing  I  know  with  invincible  conviction, 
that  whereas  I  was  blind  (De  Wette  says 
there  is  no  need  to  regard  the  Siv  as  an  imper- 
fect participle,  and  the  present  suggests  the 
whole  career  of  the  man  from  birth  till  that 
memorable  morning),  now  I  see.  The  plain 
consistent  testimony  of  the  man  triumphs 
over  their  logic,  which  sought  to  bewilder 
his  judgment.  The  language  which  a  deeply 
felt  experience  can  always  bring  against  the 
a  priori  demonstrations  of  the  insufliciency 
of  the  evidence  of  Divine  revelation.  I  was 
blind  ;  now  I  see  the  face  of  God  in  nature, 
the  kingdom  of  God  all  around  me,  the  fact 
of  my  own  forgiveness,  the  dawning  of  a 
brighter  day. 
Ver.  26. — They  said  therefore  to  him,=' 

*  N,  A,  B,  D,  L,  omit  koX  elirev,  with 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  E.T.,  Tregelles,  and 
Westcott  and  Hort. 

f  Odv  is  here  substituted  by  Tischendorf 


What  did  he  to  thee  1  how  opened  he  thine 
eyes  1  They  sought  to  draw  from  him  the 
explicit  proof  that  Jesus  had  broken  the 
sabbath,  or  possibly  to  entangle  him  in 
some  different  statement.  The  fact  of  the 
supernatural  change  is  practically  conceded 
to  the  obstinacy  of  the  man's  reiterated  de- 
claration, and  the  identification  of  his  person 
by  others.  Westcott  here  differs  from  the 
majority  of  recent  expositors,  and  supposes 
that  the  "  questions  suggest  that  they  were 
willing  to  believe  if  the  facts  were  not  deci- 
sive against  belief."  But  the  answer  of  the 
man  proves  that  he  saw  the  cunning  of  his 
antagonists,  and  was  irritated  by  their  con- 
spicuous design  to  twist  the  infinite  benefit 
that  he  had  received  into  the  material  of  a 
charge  against  his  Benefactor. 

Ver.  27.^He  answered  them,  I  told  you 
already,  and  ye  did  not  hear  (the  Italic  Ver- 
sions and  the  Vulgate  here  omit  the  nega- 
tion, which  De  Wette  says  would  be  easier 
of  comprehension  ;  but  as  it  stands,  the  sen- 
tence is  equivalent  to  "  you  had  no  ears,  you 
took  no  heed,  if  you  had  already  listened  to 
the  simple  facts  ")  :  wherefore  would  ye  hear 
it  again  ?  You  will  pay  no  more  heed  now 
than  then ;  or  do  ye  want  to  transform  it 
into  a  charge?  There  is  another  alterna- 
tive, stated  in  either  humble  pleading  or 
ironical  retort,  according  as  we  interpret 
the  Kai.  The  next  question  is  either,  (1) 
(Luthardt)  Would  you  also  be  his  disciples, 
like  the  many  multitudes  who  are  shouting 
his  praise ?  Is  that  your  bent?  surely  not ! 
or  (2)  it  may  mean.  Is  it  possible  that  it  is 
in  your  mind,  not  only  to  find  out  all  about 
the  how  of  this  great  miracle,  but  also  to  he- 
come  his  disciples  ?  Neither  of  these  inter- 
pretations is  perfectly  consistent  with  hia 
taunt,  "  ye  did  not  hear."  Therefore  (3) 
(Bengel)  the  most  natural  meaning  is.  Would 
ye  also,  as  well  as  myself,  the  poor  beggar, 
become  his  disciples  ?  (so  Westcott,  Moulton, 
and  Lange).  The  poor  man  was  roused, 
ironical,  and  ready,  notwithstanding  the 
threat  of  the  great  excommunication  hang- 
ing over  him,  to  announce  his  own  disciple- 
ship  to  any  extent  and  at  any  risk. 
Ver.  28.— They  reviled   him,  and   said,* 

(8th  edit.)  and  K.T.,  on  the  authority  of  N% 
B,  D,  K,  L,  and  versions.  Ae  is  found  in  A,  r, 
A,  A.  The  omission  of  iraMv  does  not  stand 
on  quite  the  same  ground,  for  it  rests  on 
X*,  B,  D,  and  numerous  versions,  while  it 
occurs  in  N",  A,  X,  r,  and  many  other 
uncials. 

'  Tregelles,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  and 
Godet,  with  N<=,  D,  L,  and  important  cur- 
sives, but  not  K.T.,  omit  the  koI  before 
i\otS6p7j(xav ;  they  also  omit  oiv  after  eKoi- 
S6pri(Tau,  the  reading  of  T.B.,  N*,  B,  and  69, 
and  several  Fathers. 


CH.  IX.  1—41.]      THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN. 


11 


Thou  art  the  disciple  of  that  Man  (eKflvov) — 
between  whom  mid  us  there  is  an  impass- 
able chasm.  Here  is  one  of  the  stronjjest 
indications  of  the  irreversible  breach  be- 
tween the  Jews  and  Jesus — but  we,  instead 
of  being  his  disciples,  are  disciples  of  Moses. 
This  speech  shows  that,  whatever  the  blind 
man  meant  to  convey  by  the  reproachful 
entreaty  of  ver.  27,  the  Jews  took  it  as 
proof  of  his  virtual  confession  of  disciple- 
ship  to  Jesus,  and  this  they  assumed  was 
tantamount  to  brcakiu?  with  Moses.  They 
assume  that  their  traditionary  interpretation 
of  the  Mus:iic  Law  has  all  the  authority  of 
the  great  Lawgiver  himself. 

Ver.  29. — They  pursue  the  antithesis  be- 
tween Jesus  and  Moses,  and  tlius  make  an 
involuntary  admission  of  his  abnormal  and 
astoimding  claims.  We  know — it  is  the  fun- 
damental fact  of  our  religious  history,  ami  of 
the  Divine  revelation  entrusted  to  us.  We 
know,  by  supreme  conviction,  as  something 
almost  equivalent  to  a  fundamental  law  of 
thought,  that  God  hath  spoken  to  Moses. 
(Observe  the  perfect  KeKaKriKev,  "  hath 
spoken  "  in  such  fashion  that  his  words  abide 
for  ever  and  are  still  sounding  in  their  ears.) 
]Moses  was  made  a  little  lower  than  the 
angels.  God  spake  to  him  on  Sinai,  and  from 
the  mercy-seat,  and  face  to  face  as  a  man 
speaketh  with  his  friend  (Exod.  xxxiii.  11 ; 
Deut.  xxxiv.  10  ;  Numb.  xii.  8).  The  most 
august  ideas  and  associations  clustered  round 
his  venerable  name.  Jesus  was  supposed  to 
have  challenged  the  supreme  authority  of 
Moses,  and  no  sort  of  comparison  could  be 
drawn,  in  their  opinion,  between  the  two. 
But  as  for  this  Man,  we  know  not  whence 
he  is.  It  is  remarkable  that,  in  ch.  vii.  27, 
they  had  been  equally  explicit  in  declaring, 
"  We  know  whence  he  is."  Then  they 
thought  to  discredit  his  Messianic  claim  by 
drawing  a  distinction  between  the  well- 
known  parentage  and  home  of  Jesus,  and 
the  coming  of  Blessiah  from  some  undis- 
coverable  source,  some  hidden  place,  where 
God  retained  him  before  his  revelation  to 
Israel  (see  notes,  ch.  vii.  27,  28).  While, 
however,  Christ  (ch.  viii.  14)  allowed  the 
validity  of  their  superficial  knowledge  on 
that  occasion,  he  declared  that  he  alone  knew 
whence  he  came  and  whither  he  was  going 
(see  notes,  ch.  viii.  14).  It  is,  perhaps,  in 
reference  to  this  last  expression  that  they 
echo  his  own  words.  The  supernatural 
source  of  his  being  and  teaching  seemed 
to  their  minds,  throughout  that  discourse 
and  controversy,  to  vacillate  between  the 
Divine  and  the  daemonic.  The  contrast 
between  Moses  and  Jesus  in  this  bitter 
speech  runs  along  the  same  low  level.  "We 
know  not  whence  "  he  derives  his  prophetic 
character,  or  his  right  to  legislate  for  the 
people  of  God. 


Ver.  30. — The  man  answered  and  said  to 
them,  Why  '  herein  '  is  the '  marvellous  thing. 
Ijango  translates,  "  With  respect  to  this  man, 
this  is  marvellous,  to  wit."  The  K.T.  has 
accurately  given  the  force  of  the  yap,  the 
combination  of  ye  and  apa,  by  the  rendering 
"  why  ?  "  The  "  herein  "  is  the  ignorance 
which  the  Jews  now  profess  of  the  Divino 
call  and  mission  of  the  Healer.  Their  con- 
fusion, their  obscurity,  their  vacillation,  on 
such  a  patent  fact  is  the  marvel  of  marvels, 
almost  more  wonderful  than  the  cure  of  his 
blindness.  That  ye  know  not  whence  he  is, 
and  (yet)  he  opened  my  eyes  (/cat  not  unfre- 
quently  has  the  force  of  "  and  yet  " — simple 
juxtaposition  conveying  a  strong  contrast; 
see  ch.  viii.  55 ;  vi.  70 ;  vii.  4).  The  man 
rises  into  holy  and  eloquent  wrath.  Their 
entire  history,  their  principles  of  judging  of 
a  prophetic  call,  the  whole  modus  of  Divine 
revelation,  ought  to  have  shown  that  one 
whose  simple  will  stood  in  such  vivid 
juxtaposition  with  work  which  none  but 
Almighty  God  could  do,  ought  to  have  en- 
lightened them.  "  The  blind  man,  finding 
he  was  argued  with,  grew  bolder,  and  began 
to  argue  in  turn  ;  if  he  had  not  studied  theo- 
logy (say  rabbinical  casuistry' and  Mishnaic 
accretions  to  the  Divine  Law),  he  at  least 
knew  his  catechism  "  (Godet). 

Ver.  31. — We  know — the  new-born  dis- 
putant takes  up  the  language  of  these  proud 
casuists,  and  adopts  the  technical  phrase 
which  they  had  used  (vers.  24,  29) — we 
know,  you  and  I,  that  God  heareth  not  sin- 
ners in  any  special  sense  of  miraculous  ap- 
proval (Job  xxvii.  9 ;  xxxv.  13 ;  Ps.  cix.  7 ; 
and  especially  Ps.  Ixvi.  18, 19 ;  Prov.  xv.  29 ; 
Isa.  i.  15).  One  aspect  of  Old  Testament 
teaching  shows  that  a  man  must  delight 
himself  in  the  Lord  in  order  to  receive  the 
desires  of  his  heart.  If  we  ask  anything 
according  to  his  will,  he  heareth  us;  but 
the  prayer  of  the  sinner,  the  desire  of  the 
wicked,  is  contrary  to  the  will  of  God.  When 
the  sinner  turns  from  his  sins  to  the  Lord, 
the  cry  for  mercy  is  in  harmony  with  the 
will  of  God.  In  one  sense  every  prayer  is 
the  prayer  of  sinful  men  ;  but  it  is  the  Divine 
life  working  within  them  that  offers  accept- 
able prayer.  The  prayer  of  the  sinner  as 
such  is  not  heard.  We  know  God  does  not 
listen  to  the  cry  of  sinners,  when,  as  sinners, 

'  The  original  position  of  the  yhp  (Meyer) 
is  determined  in  part  by  the  curious  reading 
of  X,  A,  and  cursives,  iv  yap  rovro,  "  for 
this  one  thing;"  the  T.R.  and  R.T.  here 
read  iv  yap  To{nif>,  with  A,  r,  A,  with  many 
later  uncials  and  cursives.  N,  B,  D,  with 
Tregelles,  Tischondorf  (8th  edit.),  read  ^i* 
TovT(fi  yap,  the  more  ordinary  position  of  ydp. 
Tb  is  read  before  6avfj.a(rr6y  in  B,  1,  33  ;  but 
is  omitted  by  T.R.,  with  A,  D. 


12 


THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN".       [ch.  ix.  1—41. 


they  ask  from  the  ground  of  their  sin,  to  se- 
cure their  own  sinful  purpose ;  but  if  any  man 
be  a  worshipper  of  God  (the  word  Ofoaefivs  is 
an  oTraf  \iy6ntvov,  and  occurs  nowhere  else 
in  the  New  Testament),  and  doeth  his  (God's) 
will,  this  man  he  heareth.  The  blind  beggar 
has  learned  the  deepest  truth  of  the  Divine 
revelation  about  the  conditions  of  accept- 
able prayer.  The  immediate  application 
■was  the  miraculous  unwonted  event  as 
answer  to  the  eflfectual  fervent  prayer  of 
the  righteous  man  (see  Jas.  v.  16 — 18).  !So 
much  for  the  general  relation  of  this 
Healer  to  God.  The  rabbis  were  never  tired 
of  urging  that  the  "  answers  to  prayer  de- 
pended on  a  man  being  devout  and  doing 
the  will  of  God  "  (Edersheim,  who  quotes 
'  Ber.,'  6,  6 ;  '  Taanith,'  iii.  8 ;  '  Succah,'  14, 
a ;  '  Yoma,*  28,  a).  So  that  the  man  was 
here  fighting  with  drawn  sword. 

Vers.  32, 33. — The  man, having  once  begun, 
will  not  be  stopped  in  his  argument.  Since 
the  world  began  (e*c  rov  aiuivos  does  not 
elaewhere  occur  in  the  New  Testament ;  we 
have  ott'  alUvos  three  times,  and  airh  tSiv 
aiwvwp)  it  was  never  heard  that  any  one 
opened  the  eyes  of  one  bom  blind.  There  is 
no  record  of  any  cure  of  blindness  in  the 
Old  Testament.  The  miracle  stands  forth 
with  grand  distiuctne.ss  on  the  page  of 
history.  If  such  stories  had  been  told, 
neither  he  nor  the  author  of  this  narrative 
knew  of  them.  Tiie  Pharisees  and  Jews 
have  no  reply  to  tliis  burst  of  grateful  but 
indignant  testimony  to  the  uniqueness  of 
his  Deliverer,  and  then,  with  a  home-thrust 
which  cut  through  their  weak  objections  and 
repudiated  their  cruel  inferences,  he  added. 
Unless  this  Man  were  from  God,  he  could  do 
nothing ;  he  could  neither  have  wrought 
this  marvel,  nor  any  of  the  deep  impressions 
wrought  upon  you.  "  From  God ;  "  that  is 
the  mail's  final  answer  to  the  query,  "  What 
sayest  thou  of  him,  seeiug  that  he  hath 
opened  thine  eyes?"  God  has  the  glory, 
while  I  repudiate  what  you  give  as  a  judg- 
ment against  him.  Verily  God  has  heard 
him  as  One  who  in  tliis  thing  has  simply  done 
his  will.  Thus  the  Jews  are  compelled  for  a 
few  moments  to  hear,  from  one  known  as  a 
street-beggar,  words  of  teaching  along  the 
finest  lines  of  a  deep  experience. 

Ver.  34. — Vanquished  by  this  logic  of 
simple  fact  and  plain  inference,  the  au- 
thorities have  no  other  weapon  to  use  but 
invective  and  persecution.  They  answered 
and  said  to  him,  Thou  wast  altogether  bom 
in  sins ;  through  and  through  a  born 
reprobate.  They  take  up  the  superstitious 
idea  which  seems  (ver.  2)  to  have  been 
floating  in  the  mind  of  the  disciples.  From 
sins  of  parents  or  from  thine  own  sins  in 
thy  mother's  womb,  thou  earnest  into  the 
world  with  the  brand  of  thy  infamy  upon 


thee.  Thus  they  admit  the  change  that  has 
come  over  him  by  reverting  to  the  peculiar 
depravity  which  had  been  stamped  upon 
his  brow,  according  to  their  narrow  inter- 
pretation of  Divine  providence.  And  dost 
thou  presume  to  teach  us  1 — the  chosen,  the 
learned,  the  approved  ministers  of  God? 
Dost  thou,  with  all  this  heritage  and  mark 
of  separation  from  God,  dare  to  instruct  the 
chief  pastors  and  teachers  of  Israel  ?  They 
did  not  stop  with  cruel  words,  but  in  their 
bitterness  of  spirit  they  thrust  him  forth ; 
they  violently  expelled  him  from  tlie  syna- 
gogue where  they  were  then  seated  (so 
ileyer,  Maldouatu.s,  Bengel,  and  many 
others).  We  are  not  told  that  there  and 
then  they  excommunicated,  or  unsyna- 
gogued,  him.  It  is  probable  that  this  ban 
followed,  with  the  usual  terrible  formalities. 
He  had  practically  confessed  tliat  the  highest 
claims  which  Jesus  had  ever  made  about 
himself  were  true,  and  he  made  himself  liable 
to  the  curse  already  pronounced  (ver.  22). 
This  marvellous  narrative,  with  its  lite- 
like detail,  is  not  made  the  text  of  a  dis- 
course. It  remains  fur  ever  the  startling 
vindication  of  our  Lord's  own  word,  that  he 
was  Light  to  the  world  and  Eyesight  too,  and 
was  able  to  supply  both  the  objective  con- 
dition and  subjective  change  by  which  the 
nature  of  man  could  alone  receive  the  light 
of  life.  From  ver.  8  to  ver.  34  is  almost 
the  only  passage  in  the  Gospel,  with  the 
exception  of  the  passage,  ch.  iii.  22 — 36,  in 
which  we  are  not  standing  in  the  actual 
presence  of  the  Lord,  or  are  not  listening  to 
his  judgments  on  men  and  things,  and  to  his 
revelations  of  the  mystery  of  his  own  Person. 
The  narrative  so  far  stands  by  itself,  and 
gives  us  an  insight  into  the  life  which  was 
being  enacted  in  Jerusalem  contemporane- 
ously with  the  Divine  self-revelation  of  Jesiis. 

Vers.  35— 41.— (10)  The  issues  of  the 
ministry  of  light. 

Vers.  35 — 38. — (a)  The  vision  of  those  who 
see  not.  These  verses  narrate  tlie  sequel  so 
far  as  the  man  was  concerned.  Weslcott 
and  others  rather  exaggerate  the  bearing  of 
it  when  they  say  here  was  "  the  beginning  of 
the  new  society."  "The  universal  society 
is  based  en  the  confession  of  a  new  truth  " 
(Westcott).  Even  in  this  Gospel  the  first 
chapter  shows  that  Jesus  gathered  disciples 
about  him  who  from  that  time  onward  we;e 
to  "see  angels  of  God  ascending  and  de- 
scending on  the  Son  of  man."  In  the  second 
and  fourth  chapters  he  "made  and  baptized 
disciples."  The  twelve  (ch.  vi.)  would  not 
leave  him  in  the  midst  of  widespread  dis- 
affection, because  they  confessed  that  he 


CH.  IX.  1—41.]      THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN. 


13 


was  "  the  Holy  One  of  God,"  who  had  "  tho 
words  of  eternal  life."  Conseqiieutly,  it  ia 
enough  to  say  that,  when  tho  authorities  of 
the  Jewish  ecclesia  excluded  the  disciple  of 
Clirist,  the  Lord  admitted  him  to  a  nobler 
fellowship;  but  tho  fellowship,  the  society, 
had  been  already  formed. 

Ver.  35. — Jesus  heard  that  they  had  cast 
him  out ;  or,  thrnd  him  forth.  Jesus  is 
represented  as  "  hearing,"  not  from  tho  man's 
own  lips,  but  from  the  current  report.  Ho 
is  not  said  to  have  become  acquainted  with 
the  circumstance  by  intuition,  but  to  have 
heard  by  the  ordinary  processes  of  knowledge. 
'J'his  simple  touch  shows  how  consistent  tiie 
writer  is  throughout  with  the  main  tliesis 
of  his  Gosptl  touching  the  perfect  humanity 
of  the  Son  of  God,  that  he  "  was  made 
flcsh,"  and  had  "come  in  the  flesh,"  though 
he  was  "  from  God."  The  excommunication 
noisily  and  widely  braited  was  further  proof 
of  the  war  to  the  knife  between  '•  the  Jews" 
and  Jesus.  The  man  has  fallen  under 
tiie  ban  for  practically  avowing  in  the  most 
public  way  that  Jesus  was  "  the  Prophet," 
if  not  the  Christ.  And  having  found  him. 
So,  then,  the  Lord,  as  the  good  Shepherd, 
sought  out  the  lost  sheep  in  the  wilderness, 
and  did  not  rest  until  he  found  him. 
The  daylight  that  had  made  an  altogether 
new  world  for  one  who  had  aforetime  never 
looked  on  human  face,  had  been  strangely 
checkered  and  shadowed.  He  only  saw 
angry  faces  and  averted  glances,  and  even 
his  cowardly  parents  would  have  hesitated 
to  receive  liim  into  their  poor  abode;  but 
Jesus  found  liim,  and  said,  Dost  thou  believe 
on  the  '  San  of  God  1  Not  "  Dost  thou  wish 
to  believe?  "  but  "  Dost  thou  put  thy  trust  in 
the  Son  of  God?"     Dost  thou  recognize  the 

'  Tischendorf  (Sth  edit.),  Westcott  and 
Hort,  and  IVIoulton,  on  the  authority  of  N, 
B,  D,  with  Saliidic  and  ^Ethiopie  Versions, 
read  Tov  avQpwirov.  But  Meyer,  Lachmann, 
Tregelles,  and  K.T.,  with  A,  L,  X,  r.  A, 
and  other  uncials,  1,33,  and  all  cursives  and 
numerous  versions,  read  rov  ©eou.  AVest- 
cott  admits  the  wide  early  currency  of  the 
latter  reading,  but  thinks  that  the  diffusion 
and  frequent  use  elsewhere  of  the  term 
"Son  of  God"  might  more  naturally  have 
led  to  alteration  than  the  alternative  reading 
would  liavu  led  to  the  reverse  process.  The 
very  phrase  "Son  of  man"  is  difficult  to 
account  for  or  understand  in  this  conntction; 
but  Westcott  thinks  the  use  of  it  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  term  meant  more  than  the 
current  Jewish  conception  of  "  Son  of  God," 
and  that  the  Lord  hero  suggested  to  him 
"One  who,  being  Man,  was  the  Hope  of 
man." 


fact  that  the  Messiah  of  the  nation's  hope 
has  cume  ?  Art  thou  believing  in  him  ?  It 
would  be  more  natural  that  the  more  current 
appellation  Son  of  God,  rather  than  the  more 
recondite  idea  of  Son  of  man,  should  have 
been  held  out  before  the  healed  man.  The 
'•  tiiou  "  is  emphatic,  and  contrasts  the  state 
of  the  mind  of  this  man  with  that  of  "tho 
Jews."  He  had  declared  that  his  Healer  was 
"from  God,"  that  he  was  "a  Prophet,"  One 
who  "  did  God's  will,"  and  whom  "  God 
heareth,"  even  when  he  asked  for  apparently 
impossible  things.  Christ  testa  the  quality 
and  calibre  of  his  faith. 

Ver.  3(J. — He  answered  and  said,'  And 
who  is  he,  that  (iVa)  I  may  believe  on  himi 
Tho  conjunction  adds  mucli  to  the  eager- 
ness of  the  reply.  His  faith  was  ready  for 
full  expression.  He  lialf  suspected,  aa  the 
Samaritan  woman  (eh.  iv.  25)  did,  that  Jesua 
was  pointing  to  himself.  The  ris ;  rather 
tiian  Tt;  ("who?"  rather  than  "what?") 
shows  the  intensity  of  the  man's  desire  to 
find  and  hail  and  trust  "  the  Son  of  God." 
The  disposition,  the  posture,  of  his  mind  is 
that  of  faith.  The  adequate  object  for  that 
faith  has  not  been  revealed  to  him.  Apt 
symbol  of  many  in  their  passage  from  dark- 
ness to  light.  When  receptive,  susceptible, 
conscious  of  need,  with  some  notion,  though 
an  obscure  one,  of  whom  and  of  what  they 
most  of  all  need,  many  are  disposed  even  now 
to  utter  the  same  importunate  request. 

Ver.  37. — [And  ^]  Jesus  said.  Thou  hast  both 
seen  him,  with  the  eyes  so  recently  opened. 
Hast  thou  not  found  out  that  I  am  thy 
Healer,  thy  Prophet,  thy  Messiah?  The 
ewpaKas  refers  to  the  present  interview,  not 
to  any  previous  one ;  for  we  are  not  told  that 
he  had  already  sought  or  found  his  Bene- 
factor (Liicke,  Meyer,  Luthardt).  Thou 
hast  seen  him  with  tho  eyes  of  thy  spirit 
as  well  as  the  eyes  of  flesh,  and,  in  addi- 
tion, he  that  talketh  with  thee,  familiarly  aa 
man  with  man,  is  he — "that  sublime  Person 
who  seems  to  stand  far  ofl'  from  thought  and 
experience"  (Westcott).  The  c/celvoj  of  this 
passage  and  ch.  xix.  35  also  is  a  fairly 
classical  usage  for  expressing,  in  the  lips  of 
the  speaker,  a  reference  to  himself  pointed 
at  and  presented  objectively  as  a  third 
person  (see  Meyer,  and  our  note  on  ch.  xix. 
35,  and  its  bearing  on  the  authorship  of  tho 

'  The  introduction  of  tho  koi,  on  tho 
authority  of  X,  B,  D,  X,  and  many  other 
uncials  and  cursives  and  versions,  is  accepted 
by  Tischendorf  (Sth  edit.),  K.T.,  Luthardt, 
JVIcvGr  etc 

'  Tischendorf  (Sth  edit.)  and  R.T.  omit 
Si,  with  X,  B,  D,  X,  33,  and  some  versions; 
the  considerable  authority  for  Se  is  rendered 
more  doubtful  by  variation  of  readings — kuI 
i(i>fi,  Kol  (iirfi/,  etc. 


14 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ce.  ix.  1—41. 


Gospel).  Nowhere  does  our  Lord  more 
openly  admit  that  he  was  the  Christ,  the  Son 
ot"  God.  The  disciples  scarcely  rise  beyond 
the  climax  of  this  revelation  even  on  the 
night  of  the  Passion.  The  man's  faith  was 
waiting  for  its  Object,  and  the  vision  comes 
to  his  unsealed  spiritual  vision. 

Ver.  38.— And  he  said,  Lord,  I  believe— 
the  Kyrie  means  more  than  in  ver.  36 — and 
he  worshipped  him.  The  verb  irpoffKwuv 
is  used  by  John  for  homage  paid  to  God 
(ch.  iv.  20  ;  xii.  20 ;  and  twenty-three  times 
in  the  Revelation,  always  in  the  sense  of 
"  worship  ").  This  prostration,  when  noprayer 
■was  offered,  no  forgiveness  asked,  but  a 
simple  act  of  faith  exercised,  waS  nothing 
less  than  the  highest  homage  the  man  could 
pay.  Tlie  adoiation  of  this  man  is  a  fitting 
climax  to  the  scene  (ch.  viii.  59),  and  antici- 
pates that  of  Thomas  (ch.  xx.  28).  The 
higher  significance  of  the  Sonship  dawned 
upon  him  in  the  unearthly  tone  and  manner 
of  the  Lord.  These  scenes,  and  the  offer  of 
Divine  homage  unrebuked  by  Jesus  and 
uncommented  upon  by  the  evangelist,  are 
among  the  most  potent  arguments  for  the 
belief  of  the  Church  in  the  Divine  nature  of 
the  Lord. 

Vers.  39 — 41. — (h)  The  blindness  of  those 
who  are  satisfied  with  their  twilight. 

Ver.  39. — The  sight  of  the  man,  enlight- 
ened and  prostrate  in  adoring  gratitude,  led 
Jesus,  in  the  face  of  the  bystanders,  with 
Pharisees  among  them  (ver.  40),  to  declare 
the  general  effects  which  would  follow  from 
his  entire  self-manifestation  (so  Meyer, 
Godet).  Westcott  says,  "  Not  to  any  one  or 
group,  but  aa  interpreting  the  scene  before 
him."  A  sublime  monologue.  And  Jesus 
said,  I  came  for  judgment.  Not  Kplciv,  to 
execute  judgment,  but  els  Kpifxa,  with  a  view 
to  bring  about  a  judicial  decision  on  the 
moral  condition  of  mankind  (see  notes  on 
ch.  iii.  17,  18;  v.  22,  23;  viii.  11,  15,  16)  as 
a  matter  of  fact.  "  This  is  the  Kpi<ns,  that 
men  love  darkness  rather  than  light."  Christ 
came  to  save — that  was  his  supreme  purpose; 
but  to  the  Son  is  given  the  whole  Kpiais,  and 
Kp7fia  will  follow  the  revelation  of  the  Son  of 
God.  He  is  the  Touchstone  of  humanity. 
"What  men  tliink  of  Christ  is  the  question 
■which  decides  in  every  age  their  moral 
condition  before  God.  Into  this  world  of 
sin  and  strife,  of  crossing  lights  and  strange 
delusions,  of  ignorance  and  superstition  (els 
rhv  Kdtrfiov  is  different  when  tovtov  is  added; 
see  ch.  viii.  23 ;  xi.  9 ;  xii.  25,  31 ;  xiii.  1 ; 
xvi.  11 ;  xviii.  36) — not  the  world  as  the  mere 
cosmos,  or  the  sphere  of  creative  activity, 
nor  even  the  ■whole  of  humanity  as  ch.  iii.  16, 
but  humanity  viewed  in  its  separation  from 
grace,  and  in  all  its  need— in  order  that  they 
who  see  not  might  see ;  i.e.  not  those  who 
merely  feel  that  they  cannot  see  (as  Lucke, 


Meyer,  etc.),  but  the  practically  blind — the 
nil  ^\enovTts,  those  who  are  sitting  in  dark- 
ness, with  the  capacity  for  sight,  but  not  the 
opportunity ;  who  cannot,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  apart  from  the  revelation  of  new  light, 
see  the  face  of  God ;  the  babes  to  whom  the 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  has  been  pleased 
to  unveil  himself  (see  Matt.  xi.  25) ;  the 
poor  in  spirit,  who  do  not  but  now  may  see 
the  kingdom,  and  the  pure  in  heart  ready 
to  behold  their  God.  So  far  the  Kplfxa 
declares  itself  to  be  a  blessed  consummation 
— sight  to  the  blind,  cleansing  to  the  leper, 
life  to  the  dead.  Even  the  man  born  blind 
suns  himself  in  the  heaven  of  the  Saviour's 
smile.  The  Light  of  the  world  shines  upon 
them,  and  they  see.  But  Christ's  coming 
brings  out  also  the  character  of  those,  and 
pronounces  judgment  on  those,  who  say  of 
themselves,  "  We  see  ; "  "  We  have  never 
been  in  bondaije ; "  "  We  need  no  repent- 
ance ;  "  "  Abraham  is  our  father ;  "  "  We 
know  the  Law ;  "  "  Who  (nevertheless)  do 
not  come  to  the  Light ;  "  who  are  not  "  of  the 
truth; "  and  the  beaming  of  his  vmappreciated 
glory  involves  in  their  case,  that  those 
who  see  might  become  blind  {rvcpKoi),  inca- 
pable of  seeing.  Those  who  have  the  know- 
ledge of  the  Law,  "  the  wise  and  prudent " 
(Luke  X.  21),  who  boast  their  freedom,  their 
knowledge,  their  advantages,  their  profes- 
sion, may,  nay  do,  by  resolute  turning  away 
from  "  the  Light  of  this  world,"  lose  their 
power  of  spiritual  vision.  But  the  unso- 
phisticated, needy,  even  the  publicans  and 
harlots,  consciously  sitting  in  the  region  of 
the  shadow  of  death,  do  by  faith  and  repent- 
ance find  that  the  great  Light  has  unawares 
shone  upon  them. 

Ver.  40. — Those  of  the  Pharisees  who  were 
■with  him.  This  expression  does  not  simply 
mean  who  were  near  him  at  that  moment, 
but  who  were  to  a  certain  extent  siding  with 
him  (ch.  viii.  30,  31),  while  criticizing  and 
rejecting  his  message;  who  were  incensed 
with  him  for.  promising  to  tliem  "  freedom  " 
and  sonship,  and  whose  faith  in  his  claims 
was  of  the  most  superficial  and  vacillating 
kind.  These  wavering,  self-satisfied  Phari- 
sees heard  these  things,  and  they  said  to 
him.  Are  we  blind  also  1  Many  commentators, 
who  call  attention  to  the  contrast  between  the 
Tv(p\oi  and  fxri  ^Kfirovres  of  ver.  39,  think  that 
the  speakers  who  made  use  of  this  word  did 
not  draw  the  distinction,  and  meant  nothing 
more  than  /xri  fiKeirovres  by  their  use  of 
TV(p\oL  But  this  is  unsatisfactory ;  whatever 
it  means  in  the  one  clause,  it  ought  to  mean 
in  the  other.  There  is  a  difference  between 
"  becoming  blind,"  and  being  "  the  blind." 
They  ask  whether  they  are  blind  also,  i.e.  as 
blind  as  those  who  have,  according  to  Christ's 
own  dictum,  become  so.  They  seem  to  admit 
that  some  who  have  the  power  of  sight  have 


CH.  IX.  1—410      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


15 


been  blinded  by  the  very  light  that  shines 
upon  them,  but  they  are  in  doubt  with 
reference  to  their  own  case. 

Ver.  41. — The  reply  of  our  Lord  is  not 
meant  to  be  a  crushing  and  final  retort,  con- 
demning them  to  hopeless  night,  but  was 
obviously  intended  to  show  them  that  they 
are  not  yet  free  from  siji,  that  they  are  only 
partially  appreciating  the  light  which  shines 
upon  them.  If  ye  were  blind — incapable  of 
sight;  if  ye  had  all  along  been  deprived  of 
the  faculty  of  perceiving  the  true  Light  that 
shineth  in  the  darkness  (a  condition  of  things 
which  would  have  emancipated  them  from 
responsibility,  and  which  Christ  would  not 
admit  to  be  the  case) ;  perhaps  more,  if  ye 
had  been  utterly  blind  to  tlie  light  which 
is  shining  upon  you  now,  which,  however,  is 
not  true — ye  would  not  have  sin.  This  is 
akin  to  the  solemn  language  of  ch.  xv.  22 — 
24.  They  did  not  themselves  admit  that 
there  was  any  congenital  blindness  about 
them.  They  did  not  pretend  or  expect  to 
ride  off  on  such  a  wp6<(>a(TLs,  such  an  excuse. 
Could  they  be,  judicially  or  naturally,  blind  ? 


The  very  idea  was  an  absurdity,  and  so  Jesus 
added.  But  now  ye  say,  We  see.  You  even 
boast  that  you  are  "  instructors  of  the 
ignorant,  and  leaders  of  the  blind ;  a  light 
to  those  who  sit  in  darkness,  having  the  form 
of  knowledge  and  truth  in  the  Law  "  (Rom. 
ii.  17 — 21).  You  are  the  very  opposite  of 
the  "not-seeing"  (ft^  /3Ae7roi/T6j) ;  you  are 
self-satisfied;  you  will  not  come  to  the  Light. 
Wliat  is  the  issue?  The  Lord  seems  to 
pause  before  his  answer  (the  odv, "  therefore," 
is  rejected  by  the  best  manuscripts  and 
critics) :  Your  sin  abideth ;  or,  remaineth.  It 
will  remain  until  you  fully  admit  the  great 
principle  and  reason,  the  motive  and  charac- 
teristics, of  my  mission.  The  very  facility 
you  profess,  the  intimacy  you  claim  with  the 
Law  and  its  founder,  and  your  partial  know- 
ledge of  my  claim,  take  away  your  excuse. 

The  discourse  which  follows  shows  how 
entire  must  be  the  submission  to  Christ,  how 
complete  the  union  with  him,  of  those  who 
say,  "  We  see. 


HOMILETICS. 

Vers,  1 — 12. — Cure  of  the  man  horn  hlind.  This  new  miracle  caused  a  fresh 
outburst  of  Jewish  hatred  against  our  Lord.  Of  the  six  miracles  of  blindness  recorded 
in  the  Gospels,  this  only  is  a  case  of  blindness  from  birth. 

I.  The  cukious  question  of  the  disciples.  "  Master,  who  sinned,  this  man  or 
his  parents,  that  he  should  be  born  blind  ?  "  1.  Their  conviction  was  that  affliction  was 
in  all  cases  the  consequence  of  sin.  (1)  In  the  moral  government  of  God  there  is  a 
necessary  connection  between  sin  and  suffering  (Rom.  vi.  23).  (2)  Yet  the  suffering 
may  be  sent  to  prevent  sin  as  well  as  to  punish  it.  2.  Though  they  were  disciples, 
they  erred  respecting  the  connection  between  sin  and  suffering.  There  was  an 
alternative  question.  (1)  They  seemed  to  think  it  possible  that  the  man  born  blind 
should  have  sinned  before  he  was  born,  in  some  pre-existing  state.  The  disciples 
were  the  victims  of  many  traditional  errors  and  delusions.  (2)  They  had  more  ground 
for  believing  that  the  aflfliction  of  blindness  was  the  effect  of  the  sin  of  the  beggar's 
parents.  Some  fact  of  this  kind  was  familiar  to  their  minds  in  the  wording  of  the 
second  commandment  (Exod.  xx.  5),  and  in  the  representative  relationship  of  family 
life  (Heb.  vii.  10).  (3)  The  disciples  submitted  the  question  to  our  Lord  because  of 
its  extreme  difficulty.  The  one  supposition  seemed  ungrounded  and  impossible,  the 
other  seemed  not  in  conflict  with  the  justice  of  God. 

II.  Our  Lobd's  answer  to  their  question.  "  Neither  hath  this  man  sinned,  nor 
his  parents :  but  that  the  works  of  God  should  be  made  manifest  in  him."  1.  Our 
Lord  does  not  assert  the  sinlessness  of  the  beggar  gr  his  parents.  2.  But  he  denies  any 
moral  connection  in  this  case  between  the  individual  and  family  sin  and  the  blindness 
from  birth.  It  is  a  warning  that  we  should  not  be  too  ready  to  regard  every  affliction 
as  a  Divine  judgment.  3.  He  deals  with  the  case  from  the  practical  rather  than  from 
the  specidative  side,  representing  it  as  an  occasion  for  the  exercise  and  display  of  the 
Divine  power  and  goodness.  (1)  Our  Lord  carries  it  back  into  the  sphere  of  the 
Divine  counsel.  (2)  He  represents  God  as  bringing  good  out  of  evil.  4.  Our  Lord 
emphasizes  the  Divine  necessity  that  engages  him  in  this  blessed  work.  "  I  must  work 
the  works  of  him  that  sent  me,  while  it  is  day :  the  night  cometh,  when  no  man  can 
work."  (1)  This  miracle  occurred  on  the  sabbath,  probably  on  the  evening  of  the  day 
which  was  marked  by  his  long  dialogue  with  the  Jews  in  the  temple.  He  not  only 
went  about  every  day  doing  good,  but  every  hour  was  devoted  to  a  holy  activity. 


16  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  ix.  1—41. 

(2)  The  moments  were  precious,  because  the  work  of  his  human  activity  was  rapidly 
coming  to  an  end.  Our  working  season  is  at  best  a  short  season.  "  The  night 
cometh  "  to  end  all.  (3)  His  function  as  being  "  the  Light  of  the  world  "  imposed  this 
incessant  activity  upon  him.  "  As  long  as  I  am  ia  the  world,  I  am  the  Light  of  the 
world."  (a)  Therefore  the  true  Light  cannot  but  shine  upon  the  world's  darkness. 
(h)  And  he  is  the  only  Agent  to  remove  the  physical  and  spiritual  darkness  that 
appealed  to  his  compassion.       a 

in.  The  method  of  the  MjiiACLE.  "When  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  spat  on  the 
ground,  and  made  clay  of  the  spittle,  and  he  anointed  the  eyes  of  the  blind  man  with 
the  clay,  and  said  unto  him.  Go,  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam."  Why  did  our  Lord  act  in 
this  manner  ?  1.  Partly  to  test  the  faith  of  the  blind  beggar.  2.  In  all  the  cases  of 
miracle  involving  the  loss  of  connection  with  the  world  of  sense,  Jesus  takes  care  to  have 
personal  communication  e^ablished,  so  as  to  assure  the  sufferer  of  his  presence  and 
supply  a  fouuijalion  for  faith.  (1)  The  deaf  man  cannot  hear  Christ's  voice,  but  the 
momentary  touch  of  his  ear  established  the  necessary  communication.  (2)  The  blind 
could  not  see  the  look  of  Divine  compassion  which  others  could  see,  but  the  clay  or  the 
spittle  would  be  felt  as  indicating  the  presence  of  One  whose  words  held  out  the  hope 
of  cure.  (3)  The  means  are,  after  all,  though  under  a  physical  aspect,  designed  to 
affect  the  mental  condition  of  the  sufferer. 

IV.  The  success  of  the  miracle.  "  He  went  his  way  therefore,  and  washed,  and 
came  seeing."  1.  His  ready  obedience  was  a  sign  of  his  faith.  2.  His  faith  in 
Divine  power  at  once  opened  up  to  him  a  new  world.  The  eye  establishes  between 
us  and  the  world  a  nearer  and  wider  communication  than  any  other  organ  of  sense. 
3.   Christ  puts  honour  upon  the  exercise  if  true  faith  and  obedience  to  his  commands. 

V.  The  curiosity  of  the  beggar's  neighbours  respecting  the  circumstances 
OP  the  miracle.  "  Is  not  this  he  that  sat  and  begged  ?  Some  said.  This  is  he : 
others  saiil,  He  is  like  him  :  but  he  said,  I  am  he."  1.  Some  acknowledged  his 
identity,  but  others  tried  to  evade  the  fact  of  the  miracle  by  affecting  to  doubt  his 
identity.  2.  They  all  alike  laid  stress  upon  the  manner,  not  upon  the  fact,  of  the 
miracle.  "  How  were  thine  eyes  opened  ?  "  3.  TJie  beggar''s  frank  acknowledgment 
of  all  the  facts.  "  The  Man  that  is  called  Jesus  made  clay,  and  anointed  mine  eyes,  and 
said  unto  me.  Go  to  the  pool  of  Siloam,  and  wash :  and  I  went  and  washed,  and  I 
received  sight."  (1)  He  must  have  been  previously  familiar  with  Jesus,  else  he  could 
not  have  known  his  name.  His  presence  every  day  at  the  temple,  as  he  begged  of  the 
passers-by,  put  him  in  the  way  of  knowing  much  concerning  the  acts  of  Christ. 
(2)  It  is  a  proof  at  once  of  his  faith  and  of  his  gratitude  that  he  publicly  confessed  his 
obligations  to  the  Saviour.  4.  The  effect  of  this  declaration  on  his  neighbours.  "  Then 
said  they  unto  him.  Where  is  he?  He  said,  I  know  not."  (1)  Jesus  had  evidently 
disappeared  at  once  from  the  scene,  perhaps  exhausted  by  the  anxieties  of  his  long 
conflict  with  the  Jews  in  the  temple.  (2)  The  curiosity  of  the  Jews  to  know  where 
Jesus  was  was  prompted  more  by  hatred  than  by  the  desire  to  do  him  honour. 

Vers.  13 — 34. — The  investigation  of  the  miracle.  This  was  prompted  by  the 
unfriendly  questioners  first  referred  to. 

I.  The  inquiry  of  the  Pharisees.  1.  Tney  first  examined  the  beggar  as  to  the 
facts  of  his  cure.  These  it  was  as  impossible  to  ignore  as  it  was  difficult  to  explain. 
2.  The  performance  of  the  cure  on  the  sabbath  day  was  the  pivot  upon  which  the  question 
turned.  "Now  it  was  the  sabbath  day  that  Jesus  made  the  clay,  and  opened  the  eyes 
of  this  man."  Of  the  three  and  thirty  miracles  of  our  Lord  recorded  in  the  Gospels,  no 
less  than  seven  were  performed  on  the  sabbath  day,  as  if  to  show,  in  opposition  to 
Pharisaic  perversions,  that  works  of  mercy  were  essentially  included  in  tlie  sabbath  law. 

II.  The  division  among  the  Pharisees.  "  Therefore  said  some  of  the  Pharisees, 
This  Man  is  not  of  God,  because  he  keepeth  not  the  sabbath  day.  Others  said.  How 
can  a  bad  man  do  such  miracles?  And  there  was  a  division  among  them."  1.  The  ill- 
conditioned  party  concede  the  truth  of  the  miracle,  but  imply  that  it  must  have  been 
done  by  the  power  of  the  evil  one.  They  take  their  stand  upon  a  false  idea  of  the 
sabbath.  2.  The  friendly  party,  including  men  like  Nicodemua  and  Josf,ph  of 
Arimathxa,  feel  the  difficulty  of  a  bad  man  doing  works  of  mercy  and  love  through 
Divine  power.    The  difficulty  is  ethical  as  well  as  theological. 


CH.  Tx.  1—41.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  17 

III.  The  witness  op  the  beggar  himself.  "They  say  unto  the  blind  man 
again,  What  sayest  thou  of  him,  that  he  hath  opened  thine  eyes  ?  He  said,  He  is 
a  Prophet"  1.  He  does  not  hesitate  to  oppose  the  judgment  of , the  Pharisees  in  words 
that  bespeak  the  firmest  conviction.  2.  He  recognizes  in  the  miracle  the  energy  of  Divine 
power,  and  in  Jesits  the  character  of  a  Representative  of  God.  3.  How  often  a  simple, 
unlettered  believer  sees  what  learned  rahbis,  or  doctors,  or  synods,  cannot  see ! 

IV.  The  appeal  of  the  Pharisees  to  the  beggar's  parents.  1,  It  was  the 
suggestion  of  their  unbelief  "  But  the  Jews  did  not  bt..  .ve  concerning  him  that  he  had 
been  blind."  Unbelief  always  seeks  to  justify  itself  in  some  way.  None  are  so  blind 
as  those  who  will  not  see.  2.  They  expected  that  the  parents,  through  fear  of 
excommunication,  u'ould  either  deny  the  identity  of  their  son,  or  the  fact  of  his 
blindness  fro77i  birth.  3.  Mark  the  ivariness,  yet  the  cowardice,  of  the  parents. 
(1)  They  adhere  strictly  to  matters  of  fact.  They  declare  the  identity  of  their  son 
and  his  congenital  blindness,  but  decline  to  commit  themselves  as  to  the  method  of 
cure,  or  as  to  the  person  who  had  effected  it.  (2)  They  devolve  the  responsibility  of 
an  answer  as  to  the  most  critical  point  upon  their  son.  "  He  is  of  age ;  ask  him." 
(3)  Their  caution  is  due  entirely  to  fear.  "  These  words  spake  his  parents,  because 
they  feared  the  Jews."  The  excommunication  was  a  serious  thing  in  a  thoroughly 
ecclesiastical  community.  It  entailed  social  disadvantages  and  discomforts,  as  well  as 
exclusion  from  the  religious  privileges  of  the  Israelite. 

V.  A  FRESH  appeal  TO  THE  BLIND  BEGGAR.  "  Then  again  called  they  the  man  that 
was  blind,  and  said  unto  him,  Give  God  the  glory  :  We  know'that  this  Man  is  a 
sinner."  1.  They  demand  a  denial  of  the  miracle  as  in  some  sense  essential  to  a  right 
view  of  God's  glory.  (1)  They  desire  to  obliterate  a  fact  by  a  false  interpretation  of 
the  sabbatic  law.  (2)  They  regard  the  assertion  of  the  beggar  that  Jesus  was  a  Prophet 
as  blasphemy,  because  it  impeached  at  once  God's  truth  and  God's  holiness.  (3)  The 
Pharisees  represent  themselves  as  the  depositaries  of  theological  knowledge,  but  assign 
uo  reason  for  a  conclusion  adverse  to  Christ's  claims.  Their  conduct  is  eminently 
unreasonable.  They  oppose  fact  to  knowledge.  2.  The  answer  to  their  appeal  brings 
further  discomfiture.  "  Whether  he  be  a  sinner  or  no,  I  know  not :  one  thing  I  know, 
that,  whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see."  (1)  Thf  beggar  declines  to  settle  theological 
problems.  His  reticence  is  wiser  than  the  bold  but  groundless  assertions  of  the 
Pharisees.  (2)  He  takes  his  stand  firmly  upon  fact.  Once  he  was  blind,  now  he  sees. 
The  difiSculty  is  on  their  side  ;  it  is  for  them  to  explain  it.  The  fact  is  without  dispute, 
3.  The  anger  of  the  Pharisees.  "  Then  they  reviled  him,  and  said,  Thou  art  his 
disciple;  but  we  are  Moses'  disciples."  (1)  They  confront  unanswerable  logic  with  the 
language  of  insult.  (2)  They  oppose  the  authority  of  Moses — no  doubt  on  the  sabbath 
law — to  that  of  Jesus.  On  the  ground  of  their  allegiance  to  Moses  they  reject  the 
clearest  evidences  of  Christ's  Divine  mission.  "  But  if  ye  receive  not  Moses'  writings, 
how  can  ye  believe  my  words  ? "  (3)  Mark  the  crushing  rejoinder  of  the  beggar. 
"  Why  herein  is  a  marvellous  thing,  that  ye  know  not  from  whence  he  is,  and  yet  he 
hath  opened  mine  eyes."'  (a)  The  Pharisees  claimed  special  knowledge  to  decide  upon 
the  authority  of  any  one  professing  to  be  a  prophet,  yet  they  failed  to  give  account  of 
all  the  facts  of  the  case,  (b)  The  man  asserts  a  fact  of  great  theological  import  to  settle 
the  claims  of  Jesus :  "  Now  we  know  that  God  heareth  not  sinners."  (a)  It  is  a  fact 
based  on  Scripture  teaching  (Isa.  i.  11 — 15;  Ps.  Ixvi.  18;  cxix.  7).  All  men,  no 
doubt,  are  sinners,  but  the  Scripture  statement  applies  specially  to  men  living  iu 
habitual  sin  and  wiihout  faith  in  God.  (P)  The  privileges  of  believers  are  fully  asserted. 
"  But  if  any  man  be  a  worshipper  of  God,  and  doeth  his  will,  him  he  heareth."  God 
hears  the  prayer  of  the  man  whose  religion  is  both  speculatively  and  practically  true. 
(c)  The  miracle  wrought  in  the  present  case  was  without  parallel.  "  Since  the  world 
began  wa.<  it  not  heard  that  any  man  opened  the  eyes  of  one  that  was  born  blind."  No 
science  or  skill  had  ever  effected  a  cure  of  this  sort.  Therefore  there  must  have  been 
superhnman  and  Divine  power  exercised  in  the  operation.  "  If  this  Man  were  not  of 
God,  he  could  do  nothing."  Thus  his  general  argument  from  Scripture  and  his  con- 
clusion alike  deny  the  assertion  of  the  Pharisees  that  Jesus  was  a  sinner.  (4)  The 
passionate  abuse  lavished  on  their  critic.  "Thou  wast  altogether  born  in  sins,  and  dost 
thcfu  teach  us  ?  And  they  drove  him  out."  (a)  The  Pharisees  cast  in  his  teeth  the 
Qalajnity  of  his  birth  as  a  sign  of  special  sin.    They  forget  that  they  are  inly,  by  their 

JOHN — IL  0 


18  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  ix.  1—41. 


act,  acknowledging  the  reality  of  a  miracle  they  had  all  along  tried  to  evade  or  deny. 
(b)  They  are  aghast  at  the  assumption  of  a  person  under  God's  curse  undertaking  to 
teach  theology  to  the  recognized  guides  of  Israel,  (c)  They  expel  him  with  an  impatient 
contempt  from  their  presence. 

Vers,  35 — 38. — ITie  moral  result  of  the  miracle.  The  bodily  cure  is  to  lead  to  spiritual 
enlightenment. 

I.  Jesus  skeks  out  the  outcast  beggar  for  blessing.  "And  when  he  had 
found  him,  he  said,  Dost  thou  believe  on  the  Son  of  God  ?  "  1.  It  is  the  office  of  the 
good  Shepherd  to  seek  out  the  sheep  cast  aivay,  as  if  to  fulfil  the  psalmist's  words,  "  When 
my  father  and  my  mother  forsake  me,  the  Lord  taketh  me  up."  2.  Something  more 
than  miracle  is  needed  to  impart  faith.  He  had  been  the  subject  of  a  bodily  cure,  but 
our  Lord  is  now  to  make  him  the  subject  of  spiritual  illumination.  Miracles  alone 
cannot  work  faith.  3.  The  courageous  fidelity  of  the  man  in  the  presence  of  the  Pharisees 
makes  him  worthy  of  the  greater  blessing  in  store  for  him ;  yet  he  is  saved  wholly  by 
grace.  4.  Mark  the  directness  of  our  Lord's  question.  "  Dost  thou  believe  on  the  Son 
of  God  ?  "  (1)  It  could  not  be  evaded  or  misunderstood.  (2)  The  Object  of  faith  was 
more  than  a  prophet,  more  than  the  Messiah ;  he  was  God's  own  Son,  a  Divine  Person, 
the  Author  of  eternal  salvation.  5.  Mark  how  our  Lord  leads  him  on  to  a  clearer  recog- 
nition of  himself.  The  man  asked,  "  Who  is  he,  Lord,  that  I  might  believe  on  him  V  " 
His  faith  was  already  looking  out  for  its  object.  The  answer  is,  "Thou  hast  both  seen 
hira,  and  he  it  is  that  talketh  with  thee."  The  very  Person  who  had  given  him  restored 
sight,  and  who  here  honoured  him  by  his  conversation,  was  the  Object  of  his  faith. 

II.  Mark  how  quickly   faith   follows   on    our  Lord's   words,  how   quickly 

CONFESSION  follows  ON  FAITH,  AND  HOW  QUICKLY  WORSHIP  FOLLOWS  ON  CONFES- 
SION. 1.  Faith  is  based  on  knowledge.  "  Lord,  I  believe."  The  man  receives  Christ's 
testimony  with  alacrity,  and  accepts  him  as  his  Redeemer.  2.  The  confession  is 
prompt,  unhesitating,  and  enduring.  3.  The  worship  is  as  sincere  as  the  confession. 
They  who  believe  in  Christ  for  salvation  will  be  sure  to  worship  him.  The  worship  of 
Christ  is  common  to  Christendbm. 

Vers.  39 — 41. — Moral  result  of  Chrisfs  coming  into  the  world.  The  incident  now 
ended  suggests  a  wider  reflection. 

I.  The  double  result  of  Christ's  advent.  "  I  am  come  into  this  world  to 
exercise  judgment,  that  they  which  see  not  might  see ;  and  that  they  that  see  should 
become  blind."  1.  The  Son  did  not  come  for  judgment,  but  judgment  was  the  result  of 
his  coming.  His  advent  tested  the  false  and  the  true ;  it  revealed  what  was  in  the 
hearts  of  men  ;  it  brought  light  into  the  darkness  with  two  opposite  results.  2.  The 
twofold  residt  of  the  judgment.  (1)  As  it  affects  those  who  "  do  not  see  " — that  is, 
the  ignorant,  who  are  conscious  of  their  spiritual  blindness,  and  therefore  ask  for  the 
light.  They  are  made  "  to  see."  Light  arises  out  of  the  darkness  of  sin,  ignorance, 
and  unbelief,  so  that  they  realize  all  the  fulness  of  life,  righteousness,  and  faith. 
(2)  As  it  affects  those  "  who  see  " — who  claim  to  have  "  the  key  of  knowledge  "  (Matt.  xi. 
25),  and  are  "confident  that  they  are  guides  of  the  blind,  lights  of  them  which  are  in 
darkness"  (Rom.  ii.  11).  Being  unconscious  of  their  real  ignorance,  they  are  judicially 
bliuded  so  that  they  should  not  see  the  truth.  Being  "  wise  and  prudent,"  they  despise 
the  revelation  of  truth,  and  relapse  into  utter  darkness,  as  the  judgment  of  God  upon 
their  careless  or  hostile  attitude  toward  the  truth. 

II.  The  personal  application  of  the  test  of  judgment.  "  And  those  of  the 
Pharisees  which  were  with  him  heard  these  words, and  said  to  him.  Are  we  also  blind?  " 
1.  21ie  question  is  dictated  by  the  pride  of  sect,  and  by  a  touch  of  anger  that  they  who 
were  so  learned  should  he  classed  with  the  ignorant  rabble.  2.  The  answer  of  Jtsus  is 
terribly  severe.  (1)  He  seems  to  say — Would  God  you  were  really  blind!  There 
might  in  that  case  be  hope  of  light  penetrating  the  darkness  of  your  hearts.  Conscious 
ignorance  would  be  a  preparation  for  saving  knowledge.  (2)  But  they  were  at  once 
blind  and  unconscious  of  the  fact.  "  But  now  ye  say,  We  see."  (3)  This  blindness 
was  fatal,  (a)  They  had  no  excuse  for  it.  "  If  ye  were  blind,  ye  should  have  no  sin." 
They  were,  therefore,  witnesses  against  themselves,  (b)  Sin  rested  upon  them  because 
they  were  responsible  for  their  blindness. 


CH.  IX.  1—41.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN".  19 


HOMILIES  BY  VAKIOUB  AUTHORS. 

Vers.  1 — il. — The  passage  of  a  soul  from  darkness  into  light.  This  graphic  and 
dramatic  narrative  begins  with  the  healing  of  a  bodily  privation  by  the  exercise  of" 
Christ's  miraculous  power.  But  its  chief  interest  lies  in  the  spiritual  process  which  it 
unfolds.  It  relates  how  a  young  man,  poor  and  blind,  but  intelligent,  candid,  and 
brave,  received  spiritual  as  well  as  bodily  illumination,  and  how  he  displayed  insight  in. 
apprehending  Christ's  character,  courage  in  resisting  Christ's  adversaries,  and  gratitude 
in  acknowledging  Christ's  claims.  The  several  steps  of  this  process  deserve  attentive' 
study. 

I.  The  commencement  and  the  real  explanation  of  the  whole  process  is 
TO  BE  found  in  THE  MERCY  OF  GoD.  Our  Lord  gives  what  may  be  called  the  final 
cause  of  this  man's  blindness  when  he  instructs  his  disciples  that  the  intention  of  the' 
Creator  was  to  be  found  in  the  opportunity  afforded  for  the  manifestation  of  the  Divine 
energy  and  grace  in  the  w'ork  of  restoration.  It  is  well  to  look  fur  human  explanations,- 
but  it  is  better  to  receive,  when  they  are  afforded,  such  as  are  Divine.  In  studvinT 
the  transformations  of  human  character  the  wise  man  will  look  for  the  deepest  reasons 
in  the  purposes  of  the  Eternal. 

II  The  ATTENTION  AND  INTEREST  OF  THIS  MAN  WERE  EXCITED  BY  JeSUS'  COM- 
PASSION AND  BENEFICENCE.  Himself  receiving  a  signal  proof  of  Christ's  pity  in  tho 
exercise  on  his  behalf  of  Christ's  healing  power,  the  man  could  not  fail  to  feel  the 
charm  of  his  Benefactor's  character.  In  this  the  experience  of  many  has  been  parallel 
with  his.  There  are  ever  those  who,  seeing  what  Christ  has  effected  for  the  benefit  of 
humanity,  and  reflecting  upon  the  advantages  which  have  accrued  to  themselves  through 
the  work  of  Christ  upon  earth,  are  led  to  inquire  into  the  gospel,  and  to  ask  what  there 
is  in  the  Saviour  to  account  for  the  influence  he  has  exerted  over  human  society. 
"What  he  has  done  naturally  leads  to  the  inquiry,  "  Who  is  he?  " 

III.  The   REFLECTION  OF   THIS    MAN    UPON    THE     MISSION   OF   ChRIST    WAS    FURTHER 

PROMOTED  BY  THE  INQUIRIES  OF  HIS  NEIGHBOURS.  Those  who  had  long  been  acquainted 
with  him  asked  him  of  his  own  experience,  asked  him  of  his  healer ;  and  such  inquiries 
naturally  led  him  to  form  more  definite  convictions. 

•♦  Truth,  like  a  torch,  the  more  'tis  shook  it  shines." 

Seasons  of  religious  interest  and  inquiry  often  serve  the  purpose  of  compelling  tho 
unsettled  and  undecided  to  endeavour  at  least  to  understand  and  to  justify  their  own- 
position, 

IV.  This  man's  convictions  were  cleared  and  his  faith  strengthened  by 
OPPOSITION  AND  PERSECUTION.  The  fire  that  burns  the  dross  purifies  the  gold.  A 
weak  nature  may  be  harmed  by  adversity,  terrified  by  threats,  coerced  by  violence. 
But  this  man's  best  nature  was  brought  out  by  contact  with  opposition.  He  was  not, 
to  be  browbeaten.  He  turned  round  upon  his  persecutors,  and  put  them  in  the  wrong. 
Even  their  injustice  in  excommunicating  him  was  unavailing ;  he  was  gainin"-  a 
spiritual  standing  from  which  he  could  smile  at  the  threats  and  actions  which  were 
intended  to  dismay  him.  Often  has  it  happened  in  the  history  of  Christianity  that 
times  of  persecution  have  strengthened  and  steadied  the  faith  of  true  believers.  Some 
of  the  noblest  characters  that  have  adorned  the  Church  have  been  cradled  in  the  storm. 

V.  Circumstances  and  Divine  teaching  led  this  man  from  stage  to  stage 
of  Christian  belief.  This  appears  in  a  very  marked  manner  from  the  view  he 
gradually  came  to  take  of  his  Benefactor.  First  he  spoke  of  him  as  "a  Man  called* 
Jesus; "  then  he  pronounced  him  to  be  "a  Prophet; "  later  on  he  asserted  him  to  be' 
"from  God."  He  was  following  the  light  he  had,  and  this  is  ever  the  way  to  fuller  and 
clearer  light.  Thus  he  was  led  to  take  the  final  step,  the  natural  result  of  those 
preceding. 

VI.  This  man's  ardent  faith  and  profound  worship  were  called  forth  bt 
the  interview  he  had  with  Jesus  himself.  There  was  already  a  candid  and 
teachable  disposition ;  there  was  already  an  aflfectionate  gratitude  towards  Jesus.  It 
was  caily  needed  that  Christ  should  fully  declare  himself.     And  when  he  did  this,  it  ia 


20  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDINa  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  ix.  1—41. 

obserrable  that  the  man  restored  to  sight  saw  spiritually  'as  well  as  physically.  He 
beheld  the  Son  of  God  standing  before  him  ;  he  believed  and  worshipped.  All  that  had 
gone  before  led  up  to  this,  and  without  this  would  have  been  incomplete.  Now  at 
length  this  once  blind  soul  passed  into  the  clearness  and  the  fulnessof  the  light  of  heaven. 
Now  he  could  say  with  reference  to  his  spiritual  state  what  he  had  before  said  of  his 
earthly  vision,  "Whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see." — T. 

Ver.  3. —  The  fined  cause  of  human  suffering.  No  man,  with  an  eye  to  observe  and  a 
beart  to  feel,  can  look  abroad  upon  human  life  without  being  impressed  and  saddened 
by  the  spectacle  presented  to  his  view.  There  is  so  much  of  privation,  of  pain,  of 
weariness,  of  disappointment,  of  distress,  that  it  sometimes  seems  as  if  "  the  whole 
head  were  sick,  and  the  whole  heart  faint."  "  Life,"  it  has  been  said,  "  is  a  tragedy  to 
those  who  feel."  But  men  are  so  constituted  that  they  cannot  be  satisfied  to  observe 
and  to  feel.  They  are  compelled  to  think,  and  many  are  compelled  to  theorize.  The 
prevalence  of  want  and  misery  leads  many  to  formulate  a  pessimistic  philosophy,  which 
accounts  the  evil  in  the  world  to  exceed  the  good,  and  which  seeks  an  explanation  of 
the  facts  in  the  theory  that  there  is  no  benevolent  Deity,  but  that  the  supreme  power 
in  the  universe  is  a  brutal  and  unconscious  Fate.  This  daring  and  blasphemous 
doctrine  has,  indeed,  many  advocates.  But  there  are  very  many  more  who  seek  a  less 
bold  solution  to  the  difficulty.  It  does  not  follow,  because  a  speculation  is  comparatively 
modest,  it  is  therefore  sound.  Our  Lord's  disciples  faced  the  fact  of  human  suffering, 
and.  by  suggesting  an  explanatory  theory,  which  was  altogether  inadmissible,  gave  him 
an  opportunity  both  of  rejecting  it  and  of  offering  an  authoritative  interpretation  of  the 
facts. 

I.  Sin  is  ts  a  general  view  to  be  regarded  as  the  cause  op  human  privation 
AND  suffering.  Our  Lord  himself  taught  this  on  such  occasions  as  that  on  which  he 
said,  "  Sin  no  more,  lest  a  worse  thing  come  upon  thee."  Experience  and  observation 
teach  us  that  violation  of  the  Divine  laws  impressed  upon  nature  is  the  cause  of  very 
many  of  the  hardships,  pains,  and  calamities  that  befall  mankind.  The  link  between 
sin  and  suffering  is  forged  and  riveted  by  the  hand  of  the  Divine  Governor  of  the 
universe. 

II.  Men,  whose  knowledge  is  very  limited,  should  be  slow  to  attribute 
individual  physical  ills  to  individual  sins.  Sin  as  a  whole  is  answerable  for  most 
of  human  evils,  and  many  are  the  evils  which  devolve  upon  every  generation  as  an 
inheritance.  But  we  should  often  do  injustice  did  we  charge  a  man's  sins,  or  the  sins 
of  his  ancestors,  with  his  bodily  infirmities.  Our  Lord  warned  his  disciples  not  to  deem 
those  Galilseans  sinners  above  others,  on  whom  the  tower  of  Siloam  fell.  And  he 
expressly  exonerated  both  the  blind  man  and  his  parents  from  responsibility  for  his 
affliction  and  privation. 

III.  If  we  cannot  always  discover  the  efficient  cause  op  human  privation 
and  suffering,  we  may  accept  our  Lord's  revelation  of  its  final  cause.  There 
is  a  prevalent  tendency  of  mind,  especially  among  the  scientific  inquirers  of  our  day,  to 
disparage  teleology.  We  are  told  to  observe  that  a  thing  happens,  to  inquire  how  it 
h€4)pens,  but  not  to  venture  into  the  speculation  why  it  happens.  Intention,  design, 
are  widely  denied  as  the  explanation  of  human  actions,  as  the  explanation  of  natural 
phenomena.  Our  Lord  Jesus,  the  great  Prophet,  the  Divine  Eulightener  of  man,  tells 
Bs  that  there  is  a  reason  for  human  infirmities  and  calamities.  "  That  the  works  of  God 
should  be  made  manifest  in  him  " — such  was  the  reason  why  this  man  was  born  blind. 
Here  opens  up  before  our  mental  vision  a  vast  field  of  inquiry  and  thought.  For  if  this 
be  so,  then  there  is  a  purpose  in  physical  evil,  and  that  a  moral  purpose ;  then  it  is 
permitted  and  appointed  by  God,  the  All-Merciful.  Then  God  does  concern  himself 
alike  with  the  existence  and  the  alleviation  or  cure  of  such  evil;  then  the  works  of 
our  beneficent  God  may  be  made  manifest  in  the  case  of  even  a  lowly  sufferer.  Thus 
there  opens  up  before  us  the  possibility  and  the  prospect  that  the  world  may  come  to  be 
pjTvaded  by  the  illumination  of  Divine  love  and  pity,  and  by  the  radiance  of  a  blessed 
and  glorious  hope. 

-      ■  "  And  even  pain  is  not  in  vain ; 

For  out  of  discord  springs  a  sweet  harmonious  strain, * 

T. 


CH.  IX.  1—41.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  21 

Ver.  4. —  The  day  is  for  labour.  Very  instructive  and  very  encouraging  is  the  way  in 
•which,  in  this  passage,  our  Divine  Lord  associates  his  people  with  himself.  In  assuming 
our  nature  he  accepted  the  ordinary  conditions  of  our  life,  its  duties  and  its  limitations. 
Generally  speaking,  what  no  man  could  do  he  would  not  do ;  what  all  men  must 
submit  to  he  would  submit  to  also.  Neither  then  nor  now  is  he  ashamed  to  call  us 
brethren.  As  Son  of  man,  he  partakes  both  our  nature  and  our  lot.  His  Spirit  and  his 
language  assure  us  of  this.  Accordingly,  his  experience  is  not  merely  something  for  us 
to  admire ;  it  is  for  us  so  to  ponder  that  we  may  share  it.  He  partakes  our  conflict 
that  we  may  partake  his  victory.  In  the  words  of  the  text  these  principles  are  made 
manifest,  in  their  application  to  the  "work"  which  gives  meaning  to  human  life. 

I.  The  character  of  the  earthly  service.  The  works  themselves  to  which 
Jesus  here  referred  were  special.  By  "works"  he  undoubtedly  intended  miracles,  signs, 
wonders — such  deeds  of  power  and  mercy  as  that  which  the  condition  of  the  blind  man 
suggested  that  he  should  perform  for  his  benefit.  But  our  Lord  often  spoke  of  his 
"  work "  in  a  more  general  sense ;  and  even  here  tliere  is  nothing  exclusive  of  his 
spiritual  ministry,  to  which  this  language  certainly  applies.  This  saying  of  Jesus  casts 
light  upon  the  character  of  the  earthly  service  rendered  by  himself,  and  required  of  all 
his  faithful  disciples  and  followers.  1.  Diligence  is  characteristic  both  of  the  Master 
and  of  his  servants.  No  reader  of  the  Gospels  can  fail  to  be  impressed  with  the  labori- 
ousness  of  Christ's  public  life.  There  were  times  when  he  had  no  leisure  even  to  eat ; 
there  never  was  a  time  when  he  neglected  an  opportunity  of  benevolence.  Whether 
in  teaching  or  in  healing  he  was  ever  occupied,  and  occupied  for  purposes  unselfish  and 
brotherly.  2.  His  works  were  the  proof  of  his  ohedience.  Our  Lord  evidently  lived  a 
life  of  devotion  to  the  Father  who  "  sent "  him.  He  did  not  his  own  will,  but  the 
Father's.  It  was  his  meat  to  do  the  will  of  him  who  sent  him,  and  to  finish  his  work. 
His  advent,  his  ministry,  his  death,  were  all  proofs  of  his  obedience.  Though  a  Son, 
yet  learned  he  obedience  by  the  things  which  he  suffered.  How  much  more  must  sub- 
jection to  the  Father's  will  befit  us,  who  are  the  creatures  of  his  power,  the  subjects 
of  his  dominion  !  It  gives  dignity  to  our  life  to  feel  that  we  too  are  sent  into  the  world 
by  God — that  we  are  his  messengers,  his  servants,  his  children,  bound  to  do  his  behests, 
and  to  live  as  accountable  to  him.  3.  Obligation  characterizes  all  true  service.  Even  the 
Son  of  God  could  say,  "  I  must.'"  On  his  jmrt  there  was  no  compulsion.  He  of  his  own 
accord  undertook  a  life  of  consecration  and  sell-denial.  What  he  did  he  "  must  needs  " 
do,  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  Divine  purposes,  for  tlie  satisfaction  of  the  benevolent 
yearnings  of  his  own  heart,  and  for  the  salvation  of  mankind.  In  our  case  there  is  a 
stringent  moral  obligation  to  serve  GoJ.  As  creatures,  we  are  bound  to  obey  a  righteous 
Maker ;  as  redeemed,  emancipated  freedmen,  we  are  bound  to  glorify  a  Divine  Deliverer. 
We  are  not  our  own.  The  duty  that  binds  us  to  service  is  indeed  a  duty  sweetened  by 
grateful  love,  but  a  duty  it  cannot  cease  to  be. 

II.  The  limitation  of  the  earthly  service.  Our  Lord  condescended  to  accept 
the  natural  limits  of  human  life.  The  day  is  for  labour.  Christ's  day  was  from  the 
dawn  at  Bethlehem  to  the  evening  on  Olivet.  There  are  those  of  his  followers  whose 
day  is  even  shorter  than  his.  There  are  many  whose  day  is  far  longer.  But  in  the 
case  of  every  one  of  us  there  are  limits  which  we  cannot  pass  over.  There  are  the 
"  twelve  hours  "  of  the  day,  to  which  we  cannot  add.  From  this  language  we  learn 
that  the  day,  the  period  for  our  work  on  earth,  is  :  1.  A  prescribed,  unalterable  period. 
W^e  cannot  add  a  cubit  to  our  stature,  a  year  to  our  life.  There  is  "an  appointed  time" 
for  man  upon  earth.  2.  A  period  during  which  the  light  still  shines  upon  our  path. 
If  a  man  walk  in  the  day  he  stumbleth  not,  because  he  seeth  the  light  of  the  world. 
Christians  are  favoured  with  the  light  of  revelation — with  the  light  of  the  Spirit  given 
during  the  gosi>el  dispensation.  It  is  for  them  to  walk  and  to  work  while  the  daj  light 
lasts.  3.  A  period  during  which  strength  is  unspent.  The  labourer  toils  until  the 
lengthening  shadows  tell  him  that  the  day's  work  is  approaching  the  close.  He  needs 
repose  with  evening,  but  until  the  evening  his  vigour  enables  him  to  continue  his 
efi'orts.  Whilst  the  Christian  lives,  God  gives  him  power  to  serve.  God  is  not  a  hard 
Taskmaster;  his  demands  do  not  exceed  his  gifts.  The  voice  from  eternity  that  speaks 
with  authority  bids  us  "work  while  it  is  day." 

III.  The  special  motive  to  the  earthly  service.  "The  night  cometh,  when  no 
man  can  work."    There  has  never  been  spoken  by  human  lips  anything  more  solemn, 


22  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  ix.  1—41. 

and  at  the  same  time  more  precious,  than  this.  We  all,  when  we  think  upon  the 
matter,  feel  this  declaration  to  be  so  indisputably  true.  Yet  we  are  all  prone  to  over- 
look, sometimes  almost  anxious  to  forget  it.  1.  Consider  this  reflection  as  bearing  upon 
Christ  himself.  He  knew  that  the  end  of  his  earthly  life  and  ministry  was  near.  But 
he  knew  also  that  much  remained  for  him  yet  to  do  and  to  suffer.  There  was  a  work 
for  him  to  accomplish  whilst  he  was  still  in  this  world — a  work  which  he  must  accom- 
jilish  within  the  swiftly  closing  day,  or  not  at  all.  His  advanced  and  final  lessons  to 
Lis  disciples,  his  last  assertions  of  supernatural  power,  his  crosvning  revelation  of 
majchtic  meekness  and  patience,  his  mysterious  sufferings, — these  all  had  to  be  crowded 
into  his  last  brief  days.  The  cup  had  yet  to  be  drained,  the  cross  had  yet  to  be 
borne.  All  must  be  finished  before  the  twilight  deepened  into  darkness.  For  the 
Father  had  given  him  all  this  to  do ;  and  he  would  leave  undone  nothing  that  he  had 
undertaken.  2.  How  powerfully  does  this  reflection  bear  upon  our  own  moral  life! 
Every  one  of  us  who  is  alive  to  the  real  meaning  of  his  existence,  must  feel,  and  does 
feel,  that  this  short  day  of  life  is  given  us,  not  for  pleasure,  but  for  progress;  not  for 
ease,  but  for  toil.  If,  through  weakness  and  temptation,  this  feeling  sometimes  fails  us, 
there  is  one  effectual  method  of  reviving  it.  "  The  night  cometh  ! "  Venit  nox !  There 
is  much  to  be  dime  that  must  be  done  before  the  sunset  of  life's  day,  if  it  is  not  to 
remain  undone  for  ever.  Here  or  nowhere;  now  or  never!  That  the  future  life  will 
be  a  scene  of  service  is  not  to  be  doubted.  But  earthly  service  must  be  rendered  upon 
earth.  Here  the  gospel  must  be  embraced ;  litre  the  new  birth  to  spiritual  realities 
must  commence  the  life  that  is  Divine.  Now  is  the  day  of  salvation.  The  earthly 
service  must  be  rendered  in  this  life.  The  voice  comes,  "  Go,  work  to-day  in  my  vine- 
yard." Neglect  or  refuse  to  obey  that  summons,  and  that  piece  of  work  will  remain 
undone.  Yet  the  time  is  very  short,  and  night  is  very  near.  Labour,  before  the  hand 
be  palsied.  Give,  before  the  substance  be  beyond  control.  Speak,  before  the  tongue 
be  for  ever  silent.     Do  all  as  looking  forward,  onward,  to  the  end. 

Application.  Let  the  laborious  remembtr  that  not  all  labour  is  wise  and  blessed. 
Work  for  self,  and  such  work  will  be  consumed  in  the  fire  that  shall  try  all  things. 
But  work  for  God  shall  stand ;  no  power  can  destroy  it.  Let  the  indolent  remember 
that  time  unredeemed  can  only  witness  against  them  at  the  last.  Let  the  young 
remember  that,  if  a  lengthened  day  be  given  them,  the  greater  will  be  their  responsi- 
bility and  the  larger  their  opportunity  of  commending  themselves  as  faithful  labourers 
to  the  just  and  gracious  Master.  Let  the  aged  remember  that,  near  as  is  night  for  them, 
they  have  a  witness  yet  to  bear,  and  a  memory  of  inspiration  to  leave  behind. 
"  Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might." — T. 

Ver.  25. — Spiritual  sight  contrasted  with  spiritual  blindness.  In  this  instance,  as  in 
many  others,  the  miracle  is  also  the  parable.  The  whole  narrative  is  full  of  spiritual 
teaching  and  beauty.  The  candour  and  sagacity  of  the  man  who  received  his  sight 
from  Jesus  are  evident  in  the  witness  he  bore — witness  to  what  was  within  his  own 
experience,  witness  which  none  other  was  so  competent  to  bear  as  he.  All  who  have 
felt  Christ's  spiritual  power  will  adopt  this  language.  Whatever  they  know  not,  this 
they  know,  that,  whereas  they  were  blind,  now  they  see. 

I.  The  spiritual  blindness  of  sinful  men.  1.  This  is  compatible  with  keenness 
of  natural  vision  and  of  intellectual  discernment.  Men  "  having  eyes,  see  not."  It  is 
marvellous  how  far-sighted  people  may  be  in  worldly  afi"airs,  and  yet  may  lack 
spiritual  vision.  2.  It  evinces  itself  in  privation :  (1)  Of  true  knowledge — the  know- 
ledge of  self,  and,  above  all,  the  knowledge  of  God.  (2)  Of  Divine  guidance.  In  great 
darkness  the  blind  man  is  led,  not  knowing  whither  he  goeth.  The  spiritually  unen- 
lightened sees  not  the  way  of  life,  of  safety.  (3)  Of  heavenly  joys.  Sight  is  the  occa- 
sion of  much  natural  pleasure;  and  they  who  see  not  Divine  realities  know  nothing 
of  the  highest  delights  of  which  the  soul  is  capable.  3.  It  is  unconscious  of  its  owu 
loss.  As  the  blind  from  birth  are,  whilst  in  their  blindness,  utterly  unable  to  conceive 
how  much  they  lose,  so  those  whom  the  god  of  this  world  hath  blinded  say,  "  We  see," 
and  know  not  that  they  are  blind  and  miserable. 

II.  The  mission  of  Christ  to  give  sight  to  the  spiritually  blind.  1.  Observe 
the  motive  which  animated  him  in  the  fulfilment  of  this  beneficent  work.  It  was  pity. 
Common  humanity  pities  the  naturally  blind;  Divine  love  commiserates  those  who 


OH.  IS.  1—41.]       THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  23 

lack  spiritual  vision.  2.  The  poiver  that  effects  this  marvellous  change.  The  poor 
maa  \i[)oxi  whom  Christ  wrouglit  this  miracle  justly  argued  that  his  Benef\ictor  must 
possess  Divine  authority.  Spiritual  enlightenment  is  the  prerogative  of  God.  He 
"hath  shined  into  our  hearts."  And  we  are  justified  in  attributing  to  a  Divine  Saviour 
the  many  glorious  miracles  of  spiritual  illumination  wiiich  our  Lord  has  wrought  for 
men.  3.  The  means  by  which  Christ  works.  The  provision  of  the  gospel  dispensation 
is  all-sufficient  for  this  purjwse.  On  the  side  of  man,  there  is  faith  exercised  by  the 
sufferer  in  the  Healer,  without  which  no  soul  is  opened  to  the  heavenly  rays.  On  the 
side  of  God,  there  is  the  illumining  Spirit,  whose  agency  is  indispensable,  who  sheds 
forth  the  light,  and  who  cleanses  tlie  spiritual  organ,  and  renders  it  susceptible  to  the 
quickening,  celestial  beams.  4.  The  manner  of  this  enlightenment.  It  is  immediate, 
thorough,  and  enduring. 

II L  The  snuiTUAL  sight  which  Christ  confers.  The  exclamation,  "Now  I 
see!  "  was  an  indication  of  present  experience,  and  an  earnest  of  future  development. 
Christ,  in  bestowing  the  gift  of  spiritual  vision,  opens  the  eyes:  I.  To  self  and  sin. 
2.  To  God  himself — his  attributes  and  his  purposes.  3.  To  the  meaning  of  life — its 
realities  and  opportunities.  4.  To  the  unspeakable  privileges  of  the  Christian  calling. 
5.  To  the  unseen  realities  of  eternity. 

Application.  The  language  of  the  man  who  received  his  sight  is  especially 
encouraging  to  those  who  are  troubled  in  their  mind  because  they  have  not  consciously 
undergone  changes  of  which  others  speak  with  confidence.  It  is  neither  the  process, 
nor  the  time,  nor  the  mode  of  enlightenment,  which  is  of  supreme  importance.  It  is 
the  fact  that  the  change  has  taken  place.  Our  natural  state  is  one  of  spiritual  blind- 
ness. If  "  now  we  see,"  then  we  have  reason  for  rejoicing,  and  for  grateful  acknow- 
ledgment of  our  Saviour's  healing  mercy. — T. 

Yer.  27. — An  apjieal  for  disciples.  Admirable,  indeed,  were  the  hearing  and  the 
language  of  this  poor  man  when  in  the  presence  either  of  Jesus  or  of  the  Pharisees. 
When  confronted  by  the  Lord's  enemies,  he  was  not  worsted  in  the  discussion,  and  he 
was  silenced  only  by  violence.  If  there  was  a  shade  of  irony  in  this  appeal,  still  there 
was  justice  in  it.  The  language  is  such  as  may  well  be  addressed,  by  those  who  have 
benefited  by  Christ  and  have  attached  themselves  to  Christ,  to  all  whom  their 
influence  may  reach. 

I.  The  character  of  this  discipleship.  There  was  reason  in  the  designation 
"•disciple,"  as  applied  to  all  who  attached  themselves  to  the  Lord  Jesus.  Observe  :  1. 
The  Master  and  his  lesson.  Christ  is  supremely  able  to  teach.  There  may  be  learned 
(1)  wisdom  from  his  lips;  (2)  holiness  from  his  life;  (3)  love  and  pardon  from  his 
cross ;  (4)  obedience  from  his  throne.  2.  The  scholar  and  his  spirit.  On  the  part  of 
him  who  would  be  Christ's  true  pujul,  there  must  be  (I)  reverence  for  the  Master's 
authority;  (2)  diligence  in  the  stutly  of  his  character,  his  words,  and  his  life;  (3) 
subjection  to  all  commands,  however  this  submission  may  involve  self-denial ;  (4) 
perseverance  in  application  to  Divine  lessons. 

II.  The  hixuraxces  to  this  discipleship.  There  may  be  observed,  as  militating 
against  such  pupilage  :  1.  Pride,  which  flatters  men  that  they  need  no  teaching,  that 
they  are  a  sufficient  lesson  and  law  to  themselves.  2.  Irreligion,  which  assures  men 
that  other  mnsters  are  as  good  as  Christ,  that  there  is  no  special  faculty  to  instruct  and 
to  govern  residing  in  him  rather  than  in  others  who  claim  obedience.  3.  Unspirituality, 
which  too  readily  suggests  that  Christ's  teaching  is  too  holy,  that  his  standard  of 
goodness  is  too  high,  (or  human  attainment.  By  these  several  formidable  obstacles 
multitudes  are  kept  from  resorting  to  Jesus  in  that  reverent,  lowly,  and  teachable 
temper  of  mind  which  alone  can  secure  their  enlightenment  and  salvation. 

III.  The  motives  to  this  discipleship.  1.  It  is  our  nature  and  our  need  to  learn. 
2.  None  is  so  able  to  instruct  us  as  is  the  great  Teacher,  the  Divine  Master,  3.  To  stand 
aloof  Irom  his  teaching  is  to  remain  ignorant  of  what  it  most  concerns  us  to  know.  4. 
Christ  is  willing  to  receive  and  to  welcome  us  into  his  school.  There  is  no  need,  in 
order  to  become  his  disciples  and  to  learn  of  him,  to  abandon  lawful  avocations;  no 
need  to  dispense  with  human  teachers  who  are  not  rivals  to  Jesus.  The  door  of  the 
school  is  open,  and  the  great  Master  is  waiting  and  ready. 

Application.     1.  A  question  to  answer  for  yourselves,    "  Will  ye  also  be  his  dis- 


24  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [en.  li.  1—41. 

ciples  ? "  It  is  not  the  first  time  this  question  has  been  put  to  the  hearers  of  the 
gospel;  it  is  urged  once  again.  It  is  not  too  early  for  any  to  begin  discipleship.  And 
it  is  not  too  late  for  any  who  may  have  delayed  hitherto,  now  to  respond  to  the 
summons.  2.  A  question  to  propose  to  others.  This  is  the  invitation  which  the  Church 
is  bound  to  address  to  the  world.  If  one  who  had  been  a  poor  blind  beggar  could  urge 
it  upon  his  superiors  ;  if  he  could  speak  for  Jesus,  though  persecuted  for  his  boldness  ; 
■why  should  any  Christian  be  deterred  from  witnessing  and  appealing  to  his  fellow-men, 
either  by  the  sense  of  his  own  unwoithiness  and  insufficiency,  or  by  the  seeming  unsuit- 
ableness  and  insensibility  of  those  to  whom  the  appeal  is  made  ? — T. 

Ver.  33.-3^6  attestation  of  Ohrisfs  works  to  his  Divinity.  The  natural  good  sense 
of  the  man  born  blind  was  sharpened  by  the  experience  through  which  he  passed,  and 
by  the  controversy  in  which  he  was  involved.  Hence  it  was  that  several  of  his  sayings 
anticipate  the  mature  arguments  of  the  most  thoughtful  defenders  of  the  Christian 
faith.  The  manner  in  which  he  here  argues  from  the  character  of  our  Lord's  works  to 
his  Divine  commission  and  authority,  is  deserving  of  all  admiration.  This  is  an  argu- 
ment as  valid  as,  and  perhaps  more  effective  now  than,  when  it  was  first  spontaneously 
propounded. 

I.  The  spiritual  character  op  Christ's  work  proves  his  Divixe  origin  and 
POWER.  God  is  a  Spirit ;  the  realm  of  spirit  is  that  which  is  to  him  of  deepest  interest. 
It  is  evident  that  if  the  Son  of  God  has  visited  earth,  it  must  have  been  in  order  to 
introduce  principles  of  vitality  and  blessing  into  the  spiritual  existence  of  men.  This 
is  exactly  what  Christ  has  undeniably  been  doing.  To  him  men  owe  the  enlighten- 
ment of  the  mind  by  spiritual  truth ;  the  new  law  of  moral  life ;  the  new  motive  of 
Divine  love;  the  great  distinctive  social  principle  of  self-denying  benevolence;  the 
effective  consolation  for  human  sorrow ;  the  true  encouragement  for  those  tempted  to 
depression  and  hopelessness  ;  the  glorious  ptospect  of  the  spiritual  renewal  of  mankind; 
the  mighty  inspiration  owing  to  the  revelation  of  an  immortal  life. 

II.  The  incomparable  efficiency  with  which  this  work  was  done  is  proof  op 
Christ's  Divine  origin  and  authority.  To  appreciate  this,  we  should  compare  the 
work  of  Christ  with  that  of  others,  e.g.  with  that  of  the  most  renowned  of  earth — con- 
querors and  kings,  sages  and  religious  leaders.  How  meagre  their  sway  !  how  transitory 
their  dominion  !  How  rapidly  have  they  become  merely  a  memory,  a  name  !  On  the 
other  hand,  what  moral  significance  has  characterized  the  work  of  the  Lord  Jesus ! 
During  his  ministry,  what  transformations  of  character  he  wrought,  what  extreme  and 
desperate  cases  of  sin  and  wretchedness  he  successfully  dealt  with  !  And,  after  his 
asicension, "  greater  works  "  than  these — which  were  yet  equally  his  works — accompanied 
the  preaching  of  his  gosp.'l.  Well  might  Julian  the  apostate  exclaim,  Vicisti,  Oalilxe  I 
"Well  might  Napoleon  acknowledge  that  the  empire  of  Christ  transcended  all  earthly 
monarchies  in  true  and  lasting  solidity  and  glory.  If  this  Man  were  not  of  God,  could 
such  results  have  attended  and  followed  his  earthly  mission — fulfilled,  as  it  was,  upon 
a  scene  so  limited,  in  a  period  so  brief,  and  in  circumstances  so  lowly  ? 

III.  The  wide  extent  of  our  Lord's  work  is  evidence  of  his  Divinity.  Even 
during  his  three  years  of  labour,  Jesus  brought  blessing,  not  to  Israelites  alone,  but  to 
Samaritans,  Phoenicians,  Greeks,  and  Piomans.  And  when  Pentecost  inaugurated  the 
mission  of  the  Church,  then  the  descent  of  the  Spirit  and  the  utterances  in  many 
tongues  were  a  prediction  of  a  universal  religion.  The  middle  wall  of  partition  was 
broken  down.  One  new  humanity  was  fashioned  from  diverse  and  seemingly  discordant 
materials — from  Jews  and  from  Gentiles.  And  Christianity  has  from  that  time  onward 
been  proving  its  adaptation  to  man  as  man — to  the  barbarian  and  the  civilized,  to  the 
East  and  the  West,  to  persons  of  all  ages,  ranks,  and  characters.  The  Son  of  man  is 
proving  himself  to  be  the  Saviour  of  man. 

IV.  The  Divine  authority  of  Christ  is  supported  by  the  perpetuity  and  by 
THE  ever-growing  PREVALENCE  OP  HIS  WORKS.  Other  systsms  are  for  a  period,  for  a 
generation,  or  for  a  century ;  "  they  have  their  day,  and  cease  to  be."  But  Christ's 
mighty  works  go  forward  as  in  an  unbroken  and  ever-swelling  procession,  testifying  to 
their  Author.  His  power  to  save  and  bless  is  as  yet  undiminished,  and  it  is  reasonable 
to  believe  it  to  be  inexhaustible.  "  This  Man  "  has  done,  and  is  doing,  all  this  !  Who 
can  he  be  but  the  Son  of  the  Eternal  ? — T. 


cn.is.l— n.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  25 

Vers.  35 — 38. — A  heart  made  ready  for  faith.  In  this  interview  the  purposes  of 
Christ's  love  with  regard  to  this  poor  man  were  fully  accomplished.  The  opening  of 
his  bodily  eyes,  the  trials  to  which  ho  was  afterwards  subjected,  led  up  to  the  con- 
summation desired  by  his  Benefactor.  By  gradual  stages  he  had  come  to  that  point,  at 
which  only  a  fuller  revelation  of  the  Lord  was  required,  in  order  that  his  faith  n>jght 
be  perfected. 

I.  A  MOMENTOUS  QUESTION  ROUSES  INTEEEST  AND  HOPE.  The  man  whose  cycs  had 
been  opened  had  already  acknowleged  Jesus  to  be  a  Prophet.  And  now  he,  whoso 
claims  had  hitherto  been  but  partially  understood,  was  about  to  advance  them  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  elicit  a  full  comprehension  and  a  full  admission  of  them  on  the  part  of 
the  discii'Je.  Startled  indeed  must  the  poor  man  have  been  by  the  question,  "  Dost 
thou  believe  on  the  Son  of  God?"  This  language  opened  up  before  his  mind  a  new 
vision,  to  behold  which  needed  indeed  a  new  illumination.  It  is  clear  that  the  man 
whose  sight  was  restored  had  begun  to  see  with  the  eyes  of  the  spirit.  Was  he  now 
prepared  to  owe  all  to  Jesus — to  see  all  in  Jesus  ? 

II.  The  question  is  met  by  an  inquiring,  candid  mind,  and  by  a  keady  heart. 
1.  An  incHnation  to  receive  teaching  is  apparent  in  the  inquiry,  "Who  is  he?"  2.  A 
reverential  submission  to  the  qualified  Instructor  may  perhaps  be  discerned  in  his 
deferential  manner  of  addressing  his  Benefactor — "  Lord  !  "  3.  A  resolve  to  follow  out 
the  dictates  of  reason  and  conscience  is  evident  in  the  language,  *'  that  I  might  believe 
on  him."  Let  him  but  know  the  Divine,  and  he  would  hasten  to  present  his  homago 
and  his  faith. 

III.  The  Divine  Saviour  reveals  himself.  1.  He  declares  that  he  is  already 
actually  seen  and  known.  The  Son  of  God,  who  was  seen  by  the  man  whose  eyes  were 
opened,  is,  in  a  sense,  seen  and  known,  through  his  incarnation  and  advent,  by  all  to 
whom  his  gospel  comes.  2.  He  condescends  to  stoop  to  the  level  of  our  caj^acity  and 
fellowship.  He  "  talketh  with  "  all  who  are  willing  to  listen  to  his  words,  to  welcome 
his  conversation  and  counsel.  There  is  marvellous  condescension  and  grace  in  the 
revelation  which  Jesus  makes  of  himself  to  all  who  are  disposed  to  direct  the  eye  of 
the  soul  to  his  presence,  the  ear  of  the  soul  to  his  voice. 

IV.  Tee  eager  response  of  faith  and  worship.  The  unhesitating  confidence  and 
confession  here  recorded  were  not  unreasonable.  Many  causes  concurred  in  bringing 
about  this  spiritual  attitude.  The  benefit  the  man  himself  had  received,  no  doubt  dis- 
posed him  to  give  his  favourable  attention  to  every  representation  made  by  Jesus  of 
himself.  But  the  miracle  was  itself,  at  all  events  to  him,  conclusive  evidence  of  the 
superhuman  authority  of  his  Benefactor.  The  queries,  denunciations,  and  reproaches 
of  the  Pharisees  had  made  him  think  more  profoundly  upon  the  mission,  the  character, 
perhaps  even  the  nature,  of  Jesus.  And  thus,  when  the  Lord  advanced  his  Divine 
claim,  the  poor  man  was  prepared,  not  only  to  admit  that  claim,  but  to  welcome  and 
to  rejoice  in  it.  He  could  not  suspect  such  a  Being  of  vain  egotism  or  of  falsehood. 
There  was  but  one  alternative.  Jesus  was  what  he  declared  himself  to  be — the  Son  of 
God.  And,  this  being  the  case,  what  more  natural  and  reasonable  than  his  confession 
and  his  conduct  ?  He  believed  ;  he  worshipped.  Less  than  this  would  not  have  been 
justifiable;  more  than  this  would  not  have  been  possible.  For  in  his  implicit  confidence 
and  in  his  devout  homage  this  poor  man  anticipated  the  action  of  the  Church  of  Christ 
throughout  all  time.  Convinced  by  his  own  works  of  the  justice  of  his  claims,  Christ's 
people  delight  to  confess  his  lordship  and  to  live  to  his  glory, — T. 

Ver,  39. — Enlightening  and  blinding  power.  Christ's  first  coming  to  this  world  was 
not  for  judgment,  but  for  salvation.  Yet  it  appears,  again  and  again  in  the  course  of 
his  ministry,  that  judgment  was  a  necessary  incident  of  his  teaching  and  authoritative 
action.  By  him  "  the  thoughts  of  many  hearts  were  revealed."  There  was  a  virtue  of 
moral  discrimination  and  separation  in  his  ministry  of  which  ho  himself  was  well 
aware.  Hence  his  assertion  that  whilst  he  brought  sight  to  some  who  were  blind,  the 
result  of  his  coming  was  that  some  who  boasted  that  they  saw  were  jiroved  to  bo 
spiritually  blind, 

I.  Christ's  enlightening  power.  1.  This  power  was  exercised  for  the  benefit  of 
the  ignorant,  the  sinful,  the  helpless.  The  blind  man,  whose  story  is  told  in  this 
chapter,  is  an  example.     He  needed  not  only  physical  but  spiritual  sight.     His  know- 


26  THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  ix.  1— 41. 

ledge  was  very  limited ;  but  it  was  in  his  favour  that  whatever  knowledge  he  had,  he 
used  aright.  The  blindness  which  befell  Saul  of  Tarsus,  in  the  crisis  of  his  spiritual 
history,  was  symbolical  of  that  imperfection  of  spiritual  vision  of  which  he  only  became 
conscious  when  Christ  met  him  by  the  way.  These  two  examples  are  from  two  opposite 
extremes  of  society.  2.  This  power  was  exercised  by  the  communication  of  truth, 
accompanied  by  the  influences  of  the  enlightening  Spirit.  Gradually  did  Jesus  reveal 
himself  to  the  man  born  blind;  by  signs,  by  words,  by  his  own  gracious  character. 
'J  bus  did  light  enter  into  that  hitherto  obscure  nature,  and  penetrate  all  its  recesses. 
A  heavenly  influence  called  forth  faith  and  reverence,  gratitude  and  love.  The  mission 
of  the  Messiah,  as  foretold  by  the  prophet,  included  the  recovering  of  sight  for  the 
sjiiritually  blind — a  beneficent  service  which  the  Lord  Jesus  has  been  rendering  from 
the  time  of  his  earthly  ministry  onwards  until  now.  In  his  light  his  people  learn  to 
"  see  light." 

II.  Christ's  blinding  power.  1,  Although  our  Lord  says  that  he  came  "that  they 
which  see  might  become  blind,"  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  this  was  the  aim  of  our 
Lord's  mission  to  earth,  in  the  same  sense  as  were  the  diffusion  of  Divine  light  and  the 
impartation  of  spiritual  vision.  He  said  on  one  occasion  that  he  came,  not  to  send 
peace  on  earth,  but  a  sword ;  yet  we  know  that  the  main  object  of  his  coming  was 
that  peace  might  prevail,  although  one  necessary  consequence  of  his  work  would  be 
that  men  should  be  divided  against  one  another.  2.  The  explanation  of  the  blinding 
result  of  the  Saviour's  ministry  is  to  be  found  in  the  action  of  a  law  dixinely  appointed, 
according  to  which  those  who  have  good  brought  near  to  them,  and  who  are  indifferent 
to  that  good,  have  their  indifference  intensified  into  hatred.  Neglect  of  privilege  leads 
to  deprivation  of  privilege.  It  is  said  that  organisms  secluded  for  generations  from  the 
light  of  day  lose  the  organ  of  sight.  So  is  it  in  spiritual  relations.  Such  was  the  case 
with  those  Pharisees  who  boasted  of  their  spiritual  discernment,  but  who  in  fact  loved 
darkness  rather  than  light,  and  abode  in  darkness  until  their  spiritual  vision  was 
quenched  in  blindness  and  the  night  of  impenetrable  gloom. — T. 

Vers.  1 — 7. — The  blind  man  and  the  sight-giving  Saviour.     Notice  this  blind  man — 

I.  In  relation  to  the  disciples.  1.  To  them  he  was  a  notorious  object  of  retributive 
justice.  His  blindness  they  regarded  as  a  special  punishment  for  some  particular  sin ; 
they  looked  upon  him,  as  Lot's  wife  of  old,  as  a  standing  monument  of  iniquity,  only 
with  this  difference,  he  was  alive,  bearing  his  punishment  on  this  side.  Their  notion 
is,  upon  the  whole,  correct.  Sin  is  punished,  and  sometimes  in  this  world.  2.  An  object 
of  speculative  curiosity.  Suggesting  a  problem  not  easily  solved,  and  a  difficulty  which 
they  wish  to  be  removed.  In  the  light  of  popular  Jewish  teaching  and  also  in  that  of 
heathen  teaching  the  difficulty  stared  them.  Of  one  thing  they  were  certain,  that  his 
blindness  was  a  retributive  punishment  for  sin — the  sin  of  his  parents  or  that  of  his 
own.  But  which  ?  That  it  should  be  on  account  of  the  sins  of  his  parents  they  could 
easily  understand ;  but  if  on  account  of  his  own,  how  could  this  be  when  he  was  born 
blind  ?  3.  An  advantageous  object  to  present  the  question  for  solution  to  Jesus.  I'he 
blind  man  was  probably  well  known  to  them,  and  they  had  often  before  discussed  this 
aspect  of  his  blindness,  with  various  results;  but  now  here  is  an  opportunity  of  a 
final  solution  of  the  difficulty.  They  have  full  confidence  in  Jesus'  ability  and  readiness 
to  clear  the  matter  for  ever,  and  they  lost  no  time,  but  asked,  "Master,  which  did 
sin,"  etc.?  4.  An  object  who  did  not  excite  in  them  any  practical  sympathy.  They 
regarded  him  as  the  religious  teachers  of  the  nation  generally  would  regard  him — as  the 
child  of  sin,  a  monument  of  retributive  justice,  a  subject  for  curious  speculation ;  and, 
as  far  as  they  were  concerned,  they  would  leave  him  with  feelings  of  proud  contempt, 
and  satisfaction  with  their  own  state  as  compared  with  his. 

II.  In  relation  to  Jesus.  1.  To  him  he  was  an  object  ivho  attracted  his  special 
attention.  "  As  he  passed  by,  he  saw  a  man,"  etc.  How  many  passed  by  without 
seeing  him  at  all,  and  how  many  saw  him.  with  indifference !  And  probably  the 
disciples  did  not  notice  him  before  they  saw  the  Master's  attention  fixed  upun  him. 
He  saw  him  first,  and  saw  him  as  no  one  saw  him  before.  He  had  many  eyes  fixed 
upon  him,  but  never  such  as  these  ;  he  had  many  a  gaze  from  passers-by,  but  not  one 
containing  such  feelings,  sentiments,  and  meaning  as  the  one  which  was  on  him  now. 
2.  To  him  he  was  not  an  object  of  retributive  justice,  but  a  specially  befitting  one  on 


CH.  IX.  1—41.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN,  27 

uitom  to  manifest  Divine  operations.  While  fully  admitting  the  law  of  retribution,  he 
exc'udes  this  case  from  the  category,  and  at  once  removes  the  disciples'  question  (a) 
from  tlie  speculative  to  the  practical,  (b)  from  the  human  standpoint  to  the  Divine. 
And  although  the  blindness  of  this  man  could  not  be  viewed  entirely  apart  from  sin, 
yet  to  Christ  it  appeared  as  a  special  occasion  to  manifest  Divine  operations.  (1)  The 
operation  of  Divine  mercy.  Where  there  is  no  misery,  no  mercy  is  needed ;  and  the 
greater  the  misery,  the  greater  and  Diviner  the  mercy  which  relieves.  This  was  a 
special  case  of  human  misery,  advantageous  to  a  special  display  of  Divine  mercy.  The 
man  was  blind  from  his  birth.  (2)  Tlie  operation  of  Divine  power.  Where  human 
skill  is  helpless,  the  power  which  helps  must  be  Divine.  To  restore  this  man  to  sight 
no  human  doctor  could,  nor  even  would  sincerely  make  the  attempt.  His  restoration 
was  evidently  and  gloriously  the  work  of  God.  (3)  The  operation  of  Divine  grace. 
He  had  a  mind  requiring  enlightenment,  a  soul  in  need  of  salvation,  and  this  popular 
child  of  sin  presented  a  glorious  opportunity  for  the  display  of  redeeming  grace.  (4) 
In  this  man  Divine  operations  uere  signally  mnnifested.  God  works  continually,  in 
giving  sight  to  men  at  first,  and  in  an  infinite  variety  of  ways,  but  his  operations  are 
unseen  and  unobserved ;  but  in  this  man  they  shine  and  blaze,  so  that  all  must  see 
them  but  the  totally  bbnd.  They  were  manifested  to  the  man  himself,  and  through 
bim  to  others.  (5)  This  man  restored  by  Christ  was  a  most  convincing  and  attractive 
specimen  of  Divine  operations.  He  was  so  well  known  as  being  helplessly  blind  from 
his  birth,  and  was  now  about  to  be  even  better  known  as  perfectly  restored  by  Jesus. 
Thus  he  who  was  popularly  thought  to  be  a  monument  of  sin  and  its  terrible  con- 
sequences, becomes  the  popular  monument  of  Divine  power,  the  convincing  specimen 
of  Divine  mercy,  and  the  notorious  advertisement  of  redeeming  grace  in  Christ.  Still, 
he  was  only  a  specimen,  extraordinary  only  in  the  manifestation,  but  quite  ordinary 
in  the  course  of  Divine  operations.  It  is  only  the  work  of  God,  what  he  ever  performs 
in  Christ.  3.  To  Christ  this  man  was  an  ohject  ivho  vividly  reminded  him  of  his 
missioii  on  earth.  (1)  As  a  mission  of  real  and  untiring  activity.  "I  must  work,"  etc. 
(2)  As  a  mission  involving  a  great  variety  of  activities.  "The  works."  Not  one  or  a 
few,  but  many  and  various — as  various  as  the  physical  and  spiritual  wants  of  the 
human  family.  (3)  As  a  mission  which  is  Divine  and  representative  in  its  character. 
"  The  works  of  him,"  etc.  He  never  forgot  the  Divine  and  representative  character  of 
his  mission,  involving  special  duties,  obligations,  and  resjwnsibilities  in  relation  to  him 
who  sent  him.  (4)  As  a  mission  which  must  be performtd  in  due  season.  "While  it 
is  day,"  etc.  He  had  only  a  day,  and  with  regard  to  his  earthly  life  this  was  short. 
Even  in  this  hour  of  his  triumph  and  brilliancy,  in  giving  sight  to  the  blind  man,  he 
was  reminded  of  its  brevity.  This  very  act  hastened  the  approaching  night.  Those  who 
shine  brighily  on  the  night  of  the  wicked  world  cannot  exjiect  a  long  day.  (5)  As  a 
mission  in  which  his  disciples  had  to  share.  "  We  "  (the  proper  reading)  "  must  work," 
etc.  The  Master  and  the  disciples  were  one,  and  their  mission  one.  He  came  not  only 
to  work  himself,  but  also  to  teach  them  to  work.  They  were  as  yet  apprentices,  but 
now  it  was  time  to  begin  to  break  them  in  under  the  yoke  and  remind  them  of  their 
duty,  and  all  the  more  as  day  was  diav\ing  to  a  close.  (G)  As  a  mission  the  necessity 
of  its  fulfilnient  was  fdt  by  him  with  increasing  force.  "  We  must,"  etc.  Tliis  came 
from  his  Divine  conmussion,  from  human  woe,  from  the  greatness  and  importance  of 
the  work,  and  the  brevity  of  the  time.  From  above,  around,  and  friim  within  came 
the  inspiration  of  his  work,  which  found  ajipropriate  expression  in  "We  must  work," 
etc.  4.  To  Jesus  this  man  was  an  ohject  on  ivhom  he  icould  give  a  practical  illustration 
of  hl-i  mission.  "When  he  had  .spoken  these  things,"  etc.  The  .^^ptech  ended  in  action, 
and  the  action  was  in  perfect  keeping  with  the  speech — a  grand  but  most  natural  ami 
touching  jieroration.  Christ  taught  hisdisciides  by  practical  illustrations.  The  miracle 
was  a  full  answer  to  their  question,  and  a  practical  specimen  of  his  mission.  (1)  Means 
were  used  in  the  performance  of  the  miracle.  Sometimes  he  would  exorcise  his  Divine 
jx»wer  without  the  use  of  means  at  all,  even  without  a  word,  only  the  fiat  of  his  will ; 
but  here  very  lew  words  are  used — it  is  all  action.  "  I  must  work."  (2)  The  means 
used  were  in  themselves  utterly  inadequate  to  prodtice  the  ultiimite  end.  Chiy  and 
spittle  and  washing  in  the  pool  of  Siloam.  These  rrieans,  however  efficacious  in  popular 
esteem,  were  utterly  futile  to  give  the  man  his  sight.  (3)  These  means,  nevertheless, 
were  suitable  to  answer  the  end  Jesus  had  in  view.     He  knew  when  and  when  not  to 


28  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  ix.  1— 43. 

use  means,  and  knew  as  well  what  means  to  use.  He  never  thought  that  these  would 
bring  the  man  to  see  outwardly,  but  they  would  help  him  to  see  inwardly.  They 
served  best  to  strengthen  his  faith  and  give  due  publicity  to  the  miracle.  He  could 
not  go  to  and  return  from  Siloam  without  attracting  attention.  Jesus  caused  every 
movement  to  serve  some  useful  purpose ;  thus  the  man  began  at  once  to  manifest  the 
works  of  God.  (4)  The  faithful  use  of  the  prescribed  means  answered  the  ultimate  end 
of  Divine  mercy  and  human  want.  The  man's  faith  was  strong  and  prompt.  He  was 
not  promised  his  sight,  only  told  what  so  do;  the  rest  he  inferred.  He  believed  and 
obeyed,  and  the  Divine  energy  came  with  the  obedience.  He  washed,  and  came  seeing. 
He  was  born  first  blind,  he  was  born  now  seeing,  and  some  saw  the  Divine  glory 
flashing  from  his  eyes. 

Lessons.  1.  TJiere  are  full  compensations  for  all  evil  in  the  Divine  economy.  If 
there  is  misery,  there  is  Divine  mercy.  If  some  are  bom  blind,  their  blindness  will 
answer  some  benevolent  purpose.  There  is  One  born  to  help  and  give  sight.  Evil  must 
ultimately  serve  goodness,  and  misery  must  glorify  mercy.  Divine  compensations  are 
seen  now,  but  to  a  greater  extent  hereafter.  2.  The  fact  of  human  sin  and  misery  is 
not  for  curious  speculation  but  for  practical  sympathy.  The  life  of  Christ  was  one  of 
benevolent  activity  rather  than  of  idle  speculation  and  theory.  What  right-minded 
man,  when  a  house  is  on  fire,  will  stop  to  know  its  cause  before  doing  all  in  his  power 
to  put  it  out  ?  Eather  thau  idly  inquiring  into  the  origin  and  mystery  of  human  evU 
and  misery,  by  every  possible  eifort  let  sin  be  destroyed,  and  misery  and  sorrow  be 
alleviated,  and  with  and  after  the  eSbrt  will  come  satisfaction,  and  ultimately  full  light. 
3.  God  answers  better  than  we  ask.  Our  requests  may  be  idle  and  wron^r,  but  the 
answers  are  right  and  Divine.  Still  let  us  ask,  and  our  mistakes  will  be  rectided  in  the 
Divine  answers.  We  are  glad  that  the  disciples  asked  respecting  the  man's  blindness. 
The  full  reply  is  found  in  Christ's  miracle  of  Divine  mercy  and  might.  4.  The  humblest 
means  are  not  to  he  despised  if  prefcribed  by  Christ.  From  the  human  side  Divine 
means  are  apparently  very  inadequate,  and  even  contemptible.  The  spittle  and  clay 
and  washing  in  the  pool  of  Siloam  for  Jesus  and  the  blind  man  were  very  humble 
beginnings,  but  led  to  a  glorious  result.  Faithful  use  of  divinely  prescribed  means 
were  the  channel  through  which  Divine  energy  came  to  the  man  which  resulted  in  his 
sight,  and  through  the  same  channel  of  faith  and  obedience  Divine  illumination  will 
ever  come  to  the  soul. — B.  T. 

Vers.  29 — 34. — A  noble  defence.     Notice — 

I.  A  MARVELLOUS  IGNORANCE.  "  Why  herein  is  a  marvellous  thing,"  etc.  Their 
ignorance  of  the  origin  and  history  of  Jesus  was  marvellous  considered  in  reference  to 
the  persons  themselves.  Ignorant :  (a)  While  they  really  knew  so  much.  The  sum  of 
their  general  religious  knowledge  must  be  considerable.  (6)  While  they  professed  and  were 
supposed  to  know  so  much.  They  professed  to  know  all  about  the  Divine  communica- 
tions to  Moses ;  professed  to  know  the  less,  but  profoundly  ignorant  with  regard  to  the 
greater,  (c)  While  they  ought  to  know  so  much.  From  their  religious  traiuing  and 
position  as  the  religious  leaders  of  the  people,  they  ought  to  know  much.  Their 
ignorance  was  marvellous  when  considered  in  relation  to  the  case  before  them,  very 
marvellous  indeed  in  the  light  of  the  following  considerations  so  lucidly  and  cogently 
brought  under  their  notice  by  the  man  that  was  blind.  1.  The  testimony  of  the  miracle. 
(1)  The  miracle  was  an  u?iquestionable  fact.  As  proved  by  the  man  himself^  by  his 
parents,  by  his  neighbours;  and  the  genuineness  of  the  miracle  was  admitted  by  the 
council.  (2)  It  was  an  unquestionable  fact,  unquestionably  involving  the  exercise  of 
Divine  power.  This  was  generally  admitted.  Admitted  by  the  opponents  themselves, 
"  Give  glory  to  God."  (3)  The  Divine  power  was  unquestionably  exercised  by  Christ. 
"  He  opened  mine  eyes."  This  connects  him  most  intimately  with  the  Source  of  Divine 
power,  if  it  does  not  point  to  him  as  that  Source.  2.  The  usual  way  of  God's  impar- 
tation  of  his  Divine  power.  (1)  It  was  imparted  in  answer  to  prayer.  This  was  the 
law  by  which  God's  extraordinary  power  was  imparted  to  the  prophets  and  seers  of  old. 
In  answer  to  prayer.  (2)  It  was  imparted  only  in  answer  to  the  prayer  of  the  devotional 
and  obedient.  Notorious  sinners  are  not  in  the  habit  of  prayer,  and  their  prayers  as 
such  would  not  be  answered.  If  they  prayed  so  as  to  be  answered,  they  would  cease  to 
be  notorious  sinners.     "  God  heareth  not  sinners  :  but  if  any  man  be  the  worshipper," 


CH.IX.  1— 41.]       THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  29 

etc.  (3)  This  nile  of  Divine  impartation  of  power  was  well  and  generally  known, 
"  We  know,"  etc.  As  if  he  were  to  say, "  Even  I  know  this,  much  more  you." 
(4)  Ignorance  of  the  Divine  character  and  origin  of  Christ  was  marvellous.  "  Ho  opened 
mine  eyes."  3.  77ie  uniqueness  of  the  miracle.  (1)  It  was  unique  in  relation  to  (he 
general  experience  of  that  age.  Such  a  miracle  was  never  witnessed  by  any  one  present, 
nor  by  any  one  then  living.  (2)  Unique  in  relation  to  the  oral  and  ivritten  history  of 
the  world.  "Since  the  world  began  was  it  not  heard,"  etc.  History,  oral  or  written, 
ancient  or  modern,  does  not  furnish  such  an  instance  of  Divine  power  in  sight-giving 
as  this.  (3)  Unique  in  relation  to  the  miraculous  performance  of  the  great  men  of  the 
past.  As  compared  with  theirs,  it  stands  alone  and  sina;ular.  "  It  was  not  heard  that 
any  man."  Jewish  history  could  boast  of  the  names  of  great  men  who  through  God 
performed  works  of  wonder  and  might ;  but  this  eclipsed  them  all.  Not  even  INIoses  nor 
Elijah  performed  such  an  act  with  regard  to  sight.  (4)  Unique  in  hs  peculiar  character 
arid  originality.  An  equal  amount  of  power  had  been  displayed  before,  but  not  in  the 
same  way.  Defective  sight  had  been  restored,  and  total  blindness  had  been  removed  ; 
but  never  a  man  who  had  been  born  blind  had  his  eyes  opened.  This  was  reserved  for 
Jesus.  This  original  and  nevf  miracle  was  reserved  for  a  new  dispensation — a  dispen- 
sation of  spiritual  insight  and  Divine  illumination.  And  if  Christ  was  a  sinner,  he  was 
more  original,  eminent,  and  Divine  than  the  most  illustrious  and  boasted  saints  of  all 
past  ages.  4.  The  temporal  circumstances  of  Christ.  These  were  such  as  to  be  most 
unfavourable  to  impress  the  public  and  gain  a  personal  reputation.  Temporal  circum- 
stances are  generally  favourable  and  productive  of  this.  Such  as  :  (1)  An  illustrious 
lineage.  To  come  down  upon  society  in  the  splendour  of  an  illustrious  descent  goes  far 
with  it.  But  this  Jesus  did  not.  He  appeared  as  the  Son  of  Joseph  and  Mary.  True, 
he  descended  from  David ;  but  this  was  scarcely  known,  and  the  connection  was  so 
distant  that  the  effect  would  be  little.  (2)  Great  wealth.  This  has  a  great  influence. 
This  Jesus  had  not.  He  was  the  reputed  Son  of  a  poor  carpenter,  and  was  a  poor 
Carpenter  himself,  and  as  such  appeared  before  the  public  and  was  known  by  them. 
(3)  The  patronage  of  the  great.  This  goes  very  far  in  gaining  popularity  and  reputa- 
tion. But  Jesus  had  not  this.  From  his  first  public  appearance  the  aristocratic 
element  of  the  nation  was  against  him,  and  the  social  and  religious  leaders  of  the  people 
were  his  deadly  foes.  (4)  The  fame  of  learning.  This  is  a  most  powerful  element  of 
success ;  but  Jesus  had  not  this.  He  was  not  brought  up  in  any  of  the  celebrated 
schools  of  his  nation,  nor  sat  at  the  feet  of  any  illustrious  rabbi.  It  is  not  known  that 
he  ever  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  any  school  besides  that  of  home,  and  he  was  notorious 
as  a  Teacher  who  had  no  human  learning.  From  the  poor  village  and  the  common 
workshop  he  emerged  as  the  teacher  of  his  nation.  All  his  outward  circumstances  were 
against  him,  so  that  it  was  well  said,  "If  this  man  were  not  of  God,  he  could  do 
nothing."  But,  in  spite  of  his  disadvantage,  his  doings  far  eclipsed  those  of  his  most 
eminent  predecessors,  which  plainly  and  irresistibly  leads  to  the  inference  of  the  man 
that  was  born  blind  that  he  was  of  God — he  was  indeed  Divine. 

II.  The  most  obstinate  religious  bigotry.  Their  marvellous  ignorance  was  the 
offspring  of  the  heart  rather  than  of  the  head,  of  the  will  rather  than  the  understanding. 
It  was  the  offspring  of  the  most  obstinate  religious  bigotry  whose  character  their  conduct 
here  reveals.  1.  As  most  hitter  in  spirit.  "  Thou  wast  altogether,"  etc.  This  language 
is :  (1)  Most  slanderous.  A  slander  on  the  man,  on  his  parents,  on  the  Creator  who 
made  him,  and  on  the  Saviour  who  healed  him.  The  charge  was  not  true.  (2)  Extremely 
mean.  To  upbraid  the  man  with  a  calamity  for  which  he  was  not  responsible,  and  to 
rake  up  in  his  breast  the  painful  reminiscences  of  a  misery  which  he  had  so  long 
endured,  but  which  happily  now  had  passed  away.  (3)  Most  irrelevant.  It  is  not  to 
the  point.  What  mattered  it  whether  the  man  was  born  in  sins  or  not?  That  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  fact  of  the  miracle,  and  the  character  and  claims  of  him  who  had 
performed  it.  2,.  As  most  provid  in  spirit.  "And  dost  thou  teach  us  ?"  The  spirit  evinced 
here  is  :  (1)  Most  contemptuous.  "  Dost  thou,"  etc.  ?  Contempt  of  all  who  dare  to  differ 
from  their  opinion  is  characteristic  of  bigots.  This  man  not  only  differs  from  the  council 
but  teaches  them ;  their  contempt  is  unbounded.  (2)  Most  proudly  self-satisfying. 
"Teach  us!"  (3)  Most  unphilosophic  and  unprogressive.  What  philosopher  worthy 
of  the  name  would  disdain  to  listen  with  respect  to  one  who  was  the  object  of  such  a 
wonderful  operation,  in  whose  eyes  were  still  rays  of  Divine  light,  and  in  whose  soul 


30  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDINa  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  ix.  1— 41, 

was  still  burning  the  inspiration  of  such  an  experience  ?  Where  is  the  man  in  his  right 
mind  who  would' not  listen  with  attention  and  due  deference  to  such  a  tale?  The 
members  of  the  JeMrish  council  listened  with  consummate  pride  and  seething  contempt, 
proving  themselves  to  be  most  unphilosophic,  ungodlike,  unprogressive,  and  blind  to  the 
greatest  and  most  brilliant  light.  3.  As  most  intolerant  in  spirit.  "  And  they  cast  him 
out."  And  for  what?  For  exercising  the  right  of  private  judgment,  and  respectfully 
expressing  his  honest  convictions  and  defending  the  truth.  Their  conduct  was: 
(1)  Most  weak.  Mentally  and  morally  weak.  They  could  not  refute  his  arguments  nor 
stand  the  light.  (2)  Most  unreasonable  and  unjust.  A  Church  has  a  right  to  exclude 
those  who  are  immoral,  and  violating  its  fundamental  principles.  But  this  was  not  the 
case  here.  A  coming  Messiah  was  the  most  fundamental  doctrine  of  the  Jewish  Church. 
This  man  was  excluded  for  accepting  him.  (3)  Most  cruel.  (4)  Most  fatal.  When 
a  Church  begins  to  persecute,  it  begins  to  cease  to  exist ;  when  it  excludes  the  light  of 
truth,  it  cannot  last  long. — B.  T. 

Vers.  35 — 38. — A  Jiappy  meeting.     We  have  in  this  passage — 

I.  Jesus  in  search  for  the  outcast.  1.  He  had  lost  sight  of  him  for  a  ivhile. 
He  had  not  seen  him  since  he  went  on  the  path  of  duty  and  obedience  to  the  pool  of 
Siloam.  It  was  well  that  they  should  be  apart  for  some  time.  Important  purposes 
were  thus  answered.  But  neither  Jesus  nor  the  man  was  idle.  Jesus  was  about  his 
Father's  business ;  and  the  man  that  had  been  blind,  according  to  Christ's  statement, 
was  busily  manifesting  the  works  of  God.  Establishing  the  miracle  and  pointing  to 
the  claims  and  Divinity  of  its  wonderful  Performer.  2.  Jesus  sought  him.  If  out  of 
sight,  he  was  not  out  of  niind.  "  Jesus  heard  that,"  etc.  He  listened  for  him  ;  his  ear 
was  on  the  watch  for  intelligence  respecting  him.  If  you  listen  attentively  you  will 
hear  soon.  Jesus  sought  him  in  distress,  when  his  need  was  greatest.  3.  He  found 
him.  "  Seek,  and  ye  shall  find."  Jesus  knew  this  law  and  obeyed  it.  No  one  sought 
so  sure  to  find  as  he.  He  never  gave  up  the  search  till  it  resulted  in  finding,  whether 
for  the  lost  piece  of  silver  or  for  the  wandering  sheep.  Why  did  he  seek  this  man  ? 
(I)  There  was  a  fellow-feeling.  He  heard  that  they  had  cast  him  out.  By  the  law  of 
sympathy  he  looked  out  for  him.  He  was  an  outcast  from  the  synagogue  himself;  he 
had  now  a  companion.  (2)  The  man  sought  him.  We  are  not  told  this  by  the  recorder, 
but  we  know  it.  He  was  full  of  Christ  since  he  had  received  his  sight.  He  could 
scarcely  see  nor  talk  of  anything  else.  His  mind  and  heart  yearned  for  him.  Especially 
now  in  his  distress  and  persecution.  (3)  Jesus  was  anxious  to  succour  and  help  him. 
To  give  him  his  soul's  want  and  his  heart's  desire — what  would  make  him  satisfied  and 
happy.  He  knew  that  he  needed  and  desired  a  spiritual  Guide  and  a  Saviour,  and  he 
hastened  to  give  to  him  himself.  Jesus  is  a  Friend  in  need,  and  the  need  of  the  guilty 
and  weary  soul. 

II.  Jesus'  demand  fob  faith.  "  Dost  thou  believe,"  etc.  ?  1.  TTiis  is  the  reason- 
able and  natural  demand  of  the  miracle.  Faith  in  its  great  Performer.  It  was  a  Divine 
act  of  mercy,  and  was  eminently  calculated  to  inspire  faith — to  open  the  eye  of  the  soul 
to  see  the  spiritual,  the  eternal,  and  the  Divine.  Christ  looked  out  for  fruit  after 
cultivation  and  sowing.  2.  A  most  worthy  Object  of  faith  is  introduced.  "The  Son 
of  God."  The  human  soul  should  have  an  object  of  faith  suitable  to  its  spiritual 
condition  and  wants,  and  worthy  of  its  native  dignity  and  high  capacities.  Such  an 
Object  is  here  introduced — the  Son  of  God,  who  also  is  the  Son  of  man,  whom  i'aith  can 
grasp,  and  being  grasped  will  elevate  the  soul  and  fill  it  with  satisfaction  and  joy. 
3.  A  simple  test  of  adherence  is  only  required.  "  Dost  thou  believe,"  etc.  ?  The 
memory  is  not  taxed,  the  understanding  is  not  burdened,  but  the  willing  acceptance  of 
the  heart,  or  faith,  is  made  the  test  of  adherence  and  the  bond  of  union.  It  is  very 
simple  and  easy,  and  yet  most  effective.     " Dost  thou  believe? " — that  is  all. 

III.  Faith  in  prayer.  This  was  the  prayer  of  faith  inspired  by  the  demand  of 
Jesus.  1.  The  prayer  is  to  the  proper  object.  "  Lord."  Although  the  man's  knowledge 
of  Jesus  was  limited,  yet  he  knew  sufiicient  to  appeal  to  him  for  more  light.  He  felt 
confident  that  he  who  opened  his  eyes  could  and  would  give  him  greater  illumination 
still.  2.  The  prayer  is  for  a  necessary  revelation.  "Who  is  he?"  The  elementary 
exercise  of  faith  requires  some  elementary  knowledge  of  its  object.  We  are  not  expected 
to  believe  on  a  Saviour  we  know  nothing  or  but  little  of.    Christ  requires  faith,  and  faith 


OH.  IX.  1—41.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  81 

requires  knowledge,  and  no  sooner  is  it  born  than  it  begins  to  ask  questions  respecting 
its  object,  and  the  first  is,  "  Who  is  he?  "  He  is  worth  inquiring  after.  The  choice  of 
the  object  of  faith  is  most  important ;  this  man  very  properly  prays  for  light  to  choose. 
3.  The  prayer  is  'made  in  the  proper  spirit.  The  spirit  of  reverence,  importunity,  and 
readiness  to  believe  and  accept.  "  Who  is  he,  that  I  might  believe  ?  "  Not  that  I 
might  consider  and  think  over  it ;  but  let  me  know  the  Son  of  God,  and  I  will  believe 
in  him.  He  prayed  for  knowledge  for  a  practical  and  for  the  highest  purpose— to 
believe. 

IV.  Faith's  prayer  answered.  1.  It  tuas  answered  at  once.  The  man  was 
fortunate  enough  to  ask  the  question  respecting  the  Son  of  God,  "  Who  is  he  ?  "  to  the  Son 
of  God  himself,  and  who  could  answer  it  so  well  and  so  readily.  There  is  no  delay  in 
the  transmission  of  the  prayer,  nor  in  the  return  of  the  reply.  The  prayer  was  eager, 
and  the  answer  quick.  2.  The  answer  was  very  modest.  "  Thou  hast  both  seen  him, 
and  it  is  he  that,"  etc.  Modesty  is  ever  characteristic  of  true  greatness,  and  was  charac- 
teristic of  Jesus.  Often  he  preferred  the  third  person  to  the  first  in  speaking  of  himself. 
In  heavenly  and  Divine  society  he  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God,  but  in 
the  form  of  a  servant  he  naturally  felt  and  manifested  the  modesty  of  a  servant, 
especially  in  revealing  to  the  soul  his  real  glory  and  position  as  the  Son  of  God  and  the 
Saviour  of  the  world.  Genuine  faith  feels  modest  in  the  presence  of  its  genuine  oliject, 
and  its  genuine  object  feels  modest  in  the  presence  of  genuine  faith.  The  mutual 
recognition  produces  the  natural  and  modest  blush  of  virgin  love.  3.  The  ansiver 
revealed  the  Son  of  God  as  nearer  to  the  man  than  he  perhaps  expected.  We  say 
"  perhaps,"  for  there  was  but  a  thin  veil  between  him  and  the  full  recognition  of  Jesus. 
Doubtless  be  believed  him  already  to  be  the  greatest  prophet  that  ever  lived,  but  had 
not  as  yet  known  him  as  the  Son  of  God  and  the  promised  Messiah,  and  scarcely 
expected  to  find  him  so  near.  Faith  often  finds  its  object  nearer  than  expected.  When 
faith  is  intense  and  eager,  the  Son  of  God,  the  Saviour,  is  present  then,  and  reveals 
himself. 

V.  Faith's  confession.  1.  It  is  very  prompt.  If  Christ's  revelation  of  himself 
surprised  the  man  at  all,  the  surprise  was  most  agreeable  and  sweet.  The  revelation 
did  not  damage  the  interest  of  Jesus  nor  retard  the  movements  of  faith,  but  rather- 
improved  the  one  and  hastened  the  other.  There  was  not  a  moment's  hesitation,  but 
straight  and  swift  as  an  arrow's  course  faith  flew  to  embrace  and  confess  Jesus  as  the 
Son  of  God  and  her  sovereign  Lord.  "  Lord,  I  believe."  2.  It  is  very  short.  All  the 
questions  and  answers  which  passed  between  our  Lord  and  the  man  were  characteris- 
tically brief.  It  was  business  and  not  talk.  Intense  faith,  being  the  concentrated 
sentiments  and  a  decoction  of  the  truest  feelings  of  the  heart,  occupies  but  little  time 
and  language  in  expression.  Some  of  the  most  important  transactions  between  faith 
and  her  fondest  object  are  very  brief.  Intense  earnestness  wastes  not  itself  in  words. 
3.  It  is  very  decisive  and  full.  "  Lord,  I  believe."  In  an  ocean  of  language  you  may 
not  find  a  drop  of  thought,  while  in  a  few  drops  of  language  you  may  find  an  ocean 
of  meaning  and  reality.  This  man's  confession  of  faith  is  as  short  as  it  can  well  be, 
but  is  quite  as  comprehensive''  and  hearty.  This  short  confession  contains  a  long  and 
a  full  faith.  It  is  full  of  heart  and  soul,  full  of  submissive  and  willing  obedience,  aud, 
better  than  all,  it  is  full  of  Christ. 

VI.  Faith  woRsniPPixo.  "And  he  worshipped  him."  1.  An  act  of  overwhelming 
gratitude.  2.  An  act  of  the  profoundest  reverence.  3.  An  act  involving  the  highest 
exercise  of  faith.  The  man  could  speak  no  more,  bis  heart  was  too  full  for  speech. 
The  attitude  of  prayer  alone  suited  his  condition  and  shall  alone  express  his  feelings; 
and,  overburdened  with  the  splendour  and  love  of  the  Son  of  God  and  the  delight  of 
finding  him,  he  falls  before  him  and  worships.  We  gladly  leave  him  there,  and  disturb 
him  not.  Gladly  do  we  leave  faith  at  the  feet  of  her  Lord  in  the  glow  of  devotion, 
in  the  glory  of  worship,  and  in  the  ecstasies  of  Divine  fellowship.  WTiat  passed  between 
the  soul  and  her  Saviour  was  too  sacred  to  be  recorded  in  our  Gospels,  but  was  faithfully 
recorded  in  the  gospel  of  eternal  life. 

Lesions.  1.  Comjxiratively  trivial  occurrences  are  often  the  occasions  of  the  greatest 
results.  The  ejection  of  this  man  who  was  born  blind  and  cured  by  Jesus  was  the 
occasion  of  the  founding  of  the  Christian  Church.  To  this  outcast  Jesus  first  revealed 
himself  as  the  universal  Object  of  faith,  and  faith  in  him  as  the  test  of  adherence  and 


32  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING   TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  ix.  1—41. 

fellowship.  In  this  sense  the  outcast  was  the  first  member  of  the  Christian  society. 
The  Jewish  Church  failed  to  fulfil  its  mission  and  embrace  its  own  Messiah  and  the 
Saviour  of  the  world,  hence  the  establishment  of  the  Christian  society,  and  the  ultimate 
secession  of  Christ  and  his  followers  from  the  Jewish  for  ever.  2.  What  was  considered 
at  the  time  a  painful  loss  may  ultimately  prove  to  he  the  greatest  gain.  The  practical 
ejection  of  this  man  from  the  religious  privileges  of  Judaism  was  to  him  doubtles3,a 
great  trial  and  a  serious  disadvantage,  but  when  he  found  Christ  he  found  infinitely 
more  than  he  had  lost.  Cast  out  from  the  ship  of  Judaism  into  an  angry  sea  to  take 
his  chance,  but  the  surging  waves  threw  him  on  the  "  Rock  of  ages  " — a  most  happy 
exchange,  from  a  sinking  ship  to  a  high  and  solid  rock.  3.  When  Jesus  is  on  the  look 
out  for  faith,  and  faith  for  him,  a  quick  bargain  is  struck  when  they  meet.  Such  was 
the  case  here.  4.  Faith  often  gets  much  more  than  its  highest  expectation.  This  man 
defended  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  but  found  in  him  the  Son  of  God.  There  are  sweet 
surprises  in  the  experience  of  faith,  and  happy  fortunes  in  spiritual  merchandise.  In 
a  short  time  this  joor  man  found  an  eternal  fortune. — B.  T. 

Yer.  4. — Tlie  supreme  Worker  and  his  opportunity.  "  I  must  work  the  works  of  him 
that  sent  me,  while  it  is  day  :  the  night  cometh,  when  no  man  can  work."  This,  like  so 
many  of  the  memorable  sayings  of  our  Lord, is  an  incidental  one,  arising  out  of  the  circum- 
stances of  the  hour.  On  a  sabbath  day  in  autumn — the  last  autumn  of  his  earthly  life 
— our  Lord  paused  as  he  passed  through  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  to  look  at  a  blind 
beggar,  known  to  be  blind  from  his  birth.  The  sight  was  sad  enough,  but  instead  of 
exciting  the  pity  of  Jesus'  disciples,  it  seems  only  to  have  awakened  their  speculative 
curiosity.  Taking  it  for  granted,  as  was  usual  in  their  days,  that  special  suffering  must 
needs  be  a  retribution  for  special  sin,  they  asked  their  Master  the  question,  "  Who  was 
to  blame  for  this  man's  blindness  ?  "  Was  he  sent  eyeless  into  the  world  for  some  fault 
of  his  own,  or  was  he  suffering  for  transgressions  of  his  parents  ?  Our  Lord  put  the  unwise 
question  aside.  The  disciples  were  far  from  the  mark.  There  was  a  wider  and  deeper 
philosophy  of  suffering  than  they  were  dreaming  of,  and  for  the  calamity  before  them 
there  was  more  than  sufficient  reason  in  this,  that  the  man's  blindness  was  now  to  be 
the  occasion  of  God's  signal  mercy.  Christ,  therefore,  refuses  to  be  drawn  into  any 
fruitless  and  bootless  discussions  regarding  the  origin  of  evil  either  physical  or  moral. 
This  was  not  his  mission  into  the  world.  He  had  come  amongst  us  to  triumph  over 
evil,  not  to  explain  it,  and  so  he  says  to  his  disciples,  "  I  must  work  the  works  of  him," 
etc.  No  saying  of  Christ's  brings  his  true  manhood  more  distinctly  before  us  than 
these  words  do.  Before  he  could  utter  them  he  must  have  "  emptied  himself  of  his 
glory,  and  taken  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant."  There  were  times,  indeed,  in  his 
ministry  when  he  used  language  which  could  only  become  the  Son  of  God,  as  when  he 
spoke  of  the  glory  which  he  had  with  the  Father  before  the  world  was.  But  here 
he  speaks  with  equal  plainness  as  the  Son  of  man,  in  all  things  made  like  unto  his 
brethren.  We  can  never  forget  that  Christ's  mission  into  the  world  was  unparalleled, 
even  as  he  stands  alone  in  his  relation  to  the  Father.  Still,  it  was  in  our  nature  that  he 
accomplished  this  whole  work  of  his.  He  did  not  seem  to  be  a  man,  he  was  "  the  Man 
Christ  Jesus."  These  words,  therefore,  reveal  to  us  the  spirit,  the  motive,  the  principle, 
of  the  only  perfect  human  life  that  ever  was  lived,  and  it  is  in  this  respect  that  they 
set  him  forth  as  our  Example. 

I.  Ode  Lord  here  distinctly  acknowledges  a  will  higher  than  his  own,  and 
tells  us  that  in  laying  out  his  earthly  life  this  will  was  his  guiding  star.  He  had  all  the 
sensibilities  of  a  sinless  human  being.  He  not  only  knew  by  experience  the  urgencies 
of  hunger  and  thirst,  and  longed  for  rest  from  exhausting  toil,  but  he  loved  congenial 
society  like  that  of  the  family  of  Bethany.  How  must  he  have  recoiled  from  the  con- 
tradiction of  sinners!  How  sensitively  must  he  have  shrunk  from  contact  with  vice 
and  squalor!  But  he  allowed  not  such  natural  feelings,  pure  as  they  were,  to  reign 
supreme  among  his  motives,  or  interfere  with  his  life-work.  "  Even  Christ  pleased  not 
himself."  "I  came  down  from  heaven,"  he  said,  "  not  to  do  my  own  will,  but  the  will 
of  him  that  sent  me."  Here,  surely,  there  are  great,  though  simple,  lessons  for  us  all. 
In  our  daily  lives  we  feel  the  force  of  a  hundred  different  motives.  We  are  swayed  by 
our  own  tastes,  by  the  example  and  opinions  of  others,  by  the  force  of  outward  circum- 
stances ;  but  do  we  see  rising  above  all  these,  and  piercing  through  them,  and  shedding 


CH.IX.  1— 41.]      THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN."  33 

a  light  over  them,  the  will  of  our  Father  la  heaven  ?  "We  are  sent  into  the  world  with 
ditferent  gifts  and  capacities.  We  find  ourselves  placed  in  widely  different  stations  and 
spheres.  But  have  we  laid  it  to  heart  that  God  has  a  purpose  in  placing  us  here,  and 
that  this  mysterious  gift  of  life  is  not  like  a  freehold — an  independent  possession — still 
less  like  a  plaything  which  we  may  do  what  we  like  with,  but  that  it  is  a  trust  from 
above,  a  stewardship  under  its  Giver?  Plainly  this  was  Christ's  view  of  life,  and  to 
reveal  this  to  us  in  light  and  clearness,  by  example  as  well  as  by  precept,  was  one 
j:reat  end  for  which  he  came  into  the  world.  For  he  came  not  only  to  atone  for  our 
sins  and  to  reconcile  us  to  God,  but  also  to  show  us,  as  it  had  never  been  seen  before, 
the  meaning  and  purpose  of  life,  connecting  the  whole  of  it  with  a  perfectly  holy  and 
righteous  will.  Multitudes  without  number  have  realized  this  in  their  own  experience, 
and  thus  the  humblest  lives  have  been  ennobled,  and  the  busiest  lives  consecrated 
by  a  motive  and  an  influence  not  of  this  world.  Oh!  if  we  would  work  without 
becoming  the  slaves  of  our  work,  if  we  would  enjoy  our  freedom  without  being  ensnared 
by  it,  we  can  only  do  so  as  the  servants  of  God.  Have  you  learned  this  great  life-lesson 
from  Christ  ?  Let  no  one  say  that  because  our  Lord's  work  was  necessary  for  the 
redemption  of  the  world,  therefore  ours  is  of  no  consequence.  On  the  contrary,  it  is 
as  imiwrtant  for  us  to  do  the  will  of  God  in  our  sphere  as  it  was  for  Christ  to  do  it  in 
his,  and  assuredly  he  will  impart  his  S[iirit  to  all  who  come  to  him  in  faith  and  take 
his  yoke  upon  them.  And  how  do  these  words  of  Christ,  "  I  must  work,"  speak  to  us  I 
of  the  sacredness  of  duty !  They  show  that  the  idea  of  obligation  was  distinctly 
present  to  his  mind.  He  felt  that  it  was  right  to  obey  his  God  and  Father  who  had 
sent  him,  and  instead  of  this  feeling  being  irksome  or  burdensome,  it  was  one  source  of 
his  spiritual  strength.  "  He  put  on  righteousness  as  a  breastplate."  On  the  one  hand 
his  love  to  God  did  not  make  his  obedience  seem  superfluous,  and  on  the  other  hand 
the  idea  of  duty  never  chilled  nor  lessened  his  love.  He  showed  how  love  and  obedience 
are  like  two  fair  blossoms  which  spring  from  the  same  root.  And  what  is  that  root  y  It 
is  the  life  of  God  in  the  soul  of  man.  Here,  again,  "let  the  same  mind  be  in  you 
which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus."  Seek  to  cherish  and  cultivate  the  spirit  of  loving 
obedience.  If  Christ,  by  his  infinite  sacrifice,  has  reconciled  you  to  God,  redeemed 
you  from  the  curse  of  the  Law,  it  is  that  you  may  serve  his  Father  and  yours  from  the 
heart.  If  he  has  stripped  obligation  of  its  terrors,  he  has  strengthened  instead  of 
weakening  its  power.     "  This  is  the  love  of  God,  that  ye  keep  his  commandments." 

II.  The  text  teaches  us  that  Christ  felt  the  preciousness  of  opportoxity  and 
THE  value  of  time.  He  calls  his  earthly  life  day,  and  its  termination  he  calls  the 
coming  night,  when  no  man  can  work.  This  language  of  his  cannot  be  mistaken.  He 
foresaw,  indeed,  with  perfect  clearness  the  glory  which  awaited  him,  and  the  unending 
work  which  he  was  to  accomplish  by  his  Spirit  in  the  ages  to  come ;  but  his  life-work 
here  below  was  the  necessary  and  divinely  appointed  preparation  for  it  all.  The  seed- 
time was  essential  to  the  harvest,  and  it  was  a  limited  seed-time,  not  to  be  repeated. 
It  was  only  in  the  present  that  Christ's  words  of  life,  fresh  from  his  human  lips,  could 
be  spoken  ;  that  his  acts  of  personal  kindness  and  compassion  could  be  performed  ;  that 
his  example,  destined  to  be  so  infinitely  fruitful,  could  be  set  forth.  And  therefore  he 
prized  that  present,  the  day  allotted  to  him,  and  not  in  feverish  haste,  but  in  all  the 
calmness  of  spiritual  strength,  he  took  possession  of  it,  and  used  it  for  his  Father's 
glory.  "  The  night  cometh,  when  no  man  can  work."  Taken  by  themselves,  these 
words  only  express  a  simple  fact  which  no  one  would  think  of  proving  or  dream  of 
denying.  Life  comes  but  once  to  each  of  us,and  however  we  may  spend  it  or  misspend 
it,  no  portion  of  it  will  return  to  be  spent  over  again.  "We  cannot  prolong  it  at  will, 
or  persuade  it  to  linger.  Relentlessly  it  moves  like  the  hand  of  a  clock  or  the  shadow 
on  the  sun-dial.  All  our  earthly  activities,  our  duties,  our  charities,  our  services  in  the 
cause  of  God  and  man,  must  needs  be  included  in  it.  When  the  night  cometh  they 
must  cease.  Every  man  who  has  any  earnestness  of  purpose  about  him  has  felt  the 
stimulus  of  such  thoughts  as  these.  Whatever  his  pursuits  may  be,  whether  the 
objects  he  takes  an  interest  in  are  of  a  lower  or  higher  kind,  his  heart  often  whispers 
to  itself,  "  Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,"  etc.  Nay,  further,  many  an  idler 
has  been  rebuked  into  activity,  and  many  a  dreamer  wakeaed  up  out  of  his  useless 
reveries,  just  by  the  thought  fastening  itself  upon  him  that  he  is  allowing  life,  with  .all 
its  opportunities,  to  slip  away,  and  that  it  will  never  return.  Now,  if  you  have  entered 
JOHN — II.  l> 


34  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  ix.  1—41. 

on  the  life  of  Christ's  disciples,  does  this  motive  lose  its  force  ?  Surely  not.  You  have 
learned  from  your  Master  the  true  worth  and  importance  of  life,  and  you  have  been 
taught  to  spend  it  under  the  eye  of  "  the  Father  who,  without  respect  of  persons, 
judgeth  according  to  every  man's  work."  Whatever  be  your  station  or  sphere,  this  is 
the  case.  Here  and  now,  within  the  narrow  limits  of  the  present,  you  have  your 
opportunities  of  service  allotted  to  you,  your  only  sphere  for  "  works  of  faith  and 
labours  of  love."  And  these  opportunities,  if  wasted  or  let  slip,  can  never  be  recalled. 
Why  should  they  be  lost?  These  words  contain  a  motive  which  no  Christian  can 
afford  to  lose.  Does  any  one  say,  "  It  does  not  apply  to  me  or  to  the  multitudes 
who  are  already  tasked  to  the  uttermost  by  the  necessary  cares  of  life  and  the  stern 
demands  of  business  "  ?  Ah !  God  is  not  like  a  hard  master,  reaping  where  he  has  not 
sown,  and  gathering  where  he  has  not  strawed.  If  your  necessary  toil  is  performed  in 
a  Christian  spirit,  in  the  spirit  of  a  faithful  servant,  it  will  be  accepted  as  a  free-will 
offering.  Even  to  the  slaves  at  Colosse  the  Apostle  Paul  says,  "  Whatsoever  ye  do,  do 
it  heartily  as  to  the  Lord,  and  not  to  men.  ...  Ye  serve  the  Lord  Christ."  Yet  surely 
in  the  busiest  life  there  is  room  for  deeds  of  kindness  and  words  of  sympathy,  for  giving 
the  cup  of  cold  water,  for  proffering  the  timely  advice,  for  doing  many  things  for  Christ's 
sake  which  no  man  can  require  at  your  hands.  But  especially  those  whose  position 
in  the  world  is  independent,  and  who  have  much  freedom  of  choice  as  to  how  they  shall 
employ  their  time,  should  lay  these  words  to  heart.  It  is  you  who  are  most  of  all 
tempted  to  lead  a  desultory  life.  Society,  as  it  is  called,  seems  to  expect  it  of  you. 
People  suppose  that  you  must  have  time  for  every  trifling  engagement,  and  it  is  so 
much  easier  to  let  each  day  be  passively  surrendered  in  this  way  than  to  redeem  the 
time  for  any  definite  purpose.  But  how  should  this  one  thought,  "  the  night  cometh," 
help  you  resolutely  to  resist  or  break  through  such  petty  distractions!  It  is  but  a 
portion,  after  all,  of  this  brief  life  that  you  can  call  your  working  day.  Necessary  cares, 
needful  rest,  and  relaxation  must  have  their  share.  Sickness  may  at  any  time  swallow 
up  you  know  not  how  much  of  the  remainder.  See  that  you  consecrate  your  yet 
unbroken  daylight  to  the  service  of  God  and  man.  You  have  every  motive  to  do  so, 
and  you  may  well  be  stimulated  and  encouraged  by  the  example  of  many  around  you  ; 
but  oh,  how  affecting  the  thought  that  your  Master,  when  he  dwelt  on  earth,  said  to 
his  disciples,  "  I  must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me,  while  it  is  day  :  the  night 
Cometh,  when  no  man  can  work  " ! — G.  B. 

Ver.  39. — Spontaneous  judgment  and  self-enacting  verdict.  "And  Jesus  said.  For 
judgment  I  am  come  into  this  world,  that  they  which  see  not  might  see,"  etc.  if  the 
words  of  the  wise  are  as  goads,  and  as  nails  fastened  in  a  sure  place,  we  need  not 
wonder  that  the  words  of  Christ  himself  should  sometimes  be  startling  in  their  sharp- 
ness— should  pierce  like  a  two-edged  sword.  The  text  before  us  is  an  example  of  this, 
and  though  it  contains  a  paradox  which  in  substance  occurs  frequently  in  the  Bible, 
it  is  expressed  here  with  peculiar  point  and  severity. 

I.  First  of  all,  look  at  these  words  in  the  light  of  the  occasion  which  called 
THEM  FORTH.  They  are  the  solemn  verdict  of  our  Lord  on  the  opposite  effects  of  the 
work  of  mercy  which  he  had  just  wrought  in  Jerusalem.  He  had  opened  the  eyes  of 
a  blind  beggar  by  sending  him  to  wash  at  the  pool  of  Siloam.  The  miracle  had  excited 
attention,  wonder,  discussion,  and  ere  long  the  thoughts  of  many  hearts  were  revealed 
by  it.  On  the  man  himself  the  immediate  effect  of  the  miracle  was  remarkable.  It 
brought  out  the  simplicity  of  his  character,  and  his  loyalty  to  his  Benefactor  and  to 
truth.  He  already  knew  Jesus  by  name,  and  in  the  joy  and  wonder  of  his  heart  he 
rightly  concluded  that  the  common  report  was  true,  and  that  Jesus  was  a  Prophet.  But 
a  severe  ordeal  awaited  him.  The  great  religious  guides  of  his  nation  summoned  him 
into  their  presence,  and  with  all  the  skill  of  practised  casuists  they  urged  him  to 
disown  his  Benefactor  or  deny  his  Divine  power.  Still  the  man  stood  firm,  and  rather 
than  i^rove  false  to  his  conviction  that  Jesus  was  a  Prophet,  he  submitted  to  the  terrible 
sentence  of  excommunication.  Ere  long  our  Lord  heard  of  this  good  confession,  sought 
out  and  found  the  man  who  made  it,  and  revealed  to  him  the  mighty  secret  that  he  was 
the  Son  of  God.  And  at  his  words  the  smoking  flax  of  true  faith  burst  into  flame  in 
the  poor  man's  heart,  and  he  fell  down  and  worshipped  the  Messiah.  Thus,  in  a 
spiritual  as  well  as  a  natural  sense,  Jesus  gave  sight  to  the  blind.     But  now  what  was 


CH.  IX.  1—41.]       THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  35 

the  effect  of  the  same  miracle  on  the  Pharisees?  Had  they  known  nothing  of  Jesus 
before,  it  was  surely  enough  in  itself  to  awe  their  minds  and  prepossess  them  in  his 
favour.  Common  generosity,  common  fairness,  would  have  required  this.  But,  in  fact, 
Jesus  had  been  before  them  for  well-nigh  three  eventful  years,  so  that  they  were  far 
from  ignorant  of  his  character  and  career.  He  bore  all  the  marks  of  a  prophet,  and 
more  than  a  prophet.  He  sp<ake  as  never  man  spake,  and  they  knew  it.  He  healed  the 
sick,  cleansed  the  lepers,  raised  the  dead,  cast  out  devils,  and  they  knew  it.  His  life  was 
one  of  perfect  moral  loveliness  and  unapproachable  moral  grandeur,  so  that  none  of 
them  dared  to  reply  when  he  said,  as  he  had  a  right  to  say,  nay,  as  he  was  bound  to  say, 
"Which  of  you  convinceth  me  of  sin?"  Yet,  with  some  exceptions,  these  Pharisees 
had  shut  their  eyes  to  this  great  Light  that  had  come  into  the  world^and  each  new 
exhibition  of  it  made  them  blinder  still.  They  had  even  said,  "  He  casteth  out  devils 
through  Beelzebub,  the  prince  of  the  devils."  And  see  how  they  dealt  with  the  work 
of  mercy  which  had  just  been  wrought  in  their  streets.  They  had  sifted  and  resifted  all 
the  circumstances,  and  it  was  well  they  did  so. 

"  Truth,  like  a  torch,  the  more  'tis  shook  it  shines." 

But  when  the  great  fact  had  become  patent  to  all,  they  wilfully  shut  their  eyes  to  its 
meaning,  and  wreaked  their  hatred  of  the  Holy  One  on  the  lowly  object  of  his  mercy  ; 
and  all  the  time  these  Pharisees  boasted  that  they  had  the  key  of  knowledge,  and  in 
their  own  esteem  were  the  clearest-sighted  men  of  their  day.  And  now  the  two  parties 
stood  before  our  Lord — the  poor  blind  beggar  who  had  entered  the  kingdom  of  light, 
and  the  supercilious  Pharisees  who  were  drifting  further  and  further  away  from  it. 
Thus  is  explained  the  seeming  paradox  of  the  text,  "  For  judgment,"  etc. 

IL  EvEK  SINCE  Christ  and  his  glorious  gospel  came  into  the  world  these 
WORDS  HAVE  BEEN  RECEIVING  FRESH  FULFILMENTS.  Auiong  his  greatest  titles  are 
these,  "  the  Light  of  the  world,"  "  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  ;  "  and  one  of  the  greatest 
objects  of  his  mission  is  to  give  light  to  them  that  sit  in  darkness,  to  deliver  men  from 
pernicious  error  and  bewildering  doubt,  to  clear-up  and  answer  the  questions  that  are 
alike  urgent  for  the  old  and  the  young,  for  the  learned  and  the  unlearned,  declaring  to 
us  why  we  are  placed  here,  and  what  destiny  awaits  us,  and  above  all  showing  us  the 
path  of  life.  I  need  only  add  that  our  Lord's  claims  to  do  this  are  partly  based  on 
the  great  open  standing  wonder  of  his  life  and  death  and  resurrection,  and  partly  on 
the  intrinsic  power  of  his  gospel  itself — his  words,  which  are  "  spirit  and  life."  But  how 
do  people  deal  with  this  great  light  that  has  come  into  the  world  ?  Some  accept  it 
gladly  in  early  life,  even  in  the  first  dawnings  of  intelligence ;  and  some  are  sooner  or 
later  brought  to  accept  it,  after  much  providential  discipline  and  many  mental  struggles. 
But  one  thing  is  very  noteworthy.  Both  the  former  and  the  latter  accept  it  humbly 
and  thankfully.  They  give  to  God  in  Christ  all  the  praise.  The  very  light  they 
receive  reveals  to  them  by  contrast  the  natural  darkness  of  their  minds,  and  they  know 
how  that  darkness  would  again  enwrap  them  were  they  left  to  themselves.  Hence,  so 
far  from  being  proud  of  their  spiritual  vision,  they  habitually  pray  "  that  the  eyes  of 
their  understanding  may  be  enlightened,"  and  they  at  least  can  set  their  seal  to  this 
•word  of  Christ,  "  I  am  come  .  .  .  that  they  that  see  not  might  see."  Surely  there  is 
grace  and  truth  in  this  saying  of  Christ  for  each  one  who  feels  how  blind  he  is  by  nature 
to  the  mystery  of  God's  light  and  love.  Is  it  strange  that  some  consciousness  of  this 
blindness — sad  and  painful  as  it  is — should  be  the  beginning  or  the  accompaniment  of 
a  good  work  in  you  ?  It  is  not,  it  cannot  be,  a  state  to  rest  in — "  a  land  of  darkness 
and  of  the  shadow  of  death" — but  it  brings  you  practically  within  the  sweep  of  Christ's 
mission.  He  came  "  to  open  the  blind  eyes,  to  bring  the  prisoners  out  of  the  prison, 
and  them  that  sit  in  darkness  out  of  the  prison-house."  Yours  is  a  case  for  the  great 
Physician,  for  the  mighty  Deliverer  and  Restorer.  Go  to  him  in  the  simplicity  of  faith 
and  prayer ;  for  this  is  the  method  of  his  grace,  to  be  found  of  them  that  seek  him. 
You  have  heard  how  he  hath  revealed  himself  to  others.  Tell  him  that  a  cloud  you 
cannot  sweep  away,  a  veil  you  cannot  lift,  comes  between  you  and  him.  lie  will  be 
faithful  to  his  promises.  For  you  also  "  he  will  destroy  the  face  of  the  covering  cast 
over  all  nations,  and  the  veil  that  is  spread  over  all  people,"  "  With  thee,  0  Lord,  is 
the  fountain  of  life;  in  thy  light  we  shall  see  light."  But,  sad  to  say,  there  is  another 
alternative.     Too  many  continue  unconscious  of  their  darkness.     We  may  put  aside 


36  THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  ix.  1—41. 

for  the  present  open  scoffers  and  presumptuous  sinners,  who  make  no  secret  of  it  that 
they  hate  the  light  and  love  the  darkness,  and  who  can  scarcely  keep  their  tempers 
when  sacred  things  are  mentioned  in  their  presence.  There  is  no  need  to  speak  of 
such  as  glory  in  their  shame,  and  sport  themselves  with  their  own  deceivings,  and  sear 
their  consciences  as  with  a  hot  iron.  The  text  does  not  apply  probably  to  these,  but  to 
a  different  class.  There  are  men  who  are  neither  attracted  nor  gladdened  by  the  Light 
of  the  world,  and  in  whose  case  the  chief  reason  is  that  they  turn  a  cold  and  critical  and 
unhumbled  eye  on  the  Object  of  faith.  Ah  !  were  they  to  listen  to  some  of  the  graver 
whisperings  of  their  own  consciences,  which  we  believe  are  the  strivings  of  God's  Spirit 
within  them,  they  might  become  conscious  of  want  and  darkness;  but  they  cannot  bear 
this.  Dismissing  such  feelings  as  unworthy  of  them,  they  persist  in  saying,  "  We  see ! " 
Instead  of  looking  up  to  Christ  with  the  reverence  due  to  One  who  is  so  immeasurably 
exalted  above  them,  and  who,  in  all  that  he  is  and  all  that  he  has  done,  is  so  wondrous 
an  exception  to  the  whole  human  race,  they  rather  seek  to  weigh  him  in  their  own 
poor  balances  and  assign  him  a  place  in  their  own  narrow  system.  They  must  needs 
find  some  explanation  of  his  miracles  which  would  then  be  no  miracles,  and  of  the 
mysteries  of  his  kingdom  %vhich  would  then  be  a  mere  province  of  the  kingdom  of 
nature.  And  is  it  at  all  wonderful  that  the  gospel  shoula  be  foolishness  to  such,  and 
that  the  more  they  cherish  such  a  state  of  mind  the  less  fit  they  should  be  to  profit  by 
the  great  Light  which  yet  shines  around  them?  By  an  inevitable  consequence  (if  God 
prevent  not)  their  prejudices  become  stronger  and  their  eyes  become  blinder.  When 
God's  hand  is  lifted  up,  they  will  not  see.  When  his  Spirit  works  in  the  hearts  and 
lives  of  others,  some  explanation — perhaps  a  very  shallow  one — suffices  for  them. 
Conversion  they  will  call  a  reaction  from  one  extreme  to  another ;  heavenly  tempers, 
even  happy  death-beds,  the  effects  of  a  sanguine  temperament ;  the  spread  of  Christ's 
kingdom  the  mere  contagion  of  enthusiasm.  But  thus  the  words  of  Christ  are  still 
verified,  "  I  am  come  .  .  .  that  they  which  see  might  be  made  blind."  For  there  is  such 
a  thing  as  being  "  wise  in  our  own  eyes,  and  prudent  in  our  own  sight."  It  is  an  old 
warning,  "  Let  not  the  wise  man  glory  in  his  wisdom,  neither  let  the  mighty  man  glory 
in  his  might,  let  not  the  rich  man  glory  in  his  riches."  Ah,  if  the  pride  of  wealth  is 
a  blinding  thing,  so  that  it  is  hard  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ; 
if  the  pride  of  power  or  social  position  is  a  delusion  and  a  snare ; — so  it  is  with  the 
pride  of  human  wisdom.  Strange  to  say,  it  is  not  seldom  found  among  men  who,  by 
whatever  standard  you  estimate  them,  are  no  wiser  than  their  fellows ;  just  as,  on  the 
other  hand,  some  of  the  greatest  minds  have  been  the  humblest.  But  wherever  this 
pride  of  fancied  wisdom  reigns,  it  blinds  the  eye  to  the  glory  of  the  Eedeemer.  If  you 
think  you  can  look  down,  as  it  were,  from  above  on  Christ  and  his  grace ;  if  your 
ambition  is  to 

"  Sit  as  a  god  holding  no  form  of  creed, 
But  contemplating  all ; " — 

you  must  needs  be  in  a  false  and  perilous  position.  It  is  not  thus  that  you  can  hold 
communion  with  the  Holy  One.  Christ  has  no  blessing  for  the  self-sufficient,  no  healing 
for  the  whole.  Remember  his  words,  "  I  thank  thee,  0  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and 
earth,  that  thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  hast  revealed 
them  unto  babes."     Hence — 

III.  These  words  teach  us  the  grave  responsibility  of  having  to  do  with 
Christ.  "  For  judgment  he  is  come  into  the  world."  Not  yet  for  final  judgment  and 
retribution ;  that  is  reserved  for  the  last  day.  But  one  inevitable  result  of  his  appearing 
among  men  has  ever  been  to  test  and  prove  them,  and  to  manifest  the  secrets  of  their 
hearts.  And  this  must  be  so ;  for  he  is  the  supreme  Revelation  of  God — of  his  holiness 
and  truth,  of  his  grace  and  love,  of  all  that  makes  up  his  glory.  Even  in  the  depths 
of  his  humiliation  this  was  the  case.  Think  of  the  day  when  he  stood  arraigned  as  a 
Prisoner  before  the  Jewish  and  the  Roman  tribunals ;  surely  it  was  he,  betrayed  and  for- 
saken as  he  was,  who  sat  in  reality  on  the  judgment-seat,  while  Annas  and  Caiaphas, 
and  Herod  and  Pilate,  and  priests  and  people,  passed  in  review  before  him,  and  were 
weighed  in  his  balances  and  found  wanting.  And  so  it  must  ever  be  as  each  human 
soul  is  brought  face  to  face  with  Jesus  Christ.  Ah !  some  of  you  may  think  that  you 
are  judging  him,  but  all  the  time  it  is  he  that  is  judging  you.     If  you  will  not  humbly 


CH.  IX.  1—41.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.   JOHN.  37 

acknowledge  your  poverty  and  ignorance,  and  thankfully  accept  his  grace,  it  is  a  righteous 
thing  that  he  should  leave  you  to  become  blinder  than  before.  His  glorious  gospel 
cannot  leave  you  as  it  found  you.  It  must  be  the  savour  of  life  unto  life,  or  the  savour 
of  death  unto  death.  And  hence  the  solemn  words  which  Jesus  spoke  of  some  of  the 
men  of  his  day,  "  If  I  had  not  come  and  spoken  to  them,  they  had  not  had  sin :  but  now 
they  have  no  cloak  for  their  sin."  This  must  be  so.  You  cannot  escape  from  Christ. 
His  love  and  grace  cannot  be  trifled  with.  "  God  is  not  mocked."  You  remember 
that  the  declared  purpose  of  his  mission  is  one  of  infinite  mercy.  "God  sent  not  his 
Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world ;  but  that  the  world  through  him  might  be 
saved." — G.  B. 

Vers.  1 — 3. — Manifeating  the  works  of  God.  Jesus  had  just  been,  as  we  should 
reckon,  in  danger.  If  a  furious  crowd  had  taken  up  stones  to  cast  at  us,  we  should 
have  been  too  much  concerned  for  our  safety  to  notice  people  by  the  way.  Of  course 
Jesus  was  in  no  real  danger.  His  time  was  not  yet  come.  His  whole  demeanour  was 
worthy  of  the  sublime  utterance,  "  Before  Abraham  was,  I  am."     Notice — 

I.  What  sort  of  object  attracted  the  attention  of  Jesus.  A  blind  man, 
blind  from  birth,  so  known  possibly  from  a  label  on  his  breast.  Such  a  one  might  not 
attract  attention  from  the  disciples,  at  least  not  at  first.  As  strangers  comparatively  in 
Jerusalem,  their  attention  would  be  arrested  by  the  splendours  and  novelties  of  the 
capital  city.  We  remember  how  they  were  impressed  by  the  huge  stones  with  which 
the  temple  walls  were  built.  Jesus  did  not  go  about  the  world  as  a  sight-seer ;  he  went 
about  as  a  Doer  of  good.  The  blind  man  was  to  Jesus  a  far  more  interesting  sight  than 
any  building.  We  may  be  sure  Jesus  looks  down  on  the  world  in  the  same  spirit 
to-day.  And  surely  we  also,  if  we  claim  to  have  any  abundance  of  the  Spirit  of  Jesus 
in  us,  will  also  note  all  such  as  are  here  represented  by  the  man  blind  from  his  birth. 
We  must  note  the  blind  rather  than  those  that  see,  the  crushed  and  sorrowing  rather 
than  those  who  are  full  of  life's  natural  enjoyments. 

II.  The  question  of  the  disciples.  The  question  no  doubt  seems  to  us,  upon 
first  looking  at  it,  to  have  neither  wisdom  nor  consistency  in  it;  yet  there  is  this  merit 
about  the  disciples,  that  they  did  ask  a  question.  The  blindness  of  this  man  was  not 
to  be  taken  as  a  matter  of  course,  like  the  rising  of  the  sun  or  the  blossoming  of  the 
flowers.  Note  where  the-emphasis  lies  in  the  question.  It  lies  on  the  word  "  born,"  not 
on  the  word  "  blind."  The  disciples  did  not  profess  to  be  in  utter  darkness  on  the  point. 
Either  the  man  himself  must  have  sinned,  they  thought,  or  else  his  parents,  that  he 
should  be  born  blind.  Probably  they  had  some  belief  in  the  transmigration  of  souls. 
They  would  think  he  had  existed  already  in  some  other  state,  where  perhaps  he  had 
been  a  dreadful  sinner,  and  so  now  for  his  sins  in  that  former  state  he  would  be  bom 
into  this  present  life  blind.  The  alternative  supposition,  and  a  very  natural  one,  was 
that  his  parents  had  sinned.  For  the  sins  of  the  fathers  are  visited  on  the  children. 
"  The  fathers  have  eaten  sour  grapes,  and  the  chilriren's  teeth  are  set  on  edge."  So  the 
question  of  the  disciples  was  partly  excusable.  On  the  other  hand,  they  narrowed  the 
tield  of  inquiry,  nor  was  there  anything  practical  in  their  question.  They  were  dwell- 
ing on  the  irrevocable  past.     How  different  is  the  spirit  in — 

III.  The  answer  of  Jesus.  1.  He  takes  off  all  blame  from  the  man  and  his 
parents.  They  had  quite  enough  burden  to  bear  already.  Consider  what  a  charge  and 
grief  a  blind  child  must  have  been  to  its  parents.  They  may  have  been  to  blame,  but 
even  wkere  blame  is,  it  is  not  the  first  thing  to  be  thought  of.  Jesus  came,  not  to 
condemn,  but  to  save.  A  physician  goes  none  the  less  readily  to  the  bed  of  a  sick  man 
because  his  sickness  has  come  through  his  own  reckless  and  vicious  ways.  2.  Jesus 
points  out  one  good  result  of  this  man's  blindness.  He  looks  not  so  much  at  the  past 
as  at  the  present  and  the  future.  The  blind  man  is  to  have  no  more  years  of  privation, 
idleness,  and  emptiness.  Here  a  great  compensation  came  to  him,  that  a  work  of  Ood 
should  be  manifested  in  him.  Jesus  wants  us  to  face  the  misery  of  the  world  in  all  its 
magnitude,  meaning  that  we  should  have  the  same  comforting  reflection  with  Paul,  that 
where  sin  abounds  grace  much  more  abounds.  We  have  a  Physician  who  never  shakes 
his  head,  saying  he  can  do  nothing,  and  then  goes  empty  away.  We  should  say  boldly 
of  every  evil  now  alBicting  men  that  it  is  here  to  give  occasion  for  manifesting  the  works 
of  God.— Y. 


38  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  ix.  1—41. 

Ver.  4r. — The  limits  of  opportunity.  Here  is  a  universal  illustration.  We  need  no 
investigation  of  the  local  and  the  ancient  to  comprehend  its  meaning.  We  all  under- 
stand the  difference  between  night  and  day  in  respect  of  opportunity  for  work.  Not 
but  what  civilization  has  made  considerable  encroachments  on  the  realm  of  night  in 
this  particular.  It  is  now  true,  not  only  of  the  astronomer  and  of  the  ardent  student, 
but  of  many  besides,  that  "  night  is  the  time  for  toil."  And  yet,  even  with  all  the 
increased  night-work  of  the  world,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  such  work  will  ever  be  the 
exception  and  not  the  rule.  Night  is  Nature's  way  of  announcing  her  daily  sabbath. 
Day  is  peculiarly  the  season  for  useful  work,  for  honest  pursuits  ;  to  take  too  much  of 
the  day  for  rest  is,  in  a  measure,  to  waste  it.  Night  is  peculiarly  the  season  for  rest, 
and  those  who  are  out  in  it  must  be  on  some  special,  perchance  some  dishonest,  errand. 
Day  is  the  largest  opportunity  the  honest  man  can  get ;  night  is  the  largest  opportunity 
for  the  thief. 

I.  Apply  the  limits  of  opportunity  in  the  case  of  Jesus  himself.  Of  course, 
it  is  only  true  in  a  particular  sense  that  a  night  came  to  Jesus  in  which  he  could  not 
work.  But  in  that  sense  there  was  great  importance  in  the  truth.  There  were  certain 
things  which  Jesus  could  do  in  flesh  and  blood,  but  let  him  pass  into  the  spiritual  body, 
and  those  things  become  impossible.  When  the  records  of  his  life  came  to  be  written, 
those  records  had  to  be  filled  with  instances  of  benevolent  industry.  Every  day  found 
him  looking  out  for  every  chance  of  doing  a  good  work.  No  one  can  bring  against 
Jesus  the  charge  of  being  one  who  talked  a  great  deal  and  did  very  little.  Every 
human  being  comes  into  this  world  to  do  a  work  of  God,  though  the  vast  majority 
never  seem  to  apprehend  the  mission.  All  the  more  reason  that  Jesus,  therefore,  should 
make  manifest  that  he  came  into  the  world  for  action.  Others  were  busy  about  their 
own  work,  and,  however  long  life  might  be,  it  would  be  all  too  short  to  complete  their 
aims.  And  so  Jesus  felt  that  life  had  to  be  full  of  useful,  strenuous,  God-manifesting 
work. 

II.  The  lesson  to  us  from  the  brief  limits  of  working  time.  We  waste 
much  of  life  through  not  making  the  best  of  opportunities.  Here  were  the  disciples 
idly  speculating  on  how  a  certain  thing  had  come  about.  There  was  no  way  of  know- 
ing, and  no  practical  result  could  come  from  the  inquiry.  Not  that  Jesus  would  deter 
us  from  speculations  and  conjectures ;  there  can  be  no  harm  in  imagining  the  causes  of 
what  is ;  no  harm  in  guessing  at  the  possibilities  and  probabilities  of  the  future.  But 
in  this  world  of  need  there  is  so  much  to  do,  that  we  must  never  let  anything  come 
between  us  and  doing.  To  know  what  men  have  thought  is  all  very  well ;  and  we  do 
well  to  meditate  on  every  i)ossible  cause  and  origin  of  what  is  evil;  but  we  may 
meditate  so  much  as  to  become  mere  sceptics,  hanging  in  uncertainty  between  belief 
and  unbelief.  When  life  has  all  closed  up  and  its  last  day  faded  into  the  west,  the 
question  will  be,  "  What  hast  thou  done  * "  This  life  of  flesh  and  blood  is  given  to 
serve  our  day  and  generation. — Y. 

Yer.  22. — Excommunication.  Here  is  a  weapon  that  attacks  religion  in  the  name 
of  religion.  Here  are  people  whom  the  plainest  facts  would  prompt  into  a  coufession 
of  Jesus  as  the  Christ,  if  only  they  were  left  to  themselves.  The  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus  is  on  one  side ;  threatenings  of  dire  consequences  on  the  other ;  and  truth  suffers 
for  the  time  from  the  ecclesiastical  powers  that  be. 

I.  Superstition, AS  opposed  to  Jesus.  Here  is  a  special  foe,  over  and  above  the 
ordinary  foes  Avith  whom  Jesus  has  to  deal.  Whether  any  real  confession  of  Jesus 
would  have  come  from  the  parents  of  the  blind  man,  if  they  had  been  left  to  them- 
selves, cannot  be  conjectured-  That  which  deters  one  does  not  deter  another.  There 
are  people  who  would  not  be  deterred  from  confessing  Jesus  by  any  amount  of  physical 
pain.  They  can  rise  above  that;  it  is  merely  a  thing  of  the  body ;  something  specific 
and  measurable.  But  the  same  people,  if  a  threat  of  excommunication  came  in,  would 
at  once  begin  to  hesitate.  We  do  well  to  study  the  difficulties  the  gospel  has  ever  met 
with  through  superstition,  just  because  they  are  difficulties  foreign  to  most  who  are 
brought  up  in  a  Christian  land.  We  are  not  likely  either  to  be  threatened  into 
Christianity  or  threatened  out  of  it.  But  undoubtedly  there  are  many  parts  of  the 
world  where  the  fear  of  sonie  dreadful  spiritual  consequence  operates  to  keep  many 
from  even  looking  at  the  claims  of  Jesus.    How  diflerent  the  spirit  of  the  true  religion 


CH,  IX.  1—41.]      THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  39 

is  from  the  spirit  of  the  false  ones !     The  priests  of  superstition  have  to  use  every 
available  means  to  keep  their  dupes  under  control. 

II.  The  success  of  these  spiuitual  thkeatenings.  While  we  have  to  deplore 
the  hindrances  to  the  pospel  which  come  from  these  erroneous  instructions  aud  tradi- 
tions, we  must  also  rejoice  at  what  good  there  is  in  evil.  That  is  not  utterly  evil 
which  proves  the  hold  of  the  supernatural  on  mankind. 

III.  The  failure  of  these  spiritual  threateninos.  In  the  case  of  the  parents 
the  threat  was  successful ;  in  the  case  of  the  son  it  failed.  There  will  always  be  a  few, 
at  all  events,  whom  no  possible  inducement  can  keep  back  from  faithfulness  to  truth. 
Fear  of  losing  their  place  in  the  true  great  assembly  is  a  mightier  motive  than  that  of 
keeping  connection  with  any  visible  ecclesiastical  system. — Y. 

Ver.  25. —  The  testimony  of  individual  blessing.  I.  The  best  answer  to  critics 
OF  Jesus.  Here  are  the  fitting  representatives  of  that  vast  multitude  who  in  all  ages 
have  striven  to  heap  scorn  on  the  Name  of  Jesus.  "We  know,"  they  say.  That  was 
just  the  way  Nicodemus  talked  when  he  came  to  Jesus.  He  came  with  patiouage  on 
his  tongue — "  We  know  thou  art  a  Teacher  come  from  God."  Thus  also  we  read  cuucern- 
ing  some  of  Jerusalem  that  they  were  sure  Jesus  could  not  be  the  Christ,  fur  as  to  the 
Christ  no  one  knew  whence  he  would  come ;  but  as  to  Jesus,  they  knew  whence  he 
was.  And  the  quondam  blind  man  did  well  in  not  meeting  argument  with  argument. 
Let  the  opponents  of  Jesus  bring  forth  the  knowledge  in  which  they  are  so  confident ; 
those  give  them  their  best  answer  who  can  point  to  some  indubitable  change  in  their 
own  experience.  Christianity  is  propagated  by  testimony  rather  than  argument. 
Many  people  are  quite  capable  of  appreciating  evidence  who  would  be  utterly  bewildered 
at  the  very  entrance  of  an  Argument.  Controversy,  which  some  are  so  fond  of,  has 
done  httle  for  the  cause  of  Christ.  But  testimony  has  done  a  great  deal,  even  such 
testimony  as  was  here  presented — testimony  to  the  senses.  He  who  used  to  be  seen  as 
a  blind  man  is  now  seen  with  full  power  of  vision.  Here  is  a  welcome  change — a 
change  that  has  to  be  accounted  for,  not  as  to  the  disposition  producing  it,  but  as  to  the 
power.  It  must  be  a  kind  and  gracious  power  that  gives  sight  to  the  man  born  blind. 
If  the  reverse  had  happened,  if  the  seeing  man  had  been  struck  blind,  this  would  need 
explaining,  even  as  really  happens  in  the  case  of  Elymas  (Acts  xiii.  11).  There,  of 
course,  the  explanation  lies  ready  to  hand  in  the  judicial  and  admonitory.  Happy 
those  who,  when  specious  and  conceited  arguments  against  faith  in  Jesus  are  laid 
before  them,  can  fall  back  on  the  testimony  of  their  own  experience.  Something  good 
has  happened  to  them  which  they  believe  Jesus  to  have  produced. 

II.  The  stronghold  of  a  Christian's  faith.  A  Christian  is  under  ^no  compul- 
sion to  answer  the  questions,  the  doubts,  the  arguments,  of  other  people,  unless  indeed 
he  has  set  himself  the  task  of  convincing  them.  If  we  would  win  people  to  Christ, 
we  must  be  all  things  to  them,  and  meet  argument  with  argument,  if  that  will  do  good. 
But  questions  and  doubts  may  sometimes  rise  in  our  own  minds,  and  the  true  answer  to 
them  is  in  getting  down  to  fact,  and  observing  how  those  who  once  were  blind  have 
now  come  to  see.  A  living  Christianity,  actual  and  manifest  results  of  the  gospel, 
these  are  our  strongholds  when  the  struggle  comes. 

III.  A  QUESTION  AS  TO  OUR  OWN  EXPERIENCE.  All  our  intellectual  conclusions  con- 
cerning Jesus  are  in  vain  unless  there  has  been  a  deep  personal  experience.  No  matter 
how  careful  the  search,  no  matter  how  sound  the  reasoning,  it  is  all  in  vain.  Many 
have  written  to  support  Jesus  as  the  Christ,  but  when  we  read  between  the  lines,  we 
see  how  all  their  talk  is  from  the  outside.  They  can  recommend  Jesus  to  others,  but 
it  is  pretty  plain  they  have  not  accepted  him  for  themselves.  How  can  we  truly  know 
Jesus,  how  can  we  be  sure  of  our  hold  upon  him,  unless  there  has  been  some  deep 
beneficial  change  in  ourselves?  Afar  deeper  experience  is  possible  for  every  one  of 
us  than  this  man  went  through.  Of  all  those  bora  naturally  blind,  only  a  few  have 
ever  had  natural  vision  added  to  them — the  few,  namely,  that  Jesus  dealt  with.  But 
of  those  born  spiritually  blind,  i.e.  all  of  us,  it  is  the  Divine  intent  that  we  should  all 
say  in  due  season,  '*  Whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see."— Y, 


40 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  x.  1—42. 


EXPOSITION. 


CHAPTER  X. 
Vers.  1—21.— 5.  Christ  the  Shepherd  of  the 
flock  of  God.  The  discourse  which  now  fol- 
lows was  the  Lord's  parabolic  or  allegoric 
reply  to  the  conduct  of  the  Pharisaic  malig- 
nants.  These  men,  claiming  to  be  infallible 
guides  of  the-ignorant,  to  be  veritable  shep- 
herds of  the  flock  of  God,  had  ignored  the 
advent  of  the  true  and  good  Shepherd,  had 
opposed  the  Divine  call  and  supreme  claim 
of  the  Messiah,  had  set  themselves  to  dis- 
turb and  dislocate  the  relations  between 
him  and  those  who  saw  his  glory  and  found 
in  him  the  Consolation  of  Israel.  They  had 
excommunicated  the  adoring  disciple  who 
had  passed  out  of  lifelong  darkness  into 
marvellous  light.  They  had  exaggerated 
the  faint  glimmer  of  light  which  had  broken 
upon  their  own  blindness  into  true  vision. 
They  had  said,  "We  see,"  and  thus  shown 
themselves  to  be  wilfully  in  the  wrong. 
Their  sin  abode  upon  them.  The  fold  of 
God's  sheep  was  something  different  from 
their  own  expectations  and  definitions. 
Their  way  into  it  proved  that  they  did  not 
know  its  true  nature.  To  meet  this  crisis 
our  Lord  delivers  a  triad  of  related  and 
parallel  pictures,  whicli  differ  from  the  ordi- 
nary parable  (iropoiSoA.^).  Tlie  parable  is  a 
picture  whicji  is  complete  in  itsel  f ,  and  invites 
the  reader  to  discover  some  answering  spiritual 
truth.  It  consists  of  a  careful  setting  forth 
of  some  physical  fact,  some  fragment  of 
biography,  some  personal  or  domestic  detail. 
It  is  true  to  life  and  experience,  and  em- 
bodies some  ethical  principle  or  religious 
emotion ;  and  while  it  does  not  explicitly  teach 
either,  yet  it  suggests  them  to  the  inquiring 
mind.  The  parables  of  the  synoptic  Gospels 
are  not  exclusive  or  rigid  in  their  form. 
The  so-called  parable  of  "  the  Pharisee  and 
the  publican  "  and  that  of  "the  good  Sama- 
ritan "  are  at  once  transformable  into  pat- 
terns or  principles  of  action.  The  element 
of  its  own  interpretation  is  also  conspicuous 
in  that  of  "  the  lich  man  and  Lazarus " 
and  "  the  rich  fool."  With  these  latter 
specimens  of  our  Lord's  teaching  may  be 
compared  the  allegoric  illustrations  of  the 
present  discourse.  These  pictures  are  "trans- 


parencies "  (Godet),  through  which  the 
Saviour's  spiritual  ti  aching  pours  its  own 
illumination.  Tiiey  both  alike  differ  from 
the  "fable,"  a  form  of  address  in  which 
personal  characters  and  activities  are  attri- 
buted (as  in  the  apologue  of  Jotham,  etc.) 
to  the  irrational  or  even  to  the  inanimate 
creation. 

The  first  of  the  similitudes  before  us  has 
more  of  the  character  of  the  parable  proper, 
because  it  does  not  at  once  carry  its  own  in- 
terpretation with  it.  Vers.  1 — 6  represent 
in  parabolic  form  the  claims  of  those  who 
aspired  to  provide  a  "  door,"  i.e.  a  sure  and 
safe  entrance  to  the  theocratic  fold.  la  vers. 
7 — 10  our  Lord  interprets  and  expands  the 
first  representation  by  giving  special  signifi- 
cance to  the  words  he  had  already  used, 
adding  something  to  their  meaning,  and 
contrasting  his  own  position  with  that  of 
all  others.  From  the  eleventh  to  the  eigh- 
teenth verse  he  once  more  reverts  to  the 
original  picture,  and  claims  to  occupy  a 
relation  to  the  sheep  of  God's  hand  of  far 
more  intimate  and  suggestive  kind  than 
what  was  connoted  by  the  door  into  the 
fold.  He  is  "  the  good  Shepherd."  In  that 
capacity  he  adds  other  and  marvellous  fea- 
tures. The  parabolic  or  allegorical  language 
passes  away  into  vivid  description  of  the 
leading  features  of  his  work.  The  parable 
at  last  glows  into  burning  metaphor. 

In  the  first  paragraph  our  Lord  gives  a 
parabolic  picture  of  flock  and  fold,  door 
and  porter,  robber  and  shepherd.  In  the 
second  paragraph  he  emphasizes  the  rela- 
tion between  the  door  and  the  fold,  claim- 
ing to  be  "  the  Door."  In  the  third  he  illus- 
trates the  function  and  the  responsibility  of 
the  true  "  Shepherd,"  and  the  relation  of 
the  shepherd  to  the  Jloch,  and  he  claims  to 
be  the  Sliepherd  of  Israel. 

Vers.  1— 6.— (1)  The  parable  of  the  fold 
and  flock,  the  door  a7id  the  porter,  the  robber 
and  the  shepherd. 

Ver.  1. — Verily,  verily,  betokens  the  deep 
solemnity  and  importance  of  the  matter  in 
hand,  but  not  a  complete  break  in  tlie  cir- 
cuuisLances — neither  a  new  audience  nor  a 
new  theme.  The  adoption  by  Jeremiah 
(sxiii.  1—4),  by  Ezekiel  (xxxiv.),  and  by 


CH.  X.  1— 42.]       THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


41 


Zechariali  (xi.  4—17)  of  similar  imagery 
to  denote  the  contrast  between  the  true 
and  false  shepherds,  and  the  anticipation  by 
the  prophets  of  a  time  when  the  true  and 
good  Shepherd  would  fultil  all  Jehovah's 
pleasure,  throws  vivid  light  on  these  words 
of  our  Lord.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you, 
He  that  entereth  not  by  the  door  into  the 
fold  of  the  sheep,  but  climb  eth  up  some 
other  way,  the  same  is  a  thief  and  a  robber. 
Several  commentators  of  eminence  have 
maintained  tliat  by  "  the  door"  in  this  first 
verse,  our  Lord  (as  in  ver.  7)  meant  at  once 
to  designate  himself.  This  is  not  neces- 
sary. He  rather  summons  the  Pharisees  to 
recognize  the  fact  that  there  is  a  door,  a  way 
of  sure  and  divinely  appointed  admission  to 
the  "  fold  of  the  sheep,"  through  which  the 
veritable  Shepherd  passes,  bringing  his  flock 
with  him  by  well-known  voice  and  manner. 
Later  on,  our  Lord  claims  to  be  the  one  Way 
by  which  all  undcr-shepherds  can  gain  true 
access  to  the  tlock,  and  all  the  sheep  of 
God's  pasture  can  find  protection  and  free- 
dom ;  but  here  he  suggests  the  principle  of 
discrimination  between  a  true  shepherd  and 
a  thief  or  robber.  The  /cXe'irTrjs  is  one  who  is 
selfishly  seeking  his  own  ends,  and  would 
avoid  detection ;  the  Atjo-ttj?  is  one  who 
would  use  violent  means  to  secure  his  pur- 
pose (Judas  was  a  "  thief,"  Barabbas  was  a 
"  robber  ").  The  false  shepherd  disdains 
the  door,  and  climbs  up  some  other  way 
along  his  own  selfish  lines  of  action  (dXAa- 
x66fv  is  used  in  this  place  only,  equivalent  to 
"  from  some  otlier  quarter  than  the  ordinary 
home  of  the  shepherd  ").  His  purpose  is 
not  to  benefit  the  sheep,  but  to  seize  them, 
or  slaughter  them  for  his  own  purposes 
(Ezek.  xxxiv.  8).  The  Lord  suggests  that 
many  have  assumed  to  sustain  the  relation 
of  shepherd  to  the  flock  and  fold  of  God, 
with  no  inward  call  either  of  commission  or 
profession.  They  have  been  eager  to  insist 
on  their  own  rights,  have  mistaken  tlicir 
own  narrow  traditions  for  the  command- 
ments of  God,  have  imposed  upon  starved 
and  worried  souls  their  own  selfish  interpre- 
tations of  that  commandment,  and  have 
shown  that  they  had  no  legitimate  access  to 
the  hearts  of  men. 

Ver.  2. — But  he  that  enters  in  by  the  door 
is  a  shepherd  of  the  sheep.  Let  him  be  who 
he  may,  Pharisee  or  priest,  prophet  or  king, 
pastor  or  evangelist,  unless  he  approach  the 
sheep  by  the  right  '■  way  "  he  demeans  and 
condemns  himself.  If  he  come  by  the  door 
into  the  fold,  he  may  be  so  far  presumably 
a  shepherd.  One  fold  might  contain  several 
flocks,  and  a  shepherd  might  lead  these 
flocks  into  different  enclosures  according  to 
his  wisdom  and  care  for  his  sheep.  Neunder, 
Godet,  and  Watkins  think  it  possible  that 
the  whole  imagery  may  have  been  borrowed 


from  the  eye.  The  shepherds  towards  even- 
ing were  probably  gathering  their  scattered 
flocks,  according  to  Oriental  custom,  into 
their  well-known  enclosures,  and  Jesus  with 
his  audience  might  have  seen  them  doing 
it  if  they  gazed  out  from  the  courts  of  the 
temple  over  tlio  neighbouring  hills  (see  also 
Thomson,  '  The  Land  and  the  Book,'  i.  301, 
a  passage  which  provides  an  admirable  com- 
mentary on  this  parable).  There  is  no  abso- 
lute need  that  the  customary  and  well-known 
habit  of  the  country-side  should  have  been 
visible  at  the  moment.  The  abundantly  at- 
tested practice  furnished  to  his  hearers  all 
needful  corroboration.  The  deeper  signifi- 
cance of  the  passage  lies  in  the  prophetic 
symbolism  of  Jer.  xxiii.  1 — 4;  Isa.  xl.  11; 
Ps.  xxiii.  1 — 3;  Ixxviii.  52;  Numb,  xxvii. 
17;  Ezek.  xxxiv.  23,  31;  xxxvii.  24.  Jehovah 
was  the  Shepherd  of  Israel  (Ps.  Ixxx.  1),  and 
he  would  appoint  once  more  in  their  Messiah- 
King  a  David,  who  should  be  his  gracious 
Representative  and  Agent.  All  these  repre- 
sentations were  gathered  up  in  Christ's 
wonderful  parable  of  the  lost  sheep  (Luke 
XV.  3 — 7).  Thoma  endeavours  to  credit  the 
author  of  the  Gospel  with  this  ideal  picture 
of  the  contrast  between  the  true  and  false 
shepherd. 

Ver.  3. — To  him  the  porter  openeth. 
The  doorkeeper  of  the  fold  has  been  vari- 
ously interpreted.  Bengel  and  Hengsten- 
berg  say,  "God  himself"  is  meant;  Stier, 
Alford,  and  Lange,  "  the  Holy  Spirit ; " 
against  which  interpretations  may  be  urged 
the  subordinate  position  assigned  to  the 
"porter,"  as  compared  with  the  shepherds 
themselves.  Lampe  and  Godet  think  that 
"  John  the  Baptist "  was  intended  ;  while 
Meyer  and  De  Wette  say  that  it  is  one  of 
those  elements  of  the  parable  which  is 
dropped  out  of  our  Lord's  own  exposition 
for  which  we  need  not  seek  any  special 
application.  Westcott  thinks  it  must  vary 
with  the  special  sense  attributed  to  "sheep" 
and  "shepherd,"  and  that  we  must  think 
of  it  as  "  the  Spirit  working  through  his 
appointed  ministers  in  each  case."  The 
"doorkeeper,"  if  Christ  be  himself  the 
"  Door,"  is  the  keeper  of  that  door — the 
agency,  the  ministry,  the  ordinances  by  which 
the  excellences  and  power  of  Christ  were 
or  are  manifested.  We  are  reminded  of  sub- 
sequent use  of  the  imagery  in  Paul's  Epistles 
(1  Cor.  xvi.  9;  2  Cor.  ii.  12  ;  Col.  iv.  3 ;  cf. 
Acts  xiv.  [27) ;  but  the  full  meaning  of  the 
phrase  is  only  suggested,  and  we  had  better 
wait  for  Christ's  interpretation  of  some 
parts  of  this  allegory.  The  context  provides 
a  specific  filling  out,  first  of  one  part  of  the 
imagery,  and  secondly  of  another  part  of  it. 
The  two  interpretations  are  not  to  be  forced 
at  one  and  the  same  time  upon  the  parable. 
Our  Lord  continues :  And  the  sheep  hear  his 


42 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  x.  1— 42. 


voice.  When  a  shepherd  approaches  the 
door  to  fetch  the  folded  sheep  which  belong 
to  him,  the  porter  opens  that  door  for  him ; 
i.e.  a  true  shepherd  who  has  at  heart  the 
interests  of  the  sheep  and  of  their  supreme 
Owner,  finds  the  way  made  ready  for  him. 
In  the  fold  are  many  flocks.  All  the  sheep 
give  heed  to  his  voice.  He  calleth '  his  own 
sheep  by  name,  and  leadeth  them  out.  They 
know  a  shepherd  calls,  and  then  that  shep- 
herd addresses  his  own  sheep  by  name,  and 
he  leads  these  forth  into  the  pasture.  Even 
in  our  own  pastures  the  shepherds  know 
each  sheep  by  name.  Aristotle  ('  Hist.  Anim.,' 
vi.  19)  tells  us  the  bell-wether  knew  his 
name,  and  obeyed  his  shepherd.  Arch- 
deacon Watkins  gives  a  quotation  from 
Theocritus'  '  Idylls,'  charmingly  illustrating 
the  habit.  The  shepherd,  by  the  mere  call 
to  his  own  sheep,  would  separate  them  from 
those  which  did  not  belong  to  him,  and  lead 
them  forth  to  their  pasture  in  the  wilder- 
ness. This  method  of  Oriental  life  illus- 
trates the  function  of  all  true  shepherds  of 
men.  It  has  had  many  partial  fulfilments  in 
the  history  of  the  Church  and  of  the  world. 
During  the  period  of  the  old  theocratic 
dispensation,  many  "thieves  and  robbers" 
made  havoc  of  the  flock;  still  there  were 
prophetic  and  kingly  men  who,  sent  by  God, 
found  their  way  to  the  heart  of  Israel; 
many  came  to  know  that  a  prophet  had  been 
among  them,  and  they  followed  him.  It  is 
equally  true  now,  though  all  the  external 
conditions  are  changed.  The  full  applica- 
tion of  this  part  of  the  allegory  is  only  seen 
when  "  the  good  Shepherd "  seeketh  his 
sheep ;  but  the  meaning  of  the  first  picture 
is  obscured  by  hurrying  on  to  the  enlarged 
and  double  exposition  which  Christ  gave  of 
the  two  parts  of  his  own  parable,  and  much 
is  lost  by  endeavouring  to  force  into  a  pri- 
mary exposition  of  vers.  1 — 6  the  features 
borrowed  from  a  twofold  interpretation  of 
the  separate  ideas  suggested  by  the  compo- 
site image. 

Ver.  4. — In  like  manner,  our  Lord  con- 
tinues to  describe  what  every  true  shepherd 
of  men  has  done  and  ever  will  do :  When 
he  hath  put  forth  all  *  his  own,  and  not 
another's,  drawn  them  by  the  music  of  his 
voice,  or  constrained   them   by  the  sweet 

»  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),Tregelles,  Alford, 
and  R  T.,  on  the  authority  of  N,  A,  B,  D,  L, 
X,  1,  33,  read  ^oiretin  place  of  KaKt'i  (T.R.), 
a  reading  which  emphasizes  the  individuali- 
zing care  of  the  shepherd. 

2  Td  <5(a  iracTo  is  the  reading  of  N*'^  B, 
D,  L,  X,  1,  22,  33,  and  is  sustained  by 
several  versions,  adopted  by  Tischendorf 
(8th  edit.)  and  R.T.  Ta  tSia  -rrpo^dra  is  the 
reading  of  T.R.,  on  the  authority  of  A,  r, 
A,  A,  Vulgate,  and  both  Syriac  Versions. 


violence  of  his  love,  or  even  compelled  them 
to  go  forth  from  a  fold  in  which  they  may 
find  security,  but  not  pasture ;  and  when  he 
has  marshalled  them  into  obedience  and  into 
thankful  trust  by  the  strength  of  his  sym- 
pathy and  knowledge  of  their  need,  he  goeth 
before  them.  He  is  their  leader  and  ex- 
ample ;  he  shows  them  in  his  own  life  the 
kind  of  provision  made  for  them ;  he  shares 
with  them  the  perils  of  the  wilderness,  and 
first  of  all  is  prepared  to  grapple  s\ith  their 
fierce  foes,  "  He  drinks  of  the  brook  in  the 
way."  The  highest  meaning,  the  only  com- 
plete interpretation,  of  this  passage  is  found 
when  Christ  himself  is  the  Shepherd,  who 
does  summon  from  the  old  enclosure  ''  all 
his  own,"  all  who  have  entered  into  living 
harmony  with  himself.  And  the  sheep  follow 
him :  for  they  know  his  voice.  Nothing  is 
here  said  of  "  lost  sheep  "  or  of  "  goats ;  " 
these  are  all  the  "  ideal  sheep  "  of  the  flock, 
individuals  who  recognize  the  voice  of  the 
true  Leader,  and  discriminate  their  own 
shepherd  from  all  others,  whether  pretenders 
to  their  afi"ections  or  destroyers  of  their  lives 
— wolves  or  butchers,  thieves  or  robbers. 
Should  we  persist  in  interpreting  the  apo- 
logue as  it  stands,  a  question  arises  about  the 
TTpd^ara  that  are  not  the  shepherd's  "  own." 
Some  have  answered  it  by  supposing  that 
the  latter  are  the  chief  of  his  own  flock,  who 
will  bring  the  rest  after  them.  The  truth 
is  not  obscurely  hinted  of  that  election  to 
highest  privileges  and  duties,  which  does 
not  declare  that  the  rest  are  not  sheep  at  all. 
Ver.  5. — But  a  stranger  will  they  by 
no  means  follow,  for  they  know  not  the 
voice  of  strangers.  The  negative  is  strongly 
expressed.  The  sheep,  who  know  their 
shepherd's  voice,  will  not  take  the  lead  of  a 
stranger  or  an  alien ;  i.e.  of  a  "  thief  or 
robber."  If  these  secure  the  sheep  at  all,  it 
is  by  violence  or  stealth,  by  unfair  means, 
by  illegitimate  methods. 

Ver.  6. — This  parable  spake  Jesus  unto 
them.  The  word  irapoifxia  occurs  only  in 
this  place  and  in  ch.  xvi.  25 — 29 ;  2  Pet.  ii. 
22.  It  is  the  LXX.  rendering  of  '^rp  proverb, 
in  Prov.  i.  1,  a  similitude  or  didactic  saying. 
The  Greek  word  means  any  speech  (ol^os) 
deviating  (iropo)  from  the  common  way 
(Lange).  It  may  deviate  by  its  sententious 
or  parabolical  form,  which  conceals  under  a 
closed  metaphor  a  variety  of  meanings.  But 
they,  the  Ph  arisees,  who  were  con fideut  of  their 
own  position,  and  gloried  in  their  influence 
over  men,  and  whose  moral  nature  was  steeled 
and  armed  to  resist  even  a  possible  reference 
to  themselves  as  " thieves,'  or  " robbers,"  or 
"  aliens,"  and  who  would  not  admit  any  of 
Christ's  claims  to  their  own  disparagement, 
understood  not  what  things  they  were 
which  he  was  saying  to  them.  The  blind 
man  had   heard  liis  voice,  obeyed,    found 


CH.  X.  1—42.]       THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


43 


healing:,  advanced  step  by  step  from  a  bare 
knowledge  of  "a  man  Jesus"  to  a  confes- 
sion of  him  as  one  empowered  by  God ;  to  a 
belief  that  he  was  a  "  Prophet,"  able  to  relax 
Mosaic  Law ;  and  finally  to  a  ready  acknow- 
ledgment tliat  he  was  the  Son  of  God.  The 
Pharisees  were  conscious  of  neither  need, 
nor  blinilness,  nor  desire  of  salvation,  nor  of 
the  Shepherd's  care  or  grace.  They  will  not 
go  to  him  for  life.  They  can  make  nothing 
of  his  enigmatic  words.  They  take  counsel 
against  him.  Their  misconception  contrasts 
strongly  with  the  susceptibility  of  the 
broken-hearted  penitents.  So  far  the  parable 
or  proverb  corresponds  with  the  parables  of 
the  kiugdom  in  the  synoptic  Gospels, and  is 
open  to  many  interpretations. 

Vers.  7 — 10. — (2)  Allegory  of  the  door  and 
the  fold,  in  ichich  Christ  claimt  to  he  "the 
Door  of  the  sheep." 

Ver.  7. — Jesus  therefore  (oZf,  with  its  re- 
sumptive force,  introduces  the  effect  upon 
Christ  of  the  unsusceptible  character  of  the 
Pharisees).    Some  pause  may  have  occurred, 
during  which    these   men  displayed  their 
bitter  feeling  and  utter  lack  of  appreciation, 
and  he  proceeds  first  to  give  them  an  expla- 
nation  of  the  words,  which   should   leave 
them  in  no  doubt  as  to  one  emphatic  mean- 
ing  which   they  contained.      Said '    again 
unto  them,  I  am  the  Door  of  the  sheep.   This 
exposition  of  the  allegory  is  introduced  by 
the  solemn  Amen,  amen.     Christ  first  calls 
attention  to   the  "  door "   into    the    sacred 
fellowship  of  men  with  God.     On  a  subse- 
quent occasion  (ch.  xiv.  6),  he  said,  "I  am 
the  Way  "  to  the  Father ;  "  no  man  cometh 
unto  the  Father,  but  by  me."    The  parable 
as  it  stands  refers  to  true  and  false  teaciiers 
of  the  people,  and  to  just  and  unjust  claims 
to  confer  upon  tlie  sheep  of  God's  pasture 
safe  and  sure  access  to  God,  and  all  privi- 
leges of  Divine  life.     In  interpreting  it,  he 
declares  first  that  he  is  the  one  Door,  not  of 
"  the  fold  "  so  much  as  of  the  sheep,  in  their 
individual  capacity.     This  corresponds  with 
every  claim  made  by  him  and  made  in  his 
Name,  that  he,  in  all  the  fulness  of  his  Per- 
sonality, had  always  been  the  one  Medium 
by  which,  in  the  theocracy  or  beyond  it,  men 
have  drawn  near  to  the  Father.     The  Logos 
is  the  Angel  of  the  covenant,  the  Kock  in 
the  wilderness,  the  great  High  Priest,  the 
Veil  over  the  holy  place,  the   propitiatory 
Sacrifice,  the  Propliet,  the  King.    He  it  is 
who  ever  and  always  has  given  consolation 
and  peace  to  his   people.      He   is  the  one 
method,  agency,  reality,  by  which  not  only 

'  Tibcliendorf  (8th  edit.)  omits  irdKiv  av- 
Tojf,  on  the  autliority  of  N*,  1,  63  ;  in  former 
editions  he  included  it,  with  Lachmann, 
K.T.,  and  Tregclles.     B  has  ndKiv  without 


the  shepherds,  but  the  sheep,  enter  into  the 
fold,  and  go  forth  thence  to  pasture. 

Ver.  8. — All   that   came  before  me '  are 
thieves  and  robbers.     Great   dithculty  has 
been  felt  by  commentators  in  understanding 
"  before  me."     Tiio  words  clearly  gave  the 
early  Gnostic  heretics  a  text  on  which  they 
established  their  dualistic  rejection  of  the 
old  dispensation.    Their  absence  from  certain 
texts  led  Augustine  and  others  to  empha- 
size the  word  "  came."    "  All  who  came,"  i.e. 
in  their  own  strength  or  wisdom,  when  not 
"sent"  or  authorized  by  God.     Other  en- 
deavours have  been  made  (see  Meyer  and 
Lange)  to  give  it  a  non-temporal  meaning, 
such  as  x«^P''j.  "  independently  of  me."    Wolf 
and  OJshauson  make  irpb  equivalent  to  virip, 
"  in  the  place  "  or  "  in  the  stead  of  me  "  (so 
Lange,  Lampe,  Schleusner).     Dc  Wette  and 
others  accept  the  temporal  meaning,  "  be- 
fore," i.e.  in  point  of  time,  and  include  under 
it  the  entire  corpus  of  Old  Testament  saints 
and  teachers,  and  therefore  regard  the  say- 
ing as  inconsistent  with  the  gentleness  of 
Christ.    But  with  ch.  v.  39, 45—47,  and  many 
other  passages  in  this  Gospel,  it  is  certain 
the  words  could  not  mean  to  denounce  all 
who  came  as  teachers  or  shepherds  before 
him  in  mere  point  of  time  as  "  thieves  and 
robbers,"  whom   the   sheep   did   not  hear. 
Therefore  the  irph  must  be  to  some  extent 
modified  in  meaning.    We  agree  with  West- 
cott  and  Godet  in  limiting  irph  ifiov,  by  throw- 
ing the  emphasis  on  the  "came,"  and  by 
adding,  moreover,  to  it  the  esseatial  point, 
"  came   making    themselves  doors    of    the 
sheep  " — claiming  to  have  the  "  key  of  know- 
ledge," professing  vainly  to  open  or  shut  the 
door  of  heaven.     That  is,  no  other  has  ever 
liad  the  right  or  claim  to  be  such  "  a  door." 
The  Baptist,   the    prophets,   one    by  one, 
Abraham  and  Moses,  in  their  day  made  no 
sucli  profession.      Tlie  dignity  belongs  to 
Christ  alone.     The   language  may  receive 
accentuation  from   the  pressing  urgency  of 
false  Chris ts,  as  well  as  the  hopeless  system  of 
Pharisaic  pride.     Thoraa  sees  here  the  mere 
dressing  out  of  St.    Paul's  language,  con- 
demnatory of  false  prophets  and  ravening 
wolves  who  would  not  spare  tlie   flock  of 
Christ  (Acts  xx.  29),  and  Christ's  own  words 
in  the  synoptists  (Matt.  vii.  15 ;  xxiii.  13, 
etc.).     Special  reference  is  made  to  the  cere- 
monial superstitions,  to  "the  hedge  alwut 
the   Law,"  to  the  cruel  slavery  of  modem 
Pharisaism,  which  had  done   what  neither 
prophets  nor  priests  of  old  had  attempted. 

'  Uph  inov  follow  ^Kdou  in  N^  A,  B,  D,  K, 
L,  X,  but  precede  in  a  few  authorities  and 
T.R.  The  words  are  omitted  by  E,  F,  G,  M, 
S,  U,  A,  Vulgate,  and  many  versions,  nume- 
rous critical  quotations.  So  Tischendorf  (8th 
edit.),  but  not  K.T.,  or  Westcott  and  Hort. 


44 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  x.  1— 42. 


Archdeacon  Watkins  emphasizes  the  present 
tense,  "  are  thieves,"  etc.,  making  Christ's 
reference  obvious  to  the  lawyers  and  scribes 
of  his  own  day,  who  were  closing  the  door,  and 
plundering  those  whom  they  kept  out  of  the 
kingdom.  But  the  sheep  did  not  hear  them. 
The  true  slieep  have  not  been  seduced  by 
them.  The  teaching  of  these  Pharisees  has 
not  prevailed  over  susceptible  souls. 

Ver.  9. — I  am  the  Door :  by  me— by  living 
relation  to  me — if  any  man ;  i.e.  either 
shepherd  or  sheep,  for  in  this  part  of  the 
interpretation  they  are  not  distinguished,  and 
they  alike  need  "salvation"  and  "pasture." 
By  me  if  any  man  enter,  he  shall  be  saved, 
and  shall  go  in  and  out,  and  find  pasture. 
"  Salvation  "  here  spoken  of  refers  primarily 
to  deliverance  from  dangers,  protection  from 
the  ravenous  wolves  without  the  fold,  and  from 
false  shepherds  within.  "  Go  in  and  out "  is 
a  phrase  frequently  used  "  to  denote  the  free 
use  of  an  abode  by  one  who  is  at  home  in 
the  house  "  (Deut.  xxviii.  6  ;  xxxi.  2  ;  Acts 
i.  21).  The  believer  who  enters  into  fellow- 
ship with  God,  and  is  "  saved,"  does  not  "  go 
in  and  out "  of  that  state,  but  can  as  a  child 
share  by  turns  the  Divine  repose  of  the 
home,  and  the  high  privilege  of  his  sonship 
in  the  world,  "  He  claims  his  share  in  the 
inheritance  of  the  world,  secure  of  his 
home  "  (Westcott). 

Ver.  10. — The  thief  oometh  not,  hnt  that 
he  may  steal,  and  kill,  and  destroy.  Christ, 
elaborating,  evolving,  what  is  contained  in 
the  image  of  "  thief,"  regards  his  rival  as  the 
thief  of  souls;  he  whose  pretension  to  be  a 
.  way  to  God  is  based  on  no  inward  and  eternal 
reality,  who  comes  for  no  other  purpose 
than  to  make  the  sheep  his  own,  not  to  give 
them  pasture ;  to  sacrifice  them  to  his  selfish 
ends,  to  use  them  for  his  own  purposes,  not 
to  deal  with  them  graciously  for  theirs ;  but 
to  destroy,  since  in  the  pursuit  of  his  selfish 
ends  he  wastes  both  life  and  pasture.  A 
terrible  impeachment,  this,of  all  who  have  not 
recognized  the  true  Door  into  the  sheepfold, 
who  would  shut  up  the  way  of  life  that  they 
may  exalt  their  own  order,  would  diminish 
the  chances  of  souls  in  order  to  secure  their 
own  position.  This  forms  the  transition  to 
the  second  interpretation  of  the  parabolic 
words ;  for  he  adds,  I  came  that  they  might 
have  life,  and  that  they  might  have  it  abun- 
dantly ;  more  even  than  they  can  possibly 
use.  This  is  one  of  the  grandest  of  our 
Lord's  claims.  He  gives  like  God  from  over- 
flowing stores  (Titus  iii.  6).  Those  who  re- 
ceive life  from  him  have  within  them  pe- 
rennial sources  of  life  for  others— fulness  of 
being  (see  notes,  ch,  vii.  38 ;  iv.  14).  One 
of  the  differentise  of  "  life  "  is  "  abundance  " 
of  supply  beyond  immediate  possibility  of 
use.  Life  has  the  future  in  its  arms.  Life 
propagates  new  life.     Life  has  untold  capa- 


cities about  it — beauty,  fragrance,  strength, 
growth,  variety^  reproduction,  resistance  to 
death,  continuity,  eternity.  In  the  Logos  is 
life — and  Clirist  came  to  give  it,  to  com- 
municate "  life  to  the  non-living,  to  the  dead 
in  trespasses,  and  to  those  in  their  graves  " 
(ch.  V.  26). 

Vers.  11 — 21. — (3)  The  functions  and  re- 
sponsibilities of  the  veritable  Shepherd,  and 
the  relation  of  the  Shepherd  to  the  flock. 

Ver.  11. — I  am  the  good  Shepherd.  The 
word  here  rendered  "  good "  means  more 
than  the  "  true  "  (oXt/Oi^ j)  or  the  "  veritable  " 
(aKTjdivSs) ;  more  than  ayaB6s,  good,  in  the 
sense  of  being  morally  excellent  and  in- 
wardly fulfilling  God's  purpose  that  the 
sheep  should  be  shepherded.  The  word 
Ka\6s  suggests  a  "goodness"  that  is  con- 
spicuous, that  shows  and  approves  itself  to 
the  experience  and  observation  of  all.  Thua 
the  Lord  fills  up  the  meaning  of  the  first 
parable  by  emphasizing  another  element  in 
it.  There  may  be  many  shepherds  worthy 
of  the  name,  but  he  alone  justifies  the  de- 
signation (cf.  Ps.  xxiii.;  Isa.  xl.  11;  liii. ; 
Ezek.  xxxiv. ;  Jer.  xxiii.).  This  imagery  has 
inwrought  itself  into  Christian  literature  and 
art.  The  earliest  representations  of  Christ  in 
the  catacombs  depict  him  as  "  the  good  Shep- 
herd" (Tertullian,  'De  Fuga.,'  c.  11 ;  Hermas, 
*  Sim.,'  vi.  2) ;  the  earliest  hymns  and 
latest  minstrelsy  of  the  Church  dwell  fondly 
on  the  image  which  portrays  his  individual 
watchfulness,  his  tender  care,  his  self-sa- 
crificing love.  The  good  Shepherd  layeth  ' 
down  his  life  for  the  sheep ;  not  only  does 
his  work  with  his  life  in  his  hand,  but  he 
deliberately  lays  down  his  life,  and  consciously 
divests  himself  of  his  life,  and  is  doing  it 
now.  The  Shepherd  dies  that  the  sheep  may 
live  (cf.  1  John  iii.  16;  ch.  xv.  13).  Else- 
where Jesus  says,  "  The  Son  of  man  gives 
his  life  a  ransom  for  many"  (Matt.  xx.  28). 
The  thought  is  very  grand,  and  is  a  strange 
addition  to  the  claim  to  be  the  Shepherd  of 
Israel,  and  gives  intense  pathos  to  the  lan- 
guage of  our  Lord  to  Simon  Peter  (ch.  xxi.  6), 
*'  Shepherd  my  sheep."  The  further  de- 
velopment of  the  parable  shows  that  in  the 
metaphor  he  regards  his  death  as  no  disastrous 
termination  of  the  Shepherd's  function,  but 
as  an  event  in  his  career.  Hence  it  is  not 
just  of  Reuss  ('  Theol.  Chretien,'  ii.)  to  con- 
tend that  our  Lord  does  not  here  suggest  a 
vicarious  or  propitiatory  death  on  his  part. 
This  is  a  veritable  death,  which  secures  the 
life  of  tiie  sheep,  and  does  not  arrest  the 
Shepherd's  care  (see  vers.  17,  18). 

'  N*,  D,  and  Vulgate  read  SiSaxriv  •  but 
R.T.,  as  well  as  T.R.,  Lachmann,  Alford, 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),Tregelles,  M'Clellan, 
and  Westcott  and  Hort,  read  ridijcny,  with 
NS  B,  L. 


CH.  X.  1— 42.]       THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDINQ  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


45 


Ver.  12. — He  •  that  is  a  hireling,  and 
not  a  shepherd,  whose  own  the  sheep  are 
not,  seeth  the  wolf  coining,  and  leaveth  the 
sheep,  and  fleeth  (the  word  ^lo-floirbj  oc- 
curs ia  Mark  i.  20).  The  htreling  is  con- 
trasted with  the  shepherd.  Tlie  protector 
of  a  flock,  who,  tliougli  not  a  thief,  or  robher, 
or  alitu,  yet  has  no  unselfish  regard  for  the 
sheop,  is  guilty  of  cowardice,  and  his  shame- 
less flight  from  danger  may  do  as  nmch 
harm  to  the  flock  as  the  thief  or  robber. 
Godet  woukl,  at  all  events  at  first,  limit  the 
reference  to  the  priestly  party,  who  ought  to 
have  had  more  courage  and  real  care  for  tlie 
sheep,  but  were  utterly  unable  to  bear  the 
brunt  of  assault  from  Sanhedrin  and  Pha- 
risees. The  latter  represent,  as  he  thinks, 
the  ravening  "  wolf."  But  surely  all  who 
have  merely  mercenary  or  selfish  motives 
in  their  treatment  of  souls,  and  wlio  flee  at 
the  approach  of  danger  or  death,  arc  here 
held  up  to  grievous  condemnation.  All 
who  proclaim  themselves  to  be  "  the  door 
of  the  sheep,"  who,  independently  of  Christ, 
and  without'  the  animating  breath  of  the 
Divine  Spirit,  are  considering  themselves 
rather  tlian  the  flock  which  tliey  profess  to 
instruct  and  protect,  are  the  hirelings  here 
denounced.  In  the  hour  of  real  peril  they 
tarn  and  flee.  "  Whose  own  the  sheep  are 
not."  They  do  not  seek  the  destruction  of 
the  flock  which  is  not  theirs,  but  they  neg- 
lect and  forsake  when  they  should  be 
faithful  unto  death.  They  have  not  identi- 
fied themselves  with  the  object  of  their  pro- 
fessed care.  The  tcolf  is  the  deadly  power 
ever  seeking  the  destruction  of  the  soul,  and 
even  compassing  it ;  it  is  the  metaphor  for 
every  sort  of  power  opposed  to  Christ  (cf. 
Matt.  X.  16 ;  Luke  x.  3 ;  Acts  xx.  29). 
And  the  wolf  snatcheth  them,  and  scattereth 
(them  ^).  "  The  seizing  and  scattering  " 
shows  how  these  hostile  powers  not  only 
devastate,  but  destroy ;  not  only  crush  in- 
dividuals, but  ruin  Churches.  The  sheep  do 
not  belong  to  a  hireling,  as  they  do  to  a 
shepherd.  No  living  bond  of  common  in- 
terest links  them  to  each  other. 

Ver.  13. — (The  hireling'  fleeth)  hecause 

'  B,  G,  L,  omit  5«,  and  are  followed  by 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.).  "Westcott  and  Hort, 
and  R.T. 

-  The  Tck  irpo^ara  of  T.R.  are  found  in  A, 
X,  r,  A,  A,  in  the  majority  of  cursives,  the 
Vulgate,  and  both  Syriac  Versions :  but  X, 
B,  D,  H,  L,  1,  22,  25, 33,  omit,  with  Tischen- 
dorf (8th  edit.),  Tregelles,  Westcott  and 
Hort,  and  R.T. 

'  These  words  of  T.R.  are  found  in  A*,  X, 
A,  69,  in  Vulgate  and  Syriac  Versions ;  but 
are  omitted  by  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Tre- 
gelles, Alford,  and  R.T.,  on  the  authority  of 
N,  A*,  B,  D,  L,  1,  33,  and  numerous  ver- 


he  is  a  hireling,  and  careth  not  for  the 
sheep.  He  only  cares  for  himself.  He  is 
no  match  for  the  wolf  of  teniptatiou,  or  dis- 
ease, or  death.  He  wants  to  reap  the  per- 
sonal advantage  of  his  temporary  office,  and, 
if  his  own  interests  are  imperilled,  he  can 
leave  them  to  any  other  hireling,  or  to  the 
wolf.  Melancholy  picture  this  of  much 
deserted  duty. 

Vers.  H,  15. — The  Lord  resumes:  I  am 
the  good  Shepherd.  He  now  makes  his  dis- 
course more  explicit.  He  almost  drops  the 
allegory,  and  merely  adopts  the  sacred  meta- 
phor. His  self-revelation  becomes  more  full 
of  promise  and  suggestion  for  all  time.  He 
takes  up  one  of  the  characteristics  of  the 
shepherd  which  discriminated  him  from 
"hireling,"  "thief,"  or  "robber."  And  I 
know  mine  own,  and  my  '  own  know  me,  even 
as  the  Father  knoweth  me,  and  I  know  the 
Father.  This  more  accurate  text,  transla- 
tion, and  punctuation  of  the  Revised  Ver- 
sion brings  into  living  comparison  the 
mutual  knowledge  of  Christ  and  his  own 
sheep,  with  the  mutual  knowledge  of  Christ 
and  the  Father.  Christ's  personal  know- 
ledge of  his  people  is  that  which  comes  into 
their  religious  consciousness.  They  know 
his  knowledge  of  them.  They  know  him  to 
be  what  he  is — to  be  their  Lord  God,  as 
they  realize  his  personal  recognition  and 
care.  The  one  involves  the  other  (see  Gal. 
iv.  9 ;  1  Cor.  viii.  3).  The  particle  of  tran- 
sition is  more  than  a  mere  illustration  (xaSaJy 
is  more  than  So-irep ;  Kd.dti>s  introduces  not 
infrequently  an  explanation,  sometimes  a 
causal  consideration,  or  an  illustration 
which  accounts  for  the  previous  statement ; 
see  ch.  xv.  12 ;  xvii.  21,  23).  The  know- 
ledge which  the  sheep  have  of  the  Shep- 
herd corresponds  with  the  Son's  knowledge 
of  the  Father,  and  the  Shepherd's  know- 
ledge of  the  sheep  answers  to  the  Father's 
knowledge  of  the  Son  ;  but  more  than  this, 
the  relation  of  the  Son  to  the  Father,  thus 
expressed,  is  the  real  ground  of  the  Divine 
intimacies  between  the  sheep  and  the  Shep- 
herd (cf.  ch.  XV.  10;  xvii.  8).  Then  the 
Lord  repeats  and  renews  the  solemn  state- 
ment made  at  the  commencement  of  the 
sentence.  And  I  lay  down  my  life  for  the 
sheep.     Such  knowledge  of  the  peril  of  "  his 

sions.  If  they  are  omitted,  the  remainder 
of  the  verse  must  be  attached  to  the  pre- 
ceding verse,  throwing  the  middle  clause 
into  parentheses.  Ta  irpofiara  are  bracketed 
by  Alford. 

'  The  T.R.  here  reads,  ytvaxxKOfiai  virh  tui/ 
iliSiv,  with  A,  X,  r.  A,  A,  and  most  of  the 
later  authorities.  TivdxTKovffi  fxi  tcL  f/xd  is 
read  by  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Tregelles, 
Alford,  Westcott  and  Hort,  and  R.T.,  with 
a,  B,  D,  L,  with  versions  and  Fathers. 


46 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDiNG  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  x.  1—42. 


own  "  involves  him  in  sacrifice.  Whereas 
in  ver.  11  this  is  attributed  to  the  "good 
Shepherd,"  now  he  drops  the  first  part  of 
the  fif,'ure,  and  says,  "  I  am  laying  down 
my  life." 

Vers.  16 — 18.— (a)  The  continuity  of  the 
Shepherd-activity,  notwithstanding  the  laying 
doicn  of  his  life. 

Ver.  16. — And  other  sheep  I  have,  which 
are  not  of  this  fold :  them  also  I  must  bring, 
and  they  shall  hear  my  voice.  "  The  other 
sheep,"  not  of  this  fold,  not  sheltered  by 
the  theocracy,  not  needing  the  pasturage  of 
such  privileges— Gentiles  they  may  be, 
earnest  souls  of  many  a  name,  denomiuatioD, 
and  profession,  are,  while  he  speaks,  and 
even  before  the  formation  of  his  Church, 
•  his  own."  ♦'  Other  sheep  I  have."  Though 
they  have  never  as  yet  heard  his  voice,  they 
are  his.  His  relation  with  them  is  personal 
and  direct  and  spiritual,  not  dictated  or 
conditionated  by  "the  fold."  They  will 
hear  his  voice.  We  in  vain  ask  the  ques- 
tion, "  When  ?  "  He  alone  can  answer  it. 
Many  a  Cornelius  in  every  nation  is  accepted 
by  him  (cf.  Acts  x.  35 ;  xiv.  17 ;  xvii.  27 ; 
xxviii.  28).  But  the  passage  contemplates 
a  wider  application :  "  Them  also  I  must 
bring,  or  lead,  among  my  own."  They  are 
scattered  abroad  now,  but  eternal  Love,  by  as- 
suming Shepherd-wise  relations  with  them, 
determiues  not  to  bring  them  to  one  place 
or  enclosure — to  express  such  a  thought  we 
should  have  had,  not  ayaytTv,  but  awayaye^v 
(ch.  xi.  52)  or  ■npoffayaytlv  (Westcott) — but 
to  bring  them  into  personal  relations  with 
himself.  They  shall  become  one  flock,  one 
Shepherd.  The  false  English  translation  of 
■Koifivq,  viz.  "  fold,"  should  be  specially 
noticed.  If  our  Lord  had  meant  to  convey 
the  idea  of  the  rigid  enclosure  into  which  all 
the  scattered  sheep  should  be  gathered,  he 
would  have  used  the  word  ouAtj.  The  word 
iToifivv  is,  however,  studiously  chosen.  The 
error  has  done  grievous  injury.  There  is  no 
variation  of  the  Greek  text,  or  in  the  earliest 
versions.  It  came  through  the  Vulgate  ovile 
into  Wickliffe's  Version,  and  into  many  other 
European  versions.  The  Old  Latin  Ver- 
sions were  correct,  but  Jerome  led  the  way 
into  the  inaccurate  translation.  Tyndale 
perceived  its  true  meaning,  and  Luther 
beautifully  preserved  the  play  upon  the 
words.  Coverdale,  in  his  own  Bible  (1535), 
followed  Tyndale;  but  in  1539,  "  the  Great 
Bible"  followed  the  Vulgate  (Westcott). 
When  naturalized,  it  sustained  the  false  and 
growing  pretension  that  outside  the  one 
"  fold  "  of  the  visible  Church  the  good  Shep- 
herd was  not  ready  with  his  care  and  love  (see 
for  the  only  adequate  translation  of  ttoi/ui''?, 
Matt.  xxvi.  31;  Luke  ii.  8;  1  Cor.  ix.  7, 
where  the  Authorized  Version  has  correctly 
rendered  it  "  flock  ").    Christ,  on  other  occa- 


sions, carefully  warned  his  disciples  against 
such  narrowness,  and  here  he  declares  that 
the  sheep,  independently  of  the  fdld  or  folds, 
may  yet  form  one  great  flocl:,  under  one 
Shepherd.  When  he  described  himself  as 
the  Door,  he  was,  as  we  have  seen,  careful 
to  speak  of  himself  as  "  Door  of  the  sheep," 
and  not  as  the  Door  into  the  fold.  He  laid 
down  his  life  in  order  to  break  down  the 
partition  between  Jew  and  Gentile  (Eph.  ii. 
13),  between  God  and  man,  and  between 
man  and  man.  "In  Christ  Jesus  there  is 
neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  male  nor  female, 
bond  nor  free."  There  may  be  many  folds. 
Different  nations,  ages,  times,  and  seasons 
may  cause  variations  in  these ;  but  there  is 
but  one  flock  under  the  watchful  guardian- 
ship of  one  Shepherd. 

Ver.  17.— Therefore  doth  the  Father  love 
me,  because  I  lay  down  my  life,  that  I  may 
take  it  again.  The  5ia  tovto  points  to  the 
whole  of  the  previous  statement,  and  on  to 
a  more  complete  exposition  of  the  precise 
jwint  in  it  on  which  the  Divine  Father's 
love  (dyaiTT})  rests.  The  "  /"  and  "  me  " 
refer  to  the  incarnate  Son,  i.e.  to  the  Divine- 
human  Personality  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
The  Father  loveth  me,  because,  not  merely 
that  I  lay  down  my  life,  for  sucli  might  be 
the  consequence  of  helplessness  in  the  pre- 
sence of  victorious  and  desperate  foes.  The 
love  which  merely  "  laid  down  life  "  would 
be  a  Buddha-like  self-sacrifice,  producing 
certain  moral  effects  upon  the  minds  of  the 
onlookers,  and  revealing  a  large  and  loving 
sense  of  the  need  of  others.  Yet  in  such 
expression  of  his  sacrificial  love  he  would 
have  relinquished  his  undertaking.  Tliere 
would  have  been  no  more  that  he  could  do 
for  his  flock.  His  Shepherd- functions  would, 
in  the  consummating  act,  cease.  He  would 
be  a  beautiful  Memory,  not  a  living  Energy ; 
a  glorious  Example,  not  the  Author  of 
eternal  salvation.  He  would  cease  to  be 
the  great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep.  Now.  the 
Father's  love  contemplated  more  than  this, 
viz.  the  Lord's  own  purpose  to  take  up 
again  that  life  which  he  was  prepared  volun- 
tarily to  lay  down  for  the  sheep.  Thus  he 
would  indeed  die,  that  he  miglit  be  more  of 
a  Shepherd  to  them  than  he  had  ever  been 
before.  How  otherwise  would  he  personally 
bring  the  other  sheep  into  his  flock,  or  be- 
known  of  them,  as  the  Father  was  known 
by  him  ?  Christ  declares  that  after  bis 
death  he  would  still  exercise  royal  rights, 
be  as  much  a  Divine-human  Personality  as 
ever.  Christ,  as  a  sinless  Man,  the  sinless 
One,  might  indeed,  after  the  victory  over 
the  tempter  in  the  wilderness,  or  from  the 
Mount  of  Transfiguration,  have  returned  to 
the  spiritual  world  without  accomplishing 
an  exodus  on  Golgotha;  but  he  chose,  he 
willed,  to  lay  down  his  life.     Having  done 


en.  X.  1—42.]       THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


47 


tliis  much,  he  might  have  joined  the  great 
majority,  und  been  their  Head  and  Cliief, 
and  left  his  work  to  be  commente(i  on  by 
others.  But  such  a  consummation  would  have 
fallen  far  short  of  the  true  and  sufficing  object 
of  the  Father's  love.  Christ  declares  that 
the  very  end  of  his  death  was  his  resurrec- 
tion from  dej\th.  In  retaking  his  life,  he  la 
able  to  continue,  on  perfectly  dififerent  terms, 
the  shepherding  of  his  people  ;  he  becomes 
in  the  highest  sense,  the  great  Shepherd,  the 
good  Shepherd,  the  archetypal,  and  the 
veritable  Shepherd  of  the  flock  of  God. 

Ver.  18. — No  one  taketh  '  it  awa7  from 
me,  but  I  lay  it  down  of  myself.  Should 
the  aorist  lie  the  true  reading,  then  the  whole 
of  the  Incarnation  must  have  been  regarded 
by  the  Lord  as  already  accomplished,  as  a 
completed  fact.  The  ouSelr,  "no  one" — 
neither  God,  nor  man,  nor  evil  spirit — taketh 
it,  i.e.  my  life,  aicay  from  me,  from  myself, 
in  the  exercise  of  my  sovereign  will,  in  the 
full  consciousness  of  spontaneity.  I  am 
laying  it  dotcn,  not  in  consequence  of  my 
impotence  before  the  powers  of  darkness, 
but  "  fnom  myself."  This  proceeding  is  in 
perfect  harmony  with  the  will  of  God  the 
Father;  but  it  is  Christ's  free  act  notwith- 
standing, and  of  all  things  the  most  worthy 
of  the  Father's  love  (cf.  here  ch.  v.  30, 
which  appears  at  first  to  be  in  contradiction 
with  the  statement  of  this  verse ;  but  the 
closing  words  of  the  verse  rectify  the  im- 
pression ;  see  also  ch.  vii.  28 ;  viii.  28). 
Christ  justifies  his  extraordinary  claim  to 
lay  down  and  after  his  death  (retaining 
then  the  full  possession  of  his  Personality), 
to  reassume  the  life  which  for  a  while,  in 
submission  to  the  doom  on  human  nature, 
he  had  resolved  to  sacrifice.  He  says,  I  have 
(e^ovffiav)  right — or,  power  and  authority 
combined — to  lay  it  down,  and  right  to  take 
it  again.  This  commandment  received  I 
from  my  Father.  I  have  power  to  do  both 
these  things.  No  other  has  ever  put  forth 
such  a  claim,  and  the  discharge  of  it  "  from 
himself,"  i.e.  spontaneously,  is  stated  to  be 
in  consequence  of  an  evroKi),  an  appoint- 
ment, an  ordinance,  he  had  received  from  the 
Father.  The  Divine  purpose  was  realized 
in  his  perfect  freedom  and  his  perfect  and 
absolute  fulfilment  of  the  Father's  will. 
The  narrative  of  the  agony  in  the  garden, 
given  by  the  synoptists,  confirms  the  blend- 
ing of  his  own  freedom  with  the  Divine 
order  ;  but  the  language  of  this  Gospel  (oh. 
xviii.  6  (cf.  Matt.  xxvi.  53),  and  xix.  11), 

'  The  R.T.  here  places  in  the  margin 
^p(v ;  it  is  the  reading  of  N*,  A,  D.  It  is 
not  accepted  by  the  Revisers,  nor  by 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  nor  by  Tregelles; 
but  Westcott  and  Hort  insert  it  in  the  text, 
putting  atpa  iu  the  margin. 


and  the  best  researches  into  what  is  called 
"  the  physical  cause  of  the  death  of  Christ  " 
(see  Dr.  Stroud's  valuable  work  on  that 
subject),  all  confirm  the  voluntary  nature  of 
our  Lord's  suffering  and  death.  "  To  cover 
this  incomparable  privilege  with  a  veil  of 
humility,  he  thought  good  to  call  it  a 
command.  The  Father's  mandate  was, 
Thou  shalt  die  or  not  die,  thou  shalt  rise 
again  or  not  rise  again,  according  to  the  free 
promptings  of  thy  love  "  (Godet).  It  was, 
however,  the  Father's  appointment  that 
Christ  shoiUd  freely  exercise  this  stupendous 
consequence  of  his  perfect  obedience.  So 
that  all  the  assurances  that  God  raised  him 
from  the  dead  are  confirmed  by  the  mode  in 
which  he  speaks  of  his  Divine  right. 

Vers.  19— 21.— (6)  The  twofold  effect  of 
this  declaration. 

Vers.  19,  20. — There  arose '  a  division 
again  among  the  Jews  because  of  these  words. 
And  many  of  them  were  saying.  He  hath  a 
'daemon,  and  is  mad ;  why  hear  ye  him  1 
The  division  among  the  Jews  had  repeatedly 
taken  place.  In  ch.  vii.  12,  30,  31,  40,  41, 
and  ix.  8,  9,  16,  we  see  different  stages  of 
the  hostility  and  different  aspects  of  opinion. 
They  reached  a  similar  point  of  expression 
in  ch.  vii.  20 ;  viii.  48.  With  bitter  madness 
the  Pliarisees  charged  the  Lord  with  being 
imder  the  power  of  a  "  djemon,"  and  with 
consequent  raving,  i.e.  with  irraticmality 
and  even  evil  motive.  By  this  means  "  the 
Jews  "  sought  to  dissuade  the  people  from 
any  attention  to  such  \6yovs  (^sermones, 
Vulgate),  discourses.  They  would  not  have 
done  this  if  the  impression  on  some  had 
not  been  conspicuous  and  overpowering. 
"  Why  hear  ye  him  ?  "  This  was  not  the 
first  time  such  division  had  occurred,  and 
hence  the  ■Ka.\iv,  again  (see  notes,  ch.  viii. 
48).  Some  were  listening  with  eager,  be- 
wildering excitement.  They  knew  not  what 
to  think.  Their  nascent  faith  is  rebuked 
by  the  authorities. 

Ver.  21. — There  was  a  twofold  reply: 
one  drawn  from  their  own  experience. 
Others  said.  These  Qri/xara ;  verba,  Vulgate) 
sayings — "  things  said  " — are  not  those  of 
one  ^ho  is  possessed  by  a  daemon.  Their 
majestic  calm,  their  conscious  strength,  the 
strange  thrill  they  sent  through  liumau 
hearts,  and  wiiich  we  feel  to  this  hour,  dis- 
criminate them  from  the  scream  of  the 
maniac,  with  which  some  of  the  more 
astounding  statements  taken  by  themselves 
might  have  suggested  comparison.  They 
give   another   argument    drawn    from    the 

'  The  oiv  is  omitted  by  Tischendorf  (8t  i 
edit.),  R.T.,  Tregelles,  and  Westcott  and 
Hort,  on  the  authority  of  X,  B,  L,  X,  thou^'li 
it  is  supported  by  A,  r,  A,  A,  and  versions 
and  Fathers. 


48 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  x.  1— 42. 


miracle  which  had  just  taken  place,  which 
proves  that  his  friends  on  this  occasion  were 
very  far  from  the  mad  wickedness  of  those 
whose  moral  sense  had  been  so  perverted  as 
to  say  that  "he  casts  out  dajmons  by  the 
prince  of  daemons  "  (see  Matt.  xii.  24,  etc., 
and  parallel  passages).  Can  a  dsemon  open 
the  eyes  of  the  blind  1  It  is  not  in  the  nature 
of  a  daemon  to  heal  disease,  and  pour  light 
on  siglitless  eyes.  The  goodness  of  the  Lord 
triumphs  over  the  vile  insinuation.  We 
must  have  better  explanation  than  this  of 
his  mysterious  claims.  The  contest  was 
sharp.  The  conflict  for  a  while  silenced 
opposition,  only  to  break  out  again  with 
greater  malice  and  fury. 

Vers.  22 — 42. — 6.  The  oneness  of  Christ 
with  the  Father.  The  discourse  at  the  Feast 
of  Dedication,  with  its  results. 

Vers.  22— 26.— (1)  The  Feast  of  Dedica- 
tion, and  the  excitement  of  the  people. 

The  paragraph  is  pregnant  with  meaning, 
arising  from  the  place,  the  time,  and  the 
action  of  the  Jews.  It  contains  the  dis- 
crimination between  the  Jews  and  those 
who  were  in  spiritual  union  with  himself, 
viz.  his  sheep.  Then  follow  the  character- 
istics and  privileges  of  his  sheep,  which 
lead  up  to  the  climax  in  which  he  risks  the 
deadly  animosity  of  bis  hearers,  by  claiming 
identity  of  saving  power  with  the  Father. 
He  accounts  for  this  by  asserting  what  is 
expressive  of  positive  consubstantiallty  with 
the  Father.  On  any  exegesis,  this  solemn 
announcement  is  a  stupendous  assumption 
of  personal  dignity,  and  was  regarded  by 
his  hearers  as  blasphemous,  madness. 

Ver.  22.— Now,'  the  Feast  of  Dedication 
(the  enkainia)  was  (celebrated)  in  Jerusalem. 
This  feast  is  not  elsewhere  noticed  in  the 
New  Testament.  The  account  of  its  origin 
is  found  in  1  Mace.  iv.  36,  etc. ;  2  Mace.  x.  1 
—S  ;  Josephus, '  Ant.,'  xii.  7.  7.  And  it  was 
winter.  It  was  held  on  the  25th  of  Chisleu, 
which,  in  a.d.  29,  would  correspond  with  the 
19th  of  December,  in  commemoration  of  the 
"  renewal,"  reconsecration,  of  the  temple  by 

*  'Eyevero  Se  is  the  reading  of  N,  A,  D, 
X,  and  most  of  the  uncials  and  cursives ; 
Vulgate,  facta  sunt ;  but  Westcott  and  Hort 
here  introduce  TcJre  in  place  of  Si,  on  the 
authority  of  B,  L,  33,  and  versions.  Ae  t<5t€ 
are  read  by  several  cursives.  Neither  Tre- 
gelles,  Alford,  nor  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.) 
introduce  these  words  into  the  text.  Should 
it  be  the  correct  reading,  it  connects  the 
following  discussion  with  that  which  pre- 
cedes, and  so  allows  of  no  break  till  the 
close  of  ch.  xi. 


Judas  Maccabaeus  after  the  gross  profanation 
of  it  by  Antiochus  Epiphanes  (1  Mace,  i 
20—60;  iv.  36—57).  It  occupied  eight 
days,  was  distinguished  by  illumination  of 
the  city  and  temple  and  of  other  places 
throughout  the  land,  and  hence  was  called 
the  "Feast  of  Lights."  Many  interesting 
peculiarities  of  this  feast  are  detailed  in 
Edersheim's  '  Life  of  Jesus,'  vol.  il.  228, 
etc.  One  feature  was  the  increase  night  by 
night  of  the  number  of  lights  which  com- 
mi-morated  the  restoration  of  the  temple. 
All  fasting  and  public  mourning  were  pro- 
hibited (see  '  Moed.  K.,'  iil.  9).  The  high 
entiiuslasm  of  the  people  made  them  long 
for  deliverance  from  the  Roman  yoke.  The 
Jews  would  probably  have  eagerly  accepted 
Jesus  as  Messiah  if  he  had  been  ready  to 
take  up  the  role  of  a  political  leader. 
Doubtless  he  was  the  Christ  of  the  Hebrew 
prophecies,  and  in  his  own  human  con- 
sciousness his  high  position  swelled  his 
loftiest  thought ;  but  he  was  not  the  Christ 
of  their  Jewish  expectation. 

Ver.  23.^And  Jesus  walked  in  the  temple 
in  Solomon's  porch.  He  walked  in  Sdlomon's 
portico — that  part  of  the  temple  of  Herod 
which  the  apostles  afterwards  adopted  as 
the  scene  of  some  of  their  most  explicit 
assertions  of  the  gospel  (Acts  iii.  11 ;  v.  12). 
It  was  associated  with  the  grandest  events 
in  their  national  history ;  for  it  was  reared 
on  the  substructions  of  Solomon's  temple, 
which  even  to  the  present  day  are  intact 
(Robinson's  '  Palestine.'  i.  289 ;  Palestine 
Exploration  Society's  Reports  ;  '  Recovery 
of  Jerusalem,'  frontispiece,  pp.  17,  226,  309 — ■ 
319).  The  Lord  walked  there  because  it 
was  winter,  and  wintry  weather.  This  reveals 
a  little  touch  of  the  hand  of  an  eye-witness. 
We  need  not  ask  for  any  more  transcendental 
explanation.  The  note  of  time,  moreover, 
implies  tliat  two  months  had  elapsed  since 
the  Feast  of  Tabernacles.  Wieseler  calcu- 
lates  that  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  closed 
on  October  19,  and  the  Feast  of  Dedication 
began  on  December  20,  and,  if  so,  time  is 
left  for  a  portion  of  the  Galilsean  ministry 
cited  in  Luke  x. — xiii.  Ezra  x.  9 — 13 
shows  that  the  time  referred  to  was  after  a 
period  of  heavy  rain,  and  may  account  for 
Jesus  walking  in  the  shelter  of  the  portico. 
Ver.  24. — Then  the  Jews  came  round 
about  him.  Not  necessarily  (with  Godet) 
separating  him  from  his  disciples,  but  in  a 
threatening  and  imperative  fashion,  demand- 
ing an  immediate  answer.  It  is  probable 
that  he  had  absented  himself  for  two  months 
in  the  neighbourhood,  had  even  been  in 
Peraja  (cf.  Luke  ix.),  and  met  the  multitudes 
coming  up  to  the  feasts.  The  irdKiv  trepav 
rod  'lopSivov  of  ver.  40,  is  best  understood 
by  his  having  been  there  before.  The 
difficulty  of  his  making  retrospective  re- 


CH.  X.  1—42.]       THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.   JOHN. 


49 


ference  to  the  similitude  and  allegory  of  the 
first  part  of  tliis  chapter  is  removed  by  the 
simple  supposition  that  he  saw  iu  this  group 
of  bis  interrogators  many  of  those  who  had 
heard  his  former  discourse.  And  said  nnto 
him,  How  long  dost  thou  hold  onr  sonl  in 
Bospense  1 — aipeiv  ttjc  \\ivxhi'  vfiui' ;  used  iu 
the  sense  of  "  lift  up  the  soul,"  and  so 
used  in  similar  connection  in  the  clas-sics 
(Eurip.,  'Ion,'  928;  '  Hec.,'  G9;  ^Eschylus', 
'Sept.,'  198;  also  Joscphus.  'Ant.,'  iii.  2. 
3)— If  thou  art  the  Chiist  (simple  sup- 
position), tell  us  plainly.  Observe  in  ch. 
xvi.  25  our  Lord's  uwii  contrast  between 
speaking  fV  vapoiniais  and  speaking  i:appr)ai%, 
with  open,  clear  utterance.  Tliey  had  heard 
liis  parables,  and  say,  "  Let  him  drop  all 
reserve,  and  deliver  himself  in  ciitegoric 
form."  Archdeacon  Watkins  has  well  re- 
called the  various  utterances  which  fell  on 
the  more  susceptible  of  the  Jerusalemites. 
This  was  the  Feast  of  Linht.-j,  and  has  he 
not  called  himself  the  Light  of  the  world  ? 
This  was  a  feast  commemorative  of  freedom 
from  the  Syrian  yoke,  and  liad  he  not  said, 
"  If  the  Son  set  you  free,  ye  shall  be  free 
indeed  "  ?  This  was  the  Feast  or'  the  Puri- 
fication of  the  Temple  ;  had  not  his  fiist  act 
been  a  cleansing  of  the  courts  of  the  temple  ? 
We  cannot  wonder  at  the  summons  and 
challenge  of  the  people. 

Ver.  25. — Jesus  answered  them.  The 
reply  of  Jesus  is  full  of  wisdom.  If  he  had 
at  once  given  an  affirmative  answer,  they 
would  have  misunderstood  him,  because  he 
was  not  the  Christ  of  their  expectations. 
If  he  had  denied  that  he  was  the  Messiah, 
he  would  have  been  untrue  to  his  deepest 
consciousness  of  reality.  The  answer  was : 
I  spake  with  you — told  you  what  I  am — and 
ye  believe  not.  To  the  woman  in  Samaria, 
to  the  Capernaites,  to  the  blind  man,  to 
Peter  and  the  other  apostles,  and  in  several 
emphatic  forms,  he  had  admitted  his 
Messiahship.  In  ch.  viii.  he  had  claimed 
the  highest  honours  and  announced  his 
Divine  commission,  and  appealed  to  his 
great  Messianic  works,  but  bis  endeavour  to 
rectify  their  Messianic  ideal  had,  tiirough 
their  obtuseness,  failed  of  its  purjiose.  So 
now  once  more  he  referred  them  to  works 
done  in  his  Father's  name,  which  hitherto 
had  failed  to  convince  them :  The  works 
that  I  do  in  my  Father's  name  (ch.  v.  19, 
36),  they  bear  witness  concerning  me. 

Ver.  2G. — He  gives  the  reason  of  their  in- 
eensiVjility  or  lack  of  appreciation  and  faith  : 
But  ye  believe  not,  because  ye  are  not  of  my 
sheep  (for  similar  construction,  iark  4k,  see 
Matt.  xxvi.  73;  ch.  vi.  6i).  The  clause 
(Kadui  flirov  v/xlv  '),  [as  I  said  unto  you],  is 

'  Tischendorf  ((Jth  edit.),  Lachmann,  and 
T.R.,  with  A,  D,  M,  X,  and  other  uncials, 
JOUS — II. 


rejected  by  powerful  arguments,  and  com- 
mentators cease  to  discus.s  whether  it  belongs 
to  the  previous  or  following  clause.  In 
neither  case  docs  it  ajjpear  entirely  relevant, 
although  the  difficulties  felt  in  either  appli- 
cation may  be  reduced  by  supposing  either 
one  saying  or  the  other  to  have  been  virtu- 
ally embodied  in  the  statements  of  the 
parables  of  ch.  x.  1 — 18. 

Vers.  27 — 30. — (2)  ChrisVs  claim  to  equa- 
lity of  power  and  essence,  and  siniilaiity  of , 
gracious  operation  with  the  Father. 

Vers.  27,  28. — My  sheep  hear  my  voice, 
and  I  know  them,  and  they  follow  me :  and 
I  give  unto  them  eternal  life ;  and  they  shall 
never  perish,  neither  shall  any  one  pluck 
them  out  of  my  hand.     Commentatois  have 
dift'ered  as  to  the  arrangement  of  these  two  ! 
verses — whether  the  six  assertions   should  j 
be  regarded  as  two  triplets,  in  the  first  of  I 
which  the  sheep  of  Clirist  are  made  promi-  i 
nent,  and  in  the  latter  of  which  the  Shep- 
herd;  thus — 

(1)  The  sheep — 

"  My  sheep  hear  my  voice "  (their  re- 
ceptivity). 

"  And  I  know  them  "  (the  Lord's  re- 
sponse to  their  faith). 

"And  they  follow  me"  (their  active 
obediiiice). 

(2)  The  Shepherd— 

"  I  give  tiiem  eternal  life "  (involving 

freedom  from  peril  and  death). 
"  They  shall  not  perish  for  ever." 
"  No  one  (not  man  or   devil,  wolf  or 
hireling)  shall  pluck  them  out  of 
my  hand." 

This  is  not  so  satisfactory  as  the  arrange- 
ment which  puts  this  weighty  saying  into 
three  couplets  instead  of  two  triplets ;  iu 
which  the  sheep  are  the  prominent  theme 
of  each  proposition.  The  three  couplets  dis- 
play the  climacteric  character  of  the  won- 
drous rhythm  and  interchange  of  emotion 
between  the  Divine  Shepherd  and  the 
slieep — 

"  My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  I  know  thevi " 

=  mutual  recognition. 
"  They  follow  me,  and  I  give  them  eternal 

life  "  =  reciprocal  activity. 
"  Tliey  shall  not  perish  for  ever,  and  no  one 

shall  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand  "  =  an 

authoritative  assurance,  and  its  pledge  or 

justification. 

Chriat's  knowledge  of  the  sheep  corresponds 
with   their    recognition     of    his    supreme 

cursives,  versions,  and  Fathers,  contain 
them;  but  N,  B,  K,  L,  Vulgiitc,  Origen, 
numerous  cursives,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.), 
R  T.,  Tregelles,  and  Westcott  and  Hort  omit. 
Alford  (Gth  edit.)  brackets. 


50 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  x.  1—42. 


claims ;  their  active  trust  is  rewarded  by  bis 
greatest  gift ;  their  indefeasible  birthright  is 
guaranteed  by  his  limitless  authority  and 
power  to  protect  them.  It  would  be  gross 
perversion  of  the  passage  to  urge  this  inde- 
feasible birthright  on  the  ground  of  a  few 
occasional  flashes  of  conscious  assurance  and 
without  any  recognition  of  all  the  terms  of 
the  relation. 

Ver.  29.— The  last  statement  is  sustained 
by  a  still  loftier  assumption.  Before  trans- 
lating, it  is  necessary  to  notice  the  three 
readings  of  the  text.  (1)  That  of  the  T.R. 
and  the  Revisers'  Text : '  My  Father  who  gave 
(them)  to  me  is  greater  than  all  the  powers 
that  can  possibiy  be  arrayed  against  them. 
(2)  Tlie  reading  of  N,  D,  With  reference  to 
that  u-hich  my  Father,  One  greater  than  all, 
gave  me,  and  no  one  is  able  to  pluck  from  the 
hand  of  the  Father.  Meyer,  however,  trans- 
lates this  differently ;  he  supposes  the  fuelCov 
to  refer  to  the  Father  "a  something  greater, 
a  greater  potence."  Westcott  and  Hort 
prefer  the  reading  with  8  and  ixfl(ov ;  and 
Westcott  translates,  That  ichich  my  Father 
has  given  me  is  greater  than  all,  and  regards  it 
as  a  reference  to  the  sheep  as  a  collective 
unity.  The  internal  reasons  compel  Lu- 
thardt,  Godet,  and  Lange  to  fall  back  on 
T.Ii.,  and  surely  the  extraordinary  strain 
of  the  meaning  justifies  them.  Our  Lord 
would  sustain  with  even  stronger  assurance 
the  safety  of  his  sheep.  The  Father's  gift 
to  himself,  the  Father's  own  eternal  love 
and  power,  the  Divine  omnipotence  of  the 
Lord  God  himself,  is  pledged  to  their  secu- 
rity. "  My  hand  "  becomes  "  my  Father's 
hand."  He  seems  to  say,  "  If  you  question 
my  capacity,  you  need  not  question  his 
power.  Sacrilegious  violence  may  appa- 
rently nail  my  hands  to  the  cross;  the 
sword  may  awake  against  Jehovah's  Shep- 
herd. But  none  can  outwit,  surprise,  cru- 
cify, conquer,  my  Father,  none  can  invalidate 
his  care." 

Ver.  bO. — Then  fallows  the  sublime  minor 
premise  of  the  syllogism,  I  and  the  Father 
(we)  are  one.  As  Augustine  and  Bengel 
have  saiil,  the  first  clause  is  incompatible 
with  Sabelliaaism,  and  the  second  clause 
with  Ariunism.    The  Lord  is  conscious  of  his 

»  The  reading  of  the  T.R.  and  R.T.,  with 
the  exception  of  the  last  word,  ia,  'O  narrtp 

fiOV,    6s    SeSwKf    fiOl,    fifi^WV    TldvTOtV     «(7Tl*    Kai 

oiheh  hvvarai  apird^eiv  ew  tt)s  x«'P^s  '''ov  tra- 
rp6s  [mow]-  Although  the  R.T.  places  in  the 
margin  S  SeSoiKe  fnoi  iravToiv  yiii^iv  Icrrl,  this 
is  tho  reading  preferred  by  Westcott  and 
Hort.  Tiscbendorf  (8fh  edit.)  and  Tregelles, 
on  the  authority  of  N,  D,  L,  Coptic,  Sahidic, 
and  Italic,  read  8  ^ihojKiv  with  n.ti(6v,  and 
subsequent  modification  in  A,  B,  X,  Vul- 
gate, etc.,  read  us  and  p-flfov. 


own  Personality  as  distinct  from  that  of  the 
Father,  and  yet  he  asserts  a  fundamental 
unity.  But  what  kind  of  unity  is  it?  Is 
it  a  unity  of  wish,  emotion,  sentiment,  only  ? 
On  the  contrary,  it  is  a  oneness  of  redemptive 
power.  The  Divine  activity  of  the  Father's 
eternal  love  did  not  come  to  any  arrest  or 
pause  when  he  gave  the  sheep  to  the  Son, 
but  with  its  irresistible  might  is  present  in 
the  "  hand  "  of  Jesus  (no  one  "  can,"  not  no 
one  '♦  shall ").  Therefore  the  eV,  the  one 
reality,  if  it  does  not  express  actual  unity  of 
essence,  involves  it.  Some  have  endeavoured 
to  minimize  the  force  of  this  remarkable 
statement  by  comparing  it  with  ch.  xvii. 
21 — 23,  where  Jesus  said  believers  are  "to 
be  in  us,"  and  "  to  be  one,  even  as  we  are 
one,"  i.e.  to  have  the  same  kind  of  relation 
with  one  another  (being  a  collective  unity) 
as  the  Father  and  Son  sustain  towards  each 
other,  "  I  in  them,  thou  in  me,  that  they 
may  be  perfected  [reach  their  Te'Xoy,  by  being 
blended]  into  one ; "  i.e.  into  one  Divine  per- 
sonality by  my  indwelling.  Now,  it  is  no- 
where there  said  that  believers  and  the 
Fatlier  are  one,  but  such  a  statement  is 
scrupulously  avoided.  Numerous  attempts 
have  been  made  to  escape  from  the  stupen- 
dous assumption  of  this  unity  of  power  and 
essence  with  the  Father.  The  whole  gist  of 
the  assertion  reveals  the  most  overwhelming 
self-consciousness.  The  Lord  declares  that 
he  can  bestow  eternal  life  and  blessedness 
upon  those  who  stand  in  close  living  rela- 
tion with  himself,  and  between  whom  and 
himself  there  is  mutual  recognition  and  the 
interchanges  of  love  and  trust.  He  bases  the 
claim  on  the  fact  that  the  Father's  hands 
are  behind  his,  and  that  the  Father's  eternal 
power  and  Godhead  sustain  his  mediatorial 
functions  and,  more  than  all,  that  the 
Father's  Personality  and  his  own  Personality 
are  merged  in  one  essence  and  entity.  If  he 
merely  meant  to  imply  moral  and  spiritual 
union  with  the  Father,  or  comi^leteness  of 
revelation  of  the  Divine  mind,  why  should 
the  utterance  have  provoked  such  fierce 
resentment  ? 

Vers.  31 — 39. — (3)  Besented  and  chal- 
lenged, hut  vindicated  hy  tourd  and  sign. 

Ver.  31. — That  the  Jews  supposed  him  to 
speak  of  an  essential  unity  is  obvious  from 
what  follows.  The  Jews  (then  *)  took  up— 
should  rather  be  carried  or  bore  in  their 
hands — stones  again,  huge  pieces  of  marble 
lying  around  in  the  public  works  then  pro- 
ceeding. There  is  an  increase  of  malice  over 
and  above  what  was  involved  in  simply  lift- 
ing stones  from  the  pavement  (cf.  ch.  viii. 
59),  and  the  alteration  of  the  word  is  another 
hint  of  the  eye-witness.    The  word  "  again  " 

^  Oiv  ia  omitted  by  R.T.  and  Tischendorf 
(8th  edit.). 


CH.  X.  1—42.]       THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


51 


reminds  the  reader  that  this  was  a  second 
-and  more  desperate  attack  upon  the  life  of 
Jesus. 

Ver.  32. — Jesus  answered  them,  Kany  good 
(/caAa)  works  have  I  shown  you  from  the(my ') 
Father.  The  works  of  Christ  were  lovely 
and  radiant  with  Divine  beneficence  ;  they 
wore  revelations  of  the  Father.  "  I  showed 
you  many  of  them,"  says  he ;  "  I  gave  you 
signs  thus  of  the  intimate  relation  between 
the  whole  of  the  self-revelatiou  I  am  making 
and  the  Fatlier  "  (cf.  ch.  vi.  G5  ;  vii.  17 ;  viii. 
42).  For  which  work  of  these  (works) 
are  ye  stoning  me  1  i.e.  preparing  by  your 
gesture  to  carry  this  into  effect.  By  these 
words,  uttered  witli  smiting  irony  and  terrific 
though  quiet  indignation,  Jesus  ansivered 
their  threat. 

Ver.  33. — The  Jews  answered  him  (say- 
ing ^),  For  a  good  (excellent,  obviously,  ra- 
diantly so)  work  we  do  not  stone  thee ;  but 
for  blasphemy ;  and  because  thou,  being  man, 
makest  thyself  God.  (Jlipl  Ka\ov  fpyov  and 
trepl  $\a(T<pr]fj.ias  contrast  with  the  causal 
Sia  TToTov  of  the  previous  verse.  This  pre- 
position was  used  for  formal  indictments  of 
offence  before  the  tribunals.)  The  Jews  felt 
tlie  force  of  this  indigtiant  reproach,  and 
would  not  admit  that  his  Divine  and  goodly 
work  was  without  meaning  to  them.  It 
was,  however,  a  melancholy  reality  that  his 
beneficent  work  had  roused  their  malice  into 
fiercer  activity,  but  they  credit  themselves 
with  a  higher  and  a  doctrinal  motive  and 
with  a  jealousy  for  the  honour  of  God.  They 
charge  him  with  blasphemy,  and  the  charge 
is  reiterated  before  Pilate  (ch.  xix.  7).  The 
Jews  were  in  one  sense  right.  He  had  de- 
clared his  essential  unity  with  the  Father  ; 
he  had  "  made  himself,  represented  himself 
(cf.  ch.  viii.  53 ;  xix.  7),  as  equal  with  God." 
In  the  opinion  of  his  hearers,  he  conveyed 
the  idea  that  he  possessed  and  was  wielding 
Divine  powers.  He  was  making  himself  to 
be  God.  "  Good  works  "  by  the  score  were 
no  vindication  of  one  who  dishonoured  the 
Name  of  God  by  claiming  equality  with  him. 
Ver.  34. — The  justification  of  Jesus  which 
follows  is  often  supposed  to  be  a  retractation 
of  the  claim — a  repudiation  of  the  inference 
which  the  Jews  drew  from  the  words  re- 
corded in  ver.  30.  On  the  contrary,  our  Lord 
took  up  one  illustration  from  among  many 
in  Holy  Scripture,  ftiat  the  union  between 
man  and  God  lay  at  the  heart  of  their  (vSfios) 
Law.  True,  he  quoted  from  Ps.  Ixxxii.  6 
with  reference  to  the  high  official  title  given 
by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  the  false  and  tyran- 

'   '  K,  B,  D,  followed  by  Alford,  Tischendorf, 
Westcott  and  Hort,  and  R.T.,  omit  nov. 

*  The  most  ancient  manuscripts  omit  A«- 
yovrts  of  T.R.,  with  N,  A,  B,  K,  L,  M,  X. 
E.T.  omita. 


nical  judgps  of  the  old  covenant.  Jesus 
answered  them.  Is  it  not  written  in  your 
Lawt  The  Psalms  are  here  spoken  of  as 
"the  Law,"  showing  that  they  did  form  part 
of  the  revelation  and  law  of  the  Divine 
kingdom  (ch.  vii.  49  ;  xii.  34 ;  xv.  25). 
Jesus  does  not  imply  that  the  Law  was  theiri; 
and  not  his.  There  is  not  a  shadow  of  dis- 
respect cast  on  the  Law  by  the  pronoun,  but 
such  an  identification  of  it  with  his  hearers 
that  they  ought,  by  its  aid,  to  have  been 
saved  from  utterly  misconceiving  his  words. 
I  said,  Ye  are  gods  {elohim,  dtol).  To 
stand  in  close  relation  with  the  theocracy 
was  to  be  covered  with  its  glory.  He  seems 
to  force  upon  them  thus  a  host  of  similar 
blendings  of  the  Divine  and  humitn  in  the 
agelong  preparation  for  himself,  and  to 
free  all  these  from  the  suspicion  of  blas- 
phemy. The  Hebrew  thouglit  was  really 
calculated  to  prepare  the  world  for  this  high 
intercommunion,  not  to  abolish  it.  Judaism, 
rabbinism,  had  widened  the  chasm  between 
God  and  man.  Christ  came  to  fill  up  the 
chasm ;  nay  more,  to  show  the  Divine  and 
human  in  living,  indissoluble  union. 

Ver.  35.— If  he  (the  Holy  Spirit,  or  the 
Holy  Lawgiver,  the  subject  is  left  indefi- 
nite) called  them  gods  (elohim),  to  whom 
the  Word  of  God  came— the  personal  "Word  " 
need  not  be  excluded  here ;  the  "  Word 
of  God  "  was  the  Divine  agency  by  which 
prophets  spoke  and  psalmists  sang — and 
the  Scripture  (ypa(fyf)  is  singular,  and  has 
reference,  not  to  all  the  ypacpai,  but  to 
this  one  word)  cannot  be  broken ;  loosed, 
destroyed.  A  fine  testimony  to  the  confi- 
dence which  our  Lord  exercised  in  the  Holy 
Scripture.  He  was  accustomed  to  educe  prin- 
ciples of  life  from  its  inward  structure,  from 
its  concealed  framework,  from  its  under- 
lying verities.  The  very  method  adopted 
by  Jesus  on  this  occasion  revealed  the  fact 
that  both  he  and  his  biographer  were  bom- 
Jews.  These  tyrannical  judges  were  "  to 
die  like  men,"  yet,  since  "the  Word  of  God 
came  to  them,"  there  was  a  sense  in  which 
even  they,  without  blasphemous  assump- 
tions, might  receive  the  title  of  elohini,. 

Ver.  3(5.— If  it  be  so.  Say  ye  of  him  whom 
the  Father  sanctified  (or,  consecrated),  and 
sent  into  the  world.  The  order  of  these 
words  requires  us  to  conceive  of  this  conse- 
cration as  occurring  previously  to  the  incar- 
nation of  the  eternal  Son.  Before  his  birth 
into  the  world  he  entered  into  relations  with 
the  Father  to  undertake  a  work  of  inde- 
scribable importance.  He  was  destined,  or 
designated,  or  appointed,  and  then  sent  to 
do  this  sublime  deed  of  redemption.  Unlike 
those  to  whom  the  eternal  Logos  came,  con- 
ferring thereby  honorific  titles,  and  calling 
them  to  occasional  and  alas !  ill-discharged 
duties,  he  was  the  eternal  Word  himaelf, 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  x.  1—42. 


and  he  was  moreover  (as  those  old  judges 
did)  "to  die  like  luen,"  to  lay  down  that 
life  in  order  that  he  might  take  it  again ; 
consequently,  he  asks,  with  sublime  self- 
consciousness,  "  Say  ye  of  him,  thus  conse- 
crated. Thou  blasphemest ;  because  I  said,  I 
am  Son  of  God  T "  It  is  remarkable  that 
Christ  should,  instead  of  repeating  the 
phrase,  "  I  and  the  Father  are  one  " — one, 
a«  we  have  seen,  in  power  and  purpose  and 
attribute — imply  that  in  that  former  saying 
he  had  but  told  them  he  was  "  Son  of  God," 
in  a  sense  to  which  the  old  Hebrew  kings, 
notwithstanding  their  theocratic  symbolism 
and  mysterious  names  of  honour,  could  not 
aspire.  This  is  clearly  a  bold  utterance  of 
the  Messianic  dignity  (cf.  ch.  i.  49;  v.  19, 
20).  The  fact  that  he  continually  treated 
the  two  ideas  of  Father  and  Son  as  correla- 
tive (ch.  viii.  19 ;  cf.  ch.  ix.  35—37 ;  xiv.  1— 
13,  etc.)  makes  the  one  assertion  an  equiva- 
lent of  the  other.  This  is  a  much  greater 
claim  than  that  yielded  to  the  judges  of  old, 
and  it  is  a  new  revelation  of  the  Father  and 
of  the  Son.  Moreover,  he  showed  them  that 
there  were  many  anticipations,  foreshadow- 
ings  of  the  incarnation  of  God  in  their  own 
Scripture.  We  have  an  argument  from  the 
less  to  the  greater,  but  one  which,  while  it 
technically  freed  him  from  the  charges  of 
blasphemy,  revealed  the  agelong  prepara- 
ration  that  had  been  made  for  the  union 
between  the  Infinite  and  finite,  between 
the  Creator  and  creature,  between  the 
Father  and  his  child,  which  was  effected  in 
himself.  Some  may  have  supposed  that  in 
the  levelling  up  of  the  theocratic  adumbra- 
tions of  the  Incarnation,  he  was  virtually 
relinquishing  the  uniqueness  of  his  own; 
but  the  following  words,  and  the  interpreta- 
tion put  on  them  by  his  hearers,  answer 
such  a  charge. 

Ver.  37. — "I  and  the  Father  are  one," 
and  "  I  am  the  Son  of  God."  These  two 
mighty  utterances  are  equivalent  to  the  fol- 
lowing :  "  I  do  the  works  of  my  Father." 
My  works  are  his  works,  his  works  are 
mine.  "  My  Father  worketh  hitherto,  and  I 
work."  The  recognition  of  the  Divine  is  a 
sign  of  the  regenerated  mind,  and  a  test  of 
fitness  for  a  place  in  Christ's  flock  (cf.  "I 
know  my  sheep,  and  my  sheep  know  me  "), 
The  Jews  had  not  recognized  the  true 
reciprocal  relation  between  the  Fatlier  and 
Son.  He  had  come  out  from  God,  and 
been  sent  from  the  Father  to  produce  this 
impression,  to  make  known  the  Father  by 
his  Sonship ;  and  he  had  taken  steps  to 
convince  even  unbelieving  men  of  the  iden- 
tity of  his  nature  and  Spirit  with  that  of 
the  Father.  He  is  content  to  rest  his  claims 
upon  their  belief,  on  the  character  of  his 
works.  He  is  content  to  leave  the  question 
,aa  to  whether  he  be  a  blasphemer  or  one  I 


with  the  Father,  a  sinner  of  sinners  or  Son 
of  God,  on  the  evidence  of  his  works — on  the 
God-like,  Father-like  character  of  his  entire 
ministry  (cf.  ver.  32 ;  ch.  v.  17,  3U ;  ix.  3). 
If  I  do  not  the  works  of  my  Father,  believe 
me  not.  "  If  the  evidence  be  insuificient,  I 
acquit  you  of  blame  in  not  taking  me  at  my 
word.  My  own  words  and  Person  and  life 
miijhl  be  enough  for  you ;  but  if  my  works 
are  not  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  best 
you  know  of  the  Father,  believe  me  not." 
Christ's  appeal  to  the  reason  of  his  hearers, 
to  the  suflioiency  of  the  evidence  he  had 
given,  would  justify  unbelief  in  case  of  a 
proved  failure. 

Ver.  38.— But  if  I  do — if  I  am  performing 
the  works  of  my  Father,  if  these  acts  of 
healing  and  helping,  of  mighty  consolation 
and  symbolic  grace,  are  obviously  sucli  as 
you  can  recognize  as  the  Father's,  believe 
them  ;  learn  that  much, — it  is  for  your  life — 
and  if  you  make  that  acquisition,  though  ye 
believe  not  me — though  you  do  not  credit 
my  assertion  on  my  own  autliority,  though 
you  do  not  take  me  at  once  on  my  own 
word — believe  the  works ;  you  may  then 
take  the  further  step,  and  both  know  and 
understand,*  or  know  broadly  and  com- 
pletely, and  then  learn  in  details,  that  the 
Father  is  in  me,  and  I  in  the  Father.^ 
Between  the  assertion  of  ver.  30,  '■  I  and 
my  Father  are  one,"  and  that  of  this  verse, 
"  the  works  "  are  introduced — works  that  are 
recognized  as  Divine,  "the  Father's,"  but  seen 
and  known  also  to  be  Christ's  own  works. 
Why  should  they  stone  him  for  blasphemy 
if  they  have  evidence  so  resistless  as  this, 
even  if  it  comes  short  of  proof,  that  he  is 
absolutely  one  with  the  Father  ?  The 
intuitive  perception  of  tiie  Divine  in  Christ 
is  the  highest  and  noblest  spiritual  experi- 
ence. His  word  should  be,  might  be,  enough ; 
but,  suppose  it  should  fail,  miracles,  "works," 
come  in  to  link  the  Divine  Personality  of 
the  Speaker  with  the  supreme  Father.  The 
works  may  teach  them  that  he  is  ya  the 
Father,  and  the  Father  in  him.  Nrtt  by  a 
flash  of  light,  but  by  growing  intellectual 

*  The  reading  of  T.K.,  koI  iriffTfva-riTe, 
with  iv  A,  r,  and  many  other  authorities 
was  an  endeavour  to  simplify  or  explain  the 
less  intelligible  yivwffKrtTi.  A  double  use  of 
the  same  verb  in  the  aorist  and  present  was 
not  understood;  but  it  is  adopted  by  Tischen- 
dorf  (8th  edit.),  Tregelles,  Westcott,  and 
Hort,  and  E.T.,  on  the  authority  of  B,  D,  X, 
1,  32,  and  versions. 

^  'Ej'  t^  narpi  is  the  reading  of  Tischen- 
dorf  (8th  edit.),  Tregelles,  and  R.T.,  on  the 
authority  of  N,  B,  D,  L,  X,  33, 157,  numerous 
versions  and  Fathers.  The  ei/oyri^  of  T.R. 
is  the  reading  of  A,  r,  A,  A,  n,  and  numerous 
cursives. 


CH.  X.  1—42.]       THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


C3 


conviction,  they  must  come  to  a  conclusion 
which  the  <jreat  assertion, "  I  and  the  Father 
are  one,"  finally  confirms. 

Vcr. 39.— (Therefore')  they  sought  (again') 
to  seize  him,  and  he  escaped  out  of  their 
hands.  This  appeal  roused  their  animosity, 
and,  though  they  dropped  their  stones,  they 
were  preparing  to  lay  violent  hands  on  him. 
The  irdxiv  points  back  to  ch.  vii.  30,  32,  44. 
His  escape  was  facilitated  by  the  strange 
moral  power  he  could  exert  to  render  their 
assaults  uix)n  him  vain.  Tliey  stretched 
out  hands  which  dropped  harmlessly  at 
their  side — another  confirmation  of  the 
Bolemn  statement  of  ver.  18.  There  is  no 
need  to  suppose  a  miracle,  still  less  to  justify 
the  preposterous  notion  that  the  body  of 
Jesus  was,  in  John's  Gospel,  docetic  merely 
(cf.  ch.  viii.  59;  Luke  iv.  30;  Mark  xi. 
18). 

Vers.  40— 42.— (4)  Beyond  Jordan.  The 
susceptibility  of  those  icho  had  been  pre- 
pared for  his  Word  by  the  early  ministry  of 
John. 

Vcr.  40. — And  he  went  away  again  (see  ch. 
i.  28,  note)  heyond  Jordan,  to  the  place  where 
Jthn  at  first  baptized ;  a  place  enriched  for 
him  by  many  solemn  associations.  There  he 
submitted  to  baptism,  to  fasting,  and  tempta- 
tion. There  he  had  heard  the  first  testimonies 
of  John.  There  he  had  gathered  round 
him  his  most  susceptible  and  appreciative 
hearers.  There  Andrew  and  Simon,  James 
and  John,  Philip  and  Bartholomew,  came 
under  his  mighty  spell.  There  the  first 
intuition  of  his  jMessiahship  dawned  on  the 
noblest  of  his  followers.  The  entire  sug- 
gestion is  unquestionably  historic.  That 
special  scene  of  our  Lord's  ministry  was 
indelibly  impressed  on  the  memory  of  the 
beloved  disciple.  The  place  where  John  at 
first  baptized;  i.e.  the  place  occupied  by 
John  before  he  came  to  CEuon,  and  tliere- 
fore  in  the  district  where  he  delivered  his 
most  solemn  testimonies  to  the  people,  to 
the  Sanbedrin,  to  the  first  disciples.     And 

'  The  authorities  are  divided  about  the 
oZv,  N  and  B  being  opposed.  Tischendorf 
(8th  edit.)  accepts;  R.T.oniit;  Westcott  and 
ilort  bracket.  XliMv  is  omitted  by  Tischen- 
dorf, and  preserved  by  II.T.  aud  Tregellea. 


there  he  abode.'    How  long,  we  know  not. 
The  repose  was  soon  broken. 

Vers.  41,  42. — "The  posthumous  fruit  of 
John's  labours  "  (Bengel).  Many  came  to 
him,  and  they  said,  one  to  another,  rather 
than  to  the  Lord,  John  indeed  did  no  sign. 
It  was  not  John's  function  to  work  miracles 
or  startle  the  world  with  visible  proofs  of 
his  Divine  commission.  John  stood  on  the 
natural  sphere,  found  a  place  in  contem- 
poraneous history,  and  exerted  all  his  influ- 
ence by  the  force  of  his  prophetic  word. 
But  as  a  remarkable  confirmation  of  tho 
whole  revelation  enacted  by  the  life  and 
deeds  of  Christ,  we  read.  But  all  things  that 
John  spake  of  this  Man  were  true.  The 
testimonies  of  John  were  to  the  effect  that 
Jesus  was  "mightier"  than  he — that  he 
was  the  Son  of  (iod,  the  "  Baptizer  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire,"  and  "  the  Lamb 
of  God,  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world."  Tho  absence  of  tlie  miraculous 
ninil.us  from  the  record  of  John's  ministry 
is  one  of  tue  subsidiary  evidences  we  possess 
of  the  supernatural  power  wielded  by  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  John  was  a  historic 
contemporary  of  Jesus,  whose  following  sur- 
vived for  some  centuries,  but  not  until  com- 
paratively recent  times  did  credulity  or  the 
mythopoeic  tendency  clothe  him  in  a  super- 
natural glory.  He  was  believed  to  be  the 
Elijah  of  the  new  covenant,  but  he  was 
not  supposed  to  have  gone  to  heaven,  like 
his  prototype.  A  rumour  grew  up  that 
Jesus  was  John  raised  from  the  dead,  but 
nothing  came  of  it.  There  was  all  the 
material  for  a  splen  lid  mytli,  but  no  evolu- 
tion of  one.  1  he  reasoning,  therefore,  is 
fair — since  Jesus  is  roported  by  John's  dis- 
ciples to  have  w  rought  great  signs ;  these 
reports  are  not  to  be  put  down  to  credulity 
or  fiction.  The  evangelist  distinctly  asserts 
that  all  these  testimonies  which  he  had 
himself  recorded  in  ch.  i.,  when  followed  up 
by  the  visible  and  wonderful  presence  of  tho 
Son  of  God  himself,  were  held  to  be  true. 
We  need  not  wonder,  then,  that  many  believed 
on  him  there. 

'  Westcott  and  Hort  here  read  (Jifx^viv)  iu 
the  imperfect,  on  the  authority  of  B,  a,  b,  c ; 
all  the  other  authorities  read  (fxetvei^. 


HOMILETICS. 

Vers.  1 — Q.—TJie  allegory  of  the  shepherd.  Our  Lord  contrasts  the  religious 
guidance  of  the  Pharisees,  as  the  shepherds  of  the  Jewish  fold,  with  that  afforded  by 
himself  in  respect  of  loyal  devotion  and  obedience. 

I.  The  SHEEPFOLD.  This  is  the  Jewish  theocracy.  1.  The  Lord  represented  himself 
to  the  old  prophets  as  the  Shepherd  of  Israel.  (Isa.  xi.  11 ;  Ezek.  xxxv.)  2.  He  had 
isolated  Israel  from  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  that  he  might  train  her  for  himself. 
3.  The  flock  consists  of  two  classes,  which  are  distinguished  in  New  Testament  times 


Bi  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  x.  1—42. 

(1)  as  "  Israel  after  the  flesh  "  and  "  Israel  after  the  Spirit,"  (2)  and  "  the  Jew  out- 
wardly "  and  "  the  Jew  inwardly." 

II.  The  door  into  the  sheepfold.  There  is  a  divinely  instituted  method  of 
entering  the  sheepfold.  It  is  the  Messianic  office.  Jesus  is  the  Centre  of  the  Old 
Testament  theocracy. 

III.  The  TWO  CLASSES  OF  shepherds.  1.  The  false  guides  of  the  people.  "  He  that 
entereth  not  by  the  door  into  the  sheepfold,  but  climbeth  up  some  other  way,  the  same 
is  a  thief  and  a  robber."  The  allusion  is  to  the  scribes  and  Pharisees.  (1)  They  had 
established  an  authority  over  the  Jews  which  had  no  sanction  in  the  Divine  Law.  Their 
methods  were  unauthorized.  (2)  They  gained  their  position  of  authority  by  evil 
methods :  (a)  by  stratagem,  like  thieves ;  (b)  by  violence,  like  robbers.  (3)  They  used 
their  position,  by  their  mingled  hypocrisy  and  greed,  to  enhance  their  own  greatness  at 
the  cost  of  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  Jews.  2.  The  true  guide  of  the  people.  (1)  He 
appears  as  one  divinely  commissioned,  and  therefore  uses  the  legitimate  entrance. 
"  But  he  that  entereth  in  by  the  door  is  the  shepherd  of  the  sheep."  (2)  The  instant 
recognition  of  his  office.  "  To  him  the  porter  openeth."  It  matters  littlo  whether  the 
porter  signifies  (a)  John  the  Baptist  (h)  or  the  Holy  Spirit.  (3)  Mark  the  gentle  and 
effective  way  in  which  he  manages  his  sheep,  (a)  He  calls  them  forth  by  name,  as  if 
to  mark  the  individual  interest  of  Christ  in  believers.  (6)  He  takes  himself  the  way  to 
their  pasture.  "  He  leadeth  them  out ; "  "  He  goeth  before  them  "  (Ps.  sxiii.  1 — 3).  He 
leads  forth  his  own  sheep,  in  separation  from  others  who  follow  other  guidance.  (4) 
Mark  how  the  sheep  respond  to  his  guiding  care,  (a)  They  recognize  his  voice.  "  For 
they  know  his  voice."  It  is  a  voice  of  love,  grace,  and  mercy.  They  know  it  (o)  by 
its  majesty  and  authority;  (0)  by  its  tenderness  ;  (7)  by  its  power  in  their  souls;  (5) 
by  its  consistency  with  the  actual  kindness  of  the  shepherd,  as  contrasted  with  the 
dangerous  voice  of  strangers,  which  they  instinctively  reject.  (6)  They  follow  him. 
This  is  their  true  safety  as  well  as  their  happiness.  Thus  they  find  their  way  into  the 
green  pastures  and  the  still  waters  of  Divine  love  and  grace. 

Vers.  7 — 10. — Allegory  of  the  door.  The  Jews  could  not  understand  the  previous 
allegory.     Our  Lord  utters  another,  which  carries  the  truth  to  a  higher  point. 

I.  Christ  is  the  Wat  of  salvation  to  the  believer.  "  I  am  the  Door  of  the 
sheep."  1.  He  is  the  Door  of  access  to  the  Father.  (Eph.  ii.  18.)  2.  He  is  the  Door  to 
heaven  itself.  (Ch.  xiv.  2.)  3.  The  Door  is  ever  open.  4.  It  may  be  strait,  but  those 
who  enter  will  assuredly  be  saved. 

II.  Christ  warns  against  all  false  saviours.  "  All  that  ever  came  before 
me  are  thieves  and  robbers."  1.  He  does  not  refer  to  the  prophets,  who  only  clearly  fore- 
told his  office  and  work.  2.  But  to  such  as  assume  the  office  of  mediatorship,  as  made 
themselves  the  door.  There  is  but  one  Mediator  between  God  and  man  (1  Tim.  ii.  5). 
3.  Believers  were,  by  a  spiritual  instinct,  preserved  from  the  wiles  of  such  false  teachers. 
"  And  the  sheep  did  not  hear  them." 

HI.  The  safety  and  the  privileges  of  the  sheep.  "Byrne  if  any  man  enter 
in,  he  shall  be  saved,  and  shall  go  in  and  out,  and  find  pasture."  1.  The  sheep  will  have 
safety.  (1)  They  are  saved  from  sin  through  Christ  (1  John  i.  7).  (2)  They  are  so 
safe  in  his  hands  that  no  man  can  pluck  them  out  of  his  grasp  (ver.  29).  2.  The 
sheep  will  have  liberty.  "  They  shall  go  in  and  out,"  either  for  food  or  for  rest.  They 
enjoy  the  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God.  3.  The  sheep  will  have  food.  "  And  find 
pasture."  They  find  the  fullest  satisfaction  in  Christ  and  in  his  salvation — words  of 
faith  and  good  doctrine,  the  wholesome  words  of  Christ  Jesus. 

IV.  The  contrast  between  Christ  and  the  false  guides  of  the  Jews.  1. 
The  Pharisees  pursued  a  course  that  involved  the  spiritual  ruin  of  the  Jews.  "  The  thief 
Cometh  not,  but  for  to  steal,  and  to  kill,  and  to  destroy."  (1)  They  insidiously  obtained 
and  dexterously  upheld  a  monopoly  of  influence  over  the  Jewish  mind.  (2)  They 
corrupted  the  hearts  of  the  people  so  as  to  bring  moral  death.  (3)  They  effecttd  their 
total  perdition.  2.  Christ  pursued  a  course  that  guaranteed  life  in  its  abounding 
greatness.  "  I  am  come  that  they  might  have  life,  and  that  they  might  have  it  more 
abundantly."  (1)  Christ  gives  life  to  dead  souls  (Eph.  ii.  1 — 5).  (2)  He  makes 
provision  for  the  expansion  of  this  life,  in  all  grace,  blessing,  joy,  glory,  and  happiness 
hereafter. 


en.  X.  1—42.]       THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  55 

Vers.  11 — 21. — Allegory  of  the  good  Shepherd.  There  is  a  progress  of  thought  \n 
each  allegor}'. 

I.  The  character  of  the  good  Shkpherd.  "  I  am  the  good  Shepherd :  the 
good  Shepherd  giveth  his  life  for  the  shpcp."  1.  He  is  himself"  the  great  Shepherd  of  the 
shfiep"  of  whom  the  prophets  spoke,  (Ezek.  xxxiv.  23;  Gen.  xlix.  24;  Isa.  xl.  11.)  2. 
His  interest  in  his  sheep  is  manifested  in  his  throwing  away  his  life  for  their  protection. 
Like  David,  he  exjwses  his  life  freely  for  the  sake  of  his  Father's  tlock  ;  lie  gives  his  life 
ia  their  room  and  stead.  Our  Lord  constautly  emphasizes  that  doctrine  of  atonement 
which  the  "  wisdom  of  the  world"  rejects. 

IL  The  character  of  the  hireliso.  1.  ITe  has  no  natural  concern  for  the  sheep. 
"  But  he  that  is  an  hirclia;^,  aud  not  a  shepherd,  whose  own  the  sheep  are  not,  seeth 
the  wolf  coming,  and  leaveth  the  sheep."  Hirelings  of  this  class  mind  tlieirown  things, 
not  the  things  of  Jesus  Christ,  seeking  only  thiir  gain  from  their  quarter.  They  care 
not,  therefore,  what  becomes  of  the  sheep.  Our  Lord  here  refers,  probably,  to  the 
natural  guides  of  the  Jewish  people — the  priests  and  the  Levites,  who  had  come  to 
forget  or  ignore  all  their  religious  responsibilities.  2.  He  allows  the  wolves  to  scatter  the 
flock.  "  The  wolf  catcheth  them,  and  scattereth  the  sheep."  The  wolf  represents  the 
natural  enemy  of  the  sheep.  Jesus  had  said  before,  "  I  send  you  as  sheep  in  the  midst 
of  wolves "  (Matt.  x.  16).  The  Pharisees  were  "  wolves  "  from  their  rapacity,  their 
falseness,  and  their  temper  of  domination. 

IIL  The  relation  between  the  good  Shepherd  and  his  sheep.  "I  know  my 
sheep,  and  am  known  of  mine.    As  the  Father  knowcth  me,  and  as  1  know  the  Father." 

1.  This  bespeaks  mutual  knowledge.  (1)  Jesus  has  an  individual  knozuledge  of  each 
member  of  his  flock,  as  at  once  the  choice  and  gift  of  his  Father,  and  as  his  own 
purchase.  The  relation  between  himself  and  his  Father  was  the  source  and  the  pattern 
of  this  intimate  relation  with  his  sheep.  (2)  The  sheep  knotu  Christ  savingly ;  for 
their  knowledge  is  linked  with  (a)  trust,  (6)  love,  (c)  admiration.  2.  He  sacrifices  his 
life  for  the  sheep.  "  And  I  give  my  life  for  the  slieep."  The  sacrifice  was  yet  future, 
but  clearly  foreseen.  There  was  no  life  for  the  sheep  but  through  the  death  of  the 
Shepherd.  3.  He  has  also  purposes  of  mercy  for  the  Gentiles.  "  And  other  sheep  1  have, 
which  are  not  of  this  fold :  them  also  must  I  bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my  voice ;  and 
they  shall  be  one  flock,  one  Shepherd."  (1)  Jewish  unbelief  will  not  defeat  the  "Lord's 
purpose  to  establish  a  kingdom  of  believers.  (2)  Our  Lord  foresees  the  hearty  belief 
of  the  Gentiles  in  his  Messiahship.  (3)  He  regards  them  as  already  his,  for  they  are 
so  from  all  eternity. (ch.  xviii.  37).  (4)  He  regards  them  as  not  "of  this  fold,"  for  they 
are  as  yet  "aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel,  and  strangers  to  the  covenants  of 
promise"  (Eph.  ii.  12).  (5)  Yet  they  are  to  be  brought 'out  of  the  wilderness  of  the 
world  to  his  heavenly  kingdom  and  glory  by  their  hearing  his  voice  in  the  gospel. 
(6)  There  will  be  but  one  Church-state  for  Jew  and  Gentile.  "  And  they  shall  be 
one  flock,  one  Shepherd."  (a)  Jesus  by  his  death  has  made  both  one — "one  new 
man" — breaking  down  the  middle  wall  of  partition  between  Jew  and  Gentile,  {b) 
There  may  be  many  folds,  that  is,  many  visible  Churches,  but  there  is  but  one  flock,  (c) 
There  is  but  one  Shepherd  in  this  flock.  Our  Lord  foresees  the  great  mission-work  of 
the  Church  in  coming  ages. 

IV.  Mark  the  perfect  freedom  of  the  Shepherd's  death.  "  Therefore  doth 
my  Father  love  me,  because  I  give  my  life,  that  I  may  take  it  again.  No  one  taketh  it 
from  me,  but  I  give  it  of  myself."  1.  There  is  more  in  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  than  in 
the  death  of  a  shepherd,  who  lets  himself  be  torn  in  pieces  that  his  flock  may  escape. 

2.  Christ's  was  a  death  absolutely  self-determined,  yet  in  accordance  with  his  Father's 
will,  and  therefore  does  it  specially  challenge  the  Father's  love.  (1)  There  was  power 
to  lay  down  life.  This  implies  the  ix)wer  to  keep  it.  He  could  have  claimed  the  aid 
of  twelve  legions  of  angels  to  snatch  him  from  the  grasp  of  his  enemies.  lie  wac, 
indeed,  "crucified  in  weakness;"  but  it  was  a  weakness  self-induced.  (2)  There  was 
power  to  take  life  again  in  his  resurrection,  after  he  had  satisfied  law  and  justice  by  his 
obedience  and  sufferings  unto  death. 

V.  Consider  the  effect  op  our  Lord's  teaching.  "  There  was  a  division 
therefore  again  among  the  Jews  by  reason  of  these  words."  There  is  always  tlic  same 
result :  a  few  accept  the  teaching,  the  rest  become  increasingly  hostile  and  insulting. 
The  question,  "  Why  hear  ye  him  ?  "  implies  an  uneasiness  at  the  favour  shown  to  him 
by  a  portion  of  the  Jews. 


56  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.        [ch.  x.  1—42. 

Vers.  22 — 31. — Another  visit  to  Jerusalem  and  another  address.  Jesus  left  the  city  for 
two  months,  and,  after  ministerinsiin  Peraea,  returned  for  the  Fe^ist  of  Dedication,  which 
commemorated  the  purification  of  the  temple,  in  the  time  of  the  Maccabees,  from  the  pro- 
fanation of  Antiochus  Epiphanes.  It  was  held  in  December,  and  "  Jesus  was  walking 
in  Solomon's  porch,"  a  sheltered  arcade  for  such  a  season, 

I.  The  fresh  appeal  of  the  Jews  for  an  unambiguous  declaration  op  the 
Messiahship.  "  How  long  wilt  thou  make  us  to  doubt  ?  If  thou  be  the  Christ,  tell 
us  plainly."  1.  They  encircled  him  hy  closing  in  around  him,  so  as  to  enforce  a  cate- 
gorical answer  to  their  question.  2.  They  seemed  to  he  wi-ary  of  answers  ambiguous  in 
'their  eyes,  because  they  had  not  eyes  to  see  their  meaning,  and  demanded  an  answer 
without  reserve  and  without  fear.  8.  The  Maccabean  tradition  brought  so  vividly 
before  their  minds  by  the  feast  suggested  the  hare  pcssibility  of  Jesus  being  such  a  tem- 
poral Messiah  as  they  looked  for,  possessing  as  he  undoubtedly  did  a  marvellous  power 
over  nature  and  man. 

II.  Our  Lord's  first  answer  to  their  appeal.  "  I  told  you,  and  you  believed 
not :  the  works  that  I  do  in  my  Father's  Name,  they  bear  witness  of  me.  But  ye 
believe  not,  because  ye  are  not  of  my  sheep."  1.  A  direct  answer  would  have  been 
impossible.  If  he  had  said,  "  I  am  the  Messiah,"  he  would  have  led  them  to  believe 
that  he  was  the  temporal  Prince  of  their  false  conceptions.  If  he  had  said,  "  I  am  not 
the  Messiah,"  he  would  have  uttered  falsehood,  for  he  was  the  Messiah  promised  by 
God.  2.  He  recurs  to  those  significant  testimonies  by  ivhich  he  had  applied  to  himself 
all  the  Messianic  symbols  of  the  old  dispensation.  3.  He  adds  the  weighty  testimony  of 
his  Father — "the  works  of  the  Father" — as  signifying  his  oneness  with  the  Father. 
4.  His  words,  "  Te  are  not  of  my  sheep,"  signify  that  he  was  not  such  a  Messiah  as  they 
desired. 

III.  The  blessed  privileges  attached  to  the  relation  between  Christ  and 
his  sheep.  Our  Lord  asserts  in  parallel  clauses  the  acts  of  the  sheep  and  the  acts  or 
gifts  of  the  Shepherd.  1.  The  acts  of  the  sheep.  (1)  "My  sheep  hear  my  voice," 
They  hear  with  both  ear  and  heart.  Their  faith  came  by  "  hearing."  ,  (2)  "  And  they 
fuUow  me,"  both  in  the  exercise  of  grace  and  in  the  discharge  of  duty.  (3)  "  They 
shall  never  perish."  Their  salvation  is  sure,  2.  TJie  acts  or  gifts  of  the  Shepherd. 
(1)  "  I  know  them,"  with  the  knowledge  of  a  Divine  fellowship.  (2)  "  I  give  unto 
them  eternal  life."  (a)  He  gives  himself,  who  is  that  "  Eternal  Life  "  (1  John  i.  1), 
Q))  He  gives  the  knowledge  of  himself,  which  is  life  eternal  (ch.  xvii.  2).  (c)  It  is 
a  present  gift,  (d)  It  is  a  pure  gift— of  grace,  not  works.  (3)  "  Neitjier  shall  any  pluck 
them  out  of  my  hand."  (a)  The  sheep^  are  placed  in  Christ's  hands  by  the  Father; 
for  they  are  "  the  sheep  of  l^is  hand  "  (Ps.  xcv.  7).  {b)  The  power,  the  wisdom,  the 
love  of  Jesus  secure  the  final  salvation  of  his  sheep. 

IV.  The  absolute  security  of  the  sheep  and  its  true  ground.  "  My  Father, 
which  gave  them  me,  is  greater  than  all ;  and  none  is  able  to  pluck  them  out  of  my 
Father's  hand.  I  and  my  Father  are  one."  1.  The  safety  of  the  believer  is  guaranteed  by 
the  power  of  the  Father  as  tvell  as  that  of  the  Son.  2.  The  oneness  of  Father  and  Son, 
not  merely  in  will  or  power,  but  in  nature,  is  the  supreme  guarantee  of  cdl  salvation, 
which  is  the  common  work  of  Father  and  Son, 

V.  The  effect  of  this  declaration  upon  the  Jews.  "  Then  the  Jews  brought 
stones  again  to  stone  him."  1.  This  act  of  sudden  rage  implied  that  they  understood 
our  Lord  to  claim  supreme  Deity.  2,  The  stones  had  been  previously  carried  to  the  porch, 
in  the  expectation  that  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  could  not  be  much  longer  delayed. 

Vers.  32 — 39, —  The  charge  of  blasphemy.     There  is  now  a  spcond  address. 

I.  Our  Lord's  method  of  eliciting  the  true  motive  of  Jewish  violence  and 
anger.  "Many  good  works  have  I  showed  you  from  the  Father;  for  which  of  these 
works  do  ye  stone  me  ? "  1.  Jesus  had  wrought  many  more  nnracles  which  are  not 
recorded  in  this  Oospel.  2,  Th'y  were  not  only  works  done,  as  visible  indications  of  the 
Father,  hut  they  were,  as  the  ivord  signifies,  "  beautiful  works."  With  amoral  excellence 
that  ought  to  have  touched  the  Jewish  heart,  3.  Yet  they  excited  the  deepest  hostility 
(f  the  Jews. 

II.  The  reply  of  the  Jews.  "  For  a  good  work  we  stone  thee  not ;  but  for 
blasphemy ;  because  that  thou,  being  a  man,  makest  thyself  God."     1.  Their  interpre- 


en.  X.  1—42.]        THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  67 

tation  of  his  language  vas  per/edit/  just.  When  ho  said,  *'  I  and  my  Father  are  one," 
he  asserted  his  true  Deity.  The  Jews  saw  in  the  words  more  than  our  modern 
critics.  2.  Our  Lord's  declaration  was  designed  to  set  forth  his  distinctness  from  the 
Father  as  against  Sabellianism,  and  his  co-ordination  with  the  Fatlier  as  against 
Arianism. 

III.  Our  Lord's  vindication  of  his  Deity.  He  appeals  to  their  Law,  in  which 
judixes  are  called  gods,  and  asks,  if  this  be  so,  "say  ye  of  him,  whom  the  Father  hath 
sanctified,  and  sent  into  the  world.  Thou  blasphemest ;  because  I  said,  I  am  the  Son 
of  God?"  1.  He  does  not  retract  the  assertion  of  his  Divine  nature,nor  loiverthe  sense 
of  the  icord  "  God,"  as  if  he  were  God  in  no  higher  sense  than  an  Israelite  judge.  Bat, 
arguing  upon  the  principles  of  their  Law,  he  urges  that  he  does  not  deserve  to  be  treated 
as  a  blasphemer  for  having  calltd  himself  the  Son  of  God.  2.  He  argues,  from  the  con- 
trast hetween  himself  and  the  "gods  "  of  the  Jewish  Law,  that  the  charge  cannot  apply  to 
himself".  How  could  blasphemy  be  charized  to  him  who  was  not  consecrated  to  a  mere 
earthly  judgeship,  but  sent  into  the  world  to  reveal  the  Father  to  men  ?  3.  Our  Lord 
puts  honour  on  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament,  when  he  asserts  that  they  cannot  he 
broken. 

IV.  Fresh  stress  laid  uton  the  evidence  of  his  works.  1.  Jesus  returns  to  the 
undeniiible  evidence  of  his  tvurks.  To  believe  the  works  is  a  necessary  step  to  believing 
for  the  works'  sake.  2.  He  em2^hasizes  the  truth  taught  by  the  U'orks.  "  That  ye  may 
know,  and  believe,  that  the  Father  is  in  me,  and  I  in  him."  (1)  Mark  the  fact  of  the 
communication  of  the  Divine  fulness  to  the  Son.  (2)  Mark  the  fact  of  the  Son's  entire 
self-abnegation  ;  for  he  recognizes  no  life  but  that  of  the  Father.  The  whole  passage 
sets  forth  the  Divine  fellowship  of  the  Father  and  the  Son. 

V.  The  baffled  anuer  of  the  Jews.  "  Therefore  they  sought  again  to  take  him  : 
but  he  escaped  out  of  their  hand."  1.  His  arguments  restrained  their  violence.  For 
they  did  not  venture  to  fling  their  stones  at  him,  though  they  had  a  desire  to  arrest 
him.     2.  Jesus  used  the  interval  of  their  indecision  to  escape  beyond  reach  of  their  violence. 

Vers.  40 — 42. —  The  brief  sojourn  in  Perxa.  Jesus  left  Jerusalem  for  the  region 
beyond  Jowlan,  where  John  at  first  baptized. 

I.  His  ministry  in  Per^a.  "  He  abode  there."  1.  His  sojourn  there  would  be  a 
happy  release  for  the  time  from  Jewish  hostility.  2.  Lt  ivouJd  be  agreeable  to  return  to 
the  scene  of  his  first  ministry.  3.  His  visit  must  have  been  a  short  time  before  the  last 
Passover.     And  its  incidents  are  fully  recorded  by  the  other  evangelists. 

II.  The  effects  of  his  ministry.  "  And  many  resorted  unto  him,  and  said,  John 
did  no  miracle  :  and  all  things  that  John  said  of  this  Man  were  true.  And  many  believed 
on  him  there."  1.  The  mission  of  the  seventy,  and  Christ^s  own  work  in  Galilee, 
account  for  the  number  who  resorted  to  him  beyond  Jordan.  2.  The  testimony  of  John 
to  Jesus  is  still  vital  in  the  hearts  of  the  people.  John  did  no  miracles,  but  he  was  a 
true  witness  of  Christ.  3.  The  belief  of  the  people  here  throws  into  dark  contrast  the 
incredulity  of  the  Jews. 

HOMILIES  BY  VARIOUS  AUTHORS. 

Vers.  3,  4. — The  Shepherd  and  the  sheep.  By  anticipation  the  Lord  Jesus  laid  down 
in  this  allegory  the  relations  which  should  obtain  between  himself  and  his  people  unto 
the  end  of  time. 

I.  The  Divine  Shepherd's  treatment  of  the  flock.  1.  He  goes  before  them. 
Like  an  Oriental  shepherd,  Christ  does  not  drive  his  flock  from  him ;  iiC  draws  them  to 
him.  This  he  has  done  in  the  whole  tenor  of  his  human  life — in  his  circumstances, 
his  character,  his  toils,  his  sufferings  and  death,  his  glory.  2.  He  calls  them  by  name. 
This  implies  individual  knowledge  of  all  the  sheep,  whom  he  not  merely  marks,  but 
actually  names.  Thus  he  denotes  his  property  in  them,  his  interest  in  their  welfare. 
3.  He  leads  them  out  into  green  i)astures,  and  calls  them  to  follow  him  thither.  His 
command  takes  the  form  of  invitation.  The  attraction  of  his  love  induces  his  sheep  to 
follow  him.  He  conducts  them  to  the  pastures  where  he  feeds  them,  to  the  fold  where 
he  protects  them. 


58  THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.        [ch.  x.  1—42. 

II.  The  response  op  the  flock  to  the  language  and  treatment  of  the  Divine 
Shepherd.  1.  They  hear  and  know  his  voice.  Christ's  tones,  'when  he  speaks  to  his 
own,  are  gentle  and  kind ;  his  language  is  compassionate  and  encouraging.  His  voice 
is,  therefore,  suited  especially  to  the  timid,  the  feeble,  the  helpless.  To  all  such  it  is 
sweet,  cheering,  and  comforting.  The  people  of  Christ  are  deaf  to  other  voices,  but  are 
attentive  to  this.  Its  charm  is  felt,  its  authority  is  recognized.  They  have  heard  it 
before ;  they  know  it  and  love  it ;  they  distinguish  it  from  every  othor.  Gratefully 
and  gladly  do  they  hear  the  voice  of  the  Beloved.  2.  They  obey  and  follow  him.  The 
voice  is  enough.  The  true  sheep  do  not  wait  for  the  crook,  the  staff ;  they  are  obedient 
to  the  Shepherd's  word  of  gentle  authority.  It  is  enough  for  them  that  the  way  in 
which  they  are  led  is  his  way.  "  He  that  followeth  me,"  says  Christ,  "  shall  not  walk 
in  darkness."  There  is  no  questioning,  no  hesitation,  no  delay ;  the  sheep  follow 
whither  the  Shepherd  leads.  Thus  they  have  rest  and  peace.  They  fear  no  danger  and 
no  foe  while  their  Pastor  watches  over  them  and  defends  them.  They  need  not  ask 
why  such  a  path  is  marked  out  for  them,  for  they  have  perfect  confidence  in  their 
Divine  Leader.  They  need  not  ask  whither  they  are  going,  for  they  are  satisfied  if 
they  are  in  the  pasture  and  the  fold  of  him  who  is  the  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  their 
souls.— T. 

Ver.  9. — Christ  the  Door.  A  homely  and  simple  metaphor;  yet  how  full  of  meaning, 
how  precious,  how  suggestive,  to  every  hearer  of  the  gospel !  There  may  be  a  door  to 
a  sheepfold,  to  a  house,  to  a  palace,  to  a  fortress.  There  may  be  a  door  to  a  dungeon, 
to  a  church,  to  a  torture-chamber,  to  a  royal  treasury.  A  door  may  be  of  material  as 
weak  as  wicker,  or  as  strong  as  oak,  iron,  or  brass.  The  door  may  be  opened  by  a  latch 
which  a  child  may  lift,  or  it  may  be  secured  by  bolts  and  bars  that  may  resist  the  blow 
of  a  battering-ram.  It  may  stand  always  open,  so  that  every  passer-by  may  enter  by  it ; 
or  it  may  be  locked,  so  that  only  such  as  have  the  key  or  the  password  can  gain  entrance. 

I.  Man's  spiritual  condition  is  such  as  to  make  a  door  like  this  most  desirable. 
A  door  presumes  a  "  within  "  and  a  "  without."  If  those  on  the  outside  are  exposed  to 
want,  to  danger,  to  misery ;  and  if  those  within  enjoy  all  the  advantages  which  the 
excluded  wanderers  lack — in  such  a  case,  the  interest  attaching  to  the  door  of  ingress  is 
manifest.  Now,  the  spiritual  state  of  sinful  men  is  pitiable  and  distressing.  In  God  is 
all  good ;  apart  from  God  no  true  good  is  accessible  to  man.  The  way  to  God  is,  then, 
to  us  a  matter  of  vital  importance.  Christ  declares  himself  to  be  such  a  Way.  He  is 
the  Door  ;  by  which,  translating  the  language  from  that  of  poetry  to  'that  of  theology, 
we  understand  he  is  the  "  one  Mediator  between  God  and  man." 

II.  Christ  is  the  Door  by  which  men  may  enter  in  and  enjoy  the  greatest 
BLESSINGS  PROVIDED  BY  GoD.  1.  The  door  of  the  fold  admits  the  sheep  to  Divine 
pasture;  and  they  who  accept  Christ's  mediation  find  at  their  disposal  all  the  provision 
of  God's  spiritual  bounty.  That  the  soul  as  well  as  the  body  needs  food,  is  plain.  The 
knowledge  of  God,  the  favour  of  God,  the  gracious  help  of  God, — without  such  provision 
the  soul  is  starved.  The  way  by  which  these  blessings  may  be  attained  is  that  pointed 
out  in  the  text.  Christ  is  the  Door,  by  which  if  any  man  enter  in  he  shall  find  pasture. 
2.  The  door  of  the  fold  admits  the  sheep  to  Divine  security ;  and  they  who  shelter 
themselves  in  Christ  are  safe  from  every  harm  and  every  foe.  If  the  flock  are  left 
unprotected,  they  are  exposed  to  dangers  of  two  kinds ;  they  are  likely  to  wander  among 
the  precipices  of  the  dark  mountains,  and  they  are  liable  to  be  attacked  by  ravening 
wolves  and  other  beasts  of  prey,  or  to  become  the  spoil  of  robbers  and  marauders. 
Similarly,  it  should  be  impressed  upon  the  minds,  especially  of  the  inexperienced,  that 
this  life  is  full  of  perils  to  all  the  children  of  men,  that  temptations  and  spiritual 
enemies  abound.  There  is  no  security  out  of  Christ.  But  whilst  those  without  the 
door  are  exposed  to  death,  Christ  secures  to  his  flock  the  blessing  of  life,  and  that  in 
abundance.  3.  The  door  of  the  fold  admits  the  sheep  to  Divine  society  ;  and  through 
Christ  his  people  partake  the  hallowed  and  happy  fellowship  of  all  who  are  his.  With- 
out are  the  enemies  ;  within  are  the  friends.  The  fellowship  of  the  flock  is  among  the 
choicest  privileges  to  which  Christians  are  introduced ;  but  it  is  Christ  himself  who 
introduces  them.  Only  through  the  door  can  this  society  be  reached  and  enjoyed. 
Those  who  gather  within  the  fold  are  together  partakers  of  the  love  and  care  of  the 
Shepherd.     Theirs  is  the  congenial  companionsliip  of  God's  blessed  home. 


CH.  X.  1—42.]        THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  69 


III,  Christ,  as  a  Door,  has  certain  qualities  which  may  awaken  our  gratitude. 

1.  He  is  a  strong  Door.  His  strength  is  used  to  resist  the  incursion  of  any  invader  or 
foe,  and  thus  to  protect  the  members  of  the  fold.  Christ  is  to  his  people  a  bulwark 
against  every  evil.  2.  He  is  to  those  who  wish  to  enter  into  the  .enjoyment  of  spiritual 
blessings  au  open  Door.  Sometimes  a  door  is  used  for  excluding  those  without,  in  a 
spirit  of  churlishness.  There  is  nothing  like  this  in  the  posture,  the  bearing,  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  This  door  is  indeed  shut  to  unbelief  and  hardness  of  heart,  but  is  ever 
open  to  the  lowly,  faithful,  and  contrite.  3.  He  is  the  only  Door.  Those  who  seek 
another  entrance  are  like  such  as  climb  over  the  wall.  There  is  none  other  Name  . 
whereby  we  can  be  saved. 

IV.  For  whose  admission  Christ,  the  Doob,  is  intended.  Two  classes  are  men- 
tioned in  the  context,  as  contemplated  in  the  benefits  of  this  Door.  1.  The  imder- 
shepherds,  or  those  who  are  engaged  in  the  spiritual  tuition  and  guidance  of  their  fellow- 
men.  These  are  bound  to  enter  in  by  the  Door  into  the  sheepfold.  Spiritual  pastors 
must  find  Christ  before  they  can  truly  feed  the  sheep.  2.  The  sheep  themselves  enter 
by  this  Door,  and  by  this  only,  into  the  fold  of  God.  These  are  they  whom  the  good 
Shepherd  came  to  seek  and  find,  when  they  were  lost  in  the  wilderness.  These  are 
ihey  for  whom  the  Shepherd  laid  down  his  precious  life. 

Application.  Those  who  have  entered  by  the  Door,  and  are  within  the  fold,  should 
rejoice  with  gratitude.  Those  who  are  without  should  seek  at  once  to  enter  by  this 
Door.— T. 

Ver.  10. — Life  and  abundance.  Sad  indeed  is  the  perversion  of  Divine  gifts,  jvhich 
takes  place  when  those  who  teach  and  lead  mankind  use  their  influence  for  moral 
harm.  Yet  so  it  was,  our  Lord  Jesus  tells  us,  with  many  who  came  before  him  with 
great  professions  indeed,  yet  with  no  help  for  the  spiritually  necessitous.  Some  such 
had  altogether  carnal  notions  of  what  deliverance,  salvation,  means.  Others  were 
animated  by  selfishness  and  ambition.  The  purpose  of  many  who  made  great  claims 
was  in  reality  far  from  benevolent.  Jesus  does  not  hesitate  to  designate  them  as 
thieves,  entering  God's  flock  with  the  intention  of  stealing,  killing,  and  destroying. 
This  was  a  heavy  charge  ;  and  our  Lord  would  not  have  brought  it  had  there  not  been 
good  reason  and  justification  for  so  doing.  The  aim  and  the  conduct  of  such  pernicious 
leaders  was  contrasted  by  Jesus  with  his  own.  He,  too,  came  claiming  to  shepherd  the 
flock  of  God.  But  his  one  purpose  was  this,  that  through  his  ministry  of  devotion 
and  sacrifice  the  sheep  of  the  fold  might  have  life  and  abundance. 

I.  The  blessings  which  the  good  Shepherd  came  to  bring  to  the  flock.  1. 
Life.  Jesus  was  "  the  Life ;  "  "  in  him  was  life."  What  he  possessed  in  himself  he 
came  to  communicate  to  his  own.  (1)  This  was  spiritual  life.  Not  psyche,  but  zoe. 
Of  this  man  only,  amongst  the  living  inhabitants  of  this  teeming  world,  is  capable. 
(2)  This  life  is  salvation  from  death.  Our  Lord  himself  contrasts  it  with  destruction. 
To  this  terrible  fate,  to  spiritual  death,  this  human  race  was  hastening.  But  Christmas 
a  great  Physician,  undertook  the  case  of  those  who  were  ready  to  perish.  He  came  to 
save.  (3)  This  life  is  a  new  and  Divine  principle.  Its  origin  is  in  the  nature  of  God ; 
its  seed-germ  is  implanted  by  the  Divine  Spirit ;  its  spring-tide  and  growth  are  the 
result  of  heavenly  influences.  (4)  This  life  is  distinguished  by  progress,  and  is  not,  like 
terrestrial  and  bo<lily  life,  subject  to  decay  and  dissolution.  (5)  This  life  is  itself 
immortality.     "He  that  liveth,"  says  Christ,  "and  believeth  on  me  shall  never  die." 

2.  Abuhdance.  If  we  translate  the  word  as  in  the  margin  of  the  Eevised  Version,  we 
understand  not  the  enrichment  and  perfection  of  life  (abundantly),  but  the  provision 
made  fur  the  life  preserved,  quickened,  perpetuated.  The  good  Shefiherd,  having  saved 
the  flock  from  destruction,  and  conferred  upon  each  member  of  the  flock  a  new  and 
spiritual  life,  secures  for  those  whom  he  has  saved  and  divinely  quickened  a  suitable 
and  sufficient  provision  for  all  their  wants.  The  fold,  the  pasture,  the  living  waters, 
the  Shepherd's  guardianship  and  care,  may  be  all  included  in  this  word.  The  wants 
of  thosy  who  receive  are  many  and  various,  but  the  bounty  and  benevolence  of  the  great 
Giver  are  adequate  for  their  full  satisfaction. 

II.  The  agency  and  method  by  which  these  blessings  are  bestowed.  1. 
Christ,  the  living  Person,  himself  confers  them.  There  are  many  who  look  rather  to 
the  uader-shepherds  than  to  the  chief  Shepherd.     But  all  who  serve  the  flock  are 


60  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.        [ch.  x.  1—42. 

merely  the  ministers  and  messengers  of  the  eternal  Lord.  Not  only  did  he,  by  his  own 
personal  ministry  and  sacrifice,  save  the  flock  from  destruction;  he,  by  his  perpetual 
presence  and  spiritual  care,  supplies  in  abundance  the  ever-recurring  wants  of  his  sheep. 
2.  Christ  secured  these  blessings  by  his  coming  to  this  world.  The  method  by  which 
he  sought  and  saved  mankind  was  mediatorial ;  it  involved  his  incaruatiun  and  advent. 
This  Wiis  his  conscious  aim.  "  I  am  come,"  said  he,  implying  that  his  was  a  mission, 
yet  one  voluntarily  undertaken  and  cheerfully  fulfilled.  3.  Even  this  Divine  Person, 
in  executing  a  purpose  so  gracious,  found  it  necessary  to  submit  to  suffering,  to  offer 
himself  a  sacrifice,  to  consent  to  death.  He  gave  up  his  life  (not  zoe,  hut  psi/che)  that 
we  might  live  spiritually  and  immortally.  4.  And  the  redemption  was  completed  by 
our  Lord's  resurrection  and  victorious  reign.  It  is  observable  that  in  tliis  conversation 
our  Lord  Jesus  no  sooner  foretells  his  death  than  he  declares  his  intention  of  rising 
again.  And  in  fact  he  resumed  life,  not  only  in  vindication  and  assertion  of  his  proper 
dignity,  but  in  order  to  exercise  from  the  vantage-ground  of  his  risen  life  and  reign  the 
power  he  delights  in,  because  it  contributes  to  the  abundance  of  his  people's  privileges 
and  joys. — T. 

Ver.  14. — Mutual  hnoivledge.  If  the  Lord  Jesus  came  to  earth  to  seek  and  to  save 
the  lost  sheep  of  the  flock,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  he  should  know  those  in  whom  he 
has  displayed  an  interest  so  compassionate  and  deep.  If  the  members  of  the  flock  owe 
to  the  great  and  good  Shepherd  their  safety,  their  pasture,  their  all,  it  is  not  wonderful 
that  they  should  know  him  to  whom  they  are  so  immeasurably  indebted.  Hence  the 
natural  simplicity  of  the  language  in  which  Christ  says,  "  1  know  mine  own,  and  mine 
own  know  me." 

I.  Christ,  the  good  Shepherd,  knows  his  sheep.  1.  This  fact  is  an  incidental 
proof  of  our  Lord's  Deity.  Not  only  did  Jesus  know  every  one  of  his  disciples  during 
his  earthly  ministry ;  his  knowledge  extends  to  all  who  are  his.  No  one  of  them  is 
lost  and  overlooked  in  the  crowd;  each  one  is  individually  known  and  named.  Through- 
out the  long  generations  of  human  history,  in  all  the  lands  where  the  Christian  faith  has 
been  planted,  the  omniscient  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  souls  has  recognized  and  cared  for 
every  sheep  of  the  flock.  2.  This  fact  is  a  proof  of  our  Lord's  special  and  affectionate 
interest  in  the  several  members  of  his  Church.  To  know,  in  this  as  in  many  other 
passages,  means  to  regard  with  favour  and  attachment.  The  Saviour's  knowledge  of 
his  people  is  something  more  and  better  than  mere  recognition ;  it  is  the  knowledge  of 
friendship  and  affection.  His  capacious  heart  has  a  place  for  every  one  whom  he  has 
purchased  with  his  blood,  whom  he  has  sealed  with  his  Spirit.  3.  This  fact  is  a  ])roof 
that  there  is  a  special  character  in  the  sheep  of  Christ's  flock  which  the  Shepherd 
recognizes  with  pleasure.  "  The  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  his ; "  for  they  possess 
certain  spiritual  marks  which  indicate  his  property  in  them. 

II.  The  sheep  of  Christ's  flock  know  the  good  Shepherd,  who  owns  and  cares 
FOB  them.  1.  Their  knowledge  of  their  Saviour  is  based  upon  his  knowledge  of  them. 
2.  It  is  a  knowledge  which  is  associated  with  gratitude  and  affection.  3.  It  is  a  know- 
ledge which  leads  to  cheerful  obedience.  The  sheep  who  know  the  form  and  the  voice 
of  the  Shepherd  follow  him  whithersoever  he  goeth  ;  and  the  law  of  the  Christian's  life 
is  obedience  to  the  Master.  4.  It  is  a  knowledge  which  prompts  to  witness.  Those 
who  know  the  qualities  of  the  Shepherd,  his  power  to  save  and  bless,  will  not  fail  to 
make  him  known  to  those  who  need  his  love  and  care. — T. 

Ver.  15. — Tlie  great  offering.  Our  Lord  Jesns  is  the  chief  Shepherd,  under  whom  all 
other  spiritual  pastors  are  called  to  labour  for  the  welfare  of  the  flock,  to  whom  they 
owe  their  authority,  and  by  whose  example  they  are  bidden  to  be  guided.  He  is  the 
great  Shepherd,  who  has  proved  his  power  to  deliver  and  to  save.  And  he  is  the  good 
Shepherd,  who  shrinks  from  no  eff"ort  and  from  no  self-denial,,  in  order  to  secure  the 
welfare  of  his  own.  What  more  could  he  do  than  he  did,  when  he  laid  down  his  life 
for  the  sheep? 

I.  This  offering  was  deliberately  purposed.  Nothing  can  be  more  absurd  than 
the  notion  of  some  modern  critics,  who  contend  that  the  Lord  Jesus  never  contemplated 
such  a  close  to  his  ministry  until  within  a  short  period  of  his  betrayal,  and  that  he 
accepted  the  martyrdom  as  inevitable,  and  in  order  to  save  his  credit  with  his  followers. 


CH.  X.  1—42.]        THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING   TO   ST.  JOHN.  61 , 

The  Gospel  record  makes  it  manifest  that  from  the  early  days  of  his  ministry  Jesus 
knew  how  that  ministry  would  end.  In  his  conversations  with  his  disciples  he  gave 
tbem  to  understand  that  his  life  of  service  was  to  be  crowned  by  a  death  of  sacrifice, 

II.  This  offering  was  voluntarily  rendered.  There  had  been  times  when  the 
life  of  Jesus  seemed  to  be  in  danger,  and  on  such  occasions  he  had  escaped  out  of  his 
enemies'  hands,  for  his  hour  was  not  yet  come.  And  to  the  last  he  possessed  power 
either  to  crush  or  to  evade  his  foes.  But  when  the  time  came  for  him  to  be  olJered  up, 
he  made  no  resistance.  He  set  his  face  towards  Jerusalem.  He  acted  in  a  manner 
certain  to  brint;  on  the  crisis.  His  miracles,  his  teaching,  and  especially  his  denuncia- 
tions of  the  Pharisees,  were  of  a  nature  to  ensure  the  open  opposition  of  his  bitter  foes. 
He  withheld  his  supernatural  power  when  he  might  have  saved  himself.  In  short,  he 
laid  down  his  life  as  something  precious,  which  nevertheless  he  was  content  and  ready 
to  part  with. 

III.  This  offering  was  vicarious  in  its  moral  import.  1.  Christ  died  on  behalf 
of  his  sheep,  and  in  defence  of  them.  This,  which  was  obscurely  seen  by  the  high 
priest,  was  very  present  to  our  Lord's  own  mind.  He  had  no  personal  end  to  serve  by 
consenting  to  a  death  of  pain  and  ignominy.  It  was  for  the  sake  of  his  flock  that  the 
Shejiherd  sacrificed  himself.  2.  Christ  died  in  the  stead  of  his  sheep.  As  a  shepherd 
may  fight  with  a  wild  beast  that  attacks  the  flock,  may  receive  wounds  of  which  he 
himself  may  die,  and  yet  may  slay  the  beast  and  deliver  the  sheep  of  his  charge  ;  so  our 
Saviour,  by  his  death,  delivered  his  spiritual  flock  "  from  the  bitter  pains  of  eternal 
death."  Not  by  way  of  a  bargain,  as  if  sufiFering  were  something  that  could  be  trans- 
ferred from  one  to  another,  as  though  Jesus  endured  an  equivalent  for  the  punishment 
men  deserved  ;  but  by  way  of  substitution  and  moral  mediation. 

IV.  This  offering  was  redemptive  in  its  purpose.  "Ye  were  redeemed,"  writes 
Peter,  "  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  as  of  a  Lamb  without  blemish."  The  bondage 
of  sinful  men  was  exchanged  for  liberty,  their  malady  for  health,  their  death  for  lite, 

V.  This  offering  was  accepted  by  the  Father.  Of  this  our  Lord  was  confident 
beforehand.  "  Therefore  doth  the  Father  love  me,"  he  himself  says  in  the  anticipation 
of  his  sacrifice  (ver.  17).  It  was  necessary  that  this  should  be  the  case,  that  the  Father 
should  approve  the  offering.  This  language  may  easily  be  misunderstood  and  mis- 
represented, as  if  there  were  something  arbitrary  in  the  pleasure  or  displeasure  of  the 
Eternal.  But  the  fact  is  that  the  Father  delights-  in  that  which  is  in  accordance  with 
unchanging  reason  and  righteousness.  What  Christ  did  and  suffered,  and  the  aim  he 
set  before  him,  was  what  commended  itself  to  the  mind  of  the  God  of  wisdom  and 
justice.  And,  indeed,  it  was  by  the  Father's  will  that  Christ's  work  was  undertaken, 
and  his  acceptance  of  it  was  the  ratification  of  his  own  counsels. 

VI.  This  offering  was  effective  and  successful  in  its  results  for  men.  In 
this  supreme  instance,  benevolence  was  not  in  vain.  If  the  Shepherd  died,  the  flock 
was  ransomed.     And  Christ  "  sees  of  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and  is  satisfied." — T. 

Ver.  16. —  The  sheep  of  the  other  fold.  The  purposes  which  animated  our  Saviour's 
heart,  in  undertaking  labours  so  severe,  and  in  enduring  sufferings  so  keen,  were  no  doubt 
always  clearly  before  his  own  mental  vision.  But,  to  judge  by  the  records,  it  was  only 
occasionally  that  an  intimation  of  some  of  these  purposes  was  afforded  by  his  language. 
St.  John  records  some  sayings  of  our  Lord,  mostly  uttered  towards  the  close  of  his 
ministry,  from  which  we  learn  that  he  contemplated  results  as  certain  to  flow  from  his 
work  on  earth,  far  beyond  what  even  his  nearest  and  most  sympathetic  friends  were  at 
that  period  able  to  anticipate.  In  this  discourse  Jesus  appears  to  have  been  conscious  of 
the  growing  hostility  of  his  powerful  enemies  at  Jerusalem.  Did  he  seek  a  consolation 
for  the  pain  thus  inflicted  upon  him  by  prominent  representatives  of  his  own  nation, 
in  cherishing  expectations  of  the  vast  and  far-reaching  results  which  he,  as  the  spiritual 
Shepherd  of  humanity,  should  in  future  ages  attain,  by  his  affection  for  his  sheep,  and 
by  his  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  their  welfare? 

I.  The  glorious  and  inspiring  view  which  Jesus  took  of  his  own  office  and 
WORK  AMONGST  MEN.  He  was  regarded  in  Palestine,  both  by  friends  and  foes,  as  a 
Jewish  Rabbi.  But  this  was  not  the  view  he  was  accustomed  to  take  of  himself.  He 
did  his  daily  work  for  those  amongst  whom  he  lived ;  but  he  was  aware  that  there 
was  a  vaster  sphere  of  service  which  was  truly  his.     He  was  the  Sliepherd,  not  of 


62  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.        [ch.  x.  1—42. 

Israel  only,  but  of  mankind.  The  majesty  of  his  position  and  office  did  not  break  in 
upon  him  either  gradually  or  suddenly.  He  brought  with  him  to  earth  the  consciousnfss 
ct"  a  Divine  election  and  commission.  And  in  such  passages  as  this  we  have  a  revela- 
tion of  his  mind  ;  and  we  feel  that  no  mere  human  teacher  or  leader  could  have  assumed 
jsuch  a  relation  towards  the  vaafc  multitudes  here  contemplated,  but  distant  in  space, 
remote  in  time,  and  seemingly  estranged  in  sympathies. 

II.  The  liberal  and  comprehensive  representation  which  Jesus  gave  of 
HUMANITY  AS  HIS  FLOCK.  The  fold  of  Israel  was  very  select  and  very  exclusive.  The 
Hebrews  were  wont  to  regard  the  less  favoured  nations  with  indifference  and  even  con- 
tepapt.  Narrowness  was  almost  the  "  note  "  of  the  Jewish  temper.  Yet  the  Old 
Testament  contained  no  justification  for  such  bigotry.  In  the  Psalms  and  in  the 
prophets  we  meet  with  representations  of  the  purposes  of  God  towards  humanity  at 
large,  which  are  startling  in  their  magnificent  liberality  and  comprehensiveness.  God's 
salvation,  we  are  told,  shall  extend  to  the  ends  of  the  earth ;  all  nations  shall  sing  the 
praises  of  the  Lord.  Accordingly,  when  we  read  our  Saviour's  language  in  this  passage, 
and  find  him  claiming  as  his  own  other  sheep  not  of  the  Hebrew  fuld,  we  feel  that 
such  language  is  a  verification  of  his  claim  to  fulfil  the  Jewish  prophecies,  to  supersede 
the  Jewish  prophets,  to  realize  the  substance  of  the  Jewish  types  and  shadows.  The 
Samaritans  had  long  ago  come  to  the  conclusion  that  Jesus  was  the  Saviour  of  the 
world!  Jesus  now  openly  declared  that  the  Gentiles  were,  in  the  coun-sels  of  God, 
members  of  his  spiritual  flock  and  household.  And  he  was  about  to  assert  the 
mysterious  power  of  his  cross,  by  assuring  the  Jews  that  he  should  thence  draw  all  men 
unto  himself. 

III.  The  sublime  forecast  which  Jesus  communicated  concerning  the  future 
OF  the  world.  Observe  the  several  steps.  1.  Gentiles  are  the  possession  of  the 
Divine  Shepherd,  and  the  purchase  of  his  redeeming  love  and  sacrifice.  Far  away  there 
are  sheep  which  he  has,  for  which  he  lays  down  his  life,  equally  with  those  nearest  to 
him  the  objects  of  his  interest,  love,  and  care.  2.  The  time  shall  come  when  the 
Gentiles  shall  realize  their  privileges,  shall  be  led  by  him,  and  shall  hear  his  voice. 
Then  the  Redeemer  shall  see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul/  and  be  satisfied.  3.  The 
ultimate  purpose  of  Divine  grace  shall  be  fulfilled,  when  the  unity  of  the  ransomed 
shall  be  complete,  when  there  shall  be  "  one  flock,"  and  when  the  Saviour  shall  be 
acknowledged  as  the  Sovereign,  when  there  shall  be  "  one  Shepherd." — T. 

Ver.  16. —  The  unity  of  the  flock.  To  bring  about  unity  in  thought  is  the  aim  of  the 
thinker ;  to  bring  about  unity  in  life  and  action  is  the  aim  of  the  practical  man,  who  is 
called  to  be  the  leader  and  ruler  of  his  fellow-men.  Christ,  as  the  good  Shepherd,  who 
has  shrunk  from  no  effort,  from  no  sacrifice,  to  secure  the  welfare  of  his  sheep,  con- 
templates and  designs,  in  the  exercise  of  bis  spiritual  authority,  the  consolidation  of 
the  grandest  unity  of  which  mankind  is  capable. 

I.  The  subjects  of  this  unity.  They  are  the  spiritual  sheep,  the  members  of  the 
true  flock.  All  like  sheep  have  gone  astray,  all  have  been  sought  and  recovered  by  thu 
Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  souls,  all  rejoice  in  and  abide  imder  the  tendance  and  care  of 
the  Divine  Saviour. 

II.  The  diversities  blended  in  thjs  unity.  The  Lord  Christ  was  the  Son  of 
man,  and  in  the  aim  of  his  compassion  and  redemption  transcended  the  distinctions 
which  separate  man  from  man.  More  especially  he  designed  to  bring  the  Gentiles  into 
the  fold; 'these  may  have  been  the  "other  sheep"  whose  inclusion  he  graciously  pur- 
posed. The  wall  of  partition  was  very  high  and  very  strong ;  only  he  could  break  it 
down.  But  no  nationality,  no  education,  no  previous  religious  associations,  were  to  be 
allowed  to  stand  in  the  way  of  the  unity  which  he  came  from  God  in  order  that  he 
might  effect  in  this  distracted  race. 

III.  1'he  ground  of  this  unity.  Men  endeavour  to  base  oneness  of  action  upen 
oommunity  of  association  or  of  interest,  etc.  But  in  the  Christian  scheme  the  basis  of 
the  new  fellowship  and  brotherhood  is  Divine.  The  one  Shepherd  alone  can  account 
for  the  one  flock.  His  Divine  nature,  his  priceless  redemption,  his  spiritual  authority, 
these  lie  at  the  foundation  of  the  Church's  unity,  and  for  such  an  edifice  no  narrower 
foundation  could  suffice. 

IV.  The  nature  of  this  unity.    This  has  been  more  misunderstood  tl^au  almost 


CH.  X.  1— 42.]        THE  GOSrEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  C3 

any  part  of  Christianity.  The  translators  of  the  Authorized  Version  went  out  of  their 
way  to  render  "  one  fold,"  for  which  there  is  no  justification.  The  unity  Christ  desires 
is  not  a  unity  of  form,  but  of  spirit ;  not  a  matter  of  mechanism,  but  of  vitality. 
One  Church  and  another  may  claim  the  "note"  of  universality,  but  the  existence  of 
such  Churches  side  by  side  is  a  disproof  of  the  claim.  And  even  within  separate 
Churches  there  are  parties,  or  schools,  distinguished  by  peculiarities  more  or  less 
important.  But  in  the  spiritual,  what  is  called  the  "invisible"  Church,  there  is  a 
unity  of  fiiith  in  Christ  and  a  subjection  to  Christ.  The  temple  is  harmonious ;  it  has 
its  several  parts,  yet  it  is  one.  The  body  is  symmetrical,  and  each  member  has  its 
function  ;  yet  it  is  one.     "  One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism." 

V.  The  hindrances  to  the  manifestation  of  this  unity.  So  far  as  the  people 
of  Christ  fail  to  exhibit  the  one  spirit,  it  is  owing  mainly  to  these  two  causes :  (1)  the 
lack  of  devotion  to  the  Lord ;  and  (2)  intolerance  one  towards  another.  The  closer  the 
flock  draw  around  the  Shepherd,  the  less  is  there  of  misunderstanding,  and  the  more 
of  fellowship.  Watchfulness  and  prayer  alone  can  check  the  spirit  of  dissension,  and 
hasten  the  prevalence  of  peace. 

VI.  The  perfection  of  this  unity.  That  this  is  assured  we  gather  from  the 
emphatic  words  of  Christ,  "  They  shall  become  one  flock."  Deferred  this  glorious 
realization  of  the  purposes  of  the  Redeemer  may  be ;  yet  it  is  certain.  The  predicted 
unity  shall  be  accomplished  in  the  brilliant  and  hoped-for  future,  of  which  we  know 
but  dimly  the  time,  the  scene,  the  circumstances.  The  wandering  sheep  shall  be 
rcstoral,  the  divided  sheep  shall  be  united.  And  the  one  flock  shall  then  witness  to 
the  faithfulness  and  the  love  of  the  one  Shepherd,  whose  voice  all  at  last  shall  recog- 
nize, and  beneath  whose  sheltering  care  all  shall  at  last  "  lie  down  in  green  pastures," 
and  be  led  "  beside  the  still  waters." — T. 

Vers.  19 — 21. — Calumny  confuted.  Every  faithful  teacher,  coming  into  a  morally 
mixed  society,  meets  with  a  twofold  experience  :  he  evokes  the  hostility  of  those  who 
hate  truth  and  righteousness,  and  he  rallies  to  him  those  who  are  candid,  just,  and 
pure.  Such  was  eminently  the  result  of  our  Lord's  ministry  among  the  Jews.  It 
was  foretold  that,  as  a  consequence  of  Christ's  coming,  "  thoughts  out  of  many  hearts 
should  be  revealed."  Never  was  this  more  manifestly  the  case  than  during  those 
discussions  which  arose  between  Jesus  and  the  Jews  towards  the  close  of  his  ministry. 

I.  The  calumny  advanced  against  Christ.  1.  The  real  and  lasting  ground  of 
calumny.  It  was  the  truthfulness  and  purity  of  Christ's  character ;  it  was  the  justice 
and  severity  of  his  denunciations  of  formalism  and  hypocrisy,  that  incensed  the  Jewish 
leaders  against  the  holy,  outspoken,  and  fearless  Prophet  of  Nazareth.  2.  The  imme- 
diate and  special  ground  of  calumny.  It  is  noticeable  that,  on  the  several  occasions 
upon  which  the  slander  mentioned  in  the  context  was  uttered,  Jesus  had  just  been 
making  some  high  claim  to  communion  with  his  Divine  Father,  and  to  a  consequent 
authority  altogether  above  any  wielded  by  created  beings.  3.  The  real  motive  of  the 
calumnies  of  the  Jews  was,  therefore,  their  moral  indisposition  to  tolerate  the  highest 
excellence.  They  loved  darkness  rather  than  light.  4.  The  nature  of  the  calumny. 
It  was  said  to  Jesus,  and  of  him,  that  he  was  possessed  by  a  demon,  and  was  insane. 
How  it  could  be  supposed  that  such  gross  slanders  could  meet  with  any  credit,  we  are 
at  a  loss  to  say.  It  is  certainly  an  instance  of  the  malignity  of  sinners  that  such  a 
calumny  could  be  invented,  and  of  the  credulity  of  fools  that  it  could  be  believed.  5. 
The  purpose  of  the  calumny.  This  was  to  discredit  Jesus,  to  weaken  his  influence 
with  the  people,  and  so  to  aid  the  Jews  in  their  malevolent  aim,  which  was,  no  doubt, 
to  bring  his  ministry  to  a  shameful  and  violent  close. 

II.  The  confutation  of  the  calumny.  1.  It  is  observable  that  this  did  not 
proceed  from  Jesus  himself,  or  from  his  immediate  friends  and  professed  disciples.  Its 
effect  must  have  been  all  the  greater  from  its  origin  in  the  minds  of  impartial 
6[jectators  and  auditors.  2.  The  sayings  of  Christ  are  declared  incompatible  with  the 
Bupposition  that  Jesus  was  possessed  by  a  demon.  Their  sobriety  and  reasonableness 
was  a  refutation  of  the  charge  of  madness ;  whilst  their  justice,  their  purity,  their 
opposition  to  falsehood,  error,  and  deceit,  were  conclusive  against  the  foolish  accusation 
that  they  were  inspired  by  the  prince  of  darkness.  3.  The  works  of  Christ  were,  if 
possible,  even  more  exclusive  of  such  an  imagination,  such  an  invention  as  that  referred 


CA  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.        [ch.  x.  1—42. 

to.  Jesus  had  opened  tlie  eyes  of  a  blind  man,  he  had  wrought  other  miracles  of  a 
nature  most  beneficent,  he  had  relieved  men  from  privations  and  sufferings,  and 
restored  them  to  health,  to  sanity,  to  happiness.  It  was  incredible  that  such  deeds  of 
mercy  as  these  could  ba  inspired  by  the  emissary  of  the  foe  of  man. — T. 

Vers.  24 — 26. — TJte  explanation  of  unbelief.  Jesus  knew  well  what  must  be  the 
end  of  such  discussions  as  that  here  recorded.  Irritation  and  hostility  were  increased. 
A  growing  number  of  the  Jews  committed  themselves  to  the  cause  of  Christ's  adver- 
saries. And  the  selfish  reasons  for  their  opposition  were  multiplied.  Yet  the  Lord 
continued  the  controversies,  knowing  that  the  issue  to  which  they  needs  must  lead 
was  one  which  was  foreseen  in  the  Divine  counsels,  and  one  wliich  would  be  the  means 
of  bringing  to  pass  his  own  benevolent  designs.  There  was  little  attempt  on  his  part 
at  conciliation ;  he  knew  that  any  such  attempt  would  be  in  vain. 

I.  Unbelief  is  kot  to  be  justified  on  the  ground  of  deficiency  or  evidence 
FOE  FAITH.  Jesus  refers  the  Jews  to  two  amply  sufficient  grounds  for  believing  in 
him.  1.  His  own  assertion,  "  I  told  you."  The  value  of  such  an  assertion  depends 
npon  the  character  of  him  who  makes  it.  There  are  those  whose  statements  concerning 
themselves  are  worthless ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  there  are  those  whose  statements  carry 
immediate  conviction  to  those  who  know  them.  Jesus  always  spoke  the  truth,  and  he 
could  not  be  mistaken  upon  a  point  such  as  this,  his  own  nature  and  mission.  2.  His 
own  works,  done  in  his  Father's  Name.  It  was  not  questioned  by  the  Lord's  con- 
temporaries that  he  wrought  miracles.  If  they  cavilled  at  them,  they  attributed  them 
to  the  power  of  darkness — an  absurdity  which  was  its  own  refutation.  These  signs 
and  wonders,  wrought  by  Jesus,  have  lost  nothing  of  their  significance  by  the  lapse  of 
time ;  whatever  evidential  value  they  had,  when  Jesus  first  appealed  to  them,  they 
possess  to-day.  Their  very  character  renders  them  an  everlasting  and  ever-valid 
witness  to  him  who  wrought  them.     They  can  neither  be  denied  nor  misinterpreted. 

II.  The  explanation  of  unbelief  lies  in  the  deficiency  of  spiritual  sym- 
pathy. That  there  are  honest  and  sincere  unbelievers,  is  not  questioned.  But  for 
the  most  part  there  is  in  those  who  reject  Christ's  claims  a  lack  of  that  sympathy 
which  assists  in  a  just  appreciation  of  the  holy  and  benevolent  Saviour.  Jesus  spoke 
of  the  questioners  and  cavillers  as  "  not  of  his  sheep."  They  had  not  those  disposi- 
tions of  teachableness  and  humility  which  are  conducive  to  Christian  discipleship. 
Such  a  disposition  as  our  Lord  here  attributes  to  his  adversaries  is  most  unfavourable 
to  a  fair  judgment  upon  the  claims  and  evidences  which  are  found  sufficient  by  many  of 
the  wisest  and  the  most  virtuous  of  men.  Only  Christ's  own  "  sheep  "  know  his  voice, 
and  distinguish  it  as  the  Divine  voice  from  the  voice  of  strangers.  These  only 
"  follow"  him,  and  accordingly  have  every  opportunity  of  acquainting  themselves  with 
his  character  and  the  manifestations  of  his  purposes. 

III.  It  is  this  unsympathizing  unbelief  that  leads  men  to  calumniate  and 
to  oppose  Christ.  This  chapter  shows  us  how  this  principle  acted  in  our  Lord's 
days.  We  have  but  to  observe  what  is  passing  around  us,  in  order  to  explain  upon 
the  same  principle  the  blasphemies  and  the  violent  opposition  with  which  our  Lord 
Christ  is  still  assailed. — T. 

Vers.  7 — 9. — Christ  as  the  Door.     Notice— 

I.  The  position  of  Christ  in  relation  to  spiritual  blessings.  "I  am  the 
Door."  1.  He  is  the  Medium  of  admission  to  these  blessings.  (1)  He  efi"ected  an 
entrance  to  them.  "He  is  the  Way."  When  man  sinned,  the  door  of  heaven  was 
closed  to  him ;  and  when  he  looked  up  thither,  there  was  no  opened  door  there.  But 
Christ  opened  it  and  established  communication  between  heaven  and  earth  ;  and  as  man 
gazed  up,  he  saw  a  door  opened  in  heaven.  When  Christ  left  heaven  for  earth  he  left  the 
door  ajar,  and  opened  a  new  and  a  living  way  for  man  to  enter.  (2)  He  is  the  absolute 
Provider  and  Proprietor  of  these  blessings.  By  sin,  man  contracted  new  wants ;  by 
suffering,  Jesus  provided  for  them,  and  purchased  for  man  all  the  spiritual  blessings  he 
requires.  Thus  he  is  their  absolute  Provider  and  Proprietor.  (3)  As  such  he  is 
naturally  the  Guardian  of  these  blessings.  He  has  an  absolute  right  and  power  to 
admit  or  reject.  He  is  the  Door.  He  has  made  a  fold  for  the  sheep,  his  visible  Church, 
and  fenced  it  round  with  his  commandments  and  directions,  where  his  faithful 


CH.  X.  1—42.]        THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING   TO  ST.  JOHX.  C5 

foltowers  enjoy  fellowsliip  with  each  other  and  with  him  during  their  pilgrimage  here. 
He  i8  the  Door  of  thid  visible  fold,  as  well  as  that  of  the  invisible  and  vaster  realm  of 
all  spiritual  blessings.  lie  is  the  Door,  not  arbitrarily  but  naturally,  in  virtue  of  what 
he  is  in  himself,  the  Son  of  God ;  and  in  virtue  of  what  he  is  to  the  sheep,  their 
Purchaser,  Provider,  and  sole  Proprietor.  2.  lie  is  the  only  Medium  of  admission  to 
spiritual  blessiyigs.  (1)  There  is  but  one  medium  of  adnussion.  This  is  Christ,  and 
lie  is  one.  There  is  but  "  one  Lord,  one  faith,"  etc.  There  is  but  one  Door,  "  one 
Mediator  between  God  and  man,  Christ  Jesus."  (2)  Others  may  assume  the  position. 
And,  as  a  fact,  this  was  the  case,  and  our  Lord  refers  to  it.  Some  had  come  before 
him,  professing  to  be  Messiahs,  assmning  his  titles,  prerogatives,  and  position  as  the 
doors  and  shepherds  of  the  sheep.  As  before  Christ,  so  after  him,  many  assume  his 
position  as  the  mediums  of  admission  to  God  and  the  blessings  of  his  love  and  mercy. 
(3)  TTieir  assumption  o/  his  position  at  once  fixed  their  character  in  the  spiritual  world. 
They  are  thieves  and  robbers,  lacking  the  right  to  and  adaptation  for  the  position  they 
assume.  In  our  world  there  is  evil  as  well  as  good,  the  false  as  well  as  the  true,  the 
counterfeit  as  well  as  the  genuine  coin.  There  is  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places, 
and  one  of  its  most  cunning  and  villanous  forms  is  to  assume  the  position  of  Christ  as 
the  door  of  spiritual  privileges,  as  they  stand  between  sinners  and  the  Saviour,  between 
the  world  and  the  light,  and  is  pronounced  by  our  Lord  as  the  most  daring  usurpation, 
and  the  vilest  spiritual  theft  and  robbery.  (4)  Their  claims  to  this  j^osition  were 
resisted  by  the  true  and  faithful.  "  But  the  sheep  did  not  hear  their  voice."  Christ 
has  had  sheep  in  every  age,  and  they  instinctively  distinguish  between  the  true  and 
the  false.  The  instincts  of  truth  are  against  falsehood,  and  those  of  right  are  against 
wrong.  Those  who  have  truth  will  be  on  its  side.  Spiritual  thieves  and  robbers  are 
betrayed  by  their  voice,  their  principles,  doctrines,  and  practices,  and  the  ear  of  truth 
and  faith  will  not  listen  to  them ;  their  vorce  is  repelling,  and  not  attractive.  So  that 
the  position  of  Christ  as  the  Door  is  defended  not  only  by  his  absolute  right  and  fitness, 
but  by  the  sheep. 

II.  The  condition  on  which  these  blessings  are  to  be  enjoyed.  "By  me  if 
any  man  enter  in."  This  involves :  1.  Full  recognition  of  ChrisCs  authority  as  the 
medium  of  admission.  He  is  the  Door,  and  must  be  acknowledged  as  such.  2.  Genuine 
faith  in  his  fitness  and  resources  as  the  spiritttal  Provider  of  the  soid.  3.  Iniplic't 
submission  and  obedience  to  his  will  and  commands.  Entrance  must  be  made,  and  that 
by  him.  4.  There  is  but  one  condition  for  all.  "By  me  if  any  man  enter,"  let  him 
be  rich  or  poor,  Jew  or  Gentile.  There  is  but  one  door.  There  is  not  one  door  for  the 
rich  and  another  for  the  poor,  etc. ;  but  only  one.  And  as  there  is  only  one  door,  there 
is  but  one  condition  of  enjoyment,  viz.  entrance  by  it. 

III.  The  precious  blessings  enjoyed  on  this  condition.  Some  of  them  are 
pointed  out  here.  "By  me  if  any  man  enter,"  etc.  1.  Perfect  safety.  (1)  Safety 
from  inward  dangers.  We  are  in  great  danger  from  our  inward  foes,  the  corruption  of 
our  nature,  our  evil  passions,  our  inordinate  appetites,  our  secret  and  besetting  sins, 
the  treachery  and  deceptiveness  of  our  hearts.  And  often  we  are  in  greater  danger 
from  treachery  within  than  from  open  hostility  without  (Gordon  at  Khartoum).  But 
in  the  fold  of  Christ  we  are  safe  from  all  this.  (2)  Safety  from  outward  dangers. 
Believers  have  a  host  of  outward  and  open  foes,  headed  by  the  arch-enemy  of  the  soul, 
the  devil,  who  is  as  a  "roaring  lion,"  etc.  But  in  the  custody  of  Christ  they  shall  be 
safe  from  these.  2.  Perfect  freedom.  The  Christian  while  in  this  world  cannot  be 
alwaj's  in  the  holy  of  holies  of  devotion ;  he  must  go  out  into  his  daily  occupation.  It 
is  a  Divine  and  general  law  that  "  man  goeth  forth  unto  his  work  and  to  his  labour 
until  the  evening."  (1)  This  freedom  is  perfect.  It  is  the  freedom  of  the  highest 
law,  the  proper  law  of  the  soul,  the  law  of  filial  obedience,  reverence,  and  love.  The 
safety  of  the  soul  in  Christ  is  not  that  of  bondage,  but  of  perfect  freedom — freedom 
which  is  compatible  with  and  productive  of  the  most  perfect  order,  harmony,  and 
happiness.  "  He  shall  go  in  and  out."  He  goes  out,  but  comes  in  a^ain.  (2)  There 
\%  freedom  of  movement.  "  Shall  go  in  and  out,"  at  home  or  abroad.  The  believer  is  free 
to  go  to  any  part  of  this  world ;  it  is  his  Father's  house  and  his  own  inheritance.  (3) 
ITiere  \s  freedom  of  action.  Within  the  law  of  his  new  life,  the  Christian  may  do  what- 
ever he  likes,  and  be  engaged  in  any  trade  or  business  which  is  legitimate,  from  wielding 
a  shovel  to  wielding  a  sceptre.    He  is  the  very  man  for  this  j  he  sanctifies  every  labour 

JOHN — u.  p 


66  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.        [ch.  x.  1—42. 

and  service.  (4)  There  is  freedom  of  thought.  The  only  real  free  thinker  in  the  world 
is  he  who  has  been  made  free  by  the  truth.  He  who  thinks  without  Divine  guidance 
is  a  slave  and  a  libertine ;  but  the  custody  of  Christ  is  safe  freedom  and  free  safety. 
3.  Intimate  fellowship  with  Christ.  How  intimate  we  are  with  the  doors  of  our 
houses!  We  can  neither  come  in  nor  go  out  but  by  the  door — a  faint  symbol  of 
believers'  intimate  fellowship  with  Christ.  He  is  the  Door.  4.  Ample  provisions. 
"  And  find  pasture."  (1)  It  is  sought.  Finding  implies  seeking.  The  sheep  go  in  and 
out  in  search  of  pasture.  The  soul,  by  faith  in  all  its  movements,  seeks  spiritual  food 
and  support.  It  is  to  be  found  in  connection  with  intense  desire,  eflfort,  and  search. 
(2)  By  seeking  it  is  certainly  found.  "  And  shall  find  pasture."  In  Christ  there  are 
spiritual  provisions  for  the  soul,  in  abundance,  suitability,  and  variety ;  they  are  as 
various  and  abundant  as  the  soul's  wants.  Supporting  grace.  Divine  forgiveness 
and  peace,  etc.  (3)  It  is  found  without,  in  the  occupations  of  life.  If  the  Christian  is 
an  agriculturist,  in  the  garden  the  flowers  will  naturally  remind  him  of  the  "  Rose 
of  Sharon,"  etc.  When  following  the  flock,  naturally  will  he  think  of  the  "  Lamb  of 
God."  The  beautiful  landscape  around  will  bring  to  faith  visions  of  a  more  beautiful 
land — the  fair  land  of  promise ;  and  even  the  failure  of  his  crops  will  often  give  him  a 
rich  feast  of  joy  in  the  Lord.  If  he  is  a  mariner,  the  storms  of  the  voyage  will  make 
him  strive  and  sigh  for  the  desired  haven,  where  every  storm  will  be  for  ever  hushed. 
■  Jf  he  is  a  merchant,  this  will  bring  his  mind  in  closer  contact  with  treasures  more  to  be 
desired  than  gold,  and  more  precious  than  rubies.  If  he  is  a  man  of  science,  he  can 
hear  the  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  and  see  the  works  of  his  fingers  everywhere ; 
and  should  the  Christian  happen  to  wander  into  the  land  of  doubt  and  sin,  he  will  find 
there  the  bitter  herb  of  godly  sorrow,  which  will  act  as  a  tonic  to  his  soul.  And  even 
the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death  to  him  will  not  be  barren,  for  even  there  he  will  find 
the  comfort  of  his  Shepherd's  staff  and  rod ;  yea,  the  Shepherd  himself.  (4)  It  is  found 
within.  In  God's  Word ;  in  private  devotion  ;  in  quiet  meditations ;  in  Christ's  fold ;  in 
the  fellowship  of  saints ;  in  the  services  of  the  sanctuary,  which  is  the  house  of  God 
and  the  very  gate  of  heaven ;  and  often  in  thought  and  faith  he  steals  away  to  the  happy 
land,  and  revels  in  the  green  pastures  beside  the  still  waters.  He  spends  many  a 
happy  moment  beyond  the  stars,  among  the  redeemed  throng,  gazing  upon  the  throne, 
and  on  him  who  sits  upon  it.  Whether  in  or  out,  in  Christ  he  shall  find  pasture, 
until  at  last,  by  Divine  invitation,  he  shall  enter  into  the  joy  of  his  Lord,  to  go  out  no 
more  for  ever. 

Lessons.  1.  ITie  revelation  of  Clirist  as  the  Door  of  spiritual  blessings  was  now  very 
natural  and  timely.  He  saw  the  multitudes  like  sheep  without  a  shepherd.  Judaism 
had  become  barren  and  persecuting,  and  incapable  of  supplying  the  spiritual  wants  of 
the  peo[ile.  Souls  were  hungry  for  food,  and  longing  for  shelter.  The  healed  blind 
man  was  among  the  first  to  knock  for  admittance,  and,  as  Christ  was  the  Door,  it 
was  now  time  for  him  to  say  so  openly.  2.  Christ  as  the  Door  is  a  h'fitling  introduction 
to  the  blessings  within.  You  can  form  a  fair  opinion  by  the  door  of  what  to  expect 
inside.  Sometimes  we  are  not  inclined  to  go  further  than  the  door.  But  Christ,  as  the 
Door  to  God  and  all  spiritual  blessings,  is  most  attractive  and  worthy,  and  when  you 
enter  there  is  no  disappointment  in  it.  3.  The  great  thing  in  order  to  enjoy  the  riches 
if  Divine  grace  is  to  find  the  door.  Christ  as  the  Door  is  most  conspicuous  and  con- 
venient. Where  the  gospel  is  fully  known,  the  difficulty  almost  is  not  to  find  it.  It 
publishes  itself.  "  I  am  the  Door."  4.  There  are  thousands  in  search  for  the  door  and 
cannot  find  it.  And,  alas!  there  are  thousands  in  gospel  lands  dying  at  the  door,  and 
will  not  enter.     There  is  only  a  door  between  them  and  life  eternal. — B.  T. 

Ver.  10. — The  two  missions.     Notice — 

I.  The  mission  of  human  selfishness.  We  are  taught  by  Christ  that  there  is 
such  a  mission  in  the  world.  It  is  as  old  as  the  temptation  of  our  first  parents  by  that 
evil  and  selfish  spirit,  the  devil.  It  was  active  in  the  world  before  and  at  the  time  of 
Christ,  and  to  a  greater  extent  afterwards.  Every  false  teacher,  every  one  that  assumes 
Christ's  position,  or  leads  souls  from  Christ  and  God  either  intentionally  or  uninten- 
tionally, is  pronounced  by  Christ  a  thief,  and  his  mission  is  that  of  selfishness.  1.  Its 
spirit  and  aim  are  selfish.  (1)  It  is  inspired  by  self-advantage.  The  thief  comes  to 
steal.     What  is  the  inspiration  of  the  thief?    It  is  self-advantage  and  aggrandizement. 


CH.  X.  1—42.]        THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  «T 


This  is  the  inspiration  of  the  mission  of  selfishness  in  every  age.  Its  aim  is  self- 
advantage,  power,  authority,  glory,  fame,  the  praise  of  men,  numerical  strength,  and 
predominant  influence.  (2)  It  is  inspired  by  seJf-advantage  at  the  expenae  of  others. 
The  thief  in  benefiting  himself  robs  his  fellow-man.  The  principles  of  honesty  and 
justice  are  recklessly  violated.  The  selfish  teacher  is  a  thief,  living  on  mental  and 
spiritual  plunder;  gratifying  himself  at  the  expense  of  man  and  God,  and  at  the 
expense  of  honesty  and  rectitude ;  robbing  man  of  his  spiritual  birthright,  liberty,  and 
manhood,  and  standing  between  him  and  the  light  of  heaven ;  robbing  Christ  of  his 
office  and  position  as  the  only  Medium  of  spiritual  blessings,  and  robbing  God  of  the 
homage  and  glory  due  to  his  Name,  and  of  his  throne  in  the  human  heart.  (3)  It 
seeks  self-advantage  by  cunningness  and  stealth.  The  thief  attains  his  ends  under  the 
cover  of  darkness  in  the  night,  when  his  victims  are  asleep  and  ofl'  their  guard.  Before 
the  public  he  studies  to  appear  as  an  honest  man,  but  behind  their  backs  he  studies  to 
rob  them.  The  counterpart  of  this  has  been  and  is  in  full  phiy  in  the  religious  world. 
The  selfish  teacher  attains  his  ends  by  stealth.  He  makes  use  of  Christ  to  rob  him, 
and  wears  the  garb  of  holiness  to  defraud  it  of  its  reality.  In  the  degree  he  deceives 
he  succeeds,  and  deceives  by  the  most  consummate  craftiness,  and  his  true  character 
is  fully  known  only  on  the  other  side.  2.  Jits  spirit  and  aim  are  murderous.  "  Ami 
to  kill."  (1)  It  kills  the  life  of  the  body.  If  the  thief  cannot  carry  his  boot}'  by 
6tealth,  he  will  not  scruple  to  take  away  the  life  of  him  who  may  oppose  him.  What 
killed  the  prophets,  crucified  our  Lord,  martyred  his  apostles,  persecuted,  imprisoned, 
and  burnt  hosts  of  his  followers  through  the  ages?  It  was  this  mission  of  selfishness 
in  its  varied  forms.  Is  not  its  spirit  the  same  to-day,  and  are  not  scores  of  precious 
lives  taken  away  by  this  mission  in  the  Name  of  Christ?  (2)  It  kills  the  life  of  the 
soul.  By  keeping  it  in  ignorance,  by  standing  between  it  and  its  true  life  and  elements 
of  support,  by  lowering  its  aspirations  and  centering  its  affections  on  things  below  and 
not  on  things  above,  on  its  lower  self  and  not  on  God,  on  the  present  and  not  on  the 
future,  on  this  world  and  not  on  the  other,  by  su])plying  its  wants  with  false  and 
unsuitable  nutriment,  and  materializing  its  affections,  thus  it  is  lost  and  stealthily 
killed.  3.  Its  spirit  and  aim  are  destructive.  "  An^l  to  destroy."  If  the  thief  cannot 
steal  and  kill,  he  will  destroy  valuable  property.  The  mission  of  selfishness  in  the 
time  of  our  Lord  had  not  only  killed  the  very  life  of  the  nation,  but  also  had  destroyed 
the  spiritual  food  of  the  sheep  with  an  admixture  of  human  tradition  and  the  devilish 
spirit  of  selfishness  and  murder.  Thus  in  every  ap;e  this  mission  poisons  the  living 
water  and  the  bread  of  life,  and  adulterates  the  milk  of  the  Word;  and  if  it  cannot 
kill  the  sheep,  it  will  as  far  as  possible  destroy  their  pasture  and  spiritual  supplies. 
4:.  Its  spirit  and  aim  are  entirely  self-seeking,  cruel,  and  destructive.  "The  thief 
Cometh  not,  but,"  etc.  The  genius  and  history  of  the  mission  of  selfishness  are  spiritual 
robbery,  murder,  and  destruction. 

II.  The  mission  of  Divine  love.  In  contrast  with  the  mission  of  selfishness,  we 
have  the  mission  cf  Divine  love  in  Christ.  "  I  came,"  etc.  1.  It  is  a  mission  of  Divine 
authority.  The  mission  of  selfishness  was  unlawful,  and  existed  by  stealth,  robbery, 
and  unrighteousness.  The  mission  of  Christ  was  legal  and  Divine.  He  came  not  as 
a  thief,  but  as  a  Divine  messenger,  openly,  according  t«  the  Divine  plan,  to  fulfil  the 
Divine  promise  and  purpose.  He  came  in  the  volume  of  the  book  written  of  him.  He 
came  in  the  fulness  of  time,  in  the  open  day.  His  appearance  was  heralded,  and  he  carried 
with  him  all  the  credentials  of  Divine  power  and  authority.  2.  It  is  a  mission  of 
Divine  benevolence.  (1)  C^irist  came  to  give.  "  That  they  may  have,"  etc.  If  we  have, 
Christ  must  give.  Ihe  mission  of  selfishness  is  to  steal,  to  take  away  from  men  what 
(they  have,  and  deprive  them  of  what  they  may  have.  But  Christ  came  that  men  may 
have ;  he  came  to  give,  to  benefit  the  human  family.  He  came  not  for  his  own  sake, 
but  for  the  sake  of  others.  He  became  poor  to  make  the  wdrld  rich.  (2)  He  came  to 
confer  on  men  the  greatest  blessing.  "  That  they  may  have  life."  The  Divine  life,  the 
spiritual  and  highest  life  of  the  soul,  the  life  it  had  lost  by  sin  and  kept  from  by  a  sinful 
and  a  selfish  mission.  This  life  was  men's  greatest  need ;  for  this  they  panted,  and 
nothing  but  this  could  save  them  from  spiritual  death  and  make  them  hapi)y.  Man's 
greatest  blessing  is  that  which  will  satisty  his  greatest  want.  Spiritual  life  is  this,  and 
to  bring  it  within  his  reach  Christ  came  to  the  world.  (3)  To  confer  this  blessing  on 
men  was  the  sole  object  of  his  coming.    Ho  had  no  other  message.    Every  other  con- 


68  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.        [ch.  x.  1—42. 

sideration  would  cause  him  to  remain  in  his  native  happiness  and  glory,  and  keep  him 
for  ever  from  the  adverse  circumstances  of  his  human  life,  and  from  the  repulsive  scenes 
and  treatment  of  this  world.  But  as  nothing  but  his  appearance  in  human  nature  could 
bring  life  to  a  dying  world,  he  came,  and  this  was  the  sole  burden  of  his  mission. 
(4)  His  coming  actually  brought  the  blessings  of  a  Divine  life  within  the  reach  of  all, 
"That  they  may  have  life."  He  is  the  Fountain,  the  Author,  and  Support  of  all  life; 
and  when  he  came,  life  came  with  him ;  and  whatever  insurmountable  obstacle  there 
was  in  the  way  of  fallen  men  to  obtain  it,  he  removed ;  and  whatever  strength  and 
inspiration  they  required,  he  furnished  by  his  self-sacrificing  life  and  death.  So  that 
all  who  will  may  have  it.  There  is  many  a  mission  benevolent  in  aim  but  defective  in 
execution  ;  but  the  mission  of  Christ,  in  inspiration,  aims,  and  results,  is  most  divinely 
benevolent  and  practically  efficient.  3.  It  is  a  mission  of  Divine  abundance.  It  is  not 
merely  benevolent,  but  most  abundantly  and  overflowingly  benevolent.  "Have  it 
abundantly."  (1)  This  life  is  abundant  m  lYseZ/".  It  contains  the  elements  of  spiritual 
life  in  all  their  quickening  energies,  perfection,  and  fulness.  For  Christ  is  the  life ;  he 
lived  in  our  world,  and  laid  down  bis  life,  and  by  his  Spirit  infuses  it  into  the  soul,  and 
the  soul  by  faith  may  appropriate  it  as  its  example,  model,  and  inspiration.  Christ  is 
our  life ;  as  such,  it  is  the  highest  life  possible,  and  will  satisfy  the  soul's  deepest  wants 
and  divinest  aspirations.  (2)  It  is  abundant  in  the  means  of  its  support.  Christ,  the 
Author  and  Model  of  spiritual  life  in  the  soul,  becomes  also  its  Sustainer.  He  is  not  only 
the  life,  but  also  the  Bread  of  life.  From  the  fulness  of  his  life,  and  by  the  ever  active 
agency  of  his  Spirit,  the  believing  soul  continually  receives  fresh  energy  and  strength. 
It  cannot  lack  for  anything.  The  means  of  support  are  infinitely  full  and  various  and 
accessible,  and  are  as  abundant  as  the  life  itself.  (3)  It  is  abundant  in  the  advantages 
and  certainty  of  its  perfect  development.  This  world  is  most  advantageous  as  the  place 
of  its  birth,  the  cradle  of  its  infancy,  the  nursery  of  its  youth,  and  the  arena  of  its  dawn- 
ing manhood.  It  finds  advantages  of  development  here  which  cannot  be  found  else- 
where. The  adverse  circumstances  of  life,  its  trials  and  temptations,  are  specially 
adapted  for  its  first  exercises,  growth,  and  confirmation.  Its  spiritual  nature  renders 
it  safe  from  material  weapons,  and  its  union  with  Christ  from  the  hurt  of  spiritual  foes ; 
and  even  death,  which  seems  to  put  an  end  to  all  here,  is  made  to  serve  its  highest 
interests — introduces  it  to  its  native  land,  to  the  very  presence  of  its  Source,  where  all 
is  life,  where  it  enjoys  the  most  congenial  scenes,  society,  and  employment,  and  where  it 
reaches  full  development,  and  perfect  safety  and  happiness.  (4)  It  is  abundant  in  the 
fcope  of  its  enjoyment.  When  this  life  outgrows  the  material  conditions  under  which 
it  exists  here,  it  is  born  into  the  spiritual  world,  the  final  and  natural  home  of  all 
spiritual  life,  and  time  being  too  short  for  its  full  enjoyment,  eternity  is  laid  before  it 
to  enjoy  God,  the  delights  of  his  presence,  the  service  of  his  love,  and  the  society  of  his 
family  for  ever. 

Lessons.  1.  We  are  surrounded  in  this  world  with  religious  thieves.  These  charac- 
ters are  not  confined  to  the  material  and  social  worlds  alone,  but  to  a  greater  extent 
they  are  found  in  the  religious  world.  Some  things  more  valuable  than  silver  and  gold 
are  stolen.  There  are  thieves  of  souls,  consciences,  wills,  and  life.  2.  We  are  greatly 
indebted  to  Christ  for  the  revelation  of  the  fact.  In  the  light  of  him  who  is  the  Light 
of  the  world,  the  powers  and  works  of  darkness  are  revealed,  and  the  mission  of  human 
selfishness  is  manifested  in  its  self-seeking  aims,  its  cunning  and  cruel  character  and 
destructive  results.  Thus  we  are  put  on  our  guard,  and  furnished  with  the  means  of 
defence.  3.  Tlie  mission  of  human  selfishness  serves  as  an  effective  background  to  the 
mission  of  Divine  love  in  Christ.  At  the  back  we  see  the  dark  shadows  of  the  arch- 
thief  of  souls  with  his  deluded  emissaries,  and  their  spoliations  of  cunning  and  cruelty. 
In  the  front,  surrounded  with  a  halo  of  glory,  stands  Jesus,  offering  eternal  life  to  a 
perishing  world.  By  contrast  how  beautiful  and  welcome  his  appearance,  and  how 
calculated  to  inspire  gratitude  and  a  hearty  acceptance  of  his  life ! — ^B.  T. 

Vers.  17,  18. — The  death  of  Christ.  I.  It  involves  the  greatest  sacrifice.  1.  It 
was  a  sacrifice  of  life.  "  I  lay  down  my  life."  It  was  his  own  life,  and  not  that  of 
another.  Thousands  of  lives  are  sacrificed  during  war  by  the  existing  government ;  but 
these  are  the  lives  of  others,  and  not  their  own.  But  the  death  of  Christ  involved  the 
sacrifice  of  his  own  life.    It  was  personal.    2.  It  was  a  sacrifice  of  the  most  precious 


CH.  X.  1—42.]        THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  C9 

life.  Every  life  is  very  precious — that  of  the  flower  or  that  of  the  animal ;  but  human 
life  is  more  precious  still.  Personally  considered,  every  human  life  is  equally  precious ; 
but  relatively,  some  lives  are  more  precious  than  others.  The  life  of  the  general  is 
thiu  more  precious  than  that  of  the  common  soldier.  But  of  all  the  lives  that  have 
graced  this  world,  the  life  of  Christ  was  the  most  precious  and  valuable.  (1)  It  was  so 
in  itself.  What  makes  man's  life  more  precious  than  that  of  the  animal,  but  its  beini; 
the  vehicle  of  a  higher  intelligence,  and  immortal  and  responsible  spirit  which  makes 
him  at  once  to  belong  to  a  higher  order  of  being  ?  The  life  of  Christ  was  really  human, 
but  it  was  perfect  and  sinless.  This,  together  with  its  mysterious  union  with  the  Divine 
nature,  made  him  to  stand  alone — a  new  and  a  higher  order  of  being.  He  was  Divine 
and  yet  human,  human  and  yet  Divine,  which  made  his  life  infinitely  valuable  in  itself. 
(2)  it  v;Siao  in  relation  to  this  world.  To  this  world  how  useful  was  such  a  life!  What 
blessings  of  intelligence,  revelation,  holy  example,  spiritual  communications,  and  of 
Divine  benevolence  it  was  calculated  to  bestow !  The  short  time  he  was  permitted  to 
live  proves  this.  (3)  It  was  so  to  the  whole  universe.  The  value  of  such  a  life  was  not 
confined  to  this  world,  but  extended  to  the  utmost  regions  of  the  Divine  empire. 
Heaven  was  in  close  and  constant  communication  with  him  during  his  earthly  life,  and 
he  with  it.  How  dear  was  he  to  the  Father  and  all  his  holy  family  !  How  precious  was 
his  life !  What  a  tax  upon  Divine  affections  was  his  death !  Nature's  gloom  on  the 
occasion  was  but  a  faint  shadow  of  heaven's  mourning.  What  a  sacrifice  !  3.  It  was 
a  sacrifice  involving  the  greatest  sufferings.  (1)  Think  of  the  sinlessness  of  his  nature. 
Sinfulness  of  nature  habituates  that  nature  to  suffering.  But  Christ's  character  was  not 
only  spotless,  but  his  nature  was  sinless.  Thus  the  very  idea  of  death  must  be  to  him 
extremely  repulsive,  and  its  actual  pangs  beyond  description  painful.  (2)  Think  of  the 
greatness  of  his  nature.  Little  natures  are  capable  of  but  very  little  pleasure  or  pain, 
but  large  natures  are  largely  capable  of  both.  The  capacity  of  Christ  for  suffering  is 
outside  our  experience  and  far  beyond  our  comprehension.  (3)  Think  of  the  cruelty  of 
his  death.  He  suffered  the  death  of  crucifixion,  with  all  its  attendant  shame,  ignominy, 
pains,  and  agonies.     All  that  infernal  hatred  could  devise  he  had  to  suffer. 

XL  His  DEATH  WAS  PURELY  SELF-SACRIFICING.  To  provc  and  illustrate  this,  con- 
sider the  following  things.  1.  His  life  was  absolutely  his  own.  "  My  life."  No  other 
man  can  absolutely  call  his  life  his  own.  With  the  exception  of  Christ's,  every  man's 
life  is  borrowed ;  he  is  a  tenant  at  will,  and  not  from  year  to  year,  but  from  breath  to 
breath.  But  Christ's  life  was  absolutely  his  own.  2.  He  had  an  absolute  control  over 
it.  Not  merely  it  was  his  own,  but  he  could  dispose  of  it  as  he  wished.  "No  one 
taketh  it  from  me."  (1)  'I'his  was  true  with  regard  to  all  men.  There  was  no  power 
in  Jerusalem,  nor  in  Rome,  nor  in  the  whole  world  combined,  that  could  take  it  from 
him.  (2)  This  was  true  with  regard  to  the  devil.  It  is  said  that  the  devil  had  the 
power  of  death,  and  in  a  sense  this  was  true.  But  it  was  not  true  with  regard  to 
Jesus ;  he  was  sinless,  and  he  was  almighty.  He  could  say,  "  The  prince  of  this  world 
cometh,"  etc.  He  had  neither  a  right  to  nor  the  power  over  the  life  of  Christ.  (3)  This 
was  true  with  regard  to  the  Father.  In  a  true  sense  he  is  the  absolute  Proprietor  of  lite ; 
but  this  Jesus,  as  the  Eternal  Son,  shared  with  him,  and  nis  incarnate  life  did  not  deprive 
him  of  this  Divine  prerogative.  Even  in  that  state  it  was  given  him  to  have  life  in 
himself.  Thus  the  Father  could  not  nor  would  not  take  it  from  him.  3.  His  death 
was  2)urely  voluntary.  (1)  It  was  his  own  personal  act.  His  life  was  absolutely  his 
own,  and  he  laid  it  down.  (2)  It  was  the  act  of  his  free  will  and  choice.  There  was  no 
circumstantial  and  personal  necessity,  there  was  no  coercion.  Who  on  earth  or  in  hell 
could  coerce  him?  and  who  in  heaven  would?  The  self-sacrificing  idea  was  purely 
voluntary  and  self-inspiring,  and  to  carry  it  out  cost  him  infinite  condescension.  He 
had  to  become  a  man  before  he  could  have  the  power  to  lay  down  his  life.  He  could  not 
die  in  heaven  ;  no  one  can  die  there,  much  less  he  who  is  the  Life  itself.  But  in  human 
nature  death  to  him  was  possible  and  right.  It  would  be  a  small  thing  for  a  Bein^  of 
infinite  power  and  goodness  to  boast  of  his  power  and  right  to  live ;  the  great  thing 
for  him  was  to  have  the  power  to  die.  With  becoming  pride  Jesus  boasts  of  this.  "  I 
have  power  to  lay  it  down."  But  all  this  was  from  his  free  and  independent  choice. 
"I  lay  it  down  of  myself."  In  this,  and  in  this  alone  with  regard  to  the  Father,  he  claims 
absolute  independency  of  action,  involving  his  perfect  voluntariness — the  sweetest 
odour  of  the  sacrifice.     (3)  It  was  purely  voluntary  to  the  last.    He  could  evade  the 


to  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.        [ch.  x,  1—42. 

cross,  could  come  down  from  it,  could  live  on  it,  and  in  spite  of  it  and  its  agonies.  "  He 
bowed  his  head,  gave  up  the  ghost,"  etc.  4.  His  death  was  purely  vicarious.  Every 
man  must  die  for  himself.  It  is  the  debt  of  nature.  But  Christ  had  no  debt  of  his 
own  to  pay.  He  came  under  the  law  of  death  to  pay  the  debts  of  others,  and  redeem 
them  from  the  curse. 

III.  His  death  called  forth  the  special  commendation  op  the  Father. 
"Therefore  doth,"  etc.  For  this:  1.  As  it  was  for  the  noblest  purposes.  "That  I 
might  take  it  again."  These  purposes  were :  (1)  The  pei-fection  of  his  own  life.  His 
mediatorial  life  was  made  perfect  through  sufferings.  He  attained  a  perfect  life  through 
death.  (2)  The  perfection  of  the  lives  of  all  believers  in  him.  The  lives  of  all  believers 
are  potentially  perfect  in  his  perfected  and  glorified  life;  for  he  died  and  triumphed,  not 
for  himself,  but  for  others.  "  Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also."  His  life  was  more 
valuable  when  taken  again  than  when  laid  down.  (3)  These  purposes  were  worthy  of 
the  sacrifice.  There  is  adequate  compensation.  Even  the  precious  life  of  Jesus  was 
thus  put  out  on  good  interest ;  there  was  no  loss  nor  waste,  but  infinite  gain.  The  gain 
of  salvation  to  the  world,  the  gain  of  unspeakable  glory  to  the  Divine  throne.  The 
purposes  were  well  worthy  of  the  Son  and  the  Father.  2.  As  it  was  the  fulfilment  of 
Divine  love.     (1)  The  salvation  of  the  human  race  is  a  Divine  idea,  impulse,  and  plan. 

(2)  An  infinite  sacrifice  was  essential  to  carry  this  out.  It  was  essential  to  satisfy  the 
claims  of  Divine  justice,  law,  and  holiness,  and  also  to  satisfy  human  wants,  and  to 
remove  sin  and  guilt  and  enmity.  "  Without  the  shedding  of  blood,"  etc.,  is  a  Divine 
sentiment,  and  it  was  ever  echoed  by  the  human  conscience.  (3)  The  death  of  Christ 
fully  met  this  requirement.  In  the  sacrifice  of  Jesus,  Divine  love  is  satisfied  and  ful- 
filled. It  finds  a  platform  upon  which  to  act,  a  channel  through  which  to  flow,  and  a 
suitable  instrument  by  which  to  effect  its  grand  purposes  of  mercy  and  salvation.  3. 
As  it  was  a  special  ckI  of  obedience  to  the  Divine  xuill.  (1)  His  death  was  in  obedience 
to  a  special  expression  of  the  Divine  will.  "  This  commandment  have  I,"  etc.  This 
command  was  not  arbitrary,  but  the  eternal  law  of  love.  The  principle  of  obedience 
in  Christ  is  as  old  as  the  law  of  love  in  the  Divine  nature.  But  this  self-sacrificing  act 
was  a  special  expression  of  it.  And  Jesus  obeyed.  (2)  It  was  in  loving  obedience  to  the 
Divine  will.  It  was  the  obedience  of  love.  There  is  no  coercion  in  the  command, 
there  is  no  servility  in  the  obedience.  The  command  is  the  natural  suggestion  of  love; 
the  obedience  is  the  natural  res^TOnse  of  love,  the  expression  of  loving  sympathy — sym- 
pathy of  nature  and  purpose.  The  command  was  the  expression  of  the  Divine  heart, 
and  the  law  of  obedience  was  in  the  heart  of  Jesus.     It  was  the  obedience  of  pure  love. 

(3)  It  was  a  practical  and  public  manifestation  of  obedience  to  the  Divine  will.  The 
Father  needed  no  proof  of  the  Son's  loving  obedience.  But  the  world,  and  perhaps  the 
whole  universe,  needed  this,  and  to  them  it  was  most  important  and  beneficial.  Christ 
gave  a  special  proof  and  manifestation  of  this  in  his  self-sacrificing  death,  which  called 
forth  a  special  expression  of  the  Father's  commendation,  4.  Jesus  throughout  was  ever 
conscious  of  his  Father's  approbation.  This  was  felt:  (1)  In  his  conscious  power  to  lay 
down  his  life.  (2)  In  his  conscious  power  to  take  it  again.  There  is  an  inseparable 
connection  between  the  two.  He  could  not  take  it  again  without  laying  it  down,  and 
could  not  lay  it  down  but  in  the  certainty  of  taking  it  again.  All  have  the  power  of 
laying  down  their  lives,  but  not  to  take  them  again.  Jesus  had  both  the  power  of 
death  and  life,  and  the  latter  was  the  reward  of  his  self-sacrificing  and  loving  obedience. 
(3)  In  his  conscious  knowledge  that  the  Father  accepted  and  was  pleased  with  his  sacri- 
fice. What  can  give  us  such  pleasure  and  strength  as  to  know  that  what  we  do  is  most 
gratifying  to  the  chief  object  of  our  affection  ?  Jesus  felt  that  his  sacrifice  was  accepted 
by  his  Father  with  infinite  delight  and  gratitude.  This  was  like  a  Divine  sunbeam  on 
his  soul  throughout  the  intense  gloom  of  his  humiliation  and  suffering. 

Lessons.  We  have  here :  1.  The  highest  example  of  pastoral  fidelity  and  devotion. 
2.  The  highest  example  of  a  noble  and  self-sacrificing  life.  3.  The  highest  example  of 
filial  obedience.  4.  The  royal  road  to  God's  special  approbation.  Follow  the  footsteps 
of  Christ,  in  his  self-sacrificing  life,  in  his  loving  obedience ;  and  this  will  result  in  our 
Father's  special  commendation  and  love. — B.  T. 

Vers.  27 — 30. — The  Shepherd  and  the  sheep.     Notice — 

I.  Believers  in  belation  to  Christ.    1..  They  are  his  property.    (1)  By  a  double 


en.  X.  1—42.]        THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  71 

creation.  The  old  and  the  new.  He  made  them  first  men,  and  then  Christians — new 
creatures  in  himself.  They  are  his  workmanship.  (2)  By  a  Divine  gift.  "  The 
Father,  which  gave  them  me."  They  are  the  gifts  of  his  Father's  love,  given  to  him 
in  trust  for  the  purpose  of  salvation.  (li)  By  purchase.  He  liid  down  his  life  for  them  ; 
redeemed  them  from  the  curse  of  the  Law  and  from  sin.  (4)  By  support.  They  are 
not  merely  his  workmansiiip,  but  the  sheep  of  his  pasture.  They  are  his.  2.  Thei/ 
are  his  special  property.  Special :  (1)  As  they  were  purchased.  His  dominion  is 
vast  and  wide;  it  ruleth  over  all.  The  universe  is  his  estate,  his  property  is  infinite. 
Bat  believers  are  his  only  "  purchased  possession,"  (2)  As  they  are  very  valuable. 
Their  value  can  be  to  some  extent  estimated  from  the  infinite  price  given  for  them — the 
precious  blood  of  Christ.  He  knew  their  value  when  he  made  the  purchase.  As  such 
they  are  his  special  treasures,  his  jewels.  (3)  As  they  are  vei-i/  useful.  The  sheep  is 
one  of  the  most  useful  animals  of  the  fields.  Its  flesh  is  food,  and  its  fine  wool  is  gar- 
ment. Believers  arc  useful,  and  valuable  because  useful.  Sheep  in  the  East  were  the 
most  useful  property.  What  would  be  the  richest  pasture  without  sheep  to  graze  it  ? 
What  would  the  world  be  without  mm — what  its  scenes  without  an  eye,  and  its  music 
without  an  ear?  What  would  man  be  without  fiiith  in  Christ  and  without  godliness? 
The  spiritual  in  man  would  be  a  power  for  evil.  The  soul  would  be  barren,  ami  the 
earth  morally  would  be  a  desert,  and  would,  as  in  the  time  of  Noah,  be  utterly 
destroyed.     Immanuel's  land  would  be  useless  without  the  sheep. 

IL  Some  of  their  charactkristics  in  relation  to  Christ.  1.  "  They  hear  his 
voice."  This  implies :  (1)  Recognition  of  his  voice.  In  the  religious  world  there  are 
many  voices — that  of  the  stranger,  the  thief,  and  the  hireling.  ]t  is  a  Babel  of  sounds, 
and  Christ's  voice  is  imitated.  I3ut  believers  recognize  the  voice  of  Jesus  amidst  all,  and 
they  recognize  it  as  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God  and  their  Saviour.  (2)  Special  atten- 
tion to  his  voice.  They  not  merely  distinguish  and  know  it  as  his,  but  attend  and 
hear;  and  to  them  it  is  particularly  sweet  and  charming — like  the  sound  of  pardon  to 
the  condemned,  the  sound  of  health  to  the  sick,  or  the  sound  of  the  trump  of  jubilee 
to  the  captives  in  the  land  of  Israel  of  old.  Even  all  the  golden  harps  of  heaven  could 
not  produce  such  a  sweet  music,  and  they  listen  with  attention  and  rapturous  delight. 
(3)  Willing  acceptation  by  faith  of  his  teaching.  His  voice  does  not  die  away  in  music 
and  end  in  mere  rapturous  feelings.  But  its  teaching  sinks  deep  in  the  mind,  produces 
genuine  faith  in  the  heart,  and  full  and  hearty  acceptation  and  assent  in  the  whole  soul. 
2.  "  They  follow  him."  The  hearing  results  in  following.  This  implies:  (1)  An  acknow- 
ledgment of  his  leadership.  "  They  follow  me."  This  is  a  practical  acknowledgment 
of  his  right  and  fitness  in  every  respect  to  lead.  They  have  every  confidence  in  him, 
and  they  fully  trust  and  believe  and  obey.  And  they  ought ;  for  he  is  a  Leader  and  Com- 
mander of  the  people — the  greatest  Leader  of  all  ages,  the  only  Leader  and  Shepherd 
of  souls.  (2)  A  practical  proif  of  his  influence  over  them  and  their  adherence  to  him. 
"  They  follow."  Why  ?  Because  he  attracts  them.  It  is  the  attraction  of  his  Person, 
character,  doctrine,  life,  love — the  attraction  of  food  to  the  hungry  ;  they  are  not  driven, 
but  drawn;  they  are  filled,  and  they  follow;  they  are  impelled  and  attracted.  (3) 
An  acknowledgment  of  their  relative  position.  Christ  leads  and  they  follow.  The 
Master  first,  then  the  disciples.  This  is  the  natural  and  Divine  order.  Peter  once 
wished  to  reverse  it.  He  impulsively  wanted  to  lead,  but  he  was  peremptorily  ordered 
to  the  rear.  "  Get  thee  behind  me."  The  shepherd  is  to  be  in  front,  the  sheep  behind. 
They  generally  do,  and  ought  to,  observe  the  proper  order.  (4)  Constant  progression 
towards  his  life.  "They  follow  me."  He  writes  a  copj',  and  they  imitate.  He  com- 
mands, and  they  obey.  He  goes  before,  and  they  follow.  They  are  never  at  a  stand- 
still, but  follow  him  whithersoever  he  goeth.  The  Christian  life  is  not  rest  here,  but  a 
continual  movement  after  and  towards  Christ.  He  is  the  mark,  and  his  disciples  press 
on  towards  it,  and  they  get  nearer  every  day. 

III.  The  blessings  they  enjoy  in  relation  to  Christ.  1.  Bis  recognition  of 
them.  "  I  know  them."  (1)  His  recognition  of  them  is  perfect.  He  knows  them 
better  than  they  know  themselves,  and  before  they  know  him.  "  Before  Philip  called 
thee,"  etc.  He  knows  their  outward  circumstances  and  difficulties,  their  inward  and 
real  character,  temptations  and  dangers.  He  knows  them  personally  and  individually. 
Not  onl}--  he  knows  the  flock  generally,  bat  he  knows  every  sheep  individually,  and  can 
call  each  one  by  name.     (2)  His  recognition  of  them  is  practical.    He  is  not  ashamed 


THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.        [ch.  x.  1—42. 


to  own  them  as  his.  The  relationship  he  publicly  confesses.  "  My  sheep."  They  are 
admitted  to  the  circle  of  his  immediate  friendship,  his  sympathy,  love,  and  help.  (3) 
His  recognition  to  them  is  the  highest  honour.  To  be  recognized  by  the  great  and  x\c\\ 
of  this  world  is  considered  a  high  honour.  How  much  higher  honour  it  is  to  be  recog- 
nized by  him  who  is  Lord  of  all !  This  is  the  highest  honour  and  distinction.  2.  The 
enjoyment  of  the  highest  life.  "  I  give,"  etc.  (1)  This  is  the  spiritual  life  of  the  soul. 
The  life  of  God  and  of  Christ  within.  Christ  not  only  gave  his  life  for  the  sheep,  but 
also  gave  it  to  them,  as  a  principle,  an  example,  and  inspiration  of  a  new  life  in  them. 
This  is  their  greatest  need.  (2)  This  life  is  the  gift  of  Christ.  "  I  give  them."  He 
alone  could  give  it.  It  is  the  gilt  of  his  infinite  love  and  free  grace.  It  is  most  suit- 
able to  the  recipients,  and  worthy  of  the  princely  Giver.  No  sum  of  money  could  pur- 
chase it,  no  amount  of  human  merit  could  deserve  it;  but  the  Divine  author  graciously 
gives  it  to  all  his  faithful  adherents.  (3)  It  is  the  gift  of  Christ  now.  "  I  give  them." 
It  is  not  a  mere  promise,  but  a  present  gift.  (4)  It  is  to  he  fully  enjoyed  in  the  future. 
"  Eternal  life."  It  is  a  life  which  has  in  it  the  elements  of  eternal  continuance  of  hap- 
piness and  fruition,  and  eternity  is  at  its  disposal.  3.  Perfect  safety.  (1)  Safety  from 
inward  danger.  "  They  shall  never  perish."  Shall  never  fall  victims  to  their  inward 
corruption.  The  principle  of  life  is  between  them  and  spiritual  death.  (2)  Safety  from 
outward  foes.  "  No  one  shall  pluck  them,"  etc.  Believers  are  exposed  to  outward  foes. 
The  arcii-thief  and  his  emissaries  are  ever  on  the  watch  for  an  opportunity  to  steal  and 
kill.  But  they  are  safe.  "  No  one,"  etc.  (3)  The  safety  oi  Divine  care.  "  They  are  in 
his  hand."  They  are  so  precious.  Cost  so  much.  So  prone  to  wander.  Their  spiritual 
foes  so  anxious  to  have  them  as  their  prey,  that  they  are  not  trusted  anywhere  but  in 
Jesus'  hand.  They  can  never  be  taken  by  stealth.  "  They  are  in  his  hand."  (4)  The 
safety  of  Almighty  protection.  "  They  are  in  his  hand."  His  hand  is  in  immediate  con- 
nection with  his  arm,  and  his  arm  is  almighty.  No  one  can  take  them  by  force.  "  They 
are  in  his  hand."    The  hand  of  his  tender  love,  of  his  watchful  care  and  almighty  power. 

IV.  The  special  guarantees  of  these  blessings.  1.  The  ahsohite  supremacy  of 
the  Father.  "  The  Father,  which  gave  them  me,  is  greater  than  all."  (1)  Greater  than 
all  things.  (2)  Greater  than  all  ivicked  men  and  spirits.  Greater  than  their  indi- 
vidual force,  and  all  their  forces  combined.  (3)  Greater  than  ecen  the  Son  himself.  In 
his  humiliation,  official  capacity,  and  by  Divine  courtesy,  Jesus,  as  Son,  naturally  ascribes 
supremacy  to  the  Father.  "  My  Father  is  greater  than  all."  2.  The  union  of  the  Son 
with  the  Father.  "  I  and  the  Father  are  one."  (1)  One  in  nature  and  essence.  (2) 
One  in  power  and  authority.  (3)  One  in  purpose  and  will.  3.  The  consequent  union 
of  believers  with  both.  If  they  are  in  Christ's  hand,  they  are  in  that  of  the  Father  ;  for 
they  are  one.  They  are  thus  in  the  impregnable  fortresses  of  infinite  power  and  love. 
Their  life  is  divinely  given  and  infinitely  safe — hid  with  Christ  in  God.  No  one  shall, 
and  no  one  is  able  to,  pluck  them  hence. 

Lessons.  1.  True  believers  have  special  characteristics.  They  are  known  of  Christ,  and 
may  be  known  of  men.  The  sheep  of  Christ  are  marked ;  the  marks  are — they  hear  and 
follow  him.  Thus  he  knows  them,  and  thus  they  may  know  themselves.  To  those 
who  do  not  hear  and  follow,  he  says,  "  Ye  are  not  of  my  sheep."  2.  The  enjoyment  of 
the  blef^sings  of  Christ  depends  upon  com])liance  with  the  conditions.  "  They  hear  .  .  . 
and  follow  .  .  .  and  I  give  them,"  etc.  This  proves  them  to  be  his  sheep,  and  ensures  to 
them  the  cave  and  defence  of  the  good  Shepherd,  as  well  as  all  the  blessings  of  the  fold. 
3.  In  the  degree  the  conditions  are  complied  with  the  blessings  are  enjoyed.  "  They  follow 
me,  and  I  give  unto  them,"  etc.  I  give  as  they  follow.  Where  there  is  no  following  at 
all,  there  is  no  life ;  where  the  following  is  slack,  the  life  is  weak ;  but  when  close,  life 
is  strong  and  vigorous.  The  nearer  to  Jesus  the  greater  the  life.  The  impartation  of 
eternal  life  is  gradual,  for  the  participation  is  gradual.  As  we  follow  he  gives.  We 
could  not  hold  it  all  at  once.  Let  us  follow  him  more  closely  if  we  want  more  life.  4. 
The  ultimate  security  of  any  one  depends  upon  the  following.  The  perseverance  of  the 
saints  in  grace  to  the  end  is  a  practical  question.  It  is  decided  on  the  part  of  God. 
The  Divine  hand  is  safe.  But  is  it  decided  on  our  part  ?  Are  we  in  it  ?  '*  They  shall 
never  perish."  Not  in  his  hand.  No  one  is  able  to  pluck  them  out  of  it.  Let  us  make 
sure  that  we  are  in  it,  and  that  we  slip  not  out  ourselves  from  it  by  not  hearing 
and  following  Jesus.  Then  the  question  of  our  ultimate  safety  will  be  practically 
settled.— B.  T. 


CH.  X.  1—42.]        THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  73 

Ver.  9. — Tlie  Portal  of  safety  and  promise.  "  I  am  the  Door :  by  me  if  any  man  enter 
iu,  he  shall  be  safed,  and  shall  go  in  and  out,  and  find  pasture."  During  long  ages  Israel 
was  God's  flock ;  her  system  ol  life  and  worship,  fenced  round  with  laws  and  ordinances, 
was  his  fold  ;  her  prophets  and  righteous  rulers  were  his  shepherds.  It  was  in  many 
respects  a  strange  and  unique  spectacle.  "  A  people  that  dwelt  alone,  and  was  not 
reckoned  among  the  nations."  What  was  the  key  to-  this  historic  problem  ?  One  key 
to  it  at  least  was  the  hope  of  a  Messiah.  To  see  and  in  some  measure  grasp  this  hope 
was  essential  to  every  true  Israelite.  Whether  such  a  one  was  a  shepherd  or  a  sheep 
of  the  flock,  his  faith  in  a  present  God  embraced  at  the  same  time  the  promise  of  a 
Redeemer  to  come.  Hence  our  Lord  says  (vers.  7,  8),  "  I  am  the  Door  of  the  sheep. 
All  that  ever  came  before  me  [irrespective  of  me]  were  thieves  and  robbers :  but 
the  sheep  did  not  hear  them."  But  now  that  the  Messiah  had  come,  bis  mission  was 
not  to  destro}',  but  to  fulfil ;  not  to  disappoint,  but  to  expand,  to  exceed  the  hopes  of 
God's  ancient  people.  And  so,  lifting  up  his  eyes,  Jesus  sees  before  him  a  wider 
horizon,  a  richer  pasture,  and  room  for  a  larger  flock  than  any  Israelite  had  thought  of. 
He  even  drojis  the  image  of  a  fold  for  the  moment,  or  rather  widens  it  out  indefinitely, 
and  speaks  of  himself  as  the  Door — the  one  way  of  entrance  into  the  blessings  of  his 
own  kingdom.  "I  am  the  Door,"  etc.  Thus,  by  means  of  a  simple  image,  Christ 
places  himself  between  the  whole  human  race  and  true  blessedness.  Tliis  is  one  of  his 
world-wide,  universal  claims  which  at  once  distinguish  him  from  all  other  prophets  and 
teachers  whom  God  has  ever  sent.  They  could  point  out  to  their  fellows  more  or  less 
clearly  the  path  of  life ;  Christ  alone  said,  "  I  am  the  Way."  In  moments  of  rapture 
they  could  sing  themselves,  or  teach  others  to  sing, "  Open  to  me  the  gates  of  righteous- 
ness, and  I  will  enter  into  them."  Christ  said,  "  I  am  the  Door :  let  every  man  enter 
in  by  me."  He  said  this  calmly  at  the  first,  amid  the  captious  Pharisees  who  sur- 
rounded him ;  and  wherever  his  gospel  is  preached  or  his  Name  made  known,  he  says  it 
still.  To  the  happy  and  to  the  miserable,  to  the  virtuous  and  to  the  vicious,  to  young 
and  old,  to  the  great  ones  of  the  earth  and  to  men  of  low  estate,  to  every  class  of 
character  and  to  each  isolated  individual,  he  says, "  If  you  would  know  what  true  life  is, 
if  you  would  escape  from  imminent  peril  into  a  land  of  peace,  '  I  am  the  Door.'"  The 
text  divides  itself.     In  the  first  part  of  it — 

I.  Christ  claims  to  be  the  Portal  of  safety,  the  Door  of  deliverance  from 
SPIRITUAL  death.  "  By  me  if  any  man  enter  in,  he  shall  be  saved."  And  he  says 
this  with  perfect  insight  into  our  condition  here.  He  knows  what  is  in  man  ;  if  some 
of  us  under  a  calm  exterior  are  carrying  about  with  us  a  bad  conscience,  or  if,  reckless 
and  gay  to  outward  appearance,  we  are  afraid  to  be  alone  with  ourselves  or  with  God. 
He  knows  what  is  around  man — the  evil  examples,  the  strong  temptations  that  enslave 
so  many  wills,  the  false  lights  and  the  delusive  hopes  that  blind  so  many  understandings. 
And  he  knows  what  is  before  man ;  for  the  veil  that  hides  the  future  from  our  view  is 
perfectly  transparent  to  his  eyes ;  and  he  spoke  more  solemnly  of  human  destiny  than 
any  of  the  ancient  prophets  or  of  his  own  apostles  ever  spoke.  So  that  no  man,  how- 
ever profoundly  dissatisfied  with  himself,  remorseful  for  the  past,  despondent  or  anxious 
about  the  future,  can  complain  that  this  word  of  Christ  is  not  for  him.  He  knows 
you,  brother,  better  than  you  know  yourself — as  thoroughly  as  if  there  was  no  other 
wanderer  in  this  wide  wilderness  but  you.  He  has  followed  you  step  by  step;  has 
witnessed  your  most  secret  sins,  however  little  you  thought  of  his  piercing  eye ;  has  seen 
through  every  excuse  you  have  made  for  yourself,  and  beneath  every  mask  you  have 
worn  so  bravely  before  the  world ;  and  now  that  you  are  weary  in  the  greatness  of  your 
way,  instead  of  despising  you,  or  upbraiding  you  with  your  folly,  he  gives  you  a  per- 
sonal invitation,  definite  and  distinct,  to  a  blessedness  that  you  have  never  known  ; 
and  instead  of  tantalizing  you  with  vague  or  impracticable  counsels,  such  as  bidding 
you  first  save  yourselves  and  then  look  up  for  his  blessing,  first  undo  the  bitter  past 
and  then  consult  him  about  the  future,  he  bids  you  come  to  him  just  as  you  are,  with 
your  burden  on  your  back.  "  I  am  the  Door,"  etc.  Ah !  many  a  prodigal  has  trembled 
to  enter  the  door  of  his  old  home ;  but  surely  when  Christ,  the  sinner's  Friend,  con- 
descends to  call  himself  the  Door  of  his  Father's  house,  none  need  fear  to  approach 
through  him.  Yet  to  many  Christ's  claim  to  be  the  Portal  of  safety  seems  superfluous 
80  far  as  they  themselves  are  concerned.  They  admit  that  his  glowing  offers  of  life 
and  salvation  are  well  suited  to  outcasts  and  prodigals,  or  to  poor  despondent  creatures 


7r  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.        [ch.  x.  1—42. 

who  are  afraid  to  repent ;  but  only  to  such.  In  their  own  case  they  surely  possess  the 
germs  at  least  of  a  good  and  worthy  character,  and  while  they  are  \#illing  that  these 
germs  should  be  nourished  aud  fostered  by  the  teaching  of  Jesus  Christ,  they  can  ask 
from  him  nothing  more,  nothing  at  least  that  can  be  called  salvation.  But  how  did 
our  Lord  himself  speak  to  men  in  such  a  state  of  mind  as  this?  Early  in  his  ministry 
one  of  them  came  to  him  by  night,  calling  him  a  Teacher  sent  from  God,  and  asking 
for  instruciioD.  To  this  man,  this  master  in  Israel,  Jesus  replied,  "Ye  must  be  born 
again."  You  need  a  change  of  mind  and  heart  which  I  came  down  from  heaven  to 
give.  Yes,  and  to  all  who  are  like  Nicodemus  he  gives  the  same  counsel  still.  He  says, 
"You  need  more  than  some  general  helps  to  moral  improvement,  more  than  the  quicken- 
ing of  your  consciences,  or  the  strengthening  of  your  better  motives  and  impulses. 
Supernatural  help,  even  Divine  forgiveness  and  Divine  strength,  are  essential  to  you — 
nay,  they  are  waiting  for  you ;  and  in  order  to  realize  them  and  make  them  your  own, 
there  is  one  direction  in  all  the  wide  horizon  to  which  you  must  look,  one  definite 
step  you  must  take.     '  I  am  the  Door.' " 

.  II.  In  the  second  part  of  the  text  Christ  claims  to  be  the  Portal,  of  promise  to 
ALL  who  obey  him.  Each  one  of  these,  he  says,  "shall  go  in  and  out,  and  find  pasture." 
For  here,  as  we  have  said,  the  image  of  a  fold  widens  out  into  that  of  a  kingdom — a 
land  of  promise  better  than  that  which  Moses  saw  from  the  top  of  Pisgah ;  a  goodly 
country  where  there  is  room  for  all  the  flock  of  God  to  dwell,  and  where  its  wants  shall 
be  satisfied.  This  good  land  is,  in  one  word,  the  Christian  calling.  It  is  the  life  to 
which  Christ  admits  his  disciples.  Realizing  that  life  and  making  it  their  own,  they 
shall  lie  down  and  rise  up  in  the  Divine  favour,  and  "  the  Lord  shall  preserve  their 
going  out  and  their  coming  in,  from  henceforth  even  for  ever."  But  what  is  the  pasture 
they  shall  find  there?  What  is  the  nourishment  provided  for  them?  In  answer  to 
this  we  have  only  to  think  what  are  the  great  wants  of  our  being,  essential  to  us  as 
creatures  made  in  the  image  of  God,  for  assuredly  it  is  these  that  fall  within  the  scope 
of  Christ's  promises.  1.  First  of  all  there  is  truth.  I  mean  the  assured  knowledge  of 
God  and  of  his  will — practical  certainty  with  regard  to  our  position  here,  and  the  great 
realities  which  surround  Us.  Well  has  this  been  called  the  first  necessity  of  man's 
moral  nature.  The  understanding  craves  for  it.  The  renewed  heart  would  sicken  and 
faint  without  it.  But  this  priceless  nourishment  is  Christ's  to  bestow.  At  the  great 
crisis  of  his  life,  when  he  stood  before  Pilate's  judgment-seat,  he  claimed  to  be  both  the 
Witness  and  the  King  of  truth.  "  To  this  end,"  he  said,  "  was  I  born,  and  for  this 
cause  came  I  into  the  world."  And  though  his  claims  were  set  at  nought  by  the  world, 
they  were  gloriously  vindicated  by  his  rising  from  the  dead,  and  by  the  mission  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  by  the  outward  and  the  inward  seal  of  the  Eternal.  Heaven  and  earth 
shall  pass  away,  but  his  words  concerning  God  and  man,  and  the  broad  way  and  the 
narrow  way,  and  the  cross  of  true  discipleship  and  the  beatitudes  of  the  kingdom,  shall 
not  pass  away.  Evermore  they  shall  feed  and  strengthen  the  souls  of  his  faithful 
followers.  And  as  in  a  very  deep  sense  it  is  the  Spirit  of  Christ  that  breathes  through- 
out the  Scriptures  from  beginning  to  end  both  in  those  of  the  ancient  prophets  and  of 
the  holy  men  who  came  after,  so  the  flock  of  the  good  Shepherd  shall  ever  find  green 
pastures  and  still  waters  as  they  meditate  upon  them.  Even  now,  as  in  the  beginning 
of  the  gospel,  Christ  opens  their  understanding  that  they  may  understand  the  Scrip- 
tures. 2.  Another  great  need  of  our  souls  is  sympathy,  and  we  may  surely  say  that 
abundant  food  has  been  provided  for  this  craving  in  the  new  life  of  Christ's  disciples, 
which  is  our  gospel  land  of  promise.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  the  communion  of  saints. 
Precious  is  the  fellowship  which  they  have  with  one  another  as  they  sing  God's  praises 
together,  and  as  they  bow  before  the  same  mercy-seat,  and  as  in  their  assemblies  the 
same  thoughts  of  things  which  are  unseen  and  eternal  fill  all  their  minds.  It  is  well 
for  them  when  they  speak  heart  to  heart  of  the  things  which  concern  their  peace,  and 
encourage  one  another  in  the  good  way.  But  the  life  and  soul  of  this  fellowship  is  the 
secret  communion  which  each  of  them  enjoys  with  God  in  Christ.  To  him  they  can 
lay  open  all  their  hearts.  From  him  they  receive  help  of  which  they  cannot  well  speak 
to  others.  "  He  is  touched  with  a  feeling  of  their  infirmities."  Some  sorrow  may  be 
too  deep,  some  difficulty  too  delicate,  for  the  ears  of  their  fellow-men ;  but  before  him 
they  need  have  no  reserve,  and  assuredly  his  Divine  sympathy  is  like  nothing  else  in 
human  experience.    "  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered  into  the 


CH.  X.  1-42.]        THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  76 

heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him."  They 
"  taste  and  see  that  God  is  good  "  when  tliey  enter  into  the  secret  of  his  presence 
through  the  open  door  of  Christ's  mediatoiship,  and  thus  our  Lord's  great  promise  is 
fulfilled,  "  Ho  that  Cometh  to  me  shall  never  hunger,  and  he  that  believeth  on  me  shall 
never  thirst."  Such  are  Christ's  claims,  such  his  offers  in  the  words  before  us.  He 
does  not  speak  to  his  disciples  of  raptures  and  ecstasies,  or  promise  to  transport  them  to 
some  dreamland  where  they  shall  enjoy  a  charmed  or  enchanted  life.  But  he  says  they 
shall  be  saved,  and  shall  go  in  and  out  and  find  pasture.  Their  earthly  lot  may  not  be 
such  as  they  would  choose  for  themselves.  The  outward  aspect  of  Providence  may 
sometimes  be  stern,  circumstances  trying  and  hostile;  but  he  who  presides  over  all  the 
events  of  life,  and  sees  the  end  from  the  beginning,  has  promised  to  keep  them  in  the 
hollow  of  his  hand.  He  is  their  Shepherd,  and  they  shall  not  want.  Throughout 
the  years  of  their  pilgrimage  here  he  will  feed  them  with  the  bread  of  life,  and  refresh 
them  with  the  water  of  life,  and  with  these  experiences  and  with  his  own  promises  he 
will  inspire  their  minds  with  nothing  less  than  the  hope  of  glory.  "  Blessed  are  the 
people  that  are  in  such  a  case  "  as  this  ! — G.  B. 

Vers.  14, 15. — "  The  same  yesterday,  and  to-day,  and  for  ever."  "  I  am  the  good  Shepherd; 
and  I  know  mine  own,  and  mine  owu  know  me,  even  as  the  Father  knoweth  me,  and  I 
know  the  Father  "  (Revised  Version).  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  he  has  on  bis  head  many 
crowns,  so  throughout  the  Scriptures  he  is  invoked  and  celebrated  by  many  a  name. 
These  names  unveil  his  being,  they  describe  his  relations  to  us,  and  they  serve  for  his 
memorials  throughout  all  generations.  Indeed,  you  can  scarcely  have  a  right  or  fitting 
thought  concerning  him  but  you  find  it  already  expressed  by  one  or  another  of  his 
Scripture  titles.  Here  he  calls  himself  "  the  good  Shepherd,"  using  an  image  which 
needs  no  explanation.  Every  child  knows  the  allegory  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter, 
and  has  learned  from  books  of  travel  how  the  shepherds  in  the  lands  of  the  Bible  know 
their  sheep  one  by  one,  and  go  before  them,  and  run  risks  for  them;  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  how  the  sheep  follow  their  leader,  and  will  not  go  after  a  stranger.  There  is 
abundant  evidence  how  dear  this  conception  of  Christ  was  to  the  heart  of  the  early 
Church.  Among  the  pictures  so  strangely  preserved  on  the  walls  of  the  Eoman 
catacombs,  where,  as  far  back  as  the  days  of  pagan  persecution,  the  Christians  were 
wont  to  bury  their  dead,  the  good  Shepherd  is  one  of  the  emblems  oftenest  portrayed. 
Fit  and  cheering  emblem  for  the  cloudy  and  dark  day !  (Stanley's  '  Christ.  Inst.,'  c.  xiii.). 
But  to  understand  the  significance  of  this  image  in  our  Saviour's  lips,  think  of  its 
hallowed  associations  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  of  its  deep  i)rophetic  meaning  there. 
From  time  immemorial  Jehovah  himself  had  been  loved  and  trusted  as  the  Shepherd 
of  Israel,  and  the  greatest  earthly  guides  whom  he  gave  to  his  people  were  described  as 
under-shepherds  who  fulfilled  his  will.  "  Thou  leddest  thy  people  like  a  flock  by  the 
hand  of  Closes  and  Aaron  (Ps.  Ixvii.  20) ;  "  He  chose  also  David  his  servant,"  etc. 
(Ps.  Ixxviii.  70,  71).  But  more,  when  the  great  days  of  Jewish  prophecy  came  round, 
how  wondrously  was  the  advent  of  a  Divine  Shepherd  foretold  who  should  never  cease 
to  feed  the  flock  of  God !  Isaiah  cried,  "  The  Lord  God  .  .  .  shall  feed  his  flock  like 
a  shepherd."  Ezekiel  echoed  and  prolonged  the  cry  (xxxiv.  12).  Thus  prophetic 
visions  were  realized  and  proiAetic  voices  were  fulfilled  when  Christ  said,  "  I  am,"  etc. 
On  many  grounds  Christ  could  claim  this  title,  but  his  own  words  in  the  text  give 
prominence  to  a  special  and  mutual  tie  between  the  good  Shepherd  and  his  flock. 
"  I  know  my  own,  and  my  own  know  me,"  etc. 

I.  Thesk  words  werk  fulfilled  in  the  days  of  our  Lord's  flesh.  Even 
then  it  was  with  a  sure  and  Divine  intuitinn  that  he  looked  into  the  hearts  of  men. 
This  was  more  than  the  strange  gift  of  discernment  which  men  of  genius  have  some- 
times shown  in  choosing  followers.  "  He  knew  fiom  the  beginning  who  they  were  that 
believed  not,  and  who  should  betray  him  ;  "  and,  on  the  other  hand,  he  recognized  those 
whom  the  Father  had  given  him,  and  whose  souls  were  prepared  or  preparing  to  receive 
the  good  seed  of  the  kingdom.  Do  any  say,  "  How  was  this  ?  "  seeing  he  had  emptied 
himself  even  of  his  omniscience,  and  was  found  in  fashion  as  a  man  ?  Enough  to  reply 
that  the  Spirit  that  was  given  to  him  without  measure  was  "a  spirit  of  wisdom  and 
understanding,"  so  that  "he  did  not  judge  after  the  sight  of  his  eyes,  nor  reprove  after 
the  hearing  of  his  ears."    And  hence  he  never  was  mistaken  in  his  estimate  of  human 


76  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.        [ch.  x.  1—42. 

character — never  met  with  a  refusal  when  he  said  authoritatively  to  one  and  another, 
*'  Follow  me !  "  When  he  saw  Nathanael  coming  to  him  he  said,  "  Behold  an  Israelite 
indeed,  in  whom  is  no  guile."  When  he  beheld  Simon  the  son  of  Jonas,  he  gave  him 
a  new  name,  which  Peter  in  the  long  run  justified.  And  when  he  found  Matthew 
sitting  at  the  receipt  of  custom  he  counted  on  that  publican's  obedience,  and  made  him 
a  disciple  with  a  word.  And  so  he  gathered  about  him  a  flock — it  was  in  those  days 
but  a  little  flock — which  continued  faithful  to  him  to  the  end ;  and  though  there  was 
a  wolf  among  them  in  sheep's  clothing,  it  was  Judas  himself,  and  not  his  Master,  who 
was  deceived.  And  he  adds,  "  My  own  know  me,  even  as  I  know  the  Father."  Not, 
indeed,  with  an  absolutely  pure  and  unclouded  knowledge  such  as  his  was,  unimpaired 
by  occasional  error  or  mistake,  but  with  a  knowledge  which  was  real  and  true  and 
spiritual.  According  to  the  measure  of  their  faith  Christ's  own  disciples^knew  him,  even 
as  he  knew  the  Father.  As  they  heard  his  words  and  saw  his  mighty  works  and 
marked  his  steps,  there  flashed  on  their  minds,  shining  through  the  veil  of  his  flesh,  a 
light  that  carried  its  own  evidence  along  with  it,  at  once  awe-inspiring  and  attractive. 
In  the  language  of  John,  "  They  beheld  his  glory  "  (ch.  i.  14).  Hence  they  regarded 
him  as  One  immeasurably  above  themselves,  never  questioning  his  authority,  or  doubt- 
ing his  faithfulness,  or  presuming  to  weigh  in  their  petty  balances  his  mighty  claims. 
And  M'hen  he  said  to  them  on  one  occasion,  "  Will  ye  also  go  away  ?  "  Peter,  making 
himself  the  spokesman  of  the  rest,  replied,  "  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go  ?  thou  hast 
the  words  of  eternal  life."  Thus  the  flock  knew  its  Shepherd. 
II.  These   words  have   a   permanent  application,  fob  in  their  fulness  of 

MEANING   THEY   BELONG   TO   OUR   LoRD   IN   HIS   GLORIFIED   STATE.      It   WaS  aS  the  great 

Shepherd  of  the  sheep  that  he  was  brought  again  from  the  dead,  and  when  he  ascended 
into  heaven  he  only  left  behind  him  the  limitations  of  his  earthly  life.  Already  he  had 
promised  to  be  with  his  disciples  alway,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world.  He  was  to  be 
their  Shepherd  still.  Hence  in  the  subsequent  Scriptures  we  never  read  of  any  of  his 
flock  dejDloring  his  departure  as  a  loss,  or  saying,  like  the  sisters  of  Bethany,  "  Lord,  if 
thou  hadst  been  here,"  etc. ;  on  the  contrary,  we  find  them  rejoicing  more  in  his  spiritual 
presence  than  they  had  ever  done  in  his  bodily  presence.  1.  In  how  many  senses  may 
it  be  said  that  he  knows  his  own  !  Their  number  is  within  the  ken  of  his  omniscience, 
and  there  are  hidden  ones  among  them  unperceived  by  man,  but  precious  in  his  sight, 
because  he  sees  the  mark  of  God  in  their  foreheads.  He  has  a  smile  of  recognition  for 
their  "  works,  and  charity,  and  service,  and  faith,  and  patience,"  well  pleased  that  they 
have  not  received  the  grace  of  God  in  vain.  And  when  their  spirit  is  overwhelmed 
within  them,  and  their  path  is  lonely  and  their  burden  such  as  friends  cannot  lift, 
perhaps  cannot  understand — for  who  can  sound  all  the  depths  of  a  brother's  heart  ? — 
then  he  knoweth  their  way,  and  his  perfect  knowledge  takes  the  form  of  tender  sympathy 
and  help  from  above.  Verily  the  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  his  !  2.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  is  still  a  faithful  saying  that  his  own  know  him.  Not  indeed  after  the  flesh,  as 
was  the  privilege,  if  we  should  not  rather  say  the  perplexing  ordeal,  of  his  first  disciples, 
but  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  They  have  had  experience  of  his  guidance,  sometimes  very 
wonderful,  always  very  real ;  how  he  has  done  for  them  what  no  man  or  angel  can  do, 
and  more  than  they  can  well  describe,  "  leading  them  by  the  right  way,"  giving  them 
his  Spirit — "  the  mind  of  Christ."  They  know  his  many-toned  voice  in  the  Scriptures, 
sometimes  "  still  and  small,"  as  Elijah  heard  it  at  Horeb,  at  other  times  "  like  the 
sound  of  many  waters,"  as  John  heard  it  at  Patmos  ;  so  that  they  have  no  need  to  say, 
"  Who  shall  ascend  into  heaven,  to  bring  Christ  down  from  above?  "  etc.  (Rom.  x.  6,  7), 
no  need  to  cross  land  and  sea  to  explore  the  places  where  he  dwelt,  or  to  travel  back 
in  thought  these  eighteen  hundred  years  to  realize  the  days  of  his  flesh.  "  When  his 
Word  is  nigh  them,  in  their  mouth  and  in  their  heart,"  then  is  their  Saviour  nigh  to 
them  also.  And  besides  all  this,  they  can  in  some  measure  trace  his  footsteps  through- 
out the  ages  ;  for  what  is  the  history  of  the  Church — I  mean  her  sacred  and  internal 
history — but  a  long  series  of  testimonies  to  our  Shepherd's  power  and  grace,  to  his 
patience  and  long-suffering  ?  So  that  these  words  are  as  true  now  as  they  were  on  the 
day  they  were  uttered.  Christ  has  a  widespread  flock  here  below.  It  is  for  him,  not 
for  us,  to  define  its  limits.  No  lines  that  man  can  draw  will  ever  avail  to  do  this. 
Has  he  not  said  that  "  many  that  are  first  shall  be  last,  and  the  last  first "  ?  But  he 
knows  his  own,  and  his  own  know  him.     The  fruits  of  their  fellowship  are  indeed 


CH.  X.  1—42.]        THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  77 

visiblo  and  tangible,  and  may  be  counterfeited,  but  not  its  roots.  The  strong  ties 
that  bind  the  Shepherd  to  his  flock  are  among  the  things  that  are  unseen  and  eternal. 
The  world  cannot  break  them,  nor  even  understand  them.  Time  does  not  impair  them, 
death  will  not  destroy  them.  "He  gives  to  his  sheep  eternal  life,"  etc.  (ver.  28). 
Blessed  are  those  who  can  set  to  their  seal  that  these  words  arc  true — who  can  say, 
"  Yes,  Lord  !  thou  knowest  my  weakness,  and  I  know  thy  strength ;  thou  knowest  my 
fully,  and  I  know  thy  wisdom ;  thou  knowest  my  poverty,  and  I  know  thine  unsearch- 
able riches.  Lord,  thou  knowest  all  things ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee ;  and  can 
I  doubt  this,  that  thou  first  lovedst  me  ?  " 

Learn  from  this  subject :  1.  That  the  faith  of  the  gospel  is  a  personal  matter.  Its 
object  is  not  a  principle,  or  an  abstraction,  or  an  unknown  and  unknowable  first  cause, 
or  *'a  stream  of  tendency  ;"  but  God  revealed  in  Christ,  whose  presence  can  be  sought 
and  realized,  who  stoops  and  humbles  himself  to  admit  us  into  his  friendship.  The 
text  breathes  the  very  language  of  communion  and  fellowship.  "  The  God  of  the  Bible 
is  heart  to  heart "  (Bunsen).  2.  The  deeji  repose  of  the  Christian  life.  There  is  peace 
in  believing.  Faith  can  rest  in  the  thought  of  an  Almighty  Shepherd  who  takes  an 
interest  in  each  of  his  flock.  It  is  true  that  Christ  "gives  to  every  man  his  work,"  and 
summons  his  disciples  to  war  the  good  warfare,  and  put  on  the  whf)le  armour  of  God. 
But  at  the  same  time  it  is  written,  "  We  that  have  believed  do  enter  into  rest  "  (Heb.  iv. 
3).  Deeper  than  all  the  conflicts  of  the  life  of  faith,  there  may  be  the  peace  of  God 
which  passeth  understanding.  Underneath  the  manifold  endeavours  of  our  active 
nature  there  is  room  for  quiet  trust  in  an  unseen  Helj^er.  Nay,  the  unfailing  springs  of 
courage  and  of  patience  have  their  source  within  the  veil.  Try  to  realize  this.  Surely 
the  words  of  the  text  fully  imply  it.  Look  up  to  him  who  said,  as  never  man  said, 
"  Kear  not ; "  "  Peace  be  unto  you."  Go  to  him,  listen  to  him,  follow  him,  and  the  old 
psalm  will  be  like  a  new  song  in  your  mouth,  "  The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd,"  etc. 
3.  Beware  of  murmuring  at  your  Shepherd's  guidance,  or  rebelling  against  it.  The 
jiath  which  you  know  is  his  path  may  be  rough  and  steep  for  a  time,  perhaps  monotonous 
and  weary.  False  guides,  pretended  "  leaders  of  thought,"  may  point  to  alluring 
prospects  on  the  right  hand  or  on  the  left,  and  try  to  persuade  you  to  turn  your  back 
on  Christ;  but  they  will  only  conduct  you  to  some  mirage  of  the  desert.  Ethels  dwell 
in  a  dry  land.  Is  this  your  experience  ?  Has  the  spirit  of  the  world  beguiled  you 
away  from  "  the  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ,"  and  has  your  love  grown  cold,  and  has 
your  hope  of  glory  died  away  ?  Take  with  you  words  and  say,  "  I  will  return  to  my 
first  Shepherd,  for  then  was  it  better  with  me  than  it  is  now."  Believe  in  his  infinite 
grace  and  goodness.  He  will  restore  your  soul,  and  lead  you  in  the  paths  of  righteous- 
ness, even  for  his  own  Name's  sake. — G.  B. 

Vers.  27,  28. — Quis  separahitf  "My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  I  know  them,"  etc. 
This  is  Christ's  last  word  concerning  himself  and  his  sheep;  his  last  application 
of  the  allegory  set  forth  in  the  beginning,  of  the  chapter.  We  may  well  wonder  at 
its  tone.  The  Speaker  knew  where  he  stood  and  what  awaited  him.  The  ancient 
fold,  of  which  he  had  spoken,  was  invaded  by  hireling  scribes  and  robber  Sadducees. 
The  true  sheep  were  feeble  and  apparently  helpless.  In  a  few  brief  months  they 
should  be  scattered,  and  he  himself,  their  good  Shepherd,  smitten  to  death.  Yet  our 
Lord  clings  to  his  similitude,  and  seems  to  us  to  rejoice  in  spirit,  as  he  speaks  of  the 
everlasting  bonds  between  himself  and  his  flock.  For  his  horizon  was  net  bounded 
by  the  cross  and  the  sepulchre,  but  by  the  joy  that  was  set  before  him  ;  and  he  foresaw 
that  in  the  ages  to  come  the  sound  of  his  voice  should  go  out  into  all  lands,  and  an 
ever-increasing  multitude  should  follow  him  and  receive  from  him  eternal  life.  We 
must,  therefore,  look  on  these. worda  as  Christ's  perpetual  and  living  testimony,  and 
without  forgetting  that  they  were  first  spoken  in  an  earthly  temple,  in  Solomon's  Porch, 
let  us  listen  to  them  as  coming  to  us  from  a  heavenly  temple,  and  from  a  throne  of 
glory.    They  describe — 

I.  The  conscious  tie  between  Christ's  disciples  and  himself.  Since  they  were 
uttered,  the  gospel  has  been  carried  far  and  wide  over  vast  continents  and  to  the  distant 
islands  of  the  sea,  and  it  would  take  long  to  tell  of  the  outward  revolution  it  has 
effected,  or  of  the  incidental  blessings  which  have  followed  in  its  train ;  how  it  has 
added  to  the  sum  of  human  happiness  and  diminished  the  sum  of  human  misery ; 


78  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.        [ch.  x.  1— 42. 

how  it  has  deepened  men's  thoughts  and  widened  their  horizon.  But  wherever  it  has 
taken  root,  individual  souls  have  consciously  owned  its  power  and  yielded  theto- 
selves  up  to  its  guidance.  No  census  can  count  up  their  numbers.  No  test  that  man 
can  apply  will  infallibly  distinguish  them  from  all  others.  It  is  only  Christ  himself 
who  can  say,  "  I  know  them."  But  there  is  one  great  outstanding  fact  concerning 
them  which  he  here  gives  prominence  to :  "  They  hear  his  voice,  and  follow  him." 
Among  the  many  voices,  some  truer,  some  falser,  which  reach  their  ears  in  this  world, 
there  is  one  voice  that  is  all-powerful.  Among  the  various  influences,  better  or  worse, 
which  press  upon  them  on  every  side,  there  is  one  influence  paramount  and  irresistible. 
And  this  is  a  matter  of  consciousness  on  their  part.  It  may  be  more  or  less  vividly  so 
at  difi"erent  times  or  in  certain  circumstances,  but  it  is  essentially  a  fact  of  experience 
which  they  would  not  part  with  if  they  could,  and  which  all  the  world  cannot  rob  them 
of.  They  hear  his  voice,  now  quickening  their  consciences  and  bidding  them  awake 
from  sleep;  or  again  saying  to  them,  "  Peace  be  unto  you ;  "  "  Fear  not ; "  or  yet  again, 
*'  Continue  ye  in  my  love."  But  there  is  always  grace  as  well  as  power  in  his  voice,  and 
this  makes  it  welcome  to  his  true  disciples.  When  he  warns  them,  they  take  good 
heed.  When  he  encourages  them,  they  are  of  good  cheer.  Even  when  he  rebukes 
them,  they  know  that  faithful  are  the  wounds  of  such  a  Friend,  and  can  only  reply, 
"  Speak,  Lord  ;  thy  servants  hear."  And  the  result  is  that  they  follow  him ;  for  there 
is  a  path  which  he  is  ever  tracing  for  them  by  his  precepts  and  his  example,  illumined 
as  these  are  by  his  Spirit— a  path  which  may  be  trodden  in  solitude  and  in  society, 
in  health  and  in  sickness,  in  the  busy  world  and  in  the  family  circle,  in  the  secret 
chamber,  by  young  and  old,  by  learned  and  unlearned.  Of  every  disciple  it  may  be 
said  that  the  deepest  desire  of  his  heart  is  to  be  found  in  that  good  way,  and,  should 
be  wander,  to  be  brought  back  to  it.  Sometimes,  indeed,  it  leads  him  through  green 
pastures  and  by  the  still  waters,  at  other  times  through  some  dark  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death  ;  but  he  knows  well  that  to  forsake  it  wilfully  is  to  draw  back  unto 
perdition,  and  the  very  dread  of  this  in  his  hours  of  temptation  is  a  salutary  thing. 
Since  the  day,  more  than  eighteen  centuries  ago,  when  the  disciples  were  calleii 
Christians  in  the  city  of  Antioch,  that  name,  first  perhaps  given  contemptuously,  has 
been  claimed  by  multitudes  without  number.  In  our  own  day  and  our  own  country  it 
must  needs  be  generally  accorded  to  all  who  do  not  care  to  renounce  it.  But  oh !  listen 
to  Christ's  own  description  of  those  whom  he  owns  as  members  of  his  flock  :  "  They 
hear  his  voice,  and  they  follow  him."  The  root  and  reality  of  the  matter  is  there.  Try 
yourselves  fairly  by  this  test.  Many  bear  the  Christian  name,  they  scarcely  know  why. 
But  none  can  listen  to  Christ  and  obey  him,  in  any  true  sense  of  the  word,  without 
earnestness  and  purpose  of  heart. 

II.  Christ's  great  gift  to  his  flock — eternal  life.  If  life  be  a  great  word, 
eternal  life  is  one  of  the  greatest  words  that  can  be  spoken  by  human  lips.  Who  can 
utter  it  aright  without  awe,  seeing  that  its  full  meaning  rises  so  high  above  us  and 
stretches  so  far  beyond  us  ?  You  know  that  in  Scripture  it  sometimes  denotes  that 
state  of  blessedness  which  is  reserved  for  God's  children  in  the  future ;  as  our  Lord  says, 
"  In  the  world  to  come  life  everlasting."  But  sometimes  also  it  points  to  a  blessing 
realized  in  some  measure  here  and  now.  "  This  is  life  eternal,  that  they  should  know 
thee  the  only  true  God,"  etc.  (ch.  xvii.  3).  Both  applications  of  the  word  are  needed 
to  fill  up  its  meaning.  Eternal  life  embraces  both  the  present  and  the  future.  It  has 
its  beginning,  and  it  has  its  consummation.  The  same  Sun  of  Righteousness  enlightens 
both  worlds.  The  river  that  gladdens  the  city  of  God  here  below,  reappears  in  the 
paradise  above.  And  both  aspects  of  the  wondrous  blessing  are  brought  together  in 
these  words  of  Christ,  for  he  speaks  in  the  same  breath  of  its  present  reality  and  of  its 
glorious  perpetuity.  "  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life  [not  merely,  *  I  shall  give  it'],  and 
they  shall  never  perish,"  etc.  1.  What,  then,  are  the  present  aspects  of  this  life  which 
Christ  bestows  upon  his  true  disciples  ?  What  does  he  do  for  them  ?  What  does 
he  give  them?  As  they  hear  his  voice  and  follow  him,  imperfectly,  no  doubt,  but 
unfeignedly,  lo !  the  mists  of  earthly  things  dissolve  and  disappear,  the  veil  is  lifted 
from  the  holy  of  holies,  and  he  admits  them  to  communion  and  fellowship  with  tine 
eternal  God.  Ah,  this  is  a  blessing  which  no  man  knoweth,  saving  he  that  receiveth  it. 
There  is  mercy  in  it,  there  is  peace  in  it,  there  is  joy  in  it,  but,  above  all,  there  is  life  in 
it ;  for  "  God  is  not.  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living."     Think  how  this  Divine 


en.  X.  1—42.]        THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  79 

friendship  is  described  in  that  benediction,  which  from  the  beginning  has  been  pro- 
nounced over  the  assemblies  of  Christ's  disciples  at  the  close  of  their  worship.  It  is 
called  "  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  because  it  is  bestowed  on  the  unworthy 
through  the  humiliation  of  the  God-Man.  It  is  called  "  the  love  of  God,"  because  it  is 
the  unveiling  .and  outpouring  of  the  Father's  heart.  And  it  is  called  "  the  communion 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  because  it  unites  God's  children  with  himself  and  with  each  other 
by  one  and  the  same  Spirit.  We  must  admit,  indeed,  that  custom  has  made  us  so 
familiar  with  these  words,  that  too  often  they  seem  only  a  becoming  formula  expected 
at  a  certain  moment ;  but  the  glorious  things  they  speak  of  can  never  pall  upon  the 
renewed  heart.  If  there  is  a  freshness  about  each  sunrise,  as  the  traveller  sees  the 
morning  spread  upon  the  mountains,  so  there  is  a  spiritual  freshness  about  each  glimpse 
of  the  glory  of  God.  What  child  ever  wearied  of  his  father's  smile?  What  Christian 
of  the  light  of  his  heavenly  Father's  countenance?  "With  thee  is  the  fountain  of 
life  :  in  thy  light  shall  we  see  light."  Such  are  the  springs  of  the  life  of  God  in  the 
soul  of  man ;  but  what  are  its  characters,  its  pulses,  so  to  speak,  or  its  breathings,  by 
which  it  may  be  known  in  our  own  experience  ? 

"  'Tis  life  of  which  our  souls  are  scant ; 
Oh,  life !  not  death,  for  which  we  pant ; 
More  life  and  fuller  that  we  want ! " 

In  the  text  it  is  contrasted  with  perishing,  and  something  may  be  learned  by  the 
contrast ;  for  though  none  in  this  place  of  hope  know  what  it  is  to  perish,  yet  many 
may  know  what  it  is  to  be  ready  to  perish.  It  is  to  have  no  object  worthy  of  the  soul's 
capacities  to  cling  to  or  lean  upon.  It  is  to  be  involved  in  uncertainty  as  to  where  we 
are  or  whither  we  are  going.  To  have  the  sphere  of  expected  good  growing  narrower, 
the  circle  of  expected  evil  growing  wider.  To  have  a  heart  becoming  more  selfish, 
more  dead,  or  more  cold  !  And  if  this  is  to  be  ready  to  perish,  then  to  have  eternal  life 
is  the  opposite  of  all  this.  It  is  to  have  the  gracious  presence  of  God  in  Christ ;  to  have 
the  assured  and  ever-brightening  prospect  of  better  things  to  come ;  to  breathe  that  love 
which  is  the  reflection  of  the  Divine  image,  because  God  is  love ;  and  which  cannot  be 
separated  from  happiness,  for  God  is  ever  blessed.  Such  are  the  beginnings  of  eternal 
life,  and  he  who  gives  it  can  sustain  it  in  the  hearts  of  his  disciples.  For  he  is  mightier 
than  all  the  enemies  they  can  meet  with  here  below  ;  and  as  to  time  itself,  which  buries 
so  much  in  the  waters  of  oblivion,  and  tests,  and  wastes,  and  weakens  so  many  earthly 
ties,  even  time  cannot  impair  this  friendship;  "  for  Jesus  Christ  is  the  same  yesterday, 
and  to-day,  and  for  ever."  2.  But  what  are  the  future  aspects  of  eternal  life ;  for,  as  its 
name  imports,  it  passes  beyond  the  frontiers  of  time,  and  transcends  all  the  experiences  of 
the  present?  A  change  indeed  awaits  even  the  disciples  of  Christ,  mysterious,  unknown, 
inconceivable,  when  this  world  shall  vanish  from  their  sight,  and  the  voices  of  their 
friends  shall  cease  to  sound  in  their  ears,  and  when  the  powers  of  speech  and  even  of 
will  and  thought  shall  fail  them.  Passive  and  helpless  they  shall  leave  this  stage  of 
existence;  passive  and  helpless  they  shall  enter  on  the  next.  But  see  in  the  words 
before  us  how  Christ  makes  himself  responsible,  not  only  for  the  dread  transition,  but 
for  all  the  experiences  that  lie  b&yond  it.  "  They  shall  never  perish,"  etc.  He  does 
not  speak  of  his  great  gift  as  becoming  the  independent  possession  of  his  disciples,  which 
they  themselves  are  to  guard  in  the  solemn  hereafter.  No,  even  there  it  will  be  the 
result  of  the  happy  and  enduring  relation  between  the  great  Shepherd  and  his  flock. 
And  this  is  the  very  thought  which  the  Apostle  Paul  expands  and  makes  his  own  in 
the  climax  of  the  eighth  chapter  of  Romans :  "I  am  persuaded,  that  neither  death,  nor 
life,  nor  angels, .  .  .  shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus  our  Lord."  However  far,  then,  we  look  forward  to  the  future,  we  may  say  this 
much — that  eternal  life,  in  all  its  stages,  will  be  the  continuation  and  unfolding  of  what 
is  begun  here.  The  life  of  grace  will  pass  into  the  life  of  glory,  but  its  thread  will  not 
be  cut,  nor  its  purposes  broken  off,  nor  its  centre  changed.  Here  its  frail  tent  is  a  body 
of  humiliation;  there  its  dwelling-place  shall  be  a  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal 
in  the  heavens;  but  in  its  root  and  essence  it  is  ever  the  same  life,  upheld  by  the  same 
Spirit,  watched  over  by  the  same  Redeemer.  "  All  his  saints  are  in  his  hand,"  and 
none  shall  pluck  them  thence.  What  the  ultimate  glory  of  eternal  life  will  be,  was 
more  than  th6  beloved  disciple  himself  could  well  conceive.     He  says  in  his  First 


80  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.        [ch.  x.  1—42. 

Epistle,  "It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be:  but  we  know  that,  when  he  shall 
appear,  we  shall  be  like  him;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is."  And  is  not  this  enough? 
Cat!  your  thoughts  and  desires  rise  higher  ?  We  are  taught,  indeed,  that  when  the 
mystery  of  God  has  been  finished,  the  children  of  the  resurrection  shall  open  their  eyes 
on  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth,  where  nothing  that  defileth  shall  ever  enter.  They 
shall  have  congenial  society  there;  the  companionship  of  the  loyal  and  the  true. 
Activity  without  weariness  shall  be  their  everlasting  rest.  But  the  crown  of  their 
blessedness  shall  be  this,  that  they  shall  bear  the  image  of  their  heavenly  Lord.  Once 
in  the  days  of  his  flesh  he  prayed  as  never  man  prayed :  "  Father,  I  will  that  they  also, 
whom  thou  hast  given  me,  be  with  me  where  I  am ;  that  they  may  behold  my  glory." 
The  answer  to  that  prayer  shall  be  eternal  life. — G.  B. 

Ver.  4. — The  familiar  voice.  Here  we  have  an  illustration  of  the  advantage  in  some 
respects  of  ear  over  eye,  of  sound  over  light.  By  the  shepherd's  voice  the  sheep  know 
him  even  when  they  cannot  see  him.'  They  never  make  any  mistake.  A  stranger 
might  come  and  bellow  himself  hoarse,  and  they  would  just  stop  where  ihey  were. 
This  statement,  of  course,  we  have  to  take  on  trust.  It  would  be  much  more  forcible 
to  us  if  we  had  stood  by  the  common  fold  and  seen  the  sheep  rushing  toward  the 
shepherd  upon  the  hearing  of  his  voice.  But  we  may  make  little  parables  out  of  our 
own  observation.  Other  brute  beasts  beside  sheep  recognize  those  on  whom  they  are 
dependent. 

I.  The  great  promise  connected  with  the  knowledge  of  the  voice  of  Jesus. 
See  vers.  27  and  28,  "  My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  I  know  them,  and  they  follow  me  : 
and  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life ;  and  they  shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any  man 
pluck  them  out  of  my  hand."  As  there  are  gifts  for  sheep  corresponding  to  their  nature 
and  needs,  so  there  are  gifts  for  men.  As  the  shepherd  gives  to  the  sheep  sustenance 
for  its  natural  life,  making  it  his  business  and  responsibility  to  find  out  the  green  pas- 
tures and  still  waters,  so  Jesus  is  the  Shepherd  who  gives  to  his  sheep  eternal  life, 
introducing  them  to  a  scene  of  growth  and  occupation  and  blessedness  to  which  he 
alone  has  the  key.  Thus  also  Jesus  stands  between  his  flock  and  peril.  There  is  that 
goeth  about  as  a  roaring  lion,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour.  There  is  that  would 
drive  every  Christian  into  unbelief  and  backsliding  and  love  of  this  present  evil  world, 
and  so  into  ultimate  destruction.  But  Jesus  stands  as  the  good  Shepherd,  armed  at 
every  point  against  every  foe. 

II.  All  is  useless  unless  the  sheep  know  the  voice.  Ample  provision  is  nothing 
unless  the  sheep  come  to  make  use  of  it.  The  bravery  and  vigilance  of  the  Shepherd  are 
all  in  vain  if  the  sheep  wander  out  of  earshot.  Even  a  sheep  must  do  something  to 
contribute  to  its  own  nourishment  and  security,  and  how  much  more  a  human  being? 
If  we  would  attain  the  very  height  of  life  and  be  invulnerable  at  every  point,  we  must 
know  the  voice  of  Jesus.  And  yet  though  the  sheep,  silly,  stupid  thing  as  it  is  often 
reckoned,  knows  its  shepherd's  voice,  the  children  of  men,  those  for  whom  Jesus  has 
stored  up  such  abundance  of  the  bread  of  life,  and  to  whose  salvation  he  has  devoted 
himself,  know  not  his  voice.  Oftentimes,  too,  the  knowledge  of  that  voice  has  to  come 
very  gradually. 

III.  Our  own  needy  and  dangerous  position  must  be  perceived.  We  must  com- 
prehend why  the  voice  of  Jesus  speaks  to  us  at  all.  That  voice  sounds  out  because  of 
need  and  danger.  The  sheep  and  shepherd,  as  it  were,  make  up  one  whole.  Unless 
we  feel  our  need  to  know  the  voice  of  Jesus,  we  never  can  know  that  need.  Mere 
reading  of  his  words  is  not  knowing  his  voice.  The  voice  of  Jesus  must  become 
lamiliar  just  as  every  other  voice  does.  There  must  be  a  beginning.  There  must  be 
attentiveness.  We  may  hear  that  voice  continually  if  we  choose  to  hear  it,  and  take 
the  right  way  to  hear  it.  Nothing  is  easier  than  to  stop  our  ears.  The  din  of  the 
world's  babble  will  easily  drown  the  voice  that  speaks  to  us  of  support  and  salvation. 
All  hangs  on  our  willingness  to  listen.  We  carry  our  needs  about  with  us,  wrapt  in 
the  complications  and  anxieties  of  our  lives,  and  we  must  carry  our  Shepherd  about  with 
us  too.  If  we  are  as  much  alive  to  our  needs  and  dangers  as  Jesus  is,  then  all  will  be 
right ;  for  his  voice  is  ever  sounding  in  the  midst  of  need  and  danger. — Y. 

Ver.  10. — The  fulness  of  life  in  Jesus.     Jesus  is  the  Shepherd,  contrasted  first  of  all 


en.  X.  1—42.]        THE  GOSFEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  81 

with  the  thief,  and  then  with  the  hireling.  In  this  verse  the  contrast  is  with  the  thief. 
The  thief  comes  to  steal,  taking  away  the  sheep  from  its  proper  owner.  The  thief 
comes  to  kill,  taking  away  from  the  sheep  all  further  use  and  enjoyment  of  its  own  life. 
The  thief  comes  to  destroy,  ravaging  through  the  fold  in  pure  malice  and  wantonness, 
killing  the  sheep,  not  for  food,  but  just  through  devilish  delight  in  inflicting  injury. 
The  shepherd  comes  to  nourish  and  protect  the  sheep,  lie  leads  it  by  the  green 
pastures  and  still  waters.  It  shall  have  the  very  best,  and  then  it  must  make  the  very 
best  of  it.  So  Jesus  comes  to  give  and  maintain  life  ;  and  what  he  proposes  he  actually 
performs.  Wherever  else  there  may  be  injury,  death,  destruction,  decay,  from  Jesus 
there  comes  life,  and  nothing  but  life.  Thus  we  must  look  at  our  deficiencies  in  respect 
to  life.  We  do  not  live  as  Jesus  lives ;  we  know  not  the  consecration,  the  devotion, 
the  purity,  the  self-abnegation,  that  belonged  to  him.  The  sheep  need  a  shepherd 
because  they  have  not  in  themselves  the  resources  whereby  to  provide  for  themselves 
and  protect  themselves.  The  life-giving  fulness  of  Jesus  must,  therefore,  be  considered 
in  contrast  with  the  natural  deficiencies  of  men.  Listen  to  other  voices,  which  try  to  say 
in  their  measure  that  they  have  come  that  we  might  have  life. 

I.  Listen  to  the  food-giving  earth.  Rather  to  those  innumerable  products  of  the 
earth  which  God  has  given  for  the  maintenance  of  human  life.  Every  field  of  grain, 
every  orchard,  every  plot  of  earth  where  anything  grows  that  is  good  for  support  of 
man,  all  may  join  in  one  great  chorus  of  proffered  service.  "We  have  come  that  thou 
mayest  have  life."  But  then  they  speak  equally  to  the  lower  creation.  The  fowls  of 
the  air  sow  not,  neither  do  they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns ;  while  in  the  sweat  of  his 
face  man  has  to  eat  bread.  Then  the  supply  is  limited.  When  every  wilderness  has 
been  turned  into  a  fruitful  field,  and  every  fruitful  field  has  its  powers  developed  to 
the  utmost,  the  supply  will  still  be  limited.  Then  above  every  other  consideration  is 
that  of  the  difference  between  man  and  beast.  Man  wants  a  higher  life  than  any  visible 
thing  can  nourish.  When  nature  can  do  least,  grace  can  do  most.  When  the  visible 
comes  back  in  impotence,  the  invisible  comes  forward  in  the  fulness  of  its  strength. 
Jesus  will  give  heights  and  depths  of  joy  that  no  combination  of  natural  ministries  can 
ever  afford.  Men  who  really  want  to  enjoy  life  and  drink  its  pleasures  to  the  last  drop, 
know  not  what  they  lose  in  neglecting  Christ. 

II.  Listen  to  the  air  we  breathe.  It  says,  "  I  am  come  that  ye  might  have  life." 
To  be  just  a  few  minutes  without  it  means  death.  The  air  of  heaven  is  nearer  to  an 
unconditional  gift  than  anything  we  know.  Yet  when  that  air  puts  out  its  full  force  it 
is  the  destroying  tempest.  Notice  also  how  it  gets  subtly  mixed  with  all  manner  of  cor- 
ruptions and  poisonous  elements.  Wherever  we  go  we  must  breathe  such  air  as  we  find. 
We  cannot  take  about  with  us  a  special  stock  of  pure  air  for  our  own  use.  But  those 
who  are  willing  to  take  the  gift  of  Jesus  in  all  its  purity  and  energy  may  have  it  so. 

III.  Listen  to  the  parental  relation.  An  infant  left  utterly  untended  would  be 
dead  in  twenty-four  hours.  And  when  we  see  the  love,  the  constant  watchfulness  and 
forethought  of  parents  and  guardians,  when  we  consider  the  necessity  of  all  this  and 
the  good  results  of  it,  we  should  be  led  to  have  similar  grateful  thoughts  with  respect 
to  the  ministry  of  Jesus  in  sustaining  spiritual  life.  Spiritual  infancy,  as  much  as 
natural,  means  weakness,  dependence,  need  of  constant  love  and  care.  How  plain  it 
ought  to  be  that  God  will  provide  for  the  days  of  helplessness  in  his  own  spiritual 
children ! — Y. 

Ver.  11. —  The  good  Shepherd.  I.  The  information  given  to  us.  We  may  ourselves 
be  very  ignorant  of  sheep  and  shepherding  ;  and  what  should  we  know  of  Eastern 
customs  ?  Hence  it  is  well  to  study  the  information  given  in  the  first  five  verses  of 
this  chapter.  We  are  to  imagine  a  large  fold  where  a  great  number  of  sheep  are  gathered 
together.  At  the  door  of  the  fold  a  man  is  stationed  to  keep  guard,  chiefly,  as  one  may 
suppose,  to  prevent  the  entrance  of  unauthorized  persons.  For  the  sheep  within  do  not 
constitute  one  flock.  They  are  not  the  property  of  one  person.  The  fold  has  been 
made  for  the  common  advantage.  Each  shepherd  could  not  afford  to  make  a  fold  for 
himself  and  employ  a  doorkeeper  of  his  own.  Imagine,  then,  some  shepherd  having  a 
hundred  sheep.  He  has  been  out  with  them  all  day,  watching  them  and  leading  them 
from  pasture  to  pasture.  Then  at  night  he  brings  them  to  the  common  fold  and  leaves 
them  with  the  doorkeeper.  Next  morning  he  returns  to  take  them  out  for  the  day ; 
JOHN — XL  <J 


82  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.        [ch.  x.  1—42. 

and  how  must  he  find  his  own  amid  the  mixed  crowd  ?  By  the  simple  plan  of  calling 
each  sheep  by  name.  And  so  the  shepherd  takes  them  out  and  goes  in  front  of  them 
till  the  pasture  is  reached.  His  voice  is  quite  enough  to  keep  them  right.  They  will 
not  follow  a  stranger,  for  they  know  not  the  voice  of  strangers. 

II.  Jesus  can  say  more  fob  the  sheep  than  for  the  shepherds.  He  can  say  this 
of  a  sheep,  that  if  a  shepherd  gives  it  a  name,  and  then  calls  it  by  that  name,  it  will 
make  its  way  to  the  familiar  voice,  even  though  it  be  amid  a  large  crowd  of  other 
sheep.  But  take  a  lad  and  entrust  him  with  a  flock  of  sheep.  Explain  to  him  their 
ways,  their  wants,  and  their  perils.  Still  you  cannot  tell  beforehand  what  sort  of  a 
shepherd  he  will  turn  out.  He  must  be  tried  by  actual  experience,  and  the  name  good 
or  bad  given  to  him  according  to  the  way  in  which  he  behaves. 

III.  Jesus  the  good  Shepherd.  What  power  there  is  in  the  word  "  I "  when  Jesus 
uses  it !  We  like  Jesus  all  the  better  when  he  talks  about  himself.  We  do  not  call 
him  egotist.  Think  in  how  many  respects  men  are  like  sheep,  and  need  a  good  shep- 
herd. In  many  things  we  can  look  after  ourselves,  but  in  the  most  important  things 
we  need  to  be  looked  after.  The  true  shepherd  will  not  submit  to  have  his  property 
scattered  and  lost  without  a  determined  attempt  to  save  it.  He  has  a  special  and 
supreme  interest  in  the  sheep  because  they  are  his  sheep.  Every  human  being  has 
something  of  the  sheei>nature  in  him.  Jesus  looks  on  every  company  of  human  beings 
as  a  fold  wherein  sheep  of  different  flocks  are  gathered  together,  and  he  has  to  get  his 
own  flock  out  of  them.  We  cannot  do  without  some  shepherd,  and  happy  is  it  for  us 
if  we  have  the  good  shepherd.  He  laid  down  his  life  for  the  sheep,  seemed  to  be 
destroyed  by  the  wolf,  bnt  really  he  was  engaged  in  its  effectual  destruction.  He  has 
gained  for  his  sheep  broad,  even  measureless  lands  of  green  pastures  and  still  waters, 
where  the  sheep  may  feed  at  leisure  without  a  foe  and  without  a  fear.  In  all  those 
lands  no  ravenous  beast  has  his  haunt.  Nothing  shall  hurt  or  destroy  in  all  the  holy 
mountain  of  the  Lord. — Y. 

Vers.  17, 18. — The  dedicated  life.    That  the  Father  loved  him  Jesus  was  constantly 
'  asserting,  and  here  we  have  the  reason  for  that  love. 

I.  Notice  the  general  element  of  devotion.  Upon  all  self-sacriflcing  devotion 
the  Father  must  look  with  a  complacent  eye.  Because,  if  the  spirit  of  devotion  be  in  a 
man  at  all,  the  extent  and  the  character  of  the  devotion  will  depend  upon  the  necessity 
and  the  claim.  A  few  have  become  famous  in  history,  not  that  they  were  more  devoted 
than  the  many  unnamed,  but  their  devotion  was  shown  on  more  memorable  scenes. 
And  when  God  looks  upon  his  own  children,  from  him  who  was  peculiarly  the  Son  of 
God  downwards,  this  spirit  of  devotion  in  them  is  needful  to  give  him  pleasure.  For 
behind  this  love  of  God  toward  his  true  children,  there  is  love  to  the  dying  world,  a  love 
that  can  only  be  satisfied  in  proportion  as  that  world  receives  eternal  life.  And  if  that 
world  is  to  receive  eternal  life,  it  must  be  through  the  self-denying  devotion  of  those 
who  have  received  it  already.  Self-denying  devotion  is  of  the  very  essence  of  the  new 
creature.  And  since  Jesus  stands  at  the  very  head  of  the  new  creation,  we  expect  to 
find  in  him  the  noblest  and  most  inspiring  instance  of  this  devotion. 

II.  Notice  the  elements  peculiar  to  the  devotion  of  Jesus.  The  peculiar 
nature  and  mission  of  Jesus  have  to  be  considered.  Jesus  could  do  by  his  devotion 
what  no  ordinary  human  being  could  do.  He  laid  down  his  life  that  he  might  take  it 
again.  His  devotion  would  have  been  useless  but  for  this  ability  to  take  up  again 
what  had  been  laid  down.  If  he  had  simply  laid  his  life  down,  and  that  had  been  the 
end  of  it,  he  would  have  done  no  more  than  thousands  had  done  already  and  thousands 
have  done  since.  Natural  lives  have  been  freely  given  up  that  other  natural  lives 
might  be  preserved.  Oftener  still  perhaps  they  have  been  risked.  But  when  Jesus  laid 
down  his  life,  the  peculiarity  lay  here,  that  he  did  not  preserve  any  other  natural  life 
by  doing  so.  Nay  more,  he  who  laid  down  his  life  made  it  necessary  for  others  to 
lay  down  their  lives  in  turn.  Jesus  laid  down  his  life  to  make  manifest  the  reality  of 
eternal  life.  1.  It  had  to  be  made  plain  that  Jesus  did  really  lay  down  his  life.  We 
may  talk  of  laying  down  our  lives,  but  that  is  in  spirit  rather  than  reality,  for  our  lives 
are  not  ours  to  lay  down.  Man's  natural  life  may  be  taken  from  him  at  any  time.  But 
Jesus  evidently  had  a  control  over  his  life  which  we  have  not.  Most  important  is  that 
declaration,  "No  man  taketh  it  from  me;"  and  most  important,  too,  is  that  other 


CH.  XI.  1—57.]       THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDIXG  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


83 


declaration,  "  I  hare  power  [or, '  authority ']  to  lay  it  down."  We  need  ever  to  recollect 
all  that  was  voluntary,  deliberate,  foreseen,  and  intentional  in  the  death  of  Jesus.  On 
one  side  that  death  is  the  most  concentrated  illustration  of  human  wickedness  and  cor- 
ruption the  world  has  ever  seen.  On  the  other  side  it  is  not  so  much  an  illustration  a.s 
a  development.  Jesus  shows  us  in  himself  a  human  possibility  turned  into  reality.  It  had 
to  be  made  very  clear  to  him  that  he  might  lay  his  life  down.  And  it  has  to  be  made 
very  clear  to  us  that  there  was  nothing  suicidal  or  despairing  about  this  dedication. 
It  was  the  free  action  of  the  wise  Jesus,  taking  the  path  of  duty  and  love.  And  let  it 
not  be  said  there  was  nothing  difficult  in  this.  Asa  matter  of  history,  we  know  there 
was  difficulty;  let  Gethsemane  testify  to  that.  We  should  need  to  have  the  nature  of 
Jesus  ourselves  to  comprehend  whence  all  his  difficulties  and  agonies  arose, — Y. 

Ver.  29. — The  Father's  perfect  protection.  This  verse  explains,  sustains,  and  com- 
pletes the  previous  one.  The  previous  verse  indicates  the  double  duty  of  the  shepherd. 
He  has  to  feed  the  flock,  and  he  has  to  protect  it.  Jesus  has  to  give  eternallil'e,  and 
secure  it  when  given.  But  inevitably  the  thought  arises  in  one's  miud  that  oftentimes 
the  shepherd  is  slain  and  the  sheep  are  scattered.  This  was  to  be  illustrated  to  a 
certain  extent  very  soon  after  Jesus  had  spoken.  It  was  not  that  the  sheep  were 
plucked  away  and  the  Shepherd  remained ;  the  Shepherd  was  plucked  away,  and  the 
sheep  seemed  as  if  they  were  to  fall  back  into  the  world.  But,  in  truth,  the  plucking 
of  tlie  Shepherd  away  was  only  the  lifting  of  a  veil  which  hid  the  real  wall  of  defence. 
If  we  look  only  to  Jesus,  and  fail  to  see  some  one  beyond,  we  shall  never  estimate 
either  the  greatness  of  the  danger  or  the  perfection  of  the  safety. 

I.  Look  at  the  greatness  of  the  danger.  The  perils  of  a  stupid,  helpless,  defence- 
less sheep  are  really  but  a  feeble  illustration  of  the  perils  besetting  the  Christian.  We 
never  do  properly  comprehend  those  perils.  Even  as  it  is  the  shepherd  and  not  the 
sheep  that  really  knows  the  perils  of  the  sheep,  so  it  is  Jesus  and  the  Father  of  Jesus 
who  really  know  the  perils  of  the  Christian.  Well  is  it  that  we  know  not  all  our  perils. 
A  perfect  knowledge  of  them  might  only  increase  our  misery  without  diminishing  our 
peril  in  the  least.  We  are  to  learn  the  greatness  of  our  peril  in  an  indirect  way.  We 
have  to  learn  it  by  the  provisions  that  have  been  evidently  made.  Jesus  provides 
against  perils  that  we  appreciate  very  imperfectly;  and  perils  we  make  a  great  deal  of, 
he  treats  as  passing  inconveniences.  The  full  power  of  Heaven  is  engaged  for  our 
safety ;  that  alone  should  show  us  the  greatness  of  our  danger. 

II.  Look  at  the  pledge  of  safi^^y.  It  is  not  a  pledge  of  devotion  and  attention 
merely;  it  is  a  pledge  of  absolute  safety.  It  lifts  shepherd  and  sheep  alike  into  a  region 
where  no  wolf  ever  wanders,  where  no  thief  breaks  through  nor  steals.  It  is  the 
defence  that  comes  from  being  in  a  totally  different  sphere  of  life.  Those  on  board  a 
ship  in  mid-ocean  are  perfectly  safe  from  the  fierce  and  mighty  sharks  that  swim  all 
around;  safe  so  long  as  the  ship  is  safe;  safe  so  long  as  they  keep  on  board;  but  let 
any  of  them  come  into  the  water,  and  the  sharks  snap  them  up  at  once.  But  if  these 
same  people  are  on  land,  they  can  go  wherever  they  like  and  have  no  fear  of  the  shark; 
they  are  utterly  removed  from  his  element.  Each  element  has  its  own  peril  and  its 
own  safety.  But  those  who  have  put  themselves  into  the  hand  of  the  great  Shepherd, 
the  only  Shepherd  truly  good,  as  uniting  faithfulness  with  ability,  are  in  an  element 
where  all  the  essentials  of  life  are  safe.  The  intent  of  our  heavenly  Father  is,  not  that 
we  should  be  delivered  from  dangers  when  they  actually  come  upon  us,  but  that  we 
should  rise  into  a  sphere  where  dangers  will  not  really  come.  Observe  exactly  how 
Jesus  puts  it  both  with  reference  to  his  protection  and  his  Father's  protection.  He 
does  not  say  that  he  or  the  Father  will  pluck  his  sheep  from  the  clutches  of  any  foe 
that  may  seize  them.  He  goes  further  than  that :  the  foe  is  not  to  pluck  the  sheep  out 
of  the  Father's  hand. — Y. 


EXPOSITION. 


CHAPTER  XL 

'  Vers.  1 — 57. — 7.  Christ  the  Antagonist  of 
death — a  victory  of  love  and  power.     The 


narrative  of  this  chapter  is  a  further  advance 
in  the  proof  that  the  unbelief  of  the  Jews 
was  aggravated  by  tho  greatness  of  the 
revelation.     The  issue  of  his  sublime  and 


84 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDINa  TO  ST.  JOHK      [ch.  xi.  1— 57. 


cnlminating  act  of  power,  of  his  supreme 
and  self-revealing  work  of  transcendent 
tenderness  and  beauty,  was  a  deeper  and 
wilder  passion  of  hatred.  The  evangelist 
completes  his  series  of  seven  great  miracles 
with  one,  that  in  true  and  believing  minds, 
evokes  a  new  sense  of  the  glory  of  God. 
This  great  last  sign  corresponds  with  the 
first  (ch.  ii.)  by  being  enacted  amid  the 
domestic  and  family  life  of  a  small  and 
insignificant  town,  and  also  by  express  refer- 
ence to  the  veritable  manifestation  involved 
in  it  of  the  So|a  Qeov,  on  which  we  have 
frequently  commented.  Baur  treated -the 
narrative  as  an  ideal  composition,  illus- 
trating the  great  metaphysical  utterance, 
"I  am  the  Eesurrectiou  and  the  Life." 
Keim  endeavoured  to  reduce  the  whole 
narrative  to  a  fiction,  not  so  well  contrived 
as  some  of  the  evangelist's  tours  de  farce. 
This  is  almost  as  arbitrary  and  ofiensive  as 
M.  Kenan's  endeavour  (which  held  its  place 
in  numerous  editions  of  his  '  Vie  de  Jesus ') 
to  represent  the  miracle  as  a  got-up  scene, 
into  which  Christ,  by  a  kind  of  Divine' 
mensonge,  allowed  himself  to  be  drawn. 
Subsequently,  Kenan  has  suggested  that 
Mary  and  Martha  told  Jesus  their  persuasion 
that  such  a  miracle  would  convince  his 
enemies,  and  that  he  replied  that  his  bitter 
foes  would  not  believe  him  even  if  Lazarus 
were  to  rise  from  the  grave  ;  and  that  this 
speech  was  expanded  by  tradition  into  an 
actual  event.  This  corresponds  with  what 
Weisse  had  suggested,  that  the  story  is  an 
expansion  of  the  Lord's  conversation  with  the 
sisters  at  Bethany.  Gfrorer  ('  Heiligthum 
und  Wahrheit,'  p.  311,  Meyer)  thought  that 
it  is  the  story  of  Nain  over  again  in  a  de- 
veloped form,  and  that  Nain  is  equivalent 
to  Bethany  ;  and  Schenkel  has  fancied  that 
the  parable  of  Luke  xvi.  has  been  expanded 
into  a  narrative  of  genuine  resurrection. 
Thoma  has,  in  like  manner,  regarded  it  as 
the  poetic  expansion  of  the  idea  of  the 
Chiist  as  the  Prince  of  life  and  Conqueror 
of  death,  and  as  based  on  the  synoptic 
account  of  two  resurrections,  and  on  the 
parable  of  Lazarus  and  the  rich  man.  These 
hypotheses  are  all  incompatible  with  the 
simplicity  of  the  account  and  with  the 
apostolicity  of  the  Gospel.  Many  attempts 
have  been  made  to  account  for  the  silence 
of  the  synoptists  concerQing  this  narrative. 


Some  writers,  with  Epiphanius,  have  said 
they  feared,  when  their  narratives  were  made 
public,  to  call  such  marked  attention  to  the 
family  of  Bethany,  lest  they  might  have 
endangered  their  lives ;  but  this  is  exceed- 
ingly improbable.  Others  have  argued  that 
this  crowning  miracle  would  not  take  such 
a  conspicuous  place  in  their  less-carefuUy 
arranged  records.  It  was  only  one  of  "  many 
signs  "  wrought  by  our  Lord  with  which  they 
were  familiar.  Matthew  (ix.  18)  and  Mark 
(v.  22)  had  already  described  the  raising  of 
Jairus's  daughter  from  the  bed  of  death, 
from  what  was  believed  by  the  onlookers  to 
have  been  veritable  dissolution ;  and  Luke 
(vii.  11)  had  shown  the  Lord  at  the  gates  of 
Nain  to  have  royally  withstood  the  power 
of  death,  even  when  the  corpse  of  a  young 
man  was  being  carried  out  to  the  burial. 
The  narrative  before  us  is  not  different  in 
kind  from  these,  though  the  prelude  and  the 
accompaniments  of  the  miracle  and  its  con- 
sequences are  all  wrought  out  with  much 
dramatic  force,  while  numerous  touches,  by- 
scenes,  and  references  are  introduced  which 
give  consummate  interest  to  the  whole. 
Another  suggestion  of  moment  is  that  it 
was  not  the  purpose  of  the  synoptists  to 
detail  the  incidents  of  our  Lord's  ministry 
in  Jerusalem.  Let  it  not  be  forgotten  that 
each  of  the  evangelists  records  incident  and 
discourse  to  which  neither  of  the  others  had 
access.  The  peculiarities  of  Matthew  and 
Luke  are  nearly  as  numerous  as  those  of 
the  Fourth  Gospel.  Why  should  not  John 
bring  forth  facts  from  his  memory  which 
they  had  left  untouched?  (see  Introduc- 
tion, p.  xcvi.). 

Vers.  1 — 16. — (1)  The  mystery  and  might 
of  sacrificial  love  seen  in  the  prelude  of  the 
miracle. 

Ver.  1. — Now  a  certain  (man)  was  sick, 
(named)  Lazarus,  of  Bethany,  of  the  village 
of  Mary  and  her  sister  Martha.  The  certain 
man  who  was  sick,  Lazarus  (or  Eleazar)  by 
name,'  was  from  Bethany,  the  village  of 
Mary  and  her  sister  Martha.  The  two  pre- 
positions airh  and  «k  generally  denote  pro- 
cession from,  but  the  latter  implies  closer 
and  more  intimate  original  association ;  they 
here  are  put  in  apposition,  though  there 
are  passages  where  they  are  discriminated 

'  Two  etymologies  of  the  name  "vV'^h ,  "no 
help;"  but  better  -\Tj}^,  contracted  from 
-«y'?i«,  "  God  is  help  "  (Gotthelf). 


CH.  XI.  1—57.]       THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


85 


(Luke  ii.  4  ;  Acts  xxiii.  34  ;  R.T.  of  Rev.  ix. 
18).  The  contention  of  Gresswell  that  &irh 
referred  to  present  residence,  and  4k  to 
nativity,  and  that  the  kwhy)  was  to  be  found 
in  Galilee,  is  not  sound  (see  ch.  xii.  21 ; 
xix.  38).  Bethany  is  mentioned  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  "  Bethany  beyond  Jordan," 
referred  to  in  ch.  i.  28  (see  note).  The  town 
is  now  known  as  El  Azirieh,  and  is  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  from  Jerusalem,  on  the  eastern 
slope  of  the  Mount  of  Olives.  Simonis  in- 
terpreted the  name  to  mean  "house  of  depres- 
sion," "valley-town"  n»3j;.~n'3  (Lightfoot); 
Eeland  derives  its  name  from  '3'n-n'3,  "house 
of  dates  "  (see  Matt.  xxi.  17).  It  seems  that 
palm  branches  could  be  then  torn  from  the 
trees  in  the  neighbourhood.  Arnold  (Her- 
zog.,  '  Enc.')  derives  its  name  from  N'3j?7n'3 
(Aramaic),  "house  of  the  afflicted."  The 
village  has  become  well  known  in  the  circle 
of  evangelic  narrative  from  St.  Luke's  refer- 
ence to  Mary  and  Martha  (x.  38,  etc.). 
Mary's  name  is  probably  mentioned  first 
from  the  further  record  of  her  ecstatic  love, 
•which  the  other  Gospels  were  difi"using 
through  the  world,  and  to  which  John  makes 
an  anticipatory  reference.  Her  name  had 
not  been  given  before.  In  Matt.  xxvi.  13 
and  Mark  xiv.  3  she  was  "  a  certain  woman." 
John  throws  light  on  the  ground  of  her 
gratitude.  The  efforts  made  by  Bunyan,  in 
his  '  Jerusalem  Sinner  Saved,'  and  by  Heng- 
stenberg,  to  defend  the  pre-Eeformation 
identification  of  "Mary"  with  the  "Mag- 
dalene," and  the  Magdalene  with  the  woman 
that  was  a  sinner  (cf.  Luke  vii.  37  with 
Luke  viii.  2),  rest  on  insufficient  grounds. 
The  identification  of  the  two  anointings 
with  each  other  is  without  justification. 
All  the  circumstances  are  different — the 
time,  the  place,  the  obvious  reason,  the 
motive  assigned  by  our  Lord,  the  conversa- 
tions which  followed.  If  a  woman  who  was 
a  sinner  had  taken  such  a  step,  and  this 
expression  of  her  gratitude  had  been  ac- 
cepted by  Jesus,  Mary  of  Bethany  found 
more  ample  reason  for  following  her  example 
(see  Dr.  Schafi"'s  admirable  and  extended 
reply  to  Hengstenberg).  B.  Weiss  acutely 
observes  that  this  reference  shows  that  in 
the  circle  for  which  the  evangelist  wrote 
Bethany  was  known  as  the  home  of  the 
sisters,  and  Mary  as  the  heroine  of  the 
anointing  incident.  Numerous  other  identi- 
fications, t.e.  of  Simon  the  Leper  with  Simon 
the  Pharisee,  Martha  with  Simon's  wife, 
are  precarious.  Dean  Plumptre's  identifi- 
cation '  of  Lazarus  with  the  "  rich  young 
man  "  who  is  supposed  to  have  given  hia 
all  away  to  the  poor,  and  who  possessed 

'  See  notes  to  his  poem   on   '  Eleazar ; ' 
also  article  in  Smith's  '  Dictionary.' 


nothing  but  a  solitary  garment;  and  hia 
subsequent  identification  with  the  young 
man  who  lied  away  naked  on  the  night  of 
Christ's  arrest,  are  specimens  of  ingenuity,  but 
carry  no  conviction.  The  contrast  between 
the  ideas  involved  in  the  parable  of  Luke  xvi. 
and  this  narrative  is  so  profound  that  we  dis- 
miss the  hypothesis  of  the  identity  of  the 
two  Lazaruses.  Strauss,  Keim,  and  others 
deal  with  it  as  an  expansion  of  the  parable 
of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus,  who  is  sup- 
posed actually  to  have  been  sent  unto  the 
people  from  the  dead,  but,  in  agreement  with 
our  Lord's  prediction,  winning  no  obedience. 
Vehement  efforts  are  made  in  this  and  other 
ways  to  undo  the  commanding  significance 
of  the  miracle.  Bishop  Wordsworth  and 
Archdeacon  Watkins  are  disposed  to  identify 
the  Lazarus  of  the  parable  and  the  Lazarus 
of  Bethany  ;  the  latter  supposes  the  parable 
to  have  been  delivered  at  the  very  time 
mentioned  in  Pera^a.  Our  Lord's  statement, 
that  the  brothers  of  the  rich  man  would  not 
believe  though  one  rose  from  the  dead,  was 
in  some  sense  paralleled  by  the  desire  of  the 
Jews  to  put  Lazarus  to  death ;  but  the 
reason  given  is  that  by  reason  of  Lazarus 
"  many  of  the  Jews  went  away  from  them, 
and  believed  on  Jesus"  (ch.  xii.  11 ;  cf.  also 
ch.  xi.  45,  "  Many  of  the  Jews,  when  they 
beheld  what  he  did,  believed  on  him  "). 

Ver.  2. — Now  it  was  that  Mary  who 
anointed  the  Lord  with  perfume,  and  wiped 
his  feet  with  her  hair,  whose  brother 
Lazarus  was  sick.  The  word  fivpou  is  used  of 
any  aromatic  balsam  which  is  distilled  from 
trees  and  herbs  by  itself.  In  classical  Greek 
fj.vpoy  was  used  of  costly  ointments  used  by 
women.  'EKalov  was  the  common  oil  used 
by  men  for  purposes  of  health,  which  might 
be  perfumed.  Our  Lord  clearly  draws  a 
distinction  between  the  iKalov  and  fj.vpov  in 
Luke  vii.  46.  'A\ei<pu  has  been  said  to  be 
used  for  the  more  superfluous  anointings, 
and  xp^c"  for  the  sanitary  anointing  with  oil. 
No  trace  of  such  distinction  is  found  in  the 
New  Testament  (cf.  Mark  vi.  13  with  Jas.  y. 
14).  One  great  distinction  in  biblical  Greek 
is  that  XP'*'"  18  ^sed  of  religious  anoint- 
ings, from  its  association  with  XpiarSs,  but 
a\f((peiv  in  the  LXX.  is  only  twice  used  in 
this  sense,  while  xp'f "'  is  used  times  without 
number  (Archbishop  Trench,  '  New  Test. 
Syn.,'  §  xxxviii.).  The  use  of  the  term 
Kvpiov,  "  Lord,"  shows  that  the  story  was 
widely  known,  and  that  when  the  Gospel 
was  written  it  had  passed  into  a  common- 
place of  Christian  experience  and  illustra- 
tion. The  anointing  has  not  yet  been 
referred  to  by  John,  but  he  is  looking  back 
upon  the  events  and  anticipates  his  own 
sub.^equent  record. 

Ver.  3. — Therefore  the  sisters  sent  unto 
him,  saying.  Lord,  behold,  he  whom  thoa 


86 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCOKDING  TO  ST.  JOHN,       [ch.  xi.  1—57. 


lovestis  sick  (Sp  (/>i\c«s nominative  to  affdevel). 
The  sisters  knew  well  what  peril  Jesus  and 
his  disciples  would  encounter  by  coming  to 
Bethany,  and  they  must  have  known  that 
he  could  have  healed  him  by  a  word ;  so 
they  simply  state  the  case.  (On  the  difiference 
between  <pi\eiv  and  iyatrav,  see  notes  on  ch. 
V.  20 ;  xxi.  15.  17.  Trench,  '  New  Test. 
Syn.,'  §  xii.  The  former  word  is  that  of 
personal  affection  and  fondness,  though 
occasionally  having  grander  associations  and 
equivalent  to  amo,  while  ayandu  is  equivalent 
to  diligo,  and  means  the  love  of  choice,  of 
sentiment,  of  confidence  and  esteem.)  There 
is  delicate  tact  and  beauty  in  the  use  of  the 
two  words,  one  by  the  sisters,  the  other  by 
the  evangelist.  The  statement  of  needs, 
the  simple  voice  of  our  weakness,  the  infant's 
cry,  goes  up  to  heaven.  The  bleat  of  the 
lost  iamb  is  enough  for  the  good  Sheplierd. 

Ver.  4. — When  Jesus  heard  (it),  he  said, 
This  sickness  is  not  unto  death,  but  for  the 
glory  of  God,  that  the  Son  of  God  may  be 
glorified  thereby.  What  message  Jesus  gave 
to  those  who  brought  him  the^e  tidings  we 
know  not ;  the  evangelist  records  what  he 
said  to  the  bystanders.  Our  Lord  did  not 
mean  to  say  that  the  sickness  would  not 
terminate  in  what  men  ordinarily  call 
"death,"  nor  that  it  was  not  a  deadly 
disease,  but  that  it  was  not  irphs  6dvaTov. 
i  "  He  shall  not  fall  a  prey  to  death  "  (Meyer). 
The  sickness  is  so  timed  that  it  shall  con- 
duce to  the  (5o'|a  ®eov)  glory  of  God,  i.e.  to 
the  majestic  appreciation  of  the  sublime 
perfections  of  God,  and  that  by  or  in  it  the 
Son  of  God  may  be  glorified.  'T-rrep  else- 
where in  the  Gospel  means  "  sacrifice  on 
behalf  of; "  so  here  the  very  suffering  of 
Lazarus  and  of  the  sisters,  and  the  tears  of 
Jesus  over  the  grave,  are  part  of  the  sacri- 
ficial ministry  by  which  the  glory  of  God 
or  of  the  Son  of  God  may  be  advanced. 

Ver.  5. — Now  Jesus  loved  (rjyaTra)  Martha, 
and  her  sister,  and  Lazarus.  "  Felix  fami- 
lia ! "  (Bengel).  Martha  is  here  mentioned 
first,  because  in  all  probability  the  head  of 
the  houseliold.  The  love  of  selection,  friend- 
ship, or  esteem  is  the  result  of  long  acquaint- 
ance, and  reveals  "  the  fragmentariness  of 
the  evangelic  records  "  (Westcott) ;  see  note 
on  ver.  3. 

Vers.  6, 7. — The  T6Te  ij.fv  of  ver.  6  implies 
an  understood  Se  in  ver.  7,  and  the  whole 
passage  will  be  as  follows :  Now  Jesus  loved 
deeply  Martha,  and  her  sister,  and  Lazarus  ; 
when  therefore  he  heard  that  he  (Lazarus) 
was  sick,  he  remained,  it  is  true,  rdre  /j.ev 
two  days  in  the  place  where  he  was,  but  then 
firetTa  (Se)  after  this  (and  because  he  loved) 
he  saith  to  his  disciples,  Let  us  go  again  into 
Judaea.  He  did  not  remain  because .  he 
loved,  but,  though  he  remained,  and  because 
he  loved,  he  said,  "  Let  us,"  etc.    So  that   i 


we  do  not  see  here  any  intention  on  his  part, 
by  remaining,  to  test  their  love  (Olshausen), 
nor  to  exaggerate  the  effect  of  the  miracle 
by  raising  a  dead  man  from  his  grave  rather 
than  from  his  death-bed  or  his  bier.  It  is 
not  difficult  to  gather  from  the  sequel  that 
when  the  message  reached  Jesus  Lazarus 
was  dead  and  buried.  We  find  that  when 
our  Lord  returned  to  Bethany  four  days 
had  elapsed  since  the  denth  of  Lazarus,  and 
the  four  days  must  be  calculated  thus  :  First 
one  long  day's  journey  from  Persea  to  Bethany, 
a  distance  of  eight  or  nine  leagues.  If  the 
messenger  of  the  sisters  had  taken  equal 
time  to  reach  Jesus  in  Peraea,  or  even  a 
longer  period,  as  time  might  easily  be  con- 
sumed in  the  effort  to  find  our  Lord  in  the 
mountains  of  Moab;  then  the  two  days  of 
his  waiting  after  receiving  the  message 
would,  with  those  occupied  by  the  double 
journey,  make  up  the  four  that  had  passed 
when  Jesus  reached  the  grave.  Liicke, 
Neander,  Godet,  and  Westcott  think  that 
our  Lord  remained  in  Persea  because  there 
was  work  in  which  he  was  engaged  and 
could  not  relinquish.  Meyer,  Moulton,  and 
Weiss,  that  he  waited  for  some  especial 
communication  from  his  Fathei-,  for  some 
revelation  of  moral  necessity  and  heavenly 
inspiration,  like  those  whicli  dictated  all  his 
other  movements.  B.  Weiss :  "  It  was  a 
sacrifice  to  his  calling,  of  his  heart's  most 
ardent  desires,  that  he  remained  quietly  two 
days  in  the  same  place."  "  We  see,"  says 
Edersheim,  "  Christ  once  more  asleep  while 
the  disciples  are  despairing,  swamped  in  the 
storm !  Christ  never  in  haste,  because 
always  sure."  The  silences  of  Scripture  and 
the  waitings  of  God  are  often  without  ex- 
planation. The  event  proves  that  deep 
purpose  presided  over  them.  The  "let  us 
go,"  etc.,  implies  a  lofty  courage,  a  sense  of 
coming  crisis.  Love  conquers  fear  and  peril 
for  himself  and  his  followers.  "Judsea" 
is  mentioned  rather  than  Bethany  for  the 
same  reason.  The  "  again  "  points  forcibly 
back  to  the  last  visit,  when  he  told  both 
friends  and  foes  that  the  good  Shepherd 
would  snatch  his  sheep  from  the  jaws  of 
death,  even  though  he  lay  down  his  own  life 
in  the  doing  of  it. 

Ver.  8. — The  Aramaic  word  "  Eabbi "  is 
frequently  used  by  John,  as  the  term  of 
respect  applied  to  both  the  Baptist  and  our 
Lord.  The  extraordinary  dignity  which 
the  Jews  accorded  to  their  rabbis  may  throw 
some  light  upon  the  honorific  title  when 
yielded  or  conceded  to  Christ.  The  disciples 
say  unto  him,  Eabhi,  the  Jews  were  but  now 
seeking  to  stone  thee ;  and  goest  thou  thither 
again]  The  uvv  i(ijTow  imply  the  con- 
tinuous process  of  their  antagonism  only 
just  now  arrested  by  a  timely  flight.  Here 
in  Persea  Jesus  found  appreciative  listeners. 


CH.  XI.  1—57.]       THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


87 


The  disciples  are  more  in  fear  for  their 
Master  tlian  for  themselves.  The  residence 
beyond  Jordan  had  been  brief,  and  they  arc 
amazed  that  the  Lord  will  so  soon  put  him- 
self in  the  power  of  that  seethinji  and  hostile 
crowd.  How  ditferent  this  language  from 
that  of  his  own  brotiurs  (eh.  vii.  i\ — .'))! 

Ver.  9. — Jesus  answered,  Are  there  not 
twelve  hours  in  the  day !  If  a  man  walk  in 
the  day,  he  stumbleth  not,  because  he  seoth 
the  light  of  this  world.  The  answer  of  Jesus 
is  a  further  deliverance  concerning  tlie 
human  law  and  season  (Katp6s)  of  work — a 
parable  drawn  from  earthly  and  liutnan 
analogies,  which  will  untjuestionably  have 
a  direct  bearing  on  the  conditions  of  Divine 
service  at  all  time,  and  is  therefore  applicable 
to  the  disciples  with  himself  It  receives 
also  special  significance  from  some  aspects  of 
Christ's  own  ministry,  and  from  the  step  he 
had  just  now  declared  that  he  intended  to 
take.  Of  course,  the  parable  is  based  upon 
the  conditions  of  human  work ;  one  of  these 
conditions  is  light,  another  of  them  is  time. 
Light  is  necessary  for  all  the  wise  efforts  of 
men — the  light  of  day,  the  light  of  this  world 
or  the  sun;  we  must  see  whither  we  are 
going,  in  order  to  avoid  the  occasions  of 
stumbling.  We  must  submit  to  this  com- 
prehensive condition,  or  we  fail  (of.  here 
ch.  is.  4,  "  I  must  work  the  works  of  him 
that  sent  me  while  it  is  day ;  the  night 
cometh,  when  no  man  can  work  ").  There 
are  two  kinds  of  night  of  which  he  speaks. 
One  is  the  night  which  arrests  all  labour, 
the  night  of  death ;  and  the  other  is  the  night 
of  ignorance  and  unbelief,  when  the  light 
that  is  in  a  man  becomes  darkness,  when,  if 
a  man  does  attempt  to  work  or  walk,  he  will 
stumble.  Meyer  and  some  others,  from  the 
reference  to  another  condition,  viz.  that  of 
time,  persist  in  limiting  the  notion  of  the 
day  to  that  of  the  period  of  service,  about 
which  the  Lord  says  also  some  very  solemn 
things ;  and  Meyer  objects  to  Luthardt  and 
others,  who  give  to  the  sun,  to  the  light  of 
this  world,  any  moral  or  spiritual  meaning. 
We  need  not  limit  the  application.  Light 
may  mean  knowledge  of  duty  supplied  by 
God's  providence  and  the  revelation  of  his 
will,  and  so  far  as  *'  day  "  is  made  by  light, 
it  is  important  to  notice  it  here.  But  time 
is  an  equally  important  condition,  and 
whereas  in  ch.  ix.  4,  5  the  Lord  laid 
emphasis  upon  the  limited  amount  of  oppor- 
tunity during  which  the  light  lasts  and  the 
work  can  be  done ;  so  here  there  is  an 
apimnted  period  during  which  stumbling  is 
unnecessary  :  "  twelve  hours  in  the  day." 
This  (I  take  to  be  Christ's  meaning)  is  one 
of  these  hours,  and  before  the  night  comes 
"I  nmst  work."  Godet  suggests  that  the 
disciples,  by  this  question,  recommended  him 
not  to  shorten  his  career  by  courting  danger, 


and  so  to  create  for  himself  "  a  thirteenth  hour" 
to  the  day,  in  wliich  ho  would  secure  no 
blessing  ;  that  the  Lord  condemned  the  pro- 
poisal,  knowing  that  ho  was  immortal  till  his 
hour  had  come  ;  and  tliat  if  we  shrink  from 
a  call  of  duty,  and  thus  save  ourselves,  adding 
an  unhallowed  increment  to  our  day  of  use- 
less work,  we  incur  the  like  condemnation, 
we  shall  stnmblo.  Let  it  be  observed  that 
tlie  reason  for  working  in  the  night  is  not 
because  wo  liave  twelve  hours  for  duty  and 
no  more,  but  because,  though  we  have  a  time 
of  service  and  an  opportunity,  we  have  let 
botii  slip  past  us,  and  then  the  work  is  diffi- 
cult and  perilous  if  we  do  attempt  it.  Some 
have  said  that  Judas,  Peter,  Thomas,  etc., 
walked  in  the  night,  and  that  they  stumbled 
and  fell. 

Ver.  10. — But  if  a  man  walk  in  the  night, 
he  stumbleth,  because  there  is  no  light  in 
him.  He  t'hnts  himself  ofl'  from  the  light  of 
God-given  opportunity,  and  carries  no  lamp 
in  his  soul.  There  is  no  necessity  to  sup- 
pose, in  ch.  ix.  4,  that  the  day  was  drawing 
to  a  close,  or  that  in  this  place  a  natural  day 
was  dawning ;  but  there  is  some  probability 
from  this  phraseology  that  John  adopted 
the  Babylonian  ratiier  than  the  Roman 
method  of  computing  the  hours  of  the  day. 
This  has  decided  bearing  on  several  im- 
portant questions  (notes,  ch.  i.  39 ;  iv.  6,  52 ; 
xix.  14).  The  "  twelve  hours  "  shows,  at  all 
events,  that  the  Jews  at  this  time  generally 
reckoned  from  sunrise  to  sunset.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  the  day  ditiered  consider- 
ably in  length  at  different  parts  of  the  year, 
from  fourteen  hours  to  nine;  but  perhaps 
the  emphatic  use  of  the  expression  derives 
special  interest  from  the  fact  that  the  equinox 
was  approaching. 

Ver.  11. — These  things  spake  he,  and  pro- 
bably many  more  words  expository  of  the 
vast  principle  of  service  which  he  here  pro- 
pounded ;  and  after  this  (for  fi^rcL  tovto 
implies  a  break,  during  which  the  disciples 
pondered  his  words)  he  saith.  Our  friend 
Lazarus ;  implying  that  Lazarus  was  well 
known  to  the  disciples,  and  that  the  Lord 
classes  himself  here,  in  wondrous  condescen- 
sion, with  them.  He  elsewhere  speaks  of  the 
twelve  as  his  "friends"  (ch.  xv.  14,  15, 
where  he  made  it  a  higher  designation  than 
Sov\ot ;  see  also  Luke  xii.  4).  John  the 
Baptist  also  calls  himself  "  the  Bridegroom's 
friend  "  (ch.  iii.  29).  Though  Lazarus  had 
passed  into  the  region  of  the  un  known  and  nn - 
seen,  he  was  still  "  our  friend."  Hath  fallen 
asleep.  Meyer  says  that  Jesus  knew  this 
by  "spiritual  far-seeing;"  and  Godet  thinks 
that  he  knew  it  by  supernatural  process,  and 
had  known  it  all  along.  It  does  not  require 
much  beyond  what  we  know  to  have  occurreil 
in  thousands  of  instances,  for  our  Lord  to 
have  perceived  that  his  friend  had  died— had, 


88 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  xi.  1— 57. 


as  he  said,  "  fallen  asleep,"  in  that  new 
peiise  in  wliich  Jesus  was  teaching  men  to 
look  on  death.  But  I  go,  that  I  may  awake 
him  out  of  sleep  (i^vTn/iaw  is  a  late  Greek 
word ;  of.  Acts  xvi.  27).  Wiinsche  says  the 
Talmud  often  speaks  of  a  rabbi's  death  under 
the  form  of  "  sleep  "  ('  Moed.  K.,'  fol.  28,  a ; 
cf.  Matt.  ix.  24 ;  1  These,  iv.  14).  Homer 
^ipoke  of  death  and  sleep  as  "  twin  sisters," 
Christ's  power  and  consciousness  of  power 
to  awake  Lazarus  from  sleep  gives,  however, 
to  his  use  of  the  image  a  new  meaning.  It 
is  not  the  eternal  sleep  of  the  Greek  and 
Eoman  poets. 

Ver.  12. — The  disciples '  therefore  say 
unto  him,  Lord,  if  he  have  fallen  asleep,  he 
will  recover.  Wiinsche  quotes  '  Berach,'  fol. 
57,  b,  "  Sleep  is  a  good  sign  for  the  sick." 
Tiie  language  of  the  disciples  is  somewhat 
remarkable;  at  least  their  misunderstanding 
is  puzzling  (Reuss  and  Strauss  think  it  is 
a  sign  of  the  unhistorical) ;  but  it  probably 
arose  out  of  the  statement,  made  two  days 
before,  that  "the  sickness  was  not  unto 
death,"  and  from  their  eager  and  alFection- 
ate  desire  to  prevent  their  Lord's  returning 
to  Judaea.  1/  he  have  fallen  asleep,  he  tcill 
recover  (be  saved).  The  whole  narrative  is 
throbbing  with  deeper  meanings  than  lie  on 
the  surface  of  it.  The  theory  of  the  sani- 
tary effects  of  sleep  in  fever  are  well  known, 
and  the  rousing  from  such  sleep  might  seem 
hazardous  ;  but  the  disciples  were  catching 
at  straws  to  save  their  Master. 

Ver.  13. — Now  Jesus  had  spoken  of  his 
death:  but  they  thought  that  he  spake  of 
taking  rest  in  sleep.  Aeyet,  though  in  the 
present  tense,  represents  a  time  anterior  to 
the  time  of  eSo^av.  Koifj.ijffis  is  found  in 
Ecclus.  xlvi.  19.  This  is  an  explanation  of 
the  misunderstanding,  occasioned,  perhaps, 
by  the  statement  of  ver.  4,  and  further  eluci- 
dated by  what  follows.  A  diflftrence  prevails 
between  Koiix-qffis  and  vizvos,  as  both  words 
are  u&ed  for  sleep ;  but  the  former  has  rather 
the  idea  of  the  rejwse  accompanying  sleep, 
the  latter  the  phenomenon  itself.  With  one 
or  two  exceptions,  Koifiaadai  is  always  used 
in  the  New  Testament  of  the  sleep  of  death, 
ii-nvos  never. 

Ver.  14. — Then  Jesus  therefore  said  to 
them  plainly.  Jesus  spake  at  length  (irap- 
pTjo-i'a)  without  metaphor  (cf.  ver.  11,  note). 
Lazarus  died ;  died,  i.e.  when  he  told  them 
two  days  ago  that  this  sickness  would  not 
have  death  as  its  end — died  in  the  sense  in 

'  T.E.  reads  ahrov  after  ol  naOrirai,  with 
C'-,  L,  r,  A,  other  uncials  and  cursives, 
Svriac  and  Gothic  Versions ;  but  it  is 
omitted  by  N',  D,  K,  H,  by  Tischendorf  (Sth 
edit.),  K.T. ;  and  Alford  omits  oi  naBriTai. 
Here  B,  C,  X,  followed  by  Westcott  and 
Hort,  read  ot  fnadrjTai  avrc^. 


which  they  ordinarily  used  the  word.  When 
Jesus  described  the  condition  of  Lazarus  in 
figurative  language,  he  made  use  of  a  meta- 
phor which  would  have  peculiar  application 
in  his  case.  The  grace  of  Christ  will  turn 
the  death  of  his  beloved  throughout  all 
time  into  restful  sleep.  Lazarus  was  part 
of  the  method  by  which  this  transformation 
would  be  effected.  The  Christian  idea  soon 
found  far  richer  expression  than  classical 
poetry  or  rabbinism  could  supply  (Acts  vii. 
60 ;  Matt,  xxvii.  52 ;  1  Cor.  xv.  6 ;  1  Thess. 
iv.  13  ;  Rev.  xiv.  13). 

Ver.  15. — And  I  rejoice  that  I  was  not 
there.  Death  could  not  have  occurred  in  his 
presence ;  at  least,  as  Bengel  says,  we  never 
read  of  any  one  dying  in  the  presence  of 
the  Prince  of  life.  Whenever  he  came  into 
contact  with  death,  he  conquered  the  great 
enemy.  Still,  this  was  not  the  absolute 
reason  for  his  gladness.  The  gladness  was 
conditionated  by  the  need  of  the  disciples, 
not  merely  for  the  comfort  of  the  sisters,  or 
for  his  own  greater  glory,  but  for  your 
sakes,  to  the  end  that  ye  might  believe. 
The  word  iria-Tevw  is  often  used  absolutely 
(ch.  i.  7,  50  ;  iv.  41,  42  ;  v.  44 ;  vi.  36  ;  and 
many  other  places).  The  disciples  had  be- 
lieved something  of  Christ's  power  before 
(see  ch.  ii.  11,  etc.)  ;  but  every  act  of  faith 
prepares  the  way  for  another.  Every  fresh 
exercise  of  faith  makes  all  previous  efforts 
in  the  same  direction  appear  elementary  (cf. 
1  John  V.  13,  T.R.).  The  joy  of  Jesus  in 
the  augmenting  faith  of  his  disciples  is  one 
of  the  most  pathetic  and  instructive  features 
of  this  Gospel  (see  ch.  xvi;  31,  and  notes). 
The  kingdom  of  God  among  men  was,  so 
far  as  we  can  see,  dependent  on  the  amount 
of  faith  that  the  apostles  could  be  induced 
to  cherish  in  the  fact  of  the  Incarnation 
during  the  brief  period  of  this  ministry. 
The  Church  has  not  yet  come  to  a  full  un- 
derstanding of  all  that  he  was.  But  if  the 
disciples  had  not  known  his  power  over 
death,  they  would  have  been  destitute  of 
the  alphabet  of  this  new  language,  of  the 
foundations  of  the  spiritual  city  they  had  to 
build.  Jesus  rejoiced  when  disciples  be- 
lieved. So  he  does  still.  Nevertheless,  let 
us  go  to  him — to  Lazarits,  who  still  lives 
with  God  (cf.  Matt.  xxii.  32,  and  parallel 
passages).  This  is  very  remarkable.  Even 
the  dead  body  is  in  this  case  still  "  he,"  as 
Lazarus  is  "  our  friend  "  still  (cf  ch.  xiv.  31). 

Ver.  16. — Thomas,  in  Aramaic,  is  equiva- 
lent in  meaning  to  the  Greek  name  Didymus, 
or  "twin."  This  apostle  is  mentioned  in 
the  synoptic  Gospels  with  Matthew,  and  in 
Acts  (i.  13)  with  Philip.  He  is  classed 
with  the  fishermen  (ch.  xxi.  2),  and  may 
therefore  have  been  a  Galilsean.  Ecclesi- 
astical tradition  has  associated  him  with 
Judas  (not  Iscariot)  (Eusebius, '  Hist.  Ecul.,' 


CH,  XI.  1—57.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


89 


i.  13),  and  with  Judas  the  brother  of  Jesus. 
IIo  is  reputed  to  have  preached  ultimately 
ill  Parthia  and  India,  there  to  have  suffered 
niartyrdoai.  The  various  references  to  him 
in  this  Gospel  give,  by  a  few  vivid  touches, 
a  biography  and  characterization  of  singular 
congruity.  He  said  to  his  fellow -disciples 
(the  word  <rufi,uo6r?Tfls  is  only  used  in  this 
place,  and  shows  that  the  body  of  the  dis- 
ciples were  being  more  and  more  blended 
into  a  unity >,  Let  us  go,  that  we  may  die 
with  him.  Here  he  manifests  a  fervent  love 
to  his  Master,  tinged  with  a  sorrowful,  melan- 
choly temperament.  He  saw  the  danger 
to  his  Lord,  but  at  once,  with  the  spirit  of 
self-surrender,  was  ready  to  share  his  fate. 
Moulton  says  these  words  reveal  love,  but 
they  are  "  the  language  of  despair  and  va- 
nished hope.  This  is  the  end  of  all — death, 
not  Messianic  kingdom."  Surely  Thomas 
may  have  pondered  much  the  Lord's  words 
about  his  approaching  death,  and  may  have 
felt  ready,  along  the  same  line,  willingly  to 
yield  up  his  own  life  for  his  Master's  or 
with  his  Master.  Too  much  has  been  made 
of  Thomas's  scepticism  and  criticism.  He 
was  one  who  wanted  visible,  tangible  evi- 
dence ;  but  he  was  prepared  to  act  impul- 
sively, and  to  give  powerful  expression  to 
his  faith,  whenever  the  evidence  was  granted. 
In  ch.  xiv.  5  he  was  still  in  the  dark,  but 
it  was  not  an  evil  darkness.  How  could  he 
know,  with  the  clearness  which  his  mind 
naturally  desiderated,  whither  our  Lord  was 
going?  No  brainless  or  heartless  unbelief 
led  him  to  ask,  "  How  can  we  know  the 
way  ?  "  At  last  (ch.  xs.  24,  etc.),  when  he 
wanted  ocular,  personal,  tangible  evidence 
of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus,  and  absented 
himself  in  deep  melancholy  from  the  com- 
pany of  the  eleven,  it  is  clear  that  his  soul 
was  ready  for  the  full  manifestation.  Before 
he  could  have  put  his  finger  into  the  print 
of  the  nails,  he  exclaimed,  with  adoring 
gratitude,  "  My  Lord,  axd  my  God  !"  His 
hesitation  and  his  conviction,  with  his  su- 
perlative ecstatic  cry,  form  the  culminating 
point  of  the  Gospel. 

Vers.  17 — 32. — (2)  Human  affection  draw- 
ing from  Christ  the  assertion  and  pro- 
mise,   "I   AM   THE   BeSUBBECTION   AND   THE 

Life." 

Ver.  17. — So;  or,  thereupon;  for  o3v  not 
unfrequently  indicates  the  relation  between 
two  narratives,  as  well  as  between  two  state- 
ments or  arguments.  When  Jesus  came 
into  the  neighbourhood  of  the  village  (see 
ver.  30),  he  found,  on  inquiry,  that  he 
(Lazarus)  already '  daring  four  days  had 

'  The  tjSri,  absent  from  A  and  D,  is  re- 
jected by  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  but  is  pre- 
served in  R.T.,  and  by  Westcott  and  Hort 
and  Tregelles. 


been'  in  the  grave;  or  literally,  had  had  four 
days.  These  four  days  are  differently  counted. 
Alford,  Luthardt,  Hengstenberg,  Lange, 
Godet,  Westcott,  and  Moulton  believe  that 
this  mention  proves  that  Lazarus  died  and 
was  buried  on  the  day  on  which  the  message 
was  sent,  which,  if  it  took  one  day  to  de- 
liver, and  if  one  day  had  been  consumed  in 
the  return  of  Jesus,  would  leave  the  other 
two  days  as  those  of  the  delay  in  Persea. 
Meyer  and  Ewald,  with  Bengel  and  Wat- 
kins,  think  that  he  died  at  the  conclusion 
of  the  delay,  that  Jesus  became  aware  of  it, 
and  told  his  disciples  of  it,  and  spent  the 
two  days,  or  parts  of  them,  in  the  journey  ; 
that  on  the  fourth  day  he  reached  Bethany. 
The  former  and  usual  view  is  the  more  ob- 
vious one,  although  it  must  turn  ultimately 
on  the  position  of  Bethany  beyond  Jordan. 
If  the  recent  speculations  of  the  Palestine 
Exploration  Society  and  Caspari  be  correct, 
the  distance  between  the  two  Bcthanys  may 
have  required  at  least  two  days  for  the 
journey,  and  therefore  favours  the  latter  in- 
terpretation. If  Bethany  (Bethabara)  be 
near  Jericho,  the  distance  between  them 
would  be  much  less,  and  the  former  and 
usual  reckoning  must  prevail. 

Vers.  18,  19. — Now  Bethany  was  nigh  unto 
Jerusalem.  This  geographical  observation 
is  introduced  to  explain  the  following  verse. 
Meyer  and  Alford  think  that  the  use  of  the 
past  tense,  ^v,  may  be  perfectly  justified  in 
making  reference  to  past  events ;  yet,  since 
John  is  the  only  New  Testament  writer  who 
uses  it,  the  usage  may  have  been  adopted 
by  him  because,  at  the  time  when  he  wrote 
his  Gospel,  Bethany  had  been  for  the  time 
destroyed  with  Jerusalem  itself.  The  con- 
struction is  peculiar :  is  uvh  (compare  a  simi- 
lar use  of  irph,  ch.  xii.  1  ;  xxi.  8 ;  Rev.  xiv. 
20  ;  see  Winer,  p.  697,  Eng.  trans.).  Many 
think  that  it  is  to  be  understood — about 
fifteen  stadia  from  it — a  kind  of  trajection 
of  the  preposition ;  but  Winer  thinks  that 
it  points  to  the  spot  where  the  fifteen  stadia 
might  be  supposed  to  terminate,  i.e.  "  lying 
off  at  the  end  of  the  fifteen  stadia,"  and  so 
giving  an  adverbial  force  to  the  preposition  ; 
and  he  adds  a  long  list  of  similar  construc- 
tions in  later  Greek  writers.  The  stadium 
was  606j  feet — less  than  the  eighth  of  an 
English  mile ;  the  distance  was  therefore  be- 
tween a  mile  and  a  half  and  a  mile  and 
three  quarters.  And  many  of  the  Jews  had 
come  to  Martha  and  Mary.  "  The  Jews  "  is 
a  phrase  generally,  not  uniformly,  used  by 
John  to  denote  those  permanently  hostile 
to  our  Lord,  and  often  of  thf  upper  and 
ruling  classes.     These,  therefore,  had  one 

'  For  this  use  of  ex*'  see  ch.  v.  5,  6 ;  viii. 
57 ;  and  the  idiom  of  modern  languages — 
French  and  German. 


90 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  xi.  1— 57. 


more  trial  of  faith,  one  further  opportunity 
of  recognizing  his  glory.  Many  of  them 
came  '  to  Martha  and  Mary.  They  came  to 
comfort  them,  according  to  ordinary  usage 
among  the  Jews  after  bereavement.  This 
ceremony  often  lasted  seven  days.  Concern- 
ing (their  ^)  brother.  We  cling  to  earthly 
love.  The  gush  of  strong  affection  that 
mourners  lavish  on  the  dead  deepens  their 
love  to  one  another,  and  the  praises  of  the 
departed  often  gild  and  almost  pierce  the 
veil  itself.  The  fact  that  many  Jews  should 
have  taken  the  trouble  to  journey  nearly  two 
miles  to  comfort  the  bereaved  sisters  shows 
that  the  family  at  Bethany  was  one  of  some 
wealth,  position,  and  importance  (cf.  Matt, 
xxvi.  6 — 13).  If  so,  it  is  exceedingly  ua- 
likely  that  the  narrative  stands  in  any  re- 
lation to  the  parable  of  the  rich  man  and 
the  beggar. 

Ver.  20. — The  oHv  points  back  probably 
to  ver.  1.  The  type  of  character  so  beauti- 
fully contrasted  in  the  previous  reference  to 
the  family  at  Bethany  appears  again,  and 
confirms  the  historical  character  of  Luke  x. 
38,  etc.,  as  well  as  of  the  narrative  before 
us.  Thoma  says  that  this  picture  is  "  simply 
painted  with  synoptic  colour."  Martha  is 
the  mistress  of  the  house.  Martha  therefore, 
when  she  heard  that  Jesus  was  coming,  went 
and  met  him :  but  Mary  sat  still  in  the 
house.  Martha  was  a  woman  of  impulse, 
energy,  practical  duty  ;  like  Peter,  she  was 
ready  even  to  give  advice  to  her  Lord,  and 
eager  to  put  everybody  in  his  rightful  place. 
On  the  first  opportunity  she  hastened  at 
once  to  "  meet"  Jesus,  even  without  at  first 
warning  her  sister  of  his  approach.  INIary, 
contemplative,  pensive,  undemonstr.ative 
under  ordinary  circumstances,  but  with  a 
great  fund  of  love,  was  sitting  in  the  house 
receiving  the  condolences  of  the  Jews 
(cf.  ver.  19).  Weiss  suggests  that  Jesus 
was  well  aware,  from  the  station  of  the 
family,  and  from  the  fact  that  hitherto  his 
own  friendship  for  the  sisters  had  not  sub- 
mitted them  to  the  ban,  that  "  many  Jews  " 
would  have  congregated  in  the  house  of 
mourning.  Consequently,  Jesus  does  not 
come  straight  to  the  house,  but  allows  it  to 
be  known  that  he  is  there. 

*  Lachmann,  Tregelles,  Alford  (6th  edit.), 
Westcott  and  Hort,  and  R.T.,  read  irpbs  tV> 
with  K,  B,  C,  L,  X :  but  Meyer,  Tischen- 
dorf  (8th  edit.),  and  McLellan  read  nphs  ras 
irepl,  "  came  to  the  women  that  were  about " 
Martha  and  Mary,  with  A,  C,  r.  A,  and 
other  uncials  and  several  ancient  versions. 
This  reading  might  refer  to  the  ancient 
minstrels. 

*  N,  B,  D,  L,  omit  avruv,  followed  by  Ti- 
Bchendorf  (8th  edit.),  R.T.,  and  Westcott  and 
Hort. 


Ver.  21. — Martha  therefore  (having  met 
her  Lord)  said  unto  Jesus,  Lord,  if  then 
hadst  been  here— the  et  ^j  S>he  expresses  no 
complaint :  "  If  thou  hadst  been  here,"  a 
simple  condition  of  what  is  now  an  impos- 
sible event — my  brother  had  not  died.  Meyer 
says,  "  If  thou  wert  making  thy  residence  in 
Bethany  rather  than  in  Pertea."  This  is 
somewhat  unnatural,  and  would  have  been 
a  complaint.  Her  faith  had  at  least  ground 
enough  for  this  assurance,  but  she  mounts 
above  it.  The  two  sisters,  wdth  their  con- 
trasted natures,  had  grasped  the  life-giving, 
joy-diffusing,  heaven-revealing  powers  of 
Jesus.  Tliey  had  believed  in  him,  with  a 
gracious  abandonment  of  all  prejudice  and 
in  the  sweeping  force  of  a  great  illuminating 
love.  They  had  said  often  this  same  thing 
to  one  another,  and  now  Martha  pours  her 
high  persuasion  into  the  ears  of  her  Lord ; 
but  she  proceeds  further. 

Ver.  22. — And  even  now  I  know,  that 
whatsoever  thing  thou  shalt  ask  of  God,  God 
will  give  it  thee.  NCi/  olSa  may  be  con- 
trasted with  ver.  27.  In  his  presence  she 
knows  intuitively  that  nothing  is  impossible. 
The  aiTijffT)  is  a  word  of  more  human  quality 
than  that  which  our  Lord  customarily  used 
for  his  own  appeals  to  God.  He  spoke  of 
epaiTay,  to  seek  as  an  equal ;  izapaKaKiiv,  to 
intercede  for  another ;  Trpoo-euxec^aijto  pray  ; 
56?(r0a(,  to  supplicate.  It  was  appropriate 
enough  that  Martha  should  use  the  verb 
aiT-na-r].  Her  word  was  a  burst  of  excited 
feeling,  and  does  not  dictate  to  the  Master 
what  he  should  do.  Her  twofold  mention 
of  the  name  of  God  with  "  thou "  and 
"  thee,"  shows  that  she  had  not  risen  to 
highest  light  on  the  Lord's  mysterious  re- 
lation to  the  Father.  She  speaks  of  him 
and  to  him  as  of  a  strangely  gifted  human 
Friend.  But  she  had  doubtless  heard  of  the 
widow  of  Nain,  and  of  Jairus's  daughter, 
and  she  made  no  irrational  suggestion.  The 
S(Ta  covers  much.  Jesus  loved  Lazarus.  He 
was  Friend  to  the  whole  group,  and  known 
to  them  all. 

Ver.  23. — Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Thy  brother 
shall  rise  again.  Hengstenberg  thinks  that 
the  reply  of  Jesus  is  a  grand  dogmatic  asser- 
tion of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  in  special 
application  to  Lazarus,  and  it  covers  the  kind 
of  avdaraais  which  takes  place  at  death,  as 
well  as  the  resurrection  at  the  last  day.  If  so, 
surely  our  Lord  would  have  said,  "  Lazarus 
is  risen  again."  The  Lord  does  elsewhere 
speak  of  the  dead  as  risen,  and  of  their 
angelic  state,  and  of  all  the  dead  living  unto 
God ;  but  he  is  here  speaking  of  the  imme- 
diate resurrection  of  Lazarus  from  what  is 
called  death  to  that  which  is  called  life,  and 
which  would  be  a  pledge  and  type  of  the 
final  resurrection  of  all 

Ver.  24.— Martha  saith  to  him,  I  know 


CH.  XI.  1—57.]       THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


91 


that  he  will  rise  again  at  the  resurrection 
in  the  last  day.  Some  disappointiuout  is 
revealed  in  this  speech,  such  as  we  luwe  all 
felt  with  the  promise  of  au  ultimate  resur- 
rection, when  the  grave  has  closed  over  some 
dear  friend.  We  liud  small  relief  in  the 
assurance.  The  old  tics  are  snapped,  tho 
old  ways  are  at  an  end.  We  shall  go  to 
the  dead  :  he  will  not  return  to  us.  The  last 
day  is  too  fur  otf  to  comfort  us  concerning 
our  brother.  But  the  answer  of  Martha  is 
important  as  revealing  belief  in  the  resur- 
rection at  the  last  day ;  of  which,  however, 
it  must  be  remembered  those  who  had  heard 
our  Lord's  own  assertions  about  it  could  no 
longer  have  doubted  (ch.  vi.  39,  40,  44,  54 ; 
xii.  48).  The  teachings  of  Jesus  in  this 
Gospel  with  reference  to-eternal  life  made  the 
promise  of  resurrection,  the  transfiguration 
of  the  physical  life  of  man,  a  necessity,  not 
a  contradiction.  Tho  reply  of  Martha  shows 
that  she  docs  not  as  yet  grasp  tho  whole 
trutii.  "  The  last  day  "  may  be  far  nearer 
in  her  thought  than  we  now  know  it  to  have 
been,  or  than  it  is  to  us ;  still,  however  near, 
it  would  imply  a  complete  transformation  of 
all  these  sweet  human  relationships.  She 
longed  to  have  the  home  as  it  was  before 
Lazarus  died.  It  is,  however,  of  very  great 
interest  that  we  have,  on  the  part  of  a  Jew, 
this  profound  expectation  of  resurrection 
and  immortality.  Jews,  or  at  least  Phari- 
sees, had  derived  from  Old  Testament 
thought — from  Genesis,  and  from  Job,  and 
from  the  Psalter,  from  the  Books  of  Daniel 
and  Ezekiel,  and  from  the  progress  of  human 
thought  as  evinced  in  '  Wisdom  of  Solomon ' 
— a  great  belief  in  both.  Martha  reveals 
incidentally  the  new  light  which  had  been 
cast  on  the  mystery  of  the  grave  by  the 
words  and  acts  of  Jesus. 

Vers.  25,  26. — Jesus  said  to  her,  I  am  the 
Eesurrection.  Not  merely  that  God  will 
give  me  what  I  ask,  but  that  I  am  in  some 
sense  already  his  gift  to  man  of  resurrection, 
inasnmch  as  I  am  that  of  Life.  (So  Lu- 
thardt  and  Godet,  but  not  Meyer,  who  makes 
^oni  the  positive  result  of  ayaaraffts.)  By 
taking  humanity  into  his  Person,  Christ 
reveals  the  permanence  of  human  individu- 
ality, that  is,  of  such  individuality  as  is 
in  union  with  himself.  He  associates  (ch. 
xiv.  fj)  "  the  Life  "  which  he  gives  with  "  tho 
Way  "  and  "  the  Truth,"  i.e.  with  the  whole 
sum  of  human  experience  and  of  human 
meditation  and  speculation,  i.e.  with  all 
the  conduct  of  the  will  and  the  mind.  He 
that  believeth  on  me,  though  he  die,  yet 
shall  he  live.  In  these  words  he  identifies 
the  "  life  "  with  the  transfiguration  of  tho 
bodily  life.  The  grand  method  of  this 
blessed  life  is  faith.  Tho  life  which  is  the 
condition  and  ground  of  resurrection  is  the 
natural  consequence  of  a  faith  which  accepts 


Christ,  and  identifies  itself  with  him.  But 
"  there  aro  some  who  have  believed,  and 
have  what  you  call  died  " — though  they  die, 
tlwy  shall  Hoe.  In  such  cases,  so-called 
"  death  "  is  veritable  "  life."  Tho  life  of 
faith  will  survive  the  shock  of  deatli,  and 
whosoever  liveth,  and  believeth  on  me, 
shall  never  die — shall  never  taste  of  death 
(cf.  ch.  vi.  51,  viii.  51).  This  is  no  new  teach- 
ing for  the  more  thoughtful  of  his  hearers. 
There  are  multitudes  now  believing  (and 
therefore  living)  in  him.  They  shall  never 
die  in  tho  sense  in  which  deatli  has  been 
hitherto  regarded ;  they  shall  by  no  means  die 
for  ever.  Faith  is  eternal  life  :  death  is 
only  a  momentary  shadow  upon  a  life  which 
is  far  bettor.  Whether  the  corruption  of 
the  grave  passes  over  the  believer  or  not, 
he  lives  an  eternal  life,  which  has  no  ele- 
ment of  death  nor  proclivity  to  death  in  it. 
So  far  the  Lord  is  lifting  Martha  to  a  higher 
experience  of  life  and  a  comparative  in- 
difference to  death.  Before  he  offers  any 
further  consolation,  he  probes  to  the  quick 
her  faith  in  him  and  in  the  eternal  life. 
Believest  thou  this?  ToCro;  "Is  this  thy 
belief?"  not  TouToj;  "  Dost  thou  believe  in 
my  statement?"  "Believest  thou  that  the 
Resurrection  which  I  am  and  which  I  give 
can  thus  transform  for  thee  the  whole  mean- 
ing of  death  ?"  The  fulness  of  life  after  death 
is  assured  in  virtue  of  the  resurrection  which 
Christ  could  effect  at  any  moment,  and  will 
eventually  effect  for  all.  This  life  of  which 
Christ  speaks  may  be  the  life  which  is  the 
consequence  of  the  resurrection  {a,va<Tra(7is) 
of  man  effected  in  the  Incarnation,  or  it  may 
be  the  condition  of  "  resurrection  "  and  suffi- 
cient proof  that,  if  a  man  receive  it  by  faith, 
he  is  free  from  all  the  curse  of  physical 
death,  and  assured  of  a  perfect  victory  over 
it.  So  also  the  oh  jx)}  .  .  .  jis  rhv  alwva  may 
either  mean  "  not  for  ever,"  and  thus  the 
words  may  be  taken  to  refer  to  the  resur- 
rection. "  He  will  not  for  ever  die,"  i.e. 
death  may  supervene,  but  will  be  con- 
quered;  or  ov  fj.i]  may  mean  "never,"  "in 
no  wise,"  and  the  " never  die"  may  refer  to 
spiritual  death,  overlooking  physical  death 
altogether.  The  whole  narrative  is  a  great 
parable  of  life  through  death. 

Ver.  27. — She  saith  unto  him,  Yea,  lord. 
The  reply  admits  the  tovto  ;  Many  seem  to 
think  that  Martha  falls  back  on  theocratic 
technicality  after  a  high  flight  of  faith,  and 
leaves  the  solution  of  her  deepest  anxieties 
to  the  Lord.  I  have  believed,  not  now  for 
the  first  time,  that  thou  art  the  Christ  of  all 
our  highest  hopes  antl  of  our  prophetic  Scrip- 
tures— the  Son  of  God  in  the  sense  in  which 
Nathanael,  and  the  healed  blind  man,  and 
tho  heroic  Peter,  and  John  tiio  Baptist  have 
regarded  thoe,  not  now  dawning  on  the 
world  as  an  unexpected  apparition,  but  long 


92 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  xi.  1—57 


since  awaited — even  he  that  cometh  into  the 
world,  the  Hope  of  all,  in  fact,  the  Resur- 
rection and  the  Life  because  the  Christ,  and 
the  Christ  because  the  Son  of  God.  In  her 
great  faith  these  deeper  truths,  just  an- 
nounced, are  implicitly  involved. 

Ver.  28. — When  she  had  said  this,*  she 
departed,  and  called  Mary  her  sister  secretly. 
Observe  the  important  emendation  of  text 
from  ravra  to  rovro.  When  she  had  made 
this  great  utterance,  her  heart  is  big  with 
hope.  The  grim  shadow  of  death  is  now 
transparent  to  a  heavenly  light.  She  must 
share  her  hope  with  lier  sister.  Jesus  gave 
the  commission  to  fetch  Mary,  as  is  obvious 
from  the  words  of  Martha  which  follow. 
The  term  "secretly"  (Aciflpo),  when  elsewhere 
used,  precedes  the  verb  with  which  it  is 
associated,  and  therefore  here  it  is  joined 
with  elirovcra,  whispering  to  her,  lest  tlie 
hostile  Jews  should  hear  and  intercept  the 
interview.  The  Master  (the  Teacher) — 
used  absolutely  (cf.  ch.  xiii.  13) — is  here, 
and  calieth  for  thee.  Sacred  smnmons ! 
Martha  expected  (as  Euthymius  suggested) 
that  some  blessing  might  come  from  his 
words. 

Ver.  29. — And  she,  as  soon  as  she  heard, 
arose  (aorist)  quickly,  and  went  forth  to 
(meet)  him  (imperfect) ;  or,  was  ^  on  the  icay 
to  come  to  Mm — a  vivid  touch  conveyed  by 
the  change  of  tense  which  has  been  intro- 
duced into  the  test  by  the  Eevisers.  The 
summons  is  met  by  prompt  obedience,  and 
we  see  it  in  immediate  resolution  and  activity. 

Ver.  30. — Now  Jesus  was  not  yet  come 
into  the  village,  but  was  still '  in  that 
place  where  Martha  met  him.  At  no  great 
distance  from  the  grave  or  from  the  village. 
The  Lord  probably  sought  to  comfort  the 
sisters  apart  from  the  crowd.  Thus  say 
most  commentators.  This  is  not  in  the  text. 
If  it  were  his  purpose,  it  was  frustrated. 
Hengstenberg  thinks  our  Lord  did  not 
object  to  the  crowds  witnessing  the  miracle, 
but  if  80,  it  would  be  without  any  arrange- 
ment on  his  part. 

Ver.  31. — The  Jews  therefore  who  were 
with  her  in  the  house,  and  were  comforting 
her.     If  the  "  Jews"  (see  note,  ver.  19)  were 

*  Tovro  is  the  reading  of  N,  B,  C,  L,  X, 

and  several  versions,  and  adopted  by  Ti- 
schendorf  (8th  edit.),  Alford,  Tregelles,  R.T., 
and  Westcott  and  Hort,  against  Lachmann, 
T.R.,  etc.,  who  read  Tavra,  with  A  and  D. 

*  "Hpxfro  is  the  reading  of  X,  B,  C*,  and 
versions  and  cursives ;  is  adopted  by  Tre- 
gelles, by  R.T.  and  Westcott  and  Hort,  but 
not  by  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.). 

^  'Et:  is  the  reading  of  N',  B,  C,  X,  1,  33, 
etc.,  and  is  adopted  by  R.T.,  Westcott  and 
Hort,  and  Tregelles,  but  not  by  Ti&chendorf 
(8th  edit.). 


comforting  Mary,  and  (ver.  37)  recognized 
his  love  in  its  Divine  depths,  and  if  (see 
ver.  45)  (^noWol)  "  many  believed  on  him," 
and  only  (rivfs)  some  of  them  (ver.  4G)  made 
the  stupendous  miracle  a  new  occasion  for 
expressing  their  inveterate  malignity,  there 
is  no  reason  to  import  the  element  of  hostility 
into  the  word  tSoVres.  When  they  observed 
Mary,  that  she  suddenly  rose  and  (silently) 
went  out  (of  the  house),  followed  her,  sup- 
posing that  she  goeth '  to  the  grave  to  w^ 
there.  This  custom  was  followed  widely  in 
the  East,*  and  is  still  observed  in  Roman 
Catholic  communities.  The  word  K\aiai  is  to 
be  carefully  distinguished  from  SaKpvo)  of 
ver.  35;  it  denotes  the  loud  expressive  wailing 
and  manifestation  of  grief  of  which  so  many 
instances  occur  (Matt.  ii.  18;  Mark  v.  38; 
Luke  vii.  13 ;  viii.  52 ;  Acts  ix.  39),  while 
the  latter  word  means  the  shedding  of  tears. 
"  Wailing  "  is  often  the  regulated  expression 
of  professional  grief ;  "  weeping  "  the  irre- 
sistible burst  of  personal  sorrow.  The  first 
may  be  violent  and  obtrusive,  the  other 
silent  and  pathetic. 

Ver.  32. — Mary  therefore,  when  she  came 
where  Jesus  was,  and  when  she  saw  him, 
fell  at  his  feet,  and  in  other  ways  showed 
more  intensity  of  feeling  than  did  the 
energetic  sister,  who  in  many  ways  is  the 
feminine  type  of  what  Peter  was  as  a  man. 
She  is  not  altogether  silent,  but  sobbed  forth 
the  very  words  which  her  sister  had  uttered 
before.  Thus  had  they  often  said  one  to 
another  while  Lazarus  was  yet  alive,  "  Oh 
that  the  Lord  Jesus  were  here  !  "  Lord,  said 
she,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  had 
not  died.  The  position  of  fiov,  which  in 
some  manuscripts  was  placed  before  airida- 
viv,  is  here  emphatic,  as  though  Mary  had 
in  some  way  especially  claimed  Lazarus  as 
her  brother  more  than  Martha's.  She  does 
not  add  a  word  of  remonstrance  or  sugges- 
tion. She  moans  forth  the  same  confident 
expression  of  her  sense  of  the  love  and  power 
of  Jesus. 

Vers.  33 — 44. — (3)  The  struggle  with  death. 

Ver.  33. — When  Jesus  therefore  saw  her 
wailing,  and  the  Jews  wailing  who  came 
with  her,  he  was  moved  with  indignation  in 
the  spirit,  and  troubled  himself.    The  sight  of 

'  Ao'laj/Tcs  is  the  reading  of  X,  B,  C*,  D,  L, 
X,  and  is  adopted  by  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.), 
Tregelles,  R.T.,  and  Westcott  and  Hort. 
The  curious  reading  of  N,  on  'ItjcoSs  vTtdyei, 
is  unsupported  and  without  probability.  It 
is  not  even  mentioned  by  Tischendorf  (8th 
edit.)  or  Tregelles. 

^  Wetstein,  in  loo.,  art.  on  "Mourning," 
Kitto's  '  Cyclopaedia.'  See  ample  discus- 
sion of  the  rites  and  place  and  varieties  of 
sepulture  in  Edersheim's  '  Life  of  Jesus  the 
Messiah,'  vol.  ii.  316,  etc. 


CH.  SI.  1—57.]       THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING   TO  ST.  JOHN. 


03 


the  wailing  Mary  and  the  wailing  Jews,  who 
took  up  her  grief  and,  according  to  Oriental 
custom,  adopted  her  expression  of  it  with 
loud  cries  and  emphatic  gestures,  praisinjr 
the  dead,  and  lamenting  his  loss,  produced 
a  most  wonderful  impression  on  the  Lord 
Jesus.  Meyer  thinks  tliat  the  contrast 
between  tlieir  hypocritical  or  professional 
tears  and  her  genuine  emotion,  the  blending 
of  these  incongruous  elements,  the  combina- 
tion of  a  profound  affliction  of  a  dear  friend 
and  the  simulated  grief  of  his  bitter  enemies, 
led  him  to  manifest  the  feeling  here  de- 
scribed. But  we  have  no  right  to  import 
such  an  element  into  the  scene.  The  con- 
certed wailing  was,  however,  the  occasion 
of  what  is  described  in  very  remarkable 
terms,  ivf^piy-riaaro  r^  irvtv^ari,  koX  trdpa^ev 
eavrSv.  The  first  expression  occurs  again 
in  ver.  38.  Westcott  says  in  the  three  places 
where  it  elsewhere  occurs  (Matt.  ix.  30; 
Mark  i.  43  ;  xiv.  5)  there  is  "  the  notion  of 
coercion  arising  out  of  displeasure,"  a  motion 
'*  towards  another  of  anger  ratlier  than 
Borrow."  The  verb  ;8pi^ao/iai  and  its  com- 
pounds is  used  in  the  classics  and  tlie  LXX. 
in  the  sense  of  hot  anger,  neither  pain  nor 
grief  (though  it  is  not  very  evident  that  it 
goes  80  far  as  this  in  Mark  i.  43).  Luther 
translated  it  ergrimmete,  and  Passow  gives 
no  other  meaning.  This  seems  generally 
accepted.  But  at  what  was  Jesus  angered  ? 
This  can  be  answered  only  by  deciding 
whether  rcj)  nvevfiaTi  is  the  dative  of  the 
object,  or  whether  it  is  the  instrument  or 
sphere  of  his  holy  indignation.  According 
to  the  old  Greek  expositors,  Origen,  Chry- 
sostom,  Cyril,  Theophylact — and  they  are 
followed  by  Alford  and  Hilgenftld,  the 
latter  of  whom  finds  in  it  a  hint  of  the 
Gnostic  Christology  which,  in  his  opinion, 
pervades  the  Gospel — the  anger  might  have 
been  directed  against  his  own  human  spirit, 
at  that  moment  tempted  into  an  unfilial 
strain  of  sympathy  with  tlic  mourners ;  yet, 
if  this  be  its  meaning,  why  was  it  that  Jesus 
eubsequently  wept  himstlf?  and  why,  in- 
stead of  exciting  himself,  instead  of  shudder- 
ing with  his  bitterness  of  feeling,  did  he 
not  (as  Hengstonberg  says)  compose  and 
quiet  himself  ?  Beside,  rp  ^uxjf  would  have 
been  a  far  more  appropriate  term  to  use  for 
the  effective  and  sympathetic  part  of  his 
nature  than  itv(v/jxiti.  It  is  possible,  if  "the 
spirit "  expresses  that  part  of  his  human 
nature  in  special  fellowship  with  the  Father, 
to  suppose  that  he  felt  a  certain  antagonism 
with  that  within  himself  which  had  prompted 
to  some  immediate  manifestation  of  Divine 
power,  and  to  translate, "  He  sternly  checked 
his  spirit."  But  the  miracle  of  Divine 
struggle  with  death  followed  so  immediately 
that  this  cannot  be  the  true  explanation 
(Westcott  suggests  it  as  an  alternative,  but  I 


not  the  best  interpretation).  The  to!  irvtv- 
nan  must  be  the  sphere  of  his  holy  wrntli, 
for  which  we  must  find  some  explanation. 
Meyer's  seems  (as  already  said)  to  be  alto- 
gether insulBcient.  So  also  in  our  opinion 
is  that  of  Godet,  viz.  that  this  act  of  victorious 
conflict  with  death,  on  which  ho  was  enter- 
ing, involved  his  own  deutli-wnriant  by 
being  the  occasion  of  tlio  last  outbreak  of 
malice  on  the  part  of  the  Jews.  Such  a 
fact  would  be  out  of  harmony,  not  only  with 
the  Fourth  Gospel,  but  with  the  (synoptic) 
struggle  in  Gethsemane.  Now,  without 
enumerating  various  other  interpretations 
of  the  passage,  we  think  Augustine,  P>as- 
mus,  Luthardt,  Hengstenberg,  Moulton, 
meet  our  difficulty  by  the  suggestion  that 
death  itself  occasiojicd  this  indignation. 
Though,  like  tlie  good  Physician  in  the 
house  of  mourning,  he  knew  the  issue  of  liis 
mighty  act,  yet  he  entered  with  viviil  and 
intense  human  sympathy  into  all  the 
primary  and  secondary  sorrows  of  d(>ath. 
He  saw  the  long  procession  of  mourners 
from  the  first  to  the  last,  all  the  reckless 
agony,  all  the  hopelessness  of  it,  in  thousands 
of  millions  of  instances.  There  flashed  upon 
his  spirit  all  the  terrible  moral  consequences 
of  which  death  was  the  ghastly  .symbol. 
He  knew  that  within  a  short  time  lie  too, 
in  taking  upon  himself  the  sins  of  men, 
would  have  taken  upon  himself  their  death, 
and  there  was  enough  to  rouse  in  his  spirit 
a  Divine  indignation,  and  he  groaned  and 
shuddered.  He  roused  himself  to  a  conflict 
which  would  be  a  prelibation  of  the  cross 
and  the  burial.  He  took  the  diseases  of 
men  upon  himself  when  he  took  them  away. 
Ho  took  the  death-agony  of  Lazarus  and  the 
humiliation  of  the  grave  and  the  tears  of 
the  sisters  upon  himself  when  he  resolved 
to  cry,  "  Lazarus,  come  forth  ! "  and  to  snfitch 
from  the  grasp  of  the  grim  conqueror  for 
a  little  while  one  of  his  victims.  Compare 
the  toil  of  Hercules  in  wrestling  with  death 
for  the  wife  of  Admetus.  Compare  also 
ch.  xiii.  21,  where  moral  proximity  to  tlio 
treacherous  heart  and  gliastly  deed  and  ap- 
proaching doom  of  Judas  made  him  once 
more  to  shudder. 

Ver.  34. — And  he  said,  Where  have  ye  laid 
him?  They  say  unto  him,  Lord,  come  and 
see.  A  strange  echo  of  ch.  i.  39  (cf.  Rev.  vi. 
1,  5,  7) — Christ  asking  for  infonuation.  Tiio 
Lord  was  answered  out  of  his  own  words. 
His  mind  was  made  up. 

Ver.  35. — Jesus  wept.  The  shortest  verse, 
but  one  of  the  most  suggestive  in  the  entire 
Scripture.  The  great  wrath  against  death 
is  subdued  now  into  tears  of  love,  of  sym- 
pathy, and  of  deep  emotioYi.  Jesus  shed 
tears  of  sympathetic  sorrow.  This  is  in 
sacred  and  eternal  refutation  of  the  theory 
which  deprives  the  incarnate  Logos  of  8t< 


94 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCOKDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  xi.  1—57. 


John  of  human  heart  and  spirit.  These 
tears  have  been  for  all  the  ages  a  grand 
testimony  to  the  fulness  of  his  humanity, 
and  also  a  Divine  revelation  of  the  very  heart 
of  God  (see  Isa.  xxv.  8).  It  was  not  a  K\av- 
0n6s,  as  the  weeping  over  Jerusalem  (Luke 
xix.  41),  but  profound  and  wondrous  fellow- 
feeling  with  human  misery  in  all  its  forms, 
then  imaged  before  him  in  the  grave  of 
Lazarus.  It  is  akin  to  the  judicial  blind- 
ness which  has  obscured  for  the  Tiibingen 
school  so  much  of  the  glory  of  Divine  reve- 
lation, that  Baur  should  regard  this  weeping 
of  Jesus  as  unhistorical. 

Vers.  36,  37.— The  Jews  therefore  said, 
Behold  hovr  he  loved  him  !  Bat  some  of  them 
said,  Could  not  this  Man,  who  opened  the 
eyes  of  the  blind,  have  caused  that  this  man 
also  should  not  die  1  The  efiect  upon  the 
'lovSa7oi  diflfers  here,  as  always ;  but  if  (ttoA- 
\ol,  ver.  45)  many  were  favourably  impres- 
sed, we  may  believe  here  that  the  iroWol 
said  one  to  another  with  genuine  emotion, 
"  Behold  how  he  loved  him ! "  (e^i'Xej,  not 
'riydira;  amabat,  not  diligehat).  Tears  are 
often  the  expression  of  love  as  well  as  grief. 
Hengstenberg  sees  in  the  cry  of  the  better 
class  of  these  Jews,  "  How  has  he  then  let 
him  die  ?  "  probably  he  could  not  have  helped 
him  if  he  would.  In  the  language  of  the 
other  Jews  there  was  the  suggestion  of  in- 
ability, and  the  ironical  hint  that  the  cure 
of  the  blind  man,  which  had  created  so  great 
a  commotion,  was  only  a  delusion.  Perhp.ps, 
too,  a  covert  expectation  of  some  further  dis- 
play of  wonder-working  power.  Strauss 
regards  it  as  unhistorical  that  the  pre^'ious 
restorations  from  the  dead  should  not  be 
cited.  But  surely,  when  John  wrote  this 
Gospel,  the  story  of  the  widow's  son  and  of 
Jairus's  daughter  was  known  throughout  the 
world.  And  if,  in  the  middle  of  the  second 
century,  this  Gospel  had  been  written  by  a 
speculative  theologian,  who  deliberately  set 
himself  to  concoct  such  a  narrative  as  this, 
with  the  view  of  completing  the  picture  of 
the  Vanquisher  of  Hades,  he  would  most 
certainly  have  cited  the  Galilsean  miracles. 
John,  however,  is  merely  recording  his  own 
experiences.  These  Jews  at  that  time  may 
never  have  heard  of  either  Nain  or  the 
daughter  of  Jairus,  and  spoke  merely  of  that 
which  was  within  their  own  recollection  and 
experience.  As  they  stand  here,  these  words 
are  striking  testimony  to  their  historical  va- 
lidity. Tlie  Gospel  which  most  unequivo- 
cally establishes  the  claim  of  our  Lord  to  a 
Divine  Personality  or  subsistence,  is  more 
explicit  than  any  of  them  in  asserting  his 
pure  humanity,  and  giving  proofs  of  it. 

Ver.  38. — Jesus  therefore  again  moved 
with  indignation  within  himself.  The  (eV 
eavrcp)  "in  himself"  is  not  so  forcible  an 
expression  as  "  shuddering  in  his  spirit " 


(ver.  33),  but  it  implies  a  continuity  of  grand, 
holy  indignation  against  the  anomaly  of 
death,  from  which  the  human  family  and 
he  as  its  Representative  were  suffering  (cf. 
ver.  33).  He  oometh  to  the  grave.  The 
{fj.vr]ixeiov  or)  tomb  is  forthwith  described  as 
{(TiTT\Kaiov)  a  den,  cavern,  or  cave,  from  (rireos, 
Bpelunca,  of  which,  partly  natural,  partly 
artificial,  abundant  use  was  made  in  the  East. 
A  stone  lay  (eV  avr(ji)  against  it ;  or,  over  it ; 
i.e.  either  closing  it  up  as  a  pit,  or  closing 
the  mouth  of  it,  by  being  rolled  along  a 
ledge  horizontal  with  the  base  of  the  exca- 
vation. The  former  kind  of  cave  is  shown 
at  Bethany,  but  no  dependence  can  be  placed 
on  the  tradition.  (Of.  the  account  of  our 
Lord's  own  tomb,  to  which  a  stone  was  rolled. 
Matt,  xxvii.  60 ;  xxviii.  2  ;  Mark  xvi.  3,  4  ; 
Luke  xxiv.  2 ;  cf.  also  Thomson,  '  The  Land 
and  the  Book,'  pp.  101 — 108 ;  and  art. 
"Burial,"  in  Smith's  'Dictionary.')  The 
tomb  of  Joseph  was  that  of  a  rich  man,  and 
all  these  circumstances  show  opulence,  rather 
than  the  beggary  and  rags  of  the  Lazarus 
of  the  parable. 

Ver.  39. — Jesus  saith,  Take  ye  away  the 
stone.  "Apore  has  rather  the  idea  of  "  lift " 
than  "  roll  away ; "  it  is  used  for  "  take," 
"take  away,"  "carry  as  a  burden."  Martha, 
the  sister  of  >iiTn  that  was  dead,^  said  unto 
him,  Lord,  by  this  time  he  stinketh :  for  he 
hath  been  four  days  here.  Martha's  lan- 
guage is  another  singular  illustration  of  the 
desire  on  her  part  to  give  a  certain  kind  of 
advice  and  direction  to  our  Lord,  as  though 
he  might  be  the  wiser  and  better  for  her 
monitions,  The  characterization  of  her  as 
"  '  the  sister  of  the  dead  "  man  is  not  needed 
for  identification,  but  rather  to  explain  or 
justify  her  intrusion  upon  the  solemn,  stately 
direction  of  the  Lord.  She  shrank  from 
such  an  exposure  of  the  body  of  her  beloved 
brother,  as  an  unnecessary  act,  since  he  was 
only  to  rise  at  the  last  day,  or  to  be  regarded 
by  his  faith  in  Christ  before  his  death  as 
having  already  passed  from  death  and  through 
death  into  a  new  life.  She  must  have  re- 
linquished at  that  moment  all  hope  of  resur- 
rection of  the  body  of  Lazarus  there  and 
then :  ^Stj  o^ei,  "  he  already  stinketh."  This 
is  explained  by  many  of  the  Fathers  as 
proof  that  our  Lord  not  only  raised  from 
death-swoon  Jairus's  daughter,  and  the  young 
man  on  his  way  to  burial,  but  also  a  putre- 
fying corpse ;  thus  giving  three  symbols  of 
the  effects  of  sin  :  (1)  a  young  life  blighted ; 
(2)  a  man's  energies  dissipated  and  his  coa- 

»  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  R.T.,  and  West- 
cott  and  Hort,  following  X,  A,  B,  C,  D,  K,  L, 
etc.,  give  here  reTeXevT-nKSros,  with  reference 
to  one  that  had  finished  his  course,  rather 
than  reOuvKSros  of  T.R.,  referring  to  that  one 
that  had  died  and  was  dead. 


CH.  XI.  1—57.]       THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN 


95 


dition  apparently  hopeless;  and  (3)  a  type 
also  of  one  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins 
(Trench  on  the  Miracles) — one  whose  habits 
of  trespass  and  bondage  to  evil  seem  to  for- 
bid all  renewal.  Godet  thinks  that  JNIartha 
had  special  reasons  for  such  a  speech.  Others, 
that  all  that  we  have  here  is  the  speculation 
01  fancy  of  Martha,  and  that  it  must  be  so. 
She  puts  one  more  arrest,  as  it  would  seem, 
upon  the  free  act  and  love  of  Jesus.  Tliis 
seems  quite  sufficient  to  account  for  the  use 
of  the  word.  It  would  seem  that,  for  some 
reason,  the  body  had  not  been  fully  em- 
balmed, or  she  would  not  have  used  the 
expression.  Still,  all  had  been  done  with 
spices  and  perfumes  that  was  intended.  The 
Tubingen  criticism  eagerly  lays  hold  on  this 
point,  as  proof  that  the  fourth  evangelist 
intended  by  such  a  touch  to  exalt  and 
exaggerate  the  wonder-working  power  of 
Christ.  There  is  no  need  wliatever  to  see 
in  it  more  than  Martha's  sisterly  love  get- 
ting the  better  of  her  submission  to  her 
Masters  order.  TeTopToioy  yap  i<ni,^  "  For 
he  is  of  the  fourth  day  (dead)  (buried)." 
On  the  fourth  day  the  countenance  changes, 
and,  as  the  Jewish  proverb  urged,  the  spirit 
takes  its  flight  from  the  sepulchre,  and  no 
longer  hovers  over  the  departed  form. 

Ver.  40. — Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Said  I  not 
unto  thee,  that,  if  thou  believedst,  thou 
shouldst  see  the  glory  of  God  1  This  was  a 
probable  reference  to  the  language  of  ver. 
4,  and  also  to  the  teaching  of  vers.  25,  26, 
where  our  Lord  had  encouraged  her  imper- 
fect faith  in  himself  to  become  a  veritable 
vision  of  Divine  glory.  Out  of  the  deepest 
humiliation  comes  the  highest  glory.  The 
putrefaction  of  the  grave  is  a  stepping-stone 
to  his  throne.  More  is  meant  than  the 
physical  resurrection  of  Lazarus.  She  would 
or  might  by  faith  see  the  glory  of  Divine 
power  and  love  which  would,  by  what  was 
about  to  happen,  dawn  upon  her.  Christ 
was  going  to  prove  to  faith  that  he  could 
and  would  destroy  the  power  of  death,  rob 
him  of  sting,  swallow  up  the  grave  in  vic- 
tory, and  proclaim  the  everlasting  curse  of 
this  mysterious  flesli  of  ours  to  be  a  van- 
quished foe. 

Ver.  41. — Then  they  took  away  the  stone 
P  from  the  place  where  the  dead  was  laid]. 

'  See  Xenophon, '  Anab.,'  vi.  4.  9,''H5€  yap 
^aav  irtamaloi,  "  They  were  already  five 
days  (dead)." 

*  T.U.,  Griesbach,  and  Scholz  here  add, 
ov  fiv  h  TtdvrjKws  Ktifi-fvos,  with  C*,  E,  H,  and 
many  more  authorities;  but  the  phrase  is 
differently  given  in  several  uncials.  But 
neither  do  N,  B,  C*,  D,  L,  X,  5,  24,  and 
other  cursiven,  nor  does  Vulgate  nor  nu- 
merous other  versions,  contain  the  words. 
Tliey  are  omitted  by  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.), 


They  lifted  the  stone,  and  Jesus  lifted  up 
Ms  eyes  to  heaven.  This  is  not  to  be  taken 
as  an  ordinary  prayer,  but  a  thanksgiving 
for  prayer  already  heard.  "  Jesus  lifted  up 
his  eyes,"  i.e.  to  heaven — to  that  sublime 
symbol  of  the  infinite  activity  of  God,  which 
surrounds  us  day  and  night,  and  which  is 
in  numerous  religious  systems  made  a  type 
and  image  of  the  Divine  Being  himself;  nor 
does  our  modern  conception  of  the  universe 
dethrone  it  from  this  higli  place.  Christ's 
language  is  thanksgiving  tliat  God  has  al- 
ready heard  him.  Godet  and  Hengstenberg 
say  that  Jesus  thanked  God  in  anticipation 
of  the  miracle,  as  though  it  were  already 
done.  Meyer  and  Alford  look  back  to  some 
earlier  prayers.  But  surely  there  is  some 
reason  for  the  thanksgiving.  Tlie  stone  is 
lifted,  or  removed ;  there  lies  the  corpse,  but 
no  dank  sepulchral  vapour  issues  from  it ; 
rather  some  sign  is  given  that  prayer  offered 
by  Christ  had  been  already  heard,  and 
that  death  has  not  made  the  havoc  with 
the  frame  which  would  otherwise  have  oc- 
curred. Father,  I  thank  thee  that  thou 
heardest  me.  When  he  uttered  the  prayer 
we  cannot  say  ;  but  we  know  that  his 
mind  was  greatly  exercised  concerning  his 
friend  before  he  left  Periea.  His  words 
confess  that  his  wishes  have  been  in  har- 
mony with  the  Divine  eternal  will.  So 
elsewhere  the  Lord  tells  his  disciples,  "  If 
ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide  in  you, 
ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be 
done  unto  you  ;  "  i.e.  "  your  desires  will  be 
in  harmony  with  the  Divine  purpose  ;  you 
will  not  bo  able  to  pray  for  anything  either 
temporal  or  spiritual  which  God  will  not 
bestow,  has  not  indeed  prepared  himself  to 
bestow  and  you  to  receive."  This  is  the  true 
mystery  and  meaning  of  prayer.  The  hypo- 
thesis of  the  twofold  nuture  of  Christ,  instead 
of  being  shipwrecked  on  the  fact  of  his 
prayers  and  intercessions,  throws  light  on 
the  very  nature  of  prayer  itself. 

Ver.  42. — And  I  knew  that  thou  hearest 
me  always:  but  because  of  the  multitude 
which  standeth  around  I  said  it,  that  they 
may  believe  that  thou  didst  send  me.  This 
great  utterance  declares  all  tlie  intimate 
relation  which  subsists  between  the  Father 
of  all  and  the  Sou  in  Jesus.  A  continuous 
absolute  communion  is  ever  going  on  be- 
tween heaven  and  earth  in  the  licart  of 
Jesus.  His  consciousness  of  the  Father  is  a 
door  opened  in  heaven.  Alas !  these  words 
have  been  a  stumbling-block  to  many ;  have 
suggested  to  Baur  the  idea  of  a  "sliow- 
prayer,"  and  to  Weisse  a  "  deceptive 
prayer"  (schaugebet),  and  to  Strauss   tliat 

Tregelles,  Alford,  Westcott  and  Hort,  and 
R.T.  The  words  are  unnecessary  to  the 
sense. 


96 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  xi.  1—51 


they  were  introduced  into  a  later  bat  in- 
anthentic  narrative  of  the  second  century 
to  establish  the  Divinity  of  Christ.  The 
simple  fact  is  that  the  words  are  not 
"  petition "  at  all,  but  they  are  spoken 
thought  and  Divine  communion,  graciously 
unveiled  for  the  advantage  of  the  disciples. 
They  are  built  upon  the  wonderful  assur- 
ance which  had  been  repeatedly  given  by 
our  Lord  of  his  union  with  and  association 
in  unique  Personality  with  the  Father.  We 
see  from  cb.  xvi.  29 — 31  that  the  profound 
desire  occupying  the  heart  of  Jesus  was 
that  his  disciples,  first  of  all,  should  know 
that  he  came  out  from  God,  and  almost 
with  pathetic  eagerness  he  asks  them,  "  Do 
ye  now  believe?"  But  in  ch.  xvii.  21  he 
•hows  that  his  wishes  were  not  limited  to 
the  faith  of  disciples,  but  extended  to  the 
production  of  a  like  conviction  in  the  /coo-yuor. 
Here  he  says,  after  a  pause,  "  I  know  that 
thou  art  hearing  me  always."  There  is  no 
surprise  in  the  discovery  that  Lazarus  was 
as  he  really  is.  Christ's  own  prayers  are 
always  heard,  even  those  in  Gethsemane 
and  on  the  cross  (cf.  Heb.  v.  7,  flffoKovcrdels 
a-rb  TTJi  fvKa&eias).  I  said  it  far  the  multi- 
tude that  standeth  around.  The  use  of 
oxAov  -rfpifffTiira  rather  than  'lovSaiovs 
reveals  the  genuine  language  of  our  Lord 
rather  than  that  of  the  evangelist.  To  what 
does  he  refer,  what  saying  has  he  uttered 
for  the  sake  of  this  miscellaneous  group? 
Surely  to  the  great  declaration,  "  I  thank 
thee  that  thou  heardest  me."  His  reason 
for  the  audible  utterance  of  his  gratitude  is, 
"That  they  may  believe  that  thou  didst 
send  me."  If  he  had  not  uttered  this  thanks- 
giving, the  multitude  would  have  glorified 
him  rather  than  his  Father,  nor  would  they 
have  learned,  as  now  they  may,  that  he 
came  forth  from  God. 

Ver.  id. — And  when  he  had  thus  spoken, 
he  cried  with  loud  voice.  'E«pairyao-e  is  used 
of  the  shout  of  a  multitude  (ch.  xii.  13,  R.T. ; 
xviii.  40 ;  xix.  6,  15),  and  implies  the  loud, 
imperative  command  to  Death  to  give  up  his 
prey,  and  relinquish  the  grasp  which  had,  in 
answer  to  his  prayer,  been  already  relaxed. 
The  loud  voice  keeps  up  the  image  that  death 
is  a  deep  sleep.  The  critical  moment  in 
Christ's  own  career  has  arrived,  when,  having 
pledged  the  Father  to  this  manifestation 
of  his  own  glory,  he  was  prepared  to  take 
this  final  step,  however  perilous  to  him- 
self; one  which  would  finally  demonstrate 
whether  he  was  sent  from  God,  or  was 
merely  boasting  a  power  he  did  not  p<:>sses3 
(cf.  Elijah  and  the  priests  of  Baal,  1  Kings 
xviii.).  Observe  the  loud  voice,  Lazarus, 
come  forth !  or,  {Hither,  out  f) ;  or,  Veni/oras  1 
(Origen,  Chrysostom,  Lampe,  suggest  that 
the  awakening  from  death  had  already 
taken  place,    Meyer  and  Alford  condemn 


this.  It  seems  to  me  that  this  supposition, 
somewhat  modified  as  above,  throws  light 
upon  vers.  41,  42.)  The  words  themselves 
are  applicable  to  a  grave  from  which  the 
stone  door  had  been  removed.  Weiss  has 
made  some  admirable  remarks  on  the  use 
made  by  the  Tiibingen  critics  of  this  admis- 
sion. In  many  cases  in  which  such  miracles 
took  place  the  soul  had  obviously  not  left 
the  body,  but  yet  the  entire  surroundings 
here  imply  that,  apart  from  miraculous 
energy,  resuscitation  was  absolutely  un- 
locked for.  Even  Strauss  refuses  utterly 
the  trance  hypothesis,  and  Kenan  has  re- 
nounced the  farcical  drama  that  he  thought 
at  one  time  might  account  for  the  event 
and  its  record. 

Ver.  44. — '  He  that  (had  died  and)  was 
(up  to  that  time)  dead,  came  out  (of  the 
grave),  bound  feet  and  hands  with  grave- 
bands.  The  swathing  of  the  limbs  after 
the  Egyptian  fashion,  each  limb  separately, 
renders  the  action  most  natural,  because 
i^riXQiv  is  used.  Lazarus  did  not  simply 
stand  in  his  grave.  The  early  commentators 
and  Stier  saw  in  this  emergence  of  the 
swathed  Lazarus  an  additional  miracle,  just 
as  they  augmented  the  force  of  the  sup- 
position involved  in  the  o(ii  into  the  fact 
that  our  Lord  raised  from  death  a  putrefy- 
ing corpse.  Both  suppositions  would  be 
unnecessary  adjuncts  of  the  proof  of  the 
glory  of  God  and  power  of  Chiist.  Liicke 
and  others  refer  to  the  habit  of  swathing 
separate  limbs,  but  in  such  a  way  as  not 
to  impede  motion  if  the  person  thus  swathed 
desired  it.  Meyer  and  Grodet  see  no  neces- 
sity for  the  suggestion  of  the  early  writers. 
Ktiinoel  thinks  that  e^nxQe  was  used  of  the 
mere  struggle  of  the  swathed  body  to 
escape.  The  above  supposition  is  the  most 
probable.  So  Westcott,  (Keipi'o,  an  airo| 
Xeyo^evov  of  the  New  Testament,  is  used  of 
girdle  or  bandage.)  And  his  face  was  bound 
about  with  a  napkin.  The  surrounding  of 
the  face  with  a  sudarium  is  the  touch  of  an 
eye-witness.  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Loose 
him,  and  suffer  him  to  depart ;  the  part  which 
bystanders  might  perform ;  this  was  the  wise 
advice  of  Friend  and  Teacher.  (For  similar 
injunctions  of  a  physical  and  practical  kind 
on  other  occasions,  see  Luke  vii.  15  and  viii. 
55.)  The  majestic  miracle  is  no  further 
pressed  by  the  evangelist,  but  left  to  tell  its 
own  sublime  meaning,  which  in  the  multi- 
plicity of  exegetical  tiypothesea  we  are  in 
danger  of  missing. 

"  Behold  a  man  raised  up  by  Christ. 
The  rest  remaineth  unrevealed — 
He  told  it  not ;  or  sr.mething  sealed 
The  lips  of  that  evangelist." 

'  Koi  is  omitted  bv  B,  C,  L,  and  also  by 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit),  Alford,  and  B.T. 


CH.  XI.  1—57.]       THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


97 


Vers.  45 — 57. — (4)  The  effect  of  the  miracle 
{sign)  upon  Qie  multitude  attd  on  the  autho- 
rities. Their  final  resolve,  and  its  bearing 
upon  the  great  sacriju:e  of  Calvary. 

Vers.  45,  46. — TUbluj  therefore  of  the  Jews 
which  oame  to  Mary,  and  beheld  that '  which 
he  ■  did,  believed  on  him ;  but  certain  of  them 
went  away  to  the  Pharisees,  and  told  them 
the  things  which  Jesus  had  done.  Uphs  t^v 
Mapiav.  Here  JIary  is  named  alone,  as  the 
sister  who  was  most  dei-ply  afflicted  by  the 
death  of  Lazarus,  and  njost  in  need  of 
friendly  consolation  (cf.  also  ch.  v.  1),  This 
clause  may  be  read  so  as  to  include  those 
who  went  to  communicate  the  startling  in- 
telligence to  the  Pharisees  among  the 
iro\Aol  of  the  Jews  wlio  went  to  comfort 
Mary  and  who  "  believed ;  "  on  the  ground 
that  ot  f\66vTes  is  in  apposition  with  -koWoI, 
not  (according  to  the  text  of  D,  twi/  e\e6vTu<v) 
with  'Ioi;5ai'<ai'.  This,  however,  would  imply 
that  all  of  them  believed,  and  that  the  nves 
went  to  the  Pharisees  with  no  hostile  intent 
(Meyer) ;  but  why  should  not  e|  avrwv  refer 
to  the  'louSai'jiv,  implying  another  set  not  of 
the  friends  of  Mary  (Godet)?  The  remark 
would  then  be  in  harmony  with  the  fact  to 
which  the  evangelist  continually  calls  atten- 
tion, that  Christ's  miracles  and  words  pro- 
duced a  twofold  effect,  and  made  a  frequent 
division  among  the  Jews,  thus  bringing  to 
light  who  were  and  who  were  not  his  true 
disciples.  The  same  facts  excited  faith  in 
some  and  roused  animosity  in  others.  The 
great  sign  has  been  dividing  men  into 
hostile  camps  ever  since.  As  Bruwning's 
Arab  physician  said — ■ 

*•  'Tis  well  to  keep  back  nothing  of  a  case. 
This  man  (Lazarus)  so  cured  regards  the 

Curer  then 
As — God  forgive  me — who  but  God  him- 
self. 
Creator  and  Sustainer  of  the  world. 
That    came   and    dwelt    in    flesh    on   it 

awhile !  .  .  . 
The  very  God  I    Think,  Abib ;  dost  thou 

think? 
So  the  AU-grcat  were  the  All-loving  too ; 
So  through  the  thunder  comes  a  human 

voice. 
Saying,  'O  heart  I  made,  a  heart  beats 

here! 
Face,  mv  hands  fashioned,  see  it  in  mv- 

self.' " 

Ver.  47.— The  chief  priests  and  Pharisees 

'  The  authorities  differ.  TheT.R.,  Alford 
(Gth  edit.),  and  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.)  have 
&,  with  X,  A*,  L,  X,  by  Westcott  and  Hort 
regarded  as  an  alternative  reading ;  the  R.T 
has  h  with  A-,  B,  C,  D. 

-  The  T.R.  has  6  'Irjirovs,  but  none  of  the 
modem  editors. 

JOHN — U. 


therefore  gathered  a  ooonoil.  If  a  formal 
meeting  of  the  great  council,  if  "  tlie  San- 
hedrin,"  had  been  summoned,  the  articlo 
would  have  been  used.  (On  the  Sanhedrin, 
see  Winer,  art.  *•  Sanhedrin,"  in  his  'Bib, 
R.  AViirt. ; '  Lange,  in  loc. ;  Edersbeim,  vol. 
ii.  553,  etc.  This  name  is  Greek  (though 
Hebraized  in  the  Talmud),  and  signifies  the 
supreme  court  of  the  people,  resident  in 
Jerusalem,  consisting  of  seventy-one  mem- 
bers, with  a  president.  Nasi,  and  a  vice- 
president,  Abbaith-den.)  Extraordinary 
sessions  of  the  Sanhedrin  were  called  at  the 
house  of  the  high  priest,  but  ordinary 
sessions  in  some  rooms  adjoining  the  temple. 
The  points  submitted  to  their  cognizance 
were  hierarchical  and  religious.  They  had 
at  this  time  lost  their  actual  power  of  in- 
flicting capital  punishment.  They  were  a 
court  of  appeal  from  lower  courts  in  the 
pro;vince,  framed  after  the  same  model.  Pha- 
risees and  Sadducecs  were  alike  to  be  found 
in  their  number.  The  family  of  Annas,  his 
sons,  and  his  son-in-law  Caiaphas,  were  all 
Sadducees,  and  embraced  the  priestly  part 
of  the  assembly.  They  were  the  most 
deadly  enemies  of  Christ  throughout.  The 
Pharisees  are  scarcely  again  mentioned  in 
the  account  of  the  Passion.  The  priestly 
Sadilucean  party  became  also  bitter  enemies 
of  Christianity  and  of  the  Church  during 
apostolic  times.  Here  they  take  the  initia- 
tive. And  they  said,  What  are  we  about? 
because  this  Man  is  (as  we  must  admit)  doing 
many  signs,  which  will  produce  a  perilous 
effect  among  the  people.  There  were  certain 
aspects  and  views  both  of  the  Pharisaic  and 
Sadducean  party  with  which  our  Lord's 
teaching  coincided.  When  he  denounced 
ritualism,  literalism,  and  tradition,  and  laid 
emphasis  on  moral  law,  he  had  to  some  extent 
the  ear  of  the  Sadducees ;  when  he  cleansed 
the  temple  of  the  priestly  bazaar,  when  he 
rebuked  the  secular  conceptions  £>(  Mes- 
sianic glory,  the  Pharisees  inwardly  rejoiced. 
Nevertheless,  they  had  both  too  many 
grounds  of  criticism  and  dislike  not  to 
combine  against  him.  The  council  of  the 
nation  found  it  a  delicate  and  diffieult  task 
to  frame  charges  in  which  the  entire 
authorities  of  the  nation  and  the  popular 
clamour  coidd  coincide. 

Ver.  48. — If  we  let  him  alone  thus,  as  we 
have  been  doing  hitherto — if  we  suffer  him 
to  do  these  thiusps — all  men  will  believe  on 
him,  and  the  Somans  will  come  and  take 
away  from  us,  i.e.  from  the  Sanliedriu,  froiu 
the  lawful  rulers  in  all  matters  affecting 
religious  order  or  privilege,  our  place — 
the  city  or  temple — and  the  nation,  which 
we  rule  through  our  sulx>rdiiiates  and  sur- 
rogates, but  to  accomplish  whicli  we  shall 
prove  our  incompetence  if  we  cannot  keep 
down  all  insubordination  and  hold  jieriloas 

u 


98 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  xi.  1—57. 


enthusiasm  in  check.  De  Wette  and  Heng- 
stenberg  strongly  urge  that  by  r6irov  was 
meant  the  temple,  "  the  dwelling-place 
and  seat  of  the  whole  people  "  (Ps.  Ixxxiv. 
4;  xxvii.  4;  cf.  Matt,  xxiii.  38).  Ewald, 
Godet,  Meyer,  Watkins,  consider  rSitov  to  be 
the  city,  the  seat  of  all  the  power  of  the 
nation,  spiritual  and  civil.  The  nation  was 
a  province  of  the  Roman  empire,  but  the 
hierarchy  was  still  invested  with  great 
powers. 

Ver.  49. — But  a  certain  one  of  them, 
(named)  Caiaphas,  being  high  priest  that 
year,  said  trnto  them,  Ye  know  nothing  at 
all.  Among  the  divided  interests  and  irre- 
solute fears  of  the  Pharisees,  who  had  not 
made  up  their  minds  as  to  the  right  course 
to  pursue,  "  one  of  them,"  i.e.  of  the  council, 
a  man  of  firm  will  and  hectoring  dis- 
position, had  a  clear  though  devilish  pur- 
pose of  political  expediency,  and  a  stern 
resolve,  if  he  could,  to  repress  the  incon- 
venient manifestation  of  religious  earnest- 
ness— Caiaphas.  We  know  that  Annas  is 
spoken  of  as  apx^^p^vs  in  ch.  xviii.  15,  19. 
And  Annas  and  Caiaphas  are  both  said  to 
be  "high  priests"  (Luke  iii.  2).  In  Acts 
iv.  6  Annas  is  spoken  of  as  high  priest, 
Caiaphas  being  associated  with  "  John  and 
Alexander."  This  becomes  more  compre- 
hensible when  we  learn  from  Josephus 
('  Ant.,'  xviii.  2.  2  and  4.  3)  that  Valerius 
Gratus  (in  the  year  a.d.  14)  had  deprived 
Annas  (or  Hanan,  Ananias,  Ananas)  of  the 
office,  "  when  he  had  held  it  for  seven 
years."  So  great,  however,  was  the  influ- 
ence of  Annas,  that,  either  to  consult  his 
temper  or  tliat  of  the  people,  who  would 
coubider  him  the  legal  high  priest,  the 
oflBce  was  confen'ed  upon  members  of  his 
family  in  succession,  first  on  Ishmael,  then 
ou  Eleazer  the  son  of  Ishmael,  thea  on 
Simon  his  son,  and  finally  on  .Jjuseph 
Caiaphas  (who  is  declared  by  St.  John  (ch. 
xviii.  13)  to  be  the  son-in-law  of  Annas, 
thus  explaining  his  appointment  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  continued  influence  on  the 
other  of  tlie  unscrupulous  Annas,  who  was 
high  priest  de  jure).  Joseph  Caiaphas  held 
tlie  otBce  from  a.d.  25  to  a.d.  36,  and  thus 
throughout  the  ministry  of  Jesus.  The 
apostle's  remark  (repeated  ch.  xviii.  13)  that 
he  was  "  high  priest  that  same  year  "  has 
been  set  down  by  Strauss,  Scholten,  and 
others  to  ignorance  on  the  part  of  the  writer 
of  the  Hebrew  law  of  the  priesthood.  This 
is  excessively  improbable,  even  with  a  late 
author  of  the  second  century,  wlig  evidently 
knew  as  much  concerning  Judsea  and  its 
history  as  the  author  of  the  Fourth  Gospel 
did  indubitably  possess.  It  is  enough  that 
the  evangelist  singles  out  "  that  memorable 
year"  (Liicke,  Meyer  and  Lange,  etc.)  of 
the  death  of  Christ;  and  remarks  on  the 


man  who  was  holding  the  position  at  this 
solemn  time,  with  obvious  reference  to  the 
fact  that  now  for  many  years  the  functions 
of  the  high  priest  were  discharged  only  at 
the  pleasure  of  the  Roman  governor,  who 
might,  as  Caiaphas  himself  said,  abolish  the 
office  altogether  if  he  chose  arbitrarily  to  do 
so.  The  first  words  of  Caiaphas,  "  Ye  know 
nothing  at  all,"  are  brusque,  rough,  im- 
perious, but  are  quite  akin  to  what  we  know 
elsewhere  of  the  manners  of  the  man 
(Josephus,  '  Bell.  Jud.,'  ii.  8.  14),  and  of  the 
aristocratic  clique  of  which  he  was  the 
head. 

Ver.  50. — Nor'  consider;  or,  nor  do  ye 
take  account.  Hengstenberg  shows  tliat 
where  this  verb  (XoyiCicrOe)  elsewhere  occurs, 
it  is  used  intransitively,  and  with  this  Godet 
agrees ;  then  they  take  '6ti,  as  "  because  "  or 
for  it  is  expedient  for  you  (the  text  vixtv  is 
preferred  by  Meyer,  Godet,  Westcott  and 
Hort,  and  the  Revisers.  The  chief  diflerence 
in  thought  is  that  it  makes  the  language 
somewhat  more  dogmatic,  Caiaphas  hardly 
classing  himself  for  the  moment  with  such 
irresolute  companions)  that  one  man  should 
die  for  ("  on  behalf  of"  amounting  to  "  in- 
stead of")  the  people — i.e.  for  the  theocratic 
organization,  whose  were  the  promises,  to 
whom  was  given  the  dominion — and  not  that 
the  entire  nation  (the  political  aggregation) 
perish.  Some  have  supi>osed  (like  Lange) 
Divine  purpose  lurking  in  the  'iva ;  but  it 
was  rather  the  maxim  of  worldly  expediency 
of  half-paganized  superstition  allied  in  this 
form  to  the  sacrifice  of  Codrus,  or  of  Iphi- 
genia,  viz.  that  the  extinction  of  guiltless 
and  innocent  victims  may  be  demanded  by 
political  necessity,  and  must  be  determined 
upon  at  once,  by  the  chief  court  of  equity  and 
criminal  j  udicature  in  the  nation.  If,  thought 
he,  the  multitudes  accept  this  Sabbath- 
breaker,  thisWorker  of  miracles,  this  religious 
Enthusiast,  this  moral  Reformer,  for  their 
Messiah,  the  Romans  will  crush  the  move- 
ment, will  stamp  out  the  entire  religious 
order;  "we"  shall  be  annihilated  as  a 
power,  the  "  nation "  will  be  abolished  as 
such.  It  is  more  expedient  that  this  one 
man  should  .suffer  than  that  the  whole  of 
our  position  should  be  sacrificed. 

Vers.  51,  52. — The  evangelist  discerned 
the  presence  of  a  deeper  meaning  in  his 
words  not  intended  by  himself.  As  Balaam 
and  Nebuchadnezzar  and  even  Pharaoh  had 
uttered  Unconscious  or  unwilling  prophecies, 

'  T.R.  and  Alford  (6th  edit.)  read  5io\o- 
yi^effdi,  with  X,  r,  A,  and  others ;  the  Aoyi- 
Cea6e,  adopted  by  R.T.,  rests  on  N,  A,  B,  L, 
and  many  cursives.  The  former  always 
occurs  in  the  synoptists,  and,  Tischeudorf 
(8th  edit.)  thinks,  has  been  early  substituted 
for  it. 


CH.  xr.  1—57.]       THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


W 


and  as  in  all  genuine  prophecies  there  are 
meanings  meant  by  God  beyond  what  the 
ntterer  of  them  at  all  conceived  possible.  So 
hero.  This  he  spake  not  from  himself:  but 
being  high  priest  that  awful,  critical  year,  he 
prophesied.  The  high  priest  was  believed  in 
ancient  times  to  have  the  power  of  drawing 
from  Urim  and  Thummim  the  Divine  deci- 
sions as  to  future  events  (Exod.  xxviii.  30; 
Numb,  xxvii.  21),  and  Caiapbas,  as  priest- 
prophet,  may  thus  have  conveyed  an  awful 
and  sublime  truth  through  base  and  evil 
dispositions.  Curious  instances  occur  else- 
where (ch.  vii.  27,  35)  :  "  He  saved  others ; 
himself  he  cannot  save ! "  (Mark  xv.  31)  ; 
when  the  people  said,  "  His  blond  be  upon 
us "  (Matt,  xxvii.  25)  ;  when  Pilate,  by  un- 
conscious prophecy,  ironically  declared  him 
to  be  "  King  of  the  Jews  "  (Matt,  xxvii.  37). 
Wiinsche  quotes  a  curious  case  of  uncon- 
scious prophecy,  which  the  rabbinical  writers 
attributed  to  Pharaoh's  daughter,  when  she 
forecast  the  future  legislator  in  the  infant 
derelict.  The  substance  of  the  prophetic 
word  extracted  from  his  saying  was  that 
Jesus  should  die  for  the  nation.  Hengsten- 
berg  wisely  says,  "  Caiapbas  could  not  have 
spoken  other  than  of  the  Kaos."  When  John 
wrote,  the  difference  between  the  Aao's  and 
the  fdy-n  had  vanished  away.  Israel  had 
become  an  edvos,  like  the  rest.  And  not  for 
the  nation  only,  but  that  he  might  also  gather 
together  into  one  (\a6v)  the  children  of  God 
scattered  abroad — constitute  a  new  centre, 
life-giving  and  sacred  in  the  covenant  of  his 
blood  (cf.  1  John  ii.  2,  a  very  remarkable 
parallelism).  Who  are  the  rtKva  rod  0eoD 
StfffKopiri(rfj.eva  ?  According  to  some,  the 
dispersed  Israelites,  but  surely  the  passage 
corresponds  with  the  "  other  sheep,"  of  ch. 
X.  16,  and  refers  to  all  who  enter  by  living 
faith  in  him  into  the  full  realization  of  the 
Divine  Fatherhood  (see  ch.  i.  12  and  Eph. 
ii.  14)  and  their  own  sonship.  Christ  is  the 
true  Union  of  Jew  and  Gentile, 

Ver.  53. — Therefore  from  that  day  they  took 
counsel '  to  slay  him.  The  ovy  shows  that  the 
advice  of  Caiapbas  was  followed,  and  where- 
as before  this,  minor  courts  and  synagogues 
had  plotted  the  ruin  of  Jesus,  and  they 
themselves  had  excommunicated  his  fol- 
lowers (ch.  ix.),  yet,  after  this  evil  counsel, 
they  deliberated  on  the  surest  and  safest 
way  of  deetroying  him.  The  sentence  had 
gone  forth.  They  bound  themselves  to 
secure  his  arrest  for  this  purpose.  Some  of 
their  number,  a  small  minority,  including 
Joseph  of  Arimatbffia,  disapproved  of  this 
counsel,  and   withdrew  from  their  society 

'  "E.&ov\(v(TavTo,  with  N,  B,  D,  Tischen- 
dorf  (8th  edit.),  Westcott  and  Hort,  and  K.T., 
instead  of  (TvvfBovXdaavro  of  A,  L,  T.R., 
and  Alford  (6th  edit.). 


(Luke  xxiii.  51),  but  the  majority  overruled 
the  dissidents.  This  is  the  very  climax  ol 
their  perversity.  They  have  resolved  on 
the  death-penalty.  The  sentence  has  been 
recorded  against  the  Holiest.  Priesthoo<l 
and  prophecy  have  pronounced  their  final 
verdict.  They  have  extinguished  them- 
selves. Nevertheless,  that  which  proved  the 
occasion  of  their  malice  became  a  further 
proof  of  his  Divine  goodness  and  superhuman 
claims. 

Ver.  54. — This  constituted  the  close  of 
his  earthly  ministry  aft«r  his  ordinary 
method.  Jesus  therefore  walked  (cf.  eh.  vii. 
1)  no  more  openly  (nap^-naicf ;  cf.<cli.  vii.  4) 
among  the  Jews ;  but  he  departed  thence  into 
the  country  nigh  unto  the  wilderness,  to  a 
city  called  Ephraim.  Westcott  says  the 
place  is  mentioned  in  connection  with  Bethel 
(2  Chron.  xiii.  19).  Not  fur  from  Bethel,  on 
the  border  between  Benjamin  aTul  Epliraim, 
is  Taiyibeh  a  conical  hill  with  a  village 
perched  aloft,  which  Robinson  ('  Bibl.  Res.,' 
ii.  127)  and  Stanley  ('  Sinai  and  Palestine,' 
p.  210)  identify  with  this  Ephraim.  In 
this  form  the  word  does  not  appear  in  the 
Old  Testament,  but  Eusebius  and  Jerome 
make  it  twelve  miles  from  Jerusalem,  on  the 
east  of  the  road  leading  to  Sichem ;  and  Jo- 
sephus  ('  Bell.  Jud.,'  iv.  9.  9)  speaks  of  "  two 
little  towns  of  Bethela  and  Ephraim,  through 
which  Vespasian  passed  and  left  garrisons." 
Hengstenberg  identifies  it  with  "Baal-hazor, 
which  is  by  Ephraim"  (2  Sam.  xiii.  23). 
The  maps  of  Van  der  Welt  and  of  the 
Palestine  Exploration  Society  place  it  on 
the  site  of  Ephraim,  Ephron  (2  Chron. 
xiii.  19),  or  Ophrah  (Josh,  xviii.  23),  about 
seven  miles  north-east  from  Bethel,  and 
give  as  second  designation  Apliaraira.  The 
intelligence  must  have  reached  our  Lord 
that  the  Sanhedrin  had  formally  pronounced 
sentence  against  him.  This  may  have 
induced  him  to  retire  from  Jerusalem  until 
the  next  great  feast,  when  he  would  publicly 
challenge  their  allegiance.  From  this 
neighbourhood  our  Lord  eould  (as  we  learn 
from  the  synoptists)  have  easily  joined  the 
caravan  from  Peraja,  whicli,  after  crossing 
Jordau  near  Jericho,  there  set  its  face  towards 
Jerusalem,  or  the  caravan  which  may  have 
come  through  Samaria  to  Bethel.  There  he 
abode  '  (tarried)  with  the '  disciples.  Mera 
(saj'B  Godet)  is  not  synonymous  with  <ruj/, 
but  equivalent  to— he  confined  himself  in  the 

•  t?,  B,  L,  and  some  ancient  quotations 
read  efj-ave,  which  is  followed  by  R.T., 
Westcott  and  Hort,  Alford,  and  Tregelles; 
but  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  on  the  authority 
of  A,  D,  I,  X,  r,  A,  etc.,  witli  Vulgate 
(morubatur)  aud  other  versions  and  T.R., 
reads  hitrpi^e.  The  avrod  is  omitted  by 
-  modem  editors;  with  X,  B,  D,  I,  r,  A. 


100 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xi.  1—57. 


desert  region  north-east  of  Jerusalem  to  the 
company  of  the  twelve. 

Ver.  55. — Now  the  Passover  of  the  Jews 
was  at  hand:  and  many  went  np  to  Jeru- 
salem out  of  the  country  hefore  the  Passover, 
that  they  might  purify  themselves.  'Ek  rrjs 
X<^pa.s  meant  "  from  the  country  "  generally. 
Though  the  Law  did  not  specifically  recom- 
mend purification  "  before  the  Passover," 
yet  the  general  principle  of  ceremonial 
cleansings  had  been  applied  to  the  Feast  of 
the  Passover  (see  2  Chron.  xxx.  16 — 20 ; 
Acts  xxi.  24).  The  time  required  varied 
from  one  to  six  days  (Exod.  xix.  10,  11 ; 
Numb.  ix.  10). 

Ver.  56. — They  sought  therefore  for  Jesus, 
and  said  one  with  another,  as  they  stood  in 
the  temple.  Their  excitement  augmented 
from  day  to  day ;  they  dreaded  and  hoped 
for  the  final  conflict.  Not  being  aware  of 
his  retreat,  not  caring,  perhaps,  to  despatch 
him  by  hired  assassins,  they  determined  in 
the  most  public  way,  on  a  great  platform,  to 
complete  the  deep  damnation  of  his  taking 
off,  little  forecasting  their  eternal  infamy. 
They  were  in  continual  search  for  Jesus,  and 
spake  in  excited  groups  when  they  met,  ask- 
ing one  another  eager  questions  when  they 
stood  in  the  temple.  The  evangelist  has 
witnessed  the  scene ;  these  are  two  inquiries 
mentioned  :  What  think  ye,  generally  ? 
Think  ye  that  he  will  not  come  to  the  feast  1 
The  aorist  subjunctive  is  used  here  in  the 
sense  of  an  event  in  the  future  which  when  | 


effected  will  be  a  completed  act ;  so  that  the 
statement  gives  a  reason  for  the  excitement 
among  the  people. 

Ver.  57. — '  Now  the  chief  priests  and 
Pharisees  had  given  commandment,  that,  if 
any  one  knew  where  he  was,  he  should 
indicate  it,  that  they  might  take  him.  This 
would  not  have  been  a  difiScult  task.  Jesus 
and  twelve  men  could  hardly  have  been 
hidden  from  their  spies.  The  country  people 
must  have  been  faithful  to  him,  and  the 
edicts  were  issued  rather  to  intimidate  the 
people  than  to  secure  the  immediate  end ; 
but  they  were  quite  sufficient  to  excite  the 
inquiries  of  Galilaeans  and.  others  who  had 
gone  to  Jerusalem  for  the  main  purpose  of 
seeing  him.  The  interdict  had  been  aimed 
probably  at  the  family  of  Bethany,  which 
was  clearly  one  of  some  consequence,  or 
against  any  household  in  Jerusalem  which 
should  harbour  him.  It  may  have  been  the 
occasion  which  stirred  the  devilish  spirit  in 
the  mind  of  Judas.  So  long  as  Jesus  was 
surrounded  with  an  enthusiastic  crowd,  they 
dared  not  seize  his  person.  They  resolved 
on  secrecy,  but  were  bent  on  public  humilia- 
tion. 

•  There  is  a  very  great  consensus  of 
opinion  as  to  the  omission  of  the  koX  of  T.R. 
With  N,  A,  B,  K,  L,  and  some  forty-five 
other  manuscripts,  Tischendorf  (Sth  edit.), 
Tregelles,  Westcott  and  Hort,  and  R.T. 
omit  it. 


EOMILETICS. 

Vers.  1—16. — The  raising  of  Lazarus.  This  event,  a  third  good  work,  hastened 
the  final  crisis. 

I.  The  Bethany  family.  "Now  a  certain  man  was  sick,  Lazarus  of  Bethany, 
the  town  of  Mary  and  her  sister  Martha."  1.  Their  home.  It  was  a  small  village  on 
the  eastern  slope  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  two  miles  from  Jerusalem.  It  is  familiar  to  us 
in  the  earlier  Gospels  as  the  place  to  which  our  Lord  resorted  from  time  to  time  for 
happy  retirement.  It  remains  the  sweetest  spot  in  the  memory  of  the  Christian 
Church.  2.  The  members  of  the  home.  (1)  Lazarus,  (a)  It  is  a  suggestive  circum- 
stance that  the  parable  of  Dives  and  Lazarus  was  spoken  about  the  time  of  the 
Bethany  miracle.  Yet  there  is  no  ground  for  believing  that  this  Lazarus  was  the 
beggar  of  the  parable.  (6)  He  was  stricken  with  a  mortal  disease,  perhaps  the  fever 
so  common  in  the  countfy.  Though  specially  dear  to  our  Lord,  as  well  as  his  sisters, 
he  enjoyed  no  exemption  from  the  ordinary  afflictions  of  life.  (2)  Mary.  "  It  was  that 
Mary  who  anointed  the  Lord  with  ointment,  and  wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair."  Her 
name  is  mentioned  before  Martha's,  on  account  of  this  touching  incident,  (a)  The 
incident  here  recorded  was  "  to  be  told  for  a  memorial  of  her  wheresoever  this  gospel 
had  been  preached"  (Matt.  xxvi.  13).  The  other  evangelists  do  not  give  her  name. 
Her  act  marked  at  once  her  true  faith  and  her  abiding  affection,  (b)  Mary  was  distin- 
guished from  her  sister  by  her  contemplative  religious  spirit.  She  sat  at  the  feet  of  Jesus, 
listening  to  his  words,  while  Martha  was  busied  with  practical  duties  (Luke  x.  40).  (3) 
Martha.  She  was  probably  the  eldest  of  the  family,  (a)  She  had  evidently  the  chief 
care  of  the  house.  (6)  She  was  of  a  practical  turn,  fuU  of  resource,  and  less  given  to 
emotion  than  Mary, 


CH.  XI.  1—57.]       THE  GOSrEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST^.  JOHN.  101 

II.  Theib  message  to  Jesus.  "  Lord,  he  whom  thou  lovest  is  sick."  1.  It  was  a 
message  full  of  delicacy ;  for  it  did  not  urge  him  to  come.  The  sisters  knew  that,  even 
from  Porasa,  it  was  jKJSsible  for  Jesus  to  put  forth  his  power  of  healing ;  while  they 
could  not  but  know  of  the  perils  of  an  immediate  return  to  Judrea.  2.  It  emphasized 
the  tender  afftction  with  which  Jesus  regarded  Lazarus,  and  which  made  it  right  that 
he  should  be  informed  at  once  of  his  friend's  danger. 

III.  Cub  Lokd's  remark  upon  the  message  of  sorrow.  "This  sickness  is  not 
unto  death,  but  it  is  for  the  glory  of  Goil,  that  the  Son  of  God  might  be  glorified 
thereby,"  .1.  Our  Lord  did  not  signify  that  Lazarus  would  not  die,  but  that  death 
would  not  be  the  ultimate  result  of  this  sickness.     2.   The  sicktiess  had  a  double  aspect. 

(1)  It  was  to  be  borne  by  Lazarus  "  for  the  glory  of  God."  (2)  With  an  ultimate 
design  of  glorifying  his  Son.  (a)  Our  Lord  reiterates  the  oneness  of  the  work  of  the 
Father  and  the  Son.  (J))  The  raising  of  Lazarus  would  bring  to  a  head  that  hostility 
of  the  Jews  which  would  involve  his  death,  and,  through  death,  his  glorification. 

IV.  The  mysterious  delay  of  Jesus  in  Per^a.  "When  then  he  had  heard 
that  he  was  sick,  he  remained  yet  two  days  in  the  place  where  he  was."  1.  This 
delay,  in  so  urgent  a  crisis,  is  all  the  more  mysterious,  because  "  Jesus  loved  Martha, 
and  her  sister,  and  Lazarus."  Yet  Lazarus  had  already  died  when  the  messenger 
arrived  from  Bethany.  Our  Lord's  instant  departure  could  not,  therefore,  have  averted 
death.     2.  Eis  delay  might  be  caused  (1)  by  the  necessities  of  bis  work  at  Perjea; 

(2)  but,  more  probably,  by  the  necessity  of  making  the  miracle  more  striking  and  the 
result  more  fruitful.  The  delay  of  two  days  could  make  no  difference  to  the  surviving 
sisters  in  respect  of  their  brother's  death.  3.  Eis  departure  for  Judxa  was  the  proof 
at  once  of  his  affection,  his  courage,  and  his  knowledge.  "Then  after  that  he  saith  to 
his  disciples.  Let  us  go  again  into  Judaea."  The  word  recalls  at  once  the  region  of 
hostility  and  unbelief  from  which  he  had  just  escaped. 

V.  The  remonstrance  of  the  disciples  at  his  resolution.  "  Master,  the  Jews 
of  late  sought  to  stone  thee ;  and  goest  thou  thither  again  ?  "  1.  They  think  of  the 
danger  to  him,  and  are  not  regardless  of  the  danger  to  themselves.  (Ver.  16.)  2.  Men 
often  allow  their  fears  to  stand  in  the  way  of  duty. 

VI.  Our  Lord's  answer  to  their  remonstrance.  1.  Every  man  has  his  twelve 
working  hours  of  life.  "  Are  there  not  twelve  hours  in  the  day  ?  "  The  work  must 
be  done  in  this  time,  or  not  at  all.     Each  hour  ought  to  be  brimming  over  with  work. 

2.  While  the  daylight  of  life  lasts,  the  worker  will  not  stumble.  "  If  any  man  walk  in 
the  day,  he  stumbleth  not,  because  he  seeth  the  light  of  this  world."  The  malice  of 
men  or  devils  cannot  destroy  him  till  his  work  is  done.  3.  Every  man  has  his  night 
coming  when  work  must  end.  "  But  if  a  man  walk  in  the  night,  he  stumbleth,  because 
there  is  no  light  in  him."     The  work,  therefore,  must  be  done  in  the  day  of  work. 

VII.  The  disciples'  misunderstanding  of  our  Lord's  words.  "  He  saith.  Our 
friend  Lazarus  sleepeth,  but  I  go  to  awake  him.  Then  they  said  unto  him.  Lord,  if 
he  sleep,  he  shall  do  well."  1.  Our  Lord  knew  Lazarus  was  dead.  This  proved  his 
omniscience.     2.   Our  friends  must  die,  however  dear  to  us  or  essential  to  our  comfort. 

3.  Dtath  is  a  sleep ;  for  it  imjilies  an  awakening  out  of  sleep.  4.  Clirist  has  trans- 
formed death  into  a  new  phase  of  life.  The  familiar  description  in  the  catacombs  is 
"  Dormit " — "  He  sleeps."  5.  The  observation  of  the  disciples  implied  that  the  sleep  of 
Lazarus  rendered  it  unnecessary  for  him  to  expose  himself  to  peril ;  for  their  friend  was 
already  on  the  way  to  recovery. 

VIII.  Our  Lord's  frank  statement  of  the  truth  and  the  loving  resolution 
OF  THE  DISCIPLES.  "  Lazarus  is  dead.  And  I  am  glad  for  your  sakes  that  I  was  not 
there,  to  the  intent  ye  may  believe."  1.  Jesus  is  glad,  not  for  the  death  of  Lazarus, 
but  for  its  future  issues.  2.  Ee  implies  that  if  he  had  been  at  Bethany,  Lazarus  would 
not  have  died.  He  has  the  assured  consciousness  of  power  over  death.  3.  The  cause 
of  his  gladness.  It  was  on  account  of  the  disciples'  faith.  (1)  They  were  believers 
already.  (2)  But  he  contemplated  the  increase  of  their  faith  as  a  necessity  in  view 
of  their  coming  trials.  The  disciples  themselves  once  asked,  with  one  voice,  "  Lord, 
increase  our  faith"  (Luke  xvii.  5).  4.  The  loving  resolve  of  Thomas.  "Then  said 
Thomas,  who  is  called  Didymus,  unto  his  fellow-disciples.  Let  us  also  go,  that  we  may  die 
with  him."  (1)  Thomas's  name  is  mostly  coupled  with  Matthew,  whose  twin-brother 
he  possibly  was.     (2)  He  regards  the  journey  with  the  gloomiest  apprehensions.    He 


102  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xi.  1—57. 


judges  rightly  that  the  death  of  Jesus  will  be  the  end  of  it.  (3)  Yet  his  love  to  the 
Lord  nerves  him  to  share  in  the  risks  of  the  Juda3an  journey.  He  will  follow  his 
Master  even  unto  death. 

Vers.  17 — 27. — Jesus  and  Martha.  Our  Lord  had  at  last  come  to  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Bethany,  but  not  to  the  village  itself. 

I.  The  condolence  of  the  Jews  with  the  bereaved  sisters.  "And  many  of 
the  Jews  came  to  Martha  and  Mary  to  comfort  them  concerning  their  brother."  1.  TJiis 
visit  of  sympathy  implies  that  the  family  at  Bethany  vjas  well  known  and  highly 
respected  by  the  Jews  of  Jerusalem.  2.  Jt  afforded  a  providential  opportunity  to  Jesus 
for  the  working  of  his  last  miracle  in  sight  of  the  Jeivs.  3.  The  time  of  bereavement  is 
the  time  that  demands  all  the  resources  of  consolation.  The  days  of  mourning  were 
divided  among  the  Jews  into  three  periods  of  three  days  of  weeping,  seven  days  of 
lamentation,  and  twenty  days  of  sorrow. 

IL  The  interview  between  Jesus  and  MartSa.  "Then  Martha,  as  soon  as 
she  heard  that  Jesus  was  coming,  went  and  met  him :  but  Mary  sat  in  the  house." 
The  different  character  of  the  two  sisters  is  revealed  in  these  words.  1.  Martha  would 
evidently  he  the  first  to  receive  the  news  of  Chrisfs  coming.  Not  so  much,  perhaps, 
because  the  message  would  be  first  brought  to  her  as  the  mistress  of  the  house,  as 
because,  going  about  the  house  in  the  busy  routine  of  her  life,  she  would  be  in  the 
way  of  first  receiving  intelligence.  2.  Mary's  profound  feeling,  that  made  her  a  better 
listener  than  Martha,  makes  her  a  more  helpless  sufferer  noiv.  She  sits  still  in  the  house. 
She  is  not  so  capable  as  Martha;  of  shaking  off  her  depression  at  once.  3.  MartluCs 
address  to  our  Lord  shows  that  she  is  not  so  overwhelmed  by  grief  as  to  prevent  her 
utterjxnce.  "Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  our  brother  had  not  died."  (1)  This  is 
not  the  language  of  complaint,  for  she  does  not  say,  "  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  come,  our 
brother  had  not  died."  She  must  have  known  that  Lazarus  was  dead  before  the 
tidings  could  have  reached  the  Lord.  (2)  It  is  the  simple  language  of  faith  and  love ; 
for  she  seems  to  say  that  death  could  not  have  entered  the  happy  home  at  Bethany  in 
the  face  of  Divine  power  and  Divine  love.  She  is  even  sure  that  now  he  was  able  to 
restore  her  departed  brother  to  life.  "  Whatsoever  thou  wilt  ask  of  God,  God  will  give  it 
thee."  She  remembered,  no  doubt,  the  two  Galilsean  miracles  of  resurrection.  4.  Our 
Lord's  answer  to  Martha's  touching  appeal.  "  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again."  (1)  He 
alludes  evidently  to  the  miracle  about  to  be  performed.  (2)  A  belief  in  the  resurrec- 
tion of  pious  Jews  was  already  familiar,  as  an  inauguration  of  the  reign  of  the  Messiah, 
from  the  language  of  Daniel  (xii.  2)  and  from  the  Maccabees.  Death  is  not;  the  final 
conqueror.  5.  Martha's  apparent  misunderstanding  of  his  saying.  "  I  know  that  he 
shall  rise  again  in  the  resurrection  at  the  last  day."  (1)  Her  rejoinder,  marked  by  a 
spirit  of  mournful  resignation,  goes  back  upon  the  belief  of  the  final  resurrection, 
which,  however,  had  no  direct  bearing  upon  her  present  bereavement.  There  is  an 
evident  touch  of  disappointment  in  her  words.  6.  Jesus  as  the  Resurrection  and  the 
Life.  (1)  He  is  the  Resurrection,  (a)  as  he  is  "  the  First-Begotten  from  the  dead  " 
(Col.  i.  18) ;  (h)  as  he  is  the  Author  or  Cause  of  the  resurrection  of  believers :  "  I  will 
raise  him  up  at  the  last  day "  (ch.  vi.  54) ;  (c)  as  his  resurrection  involves  their 
resurrection  (1  Cor.  xv.  23).  (2)  He  is  the  Life.  Jesus  goes  beyond  resurrection  to  life 
itself,  (a)  He  is  eternal  Life.  (5)  He  gives  his  life  for  his  people,  (c)  He  is  the  Life 
of  his  people  (Col.  iii.  3).  {d)  His  life  in  glory  is  the  guarantee  of  the  believer's  life. 
"  Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also."  (e)  He  is  the  Life  of  both  soul  and  body  in  the 
resurrection  (RorA.  viii.  11).  (3)  Faith  which  unites  the  believer  to  Christ  admits  of 
no  severance  by  death.  "  He  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  be 
live."  This  sentence  might  apply  to  Lazarus  in  his  tomb.  As  a  true  believer,  though 
now  in  'the  power  of  death,  he  would  yet  be  restored  to  life.  Or  it  might  apply, 
generally,  to  sinners  who  accept  Christ  as  Saviour,  (a)  They  are  dead  in  sia 
(Eph.  ii.  1).  (V)  Yet  when  quickened  by  God's  Spirit  they  believe  upon  Clirist. 
(c)  And  their  faith  ensures  life  spiritual  and  everlasting.  "  And  whosoever  liveth  and 
believeth  in  me  shall  never  die."  (a)  The  faith  and  life  are  regarded  as  equivalent 
terms,  because  they  are  inseparably  joined  together.  (;8)  Death  cannot  break  the 
continuity  of  Christian  life.  The  second  death  does  not  touch  it  at  all.  7.  Martha's 
triumphant  faith.    Jesus  says,   "Believest  thou  this?    She  said  unto  him,  Yea, 


en.  XI.  1—57.]     THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  103 

Lord,  I  believe  that  thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  which  should  come  it;to  the 
world."  (1)  This  was  a  prompt  and  full  acceptance  of  the  revelation  just  made  to  her. 
(2)  It  marks  likewise  the  foundation  upon  which  that  revelation  rested,  (a)  Jesus 
was  Christ,  the  end  of  the  theocratic  prophecies  and  promises;  (b)  the  Son  of  God, 
dwelling  in  mysterious  relation  with  Gotl,  and  therefore  able  to  act  as  Daysman 
between  God  and  man,  and  restore  the  long-broken  fellowship ;  (c)  making  the  world 
the  theatre  of  his  Divine  power  in  resurrection  and  life.  Her  confession  was  the  simple 
but  profound  acknowledgment  of  Jesus  as  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life. 

Vers.  28 — 37. — Jesus  and  Mary.  Our  Lord  deals  with  Mary  according  to  her  nature 
and  temperament. 

I.  The  secret  mess.\ge  to  Mary.  "  She  went  away,  and  called  IMary  her  sister 
secretly,  saying,  The  Master  is  come,  and  calleth  fur  thee."  1.  Jesus,  thoiujh  he  would 
not  fly  from  danger,  does  not  seek  it.  He  did  not  care  to  attract  the  notice  of  the  Jews 
who  were  with  Mary.  Otherwise  he  would  at  once  have  gone  to  the  house  of  mourning. 
2.  Eow  promptly  hut  silently  Mary  acts  tipon  the  invitation  !  The  true  Comforter  is 
at  hand.  She  may  well  shake  off  her  depression.  3.  How  blessed  it  is  to  meet  Christ 
anywhere,  hut  especially  at  his  own  invitation  ! 

II.  Mary's  declaration  to  her  Lord,  and  her  Lord's  answer.  •' Lord,  if  thou 
hadst  been  here,  our  brother  had  not  died."  1.  The  same  thought  occupied  the  minds  of 
the  two  sisters,  and  i^rhaps  that  of  Lazarus  in  his  dying  hour.  But  she  adds  not  a 
word  more,  either  in  the  way  of  faith  or  hope — unlike  Martha— but  falls  prostrate  at  his 
feet,  the  place  where  she  delighted  to  lie.  2.  Mark  hoiu  differently  Jesus  treats  Mary. 
He  does  not  minister  to  her  faith  by  discourse  like  that  which  he  addressed  to  Martha, 
but  he  shares  silently  in  her  grief.  What  a  Friend!  What  a  Brother  is  here!  Yea, 
more  than  a  brother.  3.  He  is  profoundly  agitated  in  spirit,  partly  by  his  sympathy 
with  the  sorrowing  sisters,  partly  by  the  check  that  he  puts  upon  the  manifestation  by 
his  emotions,  and  partly  by  the  hypocrisy  of  the  Jews.  "  He  shuddered  in  his  spirit, 
and  troubled  himself,  and  said,  Where  have  ye  laid  him?"  4.  He  at  last  gives  way  to 
his  emotion.  "  Jesus  wept."  What  tears  are  these  which  the  spirit  of  inspiration  has 
crystallized  and  set  like  gems  in  the  diadem  of  truth !  Strange  to  find  the  Lord,  who 
is  just  about  to  put  forth  Divine  power,  standing  a  weeper  at  a  Jewish  grave.  (1)  It 
shows  that  be  was  such  a  High  Priest  as  became  us,  that  "  cannot  but  be  touched  with 
the  feeling  of  our  infirmities  "  (Heb.  iv.  15).  (2)  It  touched  even  the  Jewish  spectators 
by  the  spectacle  of  his  love  for  the  sisters.  5.  The  hostile  Jews  found  in  it  cause  for 
sneering  irony.  "Could  not  this  Man,  who  opened  the  eyes  of  the  blind,  have  caused 
that  even  this  man  should  not  have  died  ?  "  (1)  The  question  might  be  interpreted  as 
indicating  a  suspicion  of  the  reality  of  Christ's  friendship  for  Lazarus,  (2)  or  a  doubt  as 
to  his  possession  of  miraculous  power  at  all. 

Vers.  38 — 44. —  The  miracle.  There  is  a  fresh  struggle  in  the  soul  of  Jesus,  perhaps 
caused  by  the  malicious  observations  of  the  Jews. 

I.  Jesus  commands  the  stone  to  be  rolled  away  from  the  sepulchre. 
"  Take  ye  away  the  stone."  1.  This  command  suggests  that  where  human  power  is 
sufficient,  Divine  power  will  not  be  put  forth.  A  word  from  Jesus  could  have  taken 
away  the  stone  as  easily  as  a  word  raised  Lazarus  to  life.  The  action  of  Jesus  suggests 
the  economy  of  miracle  so  observable  in  Scripture  history.  2.  The  command  toas 
evidently  given  to  convince  the  spectators  that  Lazarus  was,  indeed,  a  dead  man.  The 
pent-up  odours  of  putrefaction  would  in  such  a  hot  climate  convince  the  spectators 
that  there  could  be  no  imposture  or  collusion  in  the  case.  It  was  evidently  the  thought 
of  this  disagreeable  circumstance  that  led  Martha  to  say,  "  Lord,  by  this  time  he 
stinketh  :  he  hath  been  there  four  days."  3.  The  incident  suggests  that  there  is  a  sphere 
for  human  agency  in  connection  with  the  salvation  of  men.  The  miracle  is  symbolic, 
like  all  Christ's  miracles.  It  is  possible  for  man  to  bring  man  within  the  knowledge  of 
salvation.  Jesus  seems  to  say  to  the  Christian  Church,  "  Roll  away  the  stone  of 
ignorance  and  superstition  from  the  hapless  heathen  by  imparting  Bible  knowledge." 
He  says,  even,  to  professing  Christians,  "  Roll  away  the  stone  that  lies  as  an  obstacle  in 
your  own  family  to  the  salvation  of  your  children."  Many  an  obstacle  may  stand  iu 
Christian  households  in  the  way  of  youthful  conversions. 


104  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xi.  1—57. 

II.  The  prayeb  of  Jesus  as  a  preface  to  the  miracle.  "  Father,  I  tbank 
thee  Wcause  thou  hast  heard  me."  1.  It  is  more  a  thanksgiving  than  a  prayer.  (1) 
It  implies  that  the  prayer  for  power  to  do  the  miracle  had  been  already  offered  up  and 
already  heard.  (2)  It  implies  that  there  was  at  all  times  the  most  perfect  conformity 
between  the  will  of  Christ  and  the  will  of  his  Father.  2.  His  design  in  this  miracle 
was  to  dispose  the  Jews  to  see  in  it  the  glory  of  God.  "  I  said  it  because  of  the  people 
•who  surround  me,  that  they  may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me."  They  attributed  his 
cure  of  the  blind  man  to  the  work  of  a  demon  or  to  deception.  By  his  prayer  Jesus 
makes  his  Father  a  Participator  in  the  miracle. 

III.  The  miracle.  "  And  when  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  cried  with  a  lond  voice, 
Lazarus,  come  forth !  "  1.  The  loud  voice  contrasts  loith  the  muttered  incantations  of 
sorcerers,  and  is  the  expression  of  an  authoritative  Divine  will.  2,  The  voice  does  not 
say,  "  Lazarus,  come  to  life  I  "  hut  "  come  forth  I  "  "  They  may  be  alive  to  Christ  who  are 
dead  to  us."  3.  Tliat  voice  of  power  suggests  (1)  that  it  is  the  voice  of  Jesus  that 
pierces  the  hearts  of  sinners  and  quickens  them  to  spiritual  life ;  (2)  that  it  is  the 
same  voice  that  will  be  heard  in  the  end  of  the  world,  saying,  "Arise,  ye  dead,  and  come 
to  judgment."  4.  The  immediate  effect  of  the  voice.  "  And  he  that  was  dead  came 
forth,  his  feet  and  hands  bound  with  bandages,  and  his  face  wrapped  in  a  napkin." 
(1)  It  must  have  been  a  strange  awaking  to  Lazarus  after  four  days'  experience  of 
death.  But  Scripture  gives  us  no  record  of  his  death-experiences.  (2)  His  first  move- 
ments would  be  restricted  by  the  grave-clothes.  His  appearance  at  the  mouth  of  the 
sepulchre  in  that  strange  guise  suggests,  in  the  spiritual  sphere,  that :  (a)  Christian  men, 
especially  those  converted  late  in  life,  find  themselves  hindered  by  the  "grave-clothes" 
of  old  habits.  (6)  The  grave-clothes  ought  soon  to  be  laid  aside  that  believers  may 
walk  free  and  unimpeded  in  the  vigour  of  their  new  life,  (c)  Our  Lord's  command, 
"  Loose  him,  and  let  him  go,"  suggests  (a)  the  propriety  of  the  new  powers  being  freed 
from  restriction  ;  (/8)  the  influence  of  Christian  men  in  helping  to  unbind  the  burdens 
that  habit  may  have  fastened  upon  the  individual  life. 

Vers.  45 — 47. —  The  effect  of  the  miracle  on  the  spectators.  There  is  still  the  same 
division  among  the  Jews  as  on  the  occasion  of  every  miracle. 

I.  The  miracle  acts  with  convincing  power.  "  Then  many  of  the  Jews,  those 
who  had  come  to  Mary,  and  had  seen  the  things  which  he  did,  believed  in  him." 
1.  They  saw  in  the  miiacle  the  evidence  of  his  Messiahship,  and  heartily  accepted  Christ 
as  their  Redeemer.  2.  It  luas  a  providentially  happy  visit  that  led  them  to  Bethany  on 
that  day.  Ihey  came  to  comfort  the  sisters, and  found  for  themselves  "  the  Consolation 
of  Israel." 

II.  The  miracle  acts  likewise  with  a  repellent  power.  "  But  some  of  them 
went  their  ways  to  the  Pharisees,  and  told  them  what  Jesus  had  done."  1.  They  had 
a  strange  story  to  tell,  ivhich  it  luus  impossible  to  gainsay.  2.  It  was  a  hostile  motive 
that  prompted  the  errand  to  the  Fharisees,  the  implacable  enemies  of  Christ. 

Vers.  48 — 53. — The  decision  of  the  Sanhedrin.  The  miracle  at  Bethany  had  still 
more  momentous  effects. 

I.  The  meeting  of  the  Sanhedrin.  "Then  gathered  the  chief  priests  and  the 
Pharisees  a  council,  and  said,  What  are  we  doing?  for  this  Man  doeth  many  miracles." 

1.  It  was  a  conjunction  of  the  Pharisees  and  the  Sadducees,  for  the  chief  priests  belonged 
to  the  Sadducean  faction.     A    common  danger  engaged   them  in  a  common  cause. 

2.  They  frankly  admitted,  not  only  the  Bethany  miracle,  hut  other  miracles  that  Jesus 
did,  but  did  not  on  that  account  recognize  his  Messiahship.  3.  Tiicy  received  the  success 
of  Jesiis  in  making  converts  with  alarm,  as  likely  to  destroy  the  nation.  "  If  we  let  him 
tiius  alone,  all  will  believe  on  him ;  and  the  Eomans  will  come  and  destroy  both 
our  place  and  our  nation."  (1)  The  dread  of  the  Roman  power  was  always  present  to 
the  Jewish  mind  of  that  generation  because  of  the  determination  with  which  it  had 
once  and  again  crushed  Jewish  revolts.  (2)  The  authorities  feared  that  if  the  Messiah 
were  recognized  generally  as  "King  of  Israel"  there  might  be  a  fresh  rising,  which 
would  lead  to  the  utter  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the  dispersion  of  the  whole 
nation. 

II.  The  diabolic  suggestion  or  Caiaphas.    "But  one  of  them,  Caiaphas,  being 


en.  XI.  1—57.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  105 

high  priest  that  same  year,  said  unto  them,  Ye  know  nothing  at  all,  and  do  not  reflect 
that  it  is  expedient  for  us  that  one  man  should  die  for  the  i>eople,  and  that  the  whole 
nation  perish  not."  1.  This  Caiaphas  was  a  Sadducee,  and  held  the  office  of  high  priest 
from  25  till  36  of  our  era,  and  therefore  during  that  momentous  year.  2.  Ills  sugcjcstion 
was  purely  jwlitical,  and  involved  nothing  less  than  the  destruction  of  an  innocent 
man  to  save  the  Jewish  commonwealth.  It  was  a  truly  diabolic  suggestion ;  for,  though 
the  representative  of  God,  Caiaphas  holds  that  it  is  right  to  do  evil  that  good  may 
come.  He  does  not  suggest  that  Jesus  was  guilty  of  any  crime.  A  perfectly  innocent 
man  was  to  be  sacrificed  for  the  public  advantage.  3.  The  evil  suggestion  was  an 
unconscious  prophecy.  "Now  this  he  spake  not  of  himself:  but  being  high  priest  that 
year,  he  prophesied  that  Jesus  should  die  for  that  nation  ;  and  not  for  that  nation  only, 
but  also  that  he  should  gather  together  in  one  body  the  children  of  God  that  were 
scattered."  (1)  It  was  the  function  of  the  high  priest  to  announce  the  decision  of  the 
Most  High  for  the  beuefit  of  the  people.  (2)  The  declaration  of  Caiaphas  was  a  prophecy 
in  the  literal  sense,  though  he  had  himself  no  true  sense  of  its  blessed  import.  (3)  It 
was  not  unusual  for  God  to  make  evil  men  the  organs  of  prophetic  communication. 
Caiaphas,  like  Balaam,  declared  the  mind  of  God.  (4)  The  prophecy  had  a  wider  scope 
than  the  high  priest  imagined,  for  it  spoke  of  the  death  of  Christ  as  having  relation  to 
Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews.  The  children  of  God  everywhere  were  to  be  gathered  into 
one  body  in  Christ. 

III.  The  effects  of  Caiaphas's  evil  counsel.  "  Then  from  that  day  forth  they 
took  counsel  to  put  him  to  death."  1.  This  shows  the  haneful  influence  of  evil  counsel. 
The  Sanhedrin  were  ready  to  act  upon  the  fatal  advice  of  the  high  priest.  There  was 
no  longer  any  hesitation  or  irresolution  among  the  rulers  of  the  people.  2.  But  the 
question  was  still  for  consideration  how  Jesus  could  he  put  to  death  without  stirring  up 
a  popular  tumult  and  bringing  themselves  into  collision  with  the  Roman  authorities. 

Vers.  54 — 57. — A  hrief  period  of  retirement.  Jesus  was  now  forced  to  withdraw  for 
a  time  into  a  lonely  place,  so  as  to  place  himself  beyond  the  reach  of  the  Sanhedrin. 

I.  The  place  op  his  retirement.  "  Jesus  therefore  walked  no  more  openly 
among  the  Jews ;  but  went  thence  into  a  country  near  to  the  wilderness,  into  a  city 
called  Ephraim,  and  there  continued  with  his  disciples."  1.  The  place  lay  some  distance 
north  of  Jerusalem,  on  the  borders  of  the  desert.  2.  Jt  was  tuell  adapted  for  a  hrief 
period  of  quiet  and  unbroken  intercourse  with  his  disciples,  that  he  might  prepare  them 
for  his  approaching  end. 

II.  The  curiosity  of  the  country  people  at  Jerusalem  respecting  Jesus. 
1.  It  was  near  the  time  of  the  Passover,  and  many  Jews  had  gone  up  to  purify  them- 
selves for  the  feast.  2.  They  had  heard  so  much  respecting  his  miracles,  his  parables, 
his  discourses,  that  they  sought  him  out  to  gratify  a  not  unnatural  curiosity.  "  They 
said  among  themselves.  What  think  ye,  that  he  will  not  come  to  the  feast?"  The 
question  suggests  that,  aware  of  the  plot  of  the  Sanhedrin  for  his  destruction,  Jesus 
might  stay  away  from  the  feast.  3.  They  had  been  made  acquainted  with  the  decree  of 
the  Sanhedrin.  "  Now  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  had  also  given  a  commandment, 
that,  if  any  man  heard  where  he  was,  he  should  show  it,  that  they  might  take  him." 
(1)  Jesus  had  disappeared  from  Bethany  immediately  after  the  raising  of  Lazarus.  The 
Jews  could  not  trace  his  movements  after  that  event.  (2)  The  commandment  of  the 
chief  priests  and  Pharisees  betrays  an  extreme  anxiety  to  arrest  Jesus,  and  put  an  end 
to  a  career  so  fatally  disturbing  to  all  their  ideas  and  hopes. 


HOMILIES  BY  VARIOUS  AUTHORS. 

Ver.  5. — Jesus  as  a  Friend.  Whilst  the  narratives  of  the  four  evangelists  are  chiefly 
concerned  with  the  Saviour's  public  ministry,  it  is  interesting  to  be  allowed,  with  their 
aid,  now  and  again  to  gain  a  glimpse  into  the  sanctuary  of  his  more  private  life,  his 
more  intimate  associations  with  his  personal  friends.  The  simplicity  of  the  statement 
made  in  this  verse  is  just  what  might  be  expected  from  St.  John.  Himself  a  chosen 
and  beloved  companion  and  friend,  he  knew  how  tender  was  the  Master's  heart,  and 
took  pleasure  in  recording  instances  of  his  sympathy  and  affection. 


106  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xi.  1— 57. 

T.  Light  is  here  cast  upon  the  chakacter  of  the  family  at  Bethany. 
What  manner  of  people  must  those  have  been  whom  Jesus  loved !  The  narrative  gives 
us  several  particulars  regarding  the  sisters,  so  that  we  can  appreciate  the  affectionate 
tt'mper  of  both — the  eager  and  practical  nature  of  Martha,  and  the  more  contemplative 
habit  and  the  quiet  enthusiasm  of  Mary.  Perhaps  too  much  has  been  made  of  the 
slight  indications  afforded  by  the  evangelists  of  the  characters  of  these  two  sisters 
respectively.  However  this  may  be,  they  and  their  brother  Lazarus  were  all  mutually 
attached,  and  were  all  in  common  devoted  to  Jesus.  That  it  was  exquisite  grace  and 
condescension  on  the  part  of  Jesus  to  honour  them  with  his  society  and  his  intimacy, 
is  undeniable.  Yet  there  was  a  sense  in  which  he  counted  this  household  "worthy," 
so  that  his  peace  rested  upon  it.  The  life  of  all  three  inmates  of  this  happy  and 
.harmonious  home  was  made  radiant  by  the  visits  of  Jesus  during  his  lifetime  ;  and  by 
the  memory  of  his  friendship  it  must  have  been  sanctified  and  sweetened  as  long  as  the 
circle  was  unbroken. 

II.  Light  is  here  cast  rpoN  the  character  and  dispositions  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  himself.  We  see  him  in  his  true  and  perfect  humanity,  when  we  see  him  in 
the  household  of  Bethany.  It  is  the  same  figure,  the  same  Divine  Teacher  and  Master 
whom  we  see  upon  the  mountain  or  by  the  shore,  and  in  the  judgment-hall  of  Pilate. 
Yet  we  are  familiar  with  the  newness  of  aspect  under  which  here  and  there  a  man 
appears  to  us  when  we  meet  him  amidst  his  family,  or  as  we  English  say,  "  by  his  fire- 
side." It  is  in  the  home  that  the  softer,  gentler,  more  sympathetic  features  of  the 
character  reveal  themselves.  Imagination  pictures  Jesus  as  he  visited  the  home  at 
Bethany  in  its  days  of  tranquillity  and  prosperity,  and  reproduces  the  tones  of  his  dis- 
course, the  expression  of  his  countenance ;  or  as  he  came  when  the  household  was 
plunged  in  sorrow,  and  when  his  sympathy  soothed  them,  and  when  his  omnipotence 
restored  their  dead  one  to  life  and  fellowship.  As  the  perfect  Son  of  man,  Jesus  was 
not  merely  the  public  Preacher ;  he  was  the  private  Friend.  His  ministry  was  not  only 
one  of  general  benevolence  ;  it  was  one  of  personal  affection. 

III.  Light  is  here  cast  upon  the  provision  made  for  a  perpetual  friendship 
between  Jesus  and  his  people.  Our  Lord,  as  St.  John  has  recorded,  declared  his 
people  to  be  his  friends,  and  mentioned  unquestionable  proofs  of  his  friendship  toward 
his  people.  It  is,  however,  somewhat  difficult  for  us  to  realize  this  friendship  on  the 
part  of  the  unseen  and  glorified  Son  of  God  towards  us  in  our  humiliation  and  imper- 
fections. But  the  statement  made  in  the  text  brings  to  our  minds  an  actual  instance  of 
the  Lord's  friendship,  which  helps  us  to  apprehend  and  to  feel  that  it  is  not  a  mere 
matter  of  theory ;  that  Jesus  is  indeed  a  Friend  to  those  who  welcome  him  into  their 
heart  and  home  with  reverence  and  gratitude,  and  with  the  response  of  devout  and 
ardent  love.  Jesus  is,  to  those  who  love  him,  a  Friend  who  can  hallow  their  joj's,  and 
can  soothe  their  griefs,  who  can  make  their  dwelling  bright  with  his  radiant  smile, 
musical  with  his  gracious  voice. — T. 

Ver.  11. — Sleeping  and  wahing.  Our  Lord  Jesus,  in  this  metaphorical  language, 
doubtless  adopted  a  view  of  death  which  was  familiar  to  his  countrymen,  because  pre- 
sented in  the  works  of  their  inspired  and  their  uninspired  writers — of  seers  and  of  sages. 
Yet,  in  adopting  it,  he  imparted  to  it  a  tone  and  character  peculiar  to  himself.  On  the 
other  hand,  what  he  says  concerning  the  awakening  is  altogether  original;  herein  he 
claims  a  power  which  is  unprecedented  and  unparalleled. 

I.  To  the  Christian  death  is  sleep.  1.  It  is  the  close  of  the  day  of  toil.  2. 
It  is  the  hushing  and  silencing  of  the  many  harsh  and  jarring  voices  of  care,  of  anxiety, 
of  restlessness.  3.  It  is  the  soothing  of  sorrow  and  trouble.  4.  It  is  looked  for  and 
welcome,  when  the  due  time  comes. 

II.  It  is  the  prerogative  of  Christ  to  arouse  his  people  from  the  slumber 
OF  death.  1.  Our  Lord  awakens  slumbering  souls  from  the  stupors  of  sin.  The 
message  of  the  gospel  to  such  is,  "  Awake,  thou  that  sleepest,  arise  from  the  dead,  and 
he  shall  enlighten  thee."  This  spiritual  awakening  is  the  pledge  of  the  glorious  and 
final  awakening  of  the  future  unto  the  higher  and  immortal  life.  2.  As  sleep  is  but  fur 
a  season,  so  the  sleep  of  death  is  appointed  only  as  a  temporary,  a  transitory  experience. 
3.  The  voice  which  woke  Lazarus  out  of  his  sleep  is  the  voice  which  summons  from 
the  slumber  of  death.    Christ's  assumption  of  this  power  is  an  implicit  claim  to  Divine 


en.  XI.  1—57.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN,  107 

authority.  God's  omnipotence  alone  can  create  life,  and  alone  can  restore  life  when 
death  has  asserted  its  power  and  has  done  its  work.  4.  The  awakening  from  death 
summons  to  an  endless  life  of  activity  and  holy  service.  Whilst  the  hours  of  slumber 
are  hours  of  repose,  the  daylight  which  arouses  the  sleepers'calls  to  the  exertion  of  the 
powers  of  body  and  of  mind.  This  law  applies  to  the  higher  realm.  When  Christ 
awakens  out  of  the  slumber  of  death,  it  is  to  the  happiness  of  conscious  existence  and 
to  the  energy  of  untiring  effort.  There  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  this  brief  earthly 
life  is  man's  only  period  of  service.  It  is  the  discipline  and  preparation  for  endless 
ages  of  glad  devotion  alike  to  the  praise  and  to  the  service  of  our  glorious  Redeemer. 

"  If  my  immortal  Saviour  lives, 
Then  my  immortal  life  is  sure  : 
His  word  a  firm  foundation  gives ; 
Here  let  me  build  and  rest  secure." 

T. 

Ver.  21. — The  ahsence  of  Jesus.  Among  our  Lord's  friends  none  were  more  affec- 
tionate or  more  faithful  than  the  favoured  family  of  Bethany.  That,  in  the  hours  of 
their  anxiety  and  of  their  mourning,  Mary  and  Martha  should  have  lamented  the 
absence  of  the  Master,  is  not  surprising,  nor  does  it  call  for  any  blame.  But  they  did 
not  simply  regret  that  Jesus  was  not  with  them ;  they  went  further  than  this,  and 
believed  and  said  that,  had  he  been  present,  the  calamity  which  befell  them  would  have 
been  averted. 

I.  The  temper  of  mind  which  lamented  the  bodily  absence  of  Jesus  in 
AFFLICTION.  When  this  is  analyzed,  it  appears  to  be  mixed.  1.  There  \va.s  faith.  In 
their  trouble,  the  first  thought  of  the  sisters  was  of  Jesus.  They  sent  to  him  an 
earnest  entreaty  to  come  and  interpose  on  their  behalf.  When  he  'came — as  they 
thought  too  late — they  welcomed  and  honoured  him.  They  threw  themselves  upon 
his  sympathy,  and  professed  their  belief  that,  even  now,  their  case  was  not  beyond  the 
reach  of  his  power  and  compassion.  All  this  implied  faith.  2.  The  faith,  however, 
was  imjjetfect.  This  appears  from  their  laying  undue  stress  upon  Christ's  bodily 
presence.  They  ought  to  have  been  reassured  by  his  language  upon  receiving  tidings 
of  his  friend's  sickness.  They  ought  to  have  reflected  that  his  absence  was  no  sign  of 
his  want  of  interest  or  affection,  was  no  sign  of  any  lapse  of  power.  Their  tone  of 
mind  evinced  the  imperfection  of  their  faith. 

II.  The  reasons  which  accounted  for  the  bodily  absence  of  Jesus  in  the 
time  of  his  friends'  affliction.  1.  The  ultimate  reason  both  for  Lazarus's  sickness 
and  death,  and  also  for  the  Lord's  delay  in  visiting  Bethany,  was  a  moral  reason, 
relating  to  his  own  ministry.  The  Son  of  God  was  hereby  to  be  glorified  ;  his  mission 
was  to  be  fulfilled.  2.  More  particularly,  the  faith  of  the  disciples  was  called  out  and 
strengthened  by  this  action  of  the  Lord  Jesus ;  it  was  partly  "  for  their  sake,"  to  the 
end  that  "they  might  believe."  They  had  witnessed  many  instances  of  his  power; 
they  were  now  to  see  the  crowning  proof  of  the  omnipotence  of  him  whom  they 
trusted  and  honoured.  3.  The  religious  confidence  of  the  sisters  was  to  be  developed, 
and  a  full  confession  was  to  be  elicited  from  them.  Much  as  they  revered  and  loved 
their  Lord,  Martha  and  Mary  had  yet  much  to  learn ;  and  that  their  conception  of 
Jesus  and  their  faith  in  Jesus  might  be  perfected,  it  was  necessary  that  they  should 
see  him  in  a  new  light,  and  have  a  further  proof  of  his  Divinity.  This  end  we  know 
from  the  record  to  have  been  answered  in  their  experience.  4.  Many  unbelieving  Jews 
were  convinced.  Some  such  would  not,  in  all  likelihood,  have  been  impressed  by 
Christ's  sympathetic  spirit,  had  he  come  to  Bethany  and  pitied  the  sorrowful  family, 
and  saved  Lazarus  from  death.  But  when  they  saw  their  neighbour  raised  from  the 
(iead,  these  men  believed.  Thus  there  was  wisdom,  there  was  love,  even  in  that  con- 
duct of  Jesus  which  seemed  at  first  sight  inconsiderate  and  unkind. — T. 

Vers.  25,  20. —  The  living  and  life-giving  Lord.  The  confession  of  Martha  was 
a  good  and  sound  one.  Yet  it  is  clear  that  our  Lord  did  not  wish  her  to  rest  in  her 
creed.  He  pointed  her  to  himself  as  the  Sum  and  Substance  of  all  true  beliefs,  as  the 
Object  of  all  true  faith.     Creeds  are  good  for  the  memory,  Christ  is  good  for  the  heart. 

I.  Life  is  in  Christ.    The  miracles  of  raising  from  the  dead  which  Jesus  wrought 


108.  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xi.  1—57. 

were  intended  not  only  for  the  assuagement  of  human  sorrow,  but  for  the  satisfying  of 
human  aspirations.  He  drew  the  attention  away  from  the  great  work  to  the  greater 
Worker.  In  him  was  Ufe;  and  by  his  incarnation  and  sacrifice  he  brought  the  life  of 
God  to  this  world  of  sin  and  death. 

II.  The  life  of  Christ,  when  commxinicated  to  men,  becomes  a  spiritual 
IMMORTALITY.  "  The  Son  quickeneth  whom  he  will."  He  introduced  the  new  life  into 
our  humanity.  How  it  has  spread !  In  how  many  soils  have  barrenness  and  death 
disappeared,  and  spiritual  vitality,  vigour,  and  fruitfulness  abounded  in  their  place ! 
Christ  has  taught  the  independence  of  the  spiritual  life  upon  the  life  of  this  body  of 
our  humiliation.  In  his  own  resurrection  he  manifestly  conquered  death.  Living,  he 
has  the  keys  of  death  and  Hades.  He  is  both  the  Firstfruits  of  the  rising  again,  and 
the  Agent  and  quickening  Power  in  raising  his  people.  What  can  compare  for  spiritual 
potency  with  the  life-giving  authority  of  the  Saviour  ?  In  what  other  is  there  hope 
for  man's  deathless  spirit?  Like  morning  after  a  stormy  night,  like  spring  after 
a  dreary  winter,  like  triumph  after  arduous  warfare,  like  the  haven  after  a  tem- 
pestuous voyage, — so  is  the  immortality  of  the  righteous  who,  living  in  Christ,  live  in 
perpetual  blessedness.    All  their  aspirations  are  realized,  and  all  their  hopes  fulfilled. 

III.  It  is  by  faith  that  the  glorious  immortality  of  the  blessed  is 
achieved.  Christ  presents  himself  as  the  Divine  Object  of  faith.  It  is  no  arbitrary 
connection  which  is  exhibited  in  these  words  of  our  Redeemer  as  existing  between  faith 
and  life.  Life  is  personal,  and  spiritual  life  comes  from  the  Lord  and  Giver  of  life  to 
those  who  believe.  Faith  is  spiritual  union  with  the  Christ  who  died  and  rose  for  us, 
and  is  the  means,  first  of  a  death  unto  sin  and  a  life  unto  righteousness,  and  then  of  all 
which  this  spiritual  change  involves.     A  life  in  God  is  a  life  eternal. — T. 

Ver.  27. — A  good  confession.  Martha  of  Bethany,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  little 
recorded  of  her,  was  an  interesting  and  admirable  character.  She  was  not  only  warm- 
hearted, frank,  and  practical,  but  one  who  thought  clearly,  and  professed  her  faith  with 
boldness  and  with  no  hesitation,  no  qualification.  Where  shall  we  find  a  confession  of 
faith  concerning  Jesus  more  sound,  more  full,  more  ardent  than  this  uttered  by  the 
sister  of  Lazarus  of  Bethany  ? 

I.  The  character  and  extent  of  Martha's  faith  in  Jesus.  Observe  the 
language  which  is  indicative  of  this — how  it  proceeds  from  point  to  point.  1.  She  calls 
Jesus  "Lord."  This  would  seem  to  be  simply  a  title  of  courtesy,  of  respect,  of  rever- 
ence. In  itself  the  word  may  imply  no  more ;  when  applied  to  Jesus  it  may  be  the 
acknowledgment  of  a  special  authority.  2.  Siie  calls  him  "  the  Christ."  This  sounds 
natural  enough  to  us  ;  but,  coming  from  Martha  of  Bethany,  how  much  does  this  desig- 
nation involve !  How  hard  it  must  have  been  for  one  of  Jewish  birth  and  training  to 
recognize  in  the  Prophet  of  Nazareth  the  foretold  Anointed  of  God,  the  Deliverer  of 
Israel,  the  Saviour  of  mankind !  3.  She  calls  him  "  the  coming  One,"  i.e.  the  Being 
foretold  in  Hebrew  prophecy,  possessing  the  nature,  the  authority,  the  offices,  belong- 
ing to  the  Commissioned  of  God.  4.  She  calls  him  "  the  Son  of  God."  This  is, 
indeed,  a  lofty  flight  of  faith;  justified,  it  is  true,  by  the  fact,  yet  exciting  our  amaze- 
ment and  admiration. 

II.  The  grounds  of  Martha's  faith.  We  cannot  give  a  perfect  account  of  these ; 
but  we  can  form  a  fair  judgment  as  to  the  reasons  and  motives  which  led  this  woman 
to  make  a  confession  so  remarkable  and  so  just.  1.  What  she  had  seen  Christ  do.  It 
is  not  credible  that,  intimate  as  were  the  members  of  her  household  with  the  Lord 
Jesus,  she  should  never  have  witnessed  any  acts  of  Divine  power  such  as  he  was  wont 
to  perform  in  every  place  where  he  dischaiged  his  ministry.  2.  What  she  had  heard 
Christ  say.  She  too,  like  her  sister,  had  often  sat  at  the  Master's  feet,  and  heard  his 
Word.  The  teaching  of  him  who  spake  as  never  man  spake,  produced  upon  her  mind 
a  deep  and  abiding  impression ;  for  such  a  Teacher  her  reverence  could  not  be  too 
great.  3.  The  impression  she  had  received  of  his  character.  As  Guest  at  Bethany, 
Jesus  had  afforded  Martha  many  opportunities  of  judging  of  his  nature ;  and  her 
reason  and  her  heart  alike  assured  her  that  he  was  indeed  Divine.  It  was  a  just 
judgment,  and  wisely  formed. 

III.  The  recompense  op  Martha's  faith.  Her  ardent  and  loving  confession  was 
not  unrecognized  or  unrewarded.     It  brought  her :  1.  The  sympathy  of  the  Saviour 


CH.  XI.  1—57.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  lOD 

with  her  ia  her  bitter  sorrow.  2.  The  help  of  Jesus  in  her  trouble — help  bestowed 
readily  and  graciously,  help  taking  a  form  miraculous  and  glorious.  3.  The  encourage- 
ment of  the  Saviour  in  her  own  spiritual  life.  His  companionship  became  the  means 
of  strengtheuing  her  beautiful  faith,  and  intensifying  her  ardent  love. — T. 

Yer.  28. —  The  coming  and  the  call  of  Christ.  The  message  of  Martha  to  Mary  is 
tie  message  of  the  Church  to  every  cljild  of  man.  "The  Master  is  here,  and  calleth 
thee." 

I.  The  coming  and  the  presence  of  Jesus.  Christ  came  from  the  Father,  and 
has  come  unto  men.  He  came  once  in  his  ministry,  and  he  comes  ever  in  his  gospel. 
He  is  here  to  welcome  and  to  bless.     He  is  here  both  in  his  Word  and  in  his  Church. 

II.  The  call  of  Jesus.  1.  The  intent  of  his  call.  (1)  It  is  a  call  to  salvation 
from  sin,  and  from  its  power  and  consequences.  (2)  It  is  a  call  of  sympathy  addressed 
to  those  in  sorrow,  as  in  the  case  of  Lazarus's  sisters.  (3)  It  is  a  call  to  enter  upon 
his  service.  To  one  he  says,  "  Follow  me ! "  to  another,  "  Go,  work  in  my  vineyard !  " 
2.  The  character  of  his  call.  (1)  It  is  sincere.  He  always  means  what  he  says.  This  is 
not  always  so  with  the  invitations  men  address  to  their  fellow-men.  (2)  It  is  authori- 
tative. The  Master  calls.  This  is  not  an  invitation  which  may  be  either  obeyed  or 
disregarded,  according  to  men's  caprice ;  for  our  Lord's  royal  call  is  ever  a  command. 
(3)  it  is  effective.  There  is  power  in  Christ's  voice.  How  many  times  has  that  voice 
awakened  men  from  death  to  life !  To  such  as  have  responded  to  its  summons,  no 
other  voice  has  half  the  charm  of  this. 

III.  The  blessedness  of  kecognizing  Christ's  presence  and  responding  to  his 
CALL.  They  who  act  thus  are  as  prisoners  who  obey  the  summons  to  liberty ;  as  the 
imperilled  who  answer  the  call  which  assures  them  of  deliverance  and  safety  ;  as  guests 
who  accept  the  invitation  to  the  banquet ;  as  friends  who  are  welcomed  to  fellowship 
and  to  immortal  honour. — T. 

Ver.  32. —  Unavailing  regrets  and  unfounded  fancies.  It  is  in  human  nature  to  lean 
upon  the  presence  of  friends  and  patrons.  In  their  absence  it  seems  as  if  we  could  not 
help  exclaiming,  "  Ah  !  if  only  we  had  been  supported  by  their  nearness,  their  counte- 
nance, their  encouragement,  then  all  would  have  been  otherwise,  all  would  have  been 
far  better  with  us !  "  So  the  soldier  regrets  the  absence  of  his  commander  ;  the  official 
the  absence  of  his  chief;  the  child  the  absence  of  his  parent.  And  so,  sometimes,  like 
Mary  of  Bethany,  the  Christian  laments  the  absence  of  his  Lord. 

I.  One  SAYS,  "  If  thou,  Lord,  hadst  been  here,  I  would  have  believed  on 
thee."  To  some  Jesus  seems  so  far  away,  in  time,  in  space,  that  they  feel  it  bard  to 
cherish  faith  in  him.  But  such  should  remember  that  faith  is  more  truly  faith  when  it 
is  tried  by  the  distance  of  its  object.  "  Blessed,"  said  Christ,  "  are  those  who,  not 
having  seen,  yet  believe." 

II  Another  says,  "If  thou.  Lord,  hadst  been  here,  I  should  have  resisted 
TEMPTATION."  In  the  absence  of  the  mighty  Master,  how  can  the  servant  stand  '?  Yet, 
reflection  assures  us  that  the  Spirit  of  Christ  and  the  Word  of  Christ  are  sufficient  to 
enable  the  tempted  to  resist  the  adversary,  and  to  overcome  in  the  trial.  Peter  yielded 
to  temptation,  and  denied  his  Lord,  in  his  very  presence.  The  same  Peter  afterwards 
boldly  confessed  his  Lord  when  that  Lord  was  no  longer  present  in  the  body  upon 
earth. 

III.  Another  bays,  "  If  thou.  Lord,  hadst  been  here,  I  should  have  been 

SPARED   THIS  SORROW,  OR,  AT  THE   LEAST,  I   SHOULD  HAVE   BEEN  SUPPORTED  UNDER  IT." 

But  this  is  not  certain.  Trouble  is  often — to  the  Christian  it  should  be  always — blessing, 
even  though  in  disguise.  If  so,  wisdom  and  love  may  permit  it,  whether  Christ  be,  as 
to  the  body,  present  or  absent.  And  certainly  his  Divine  supports  and  consolations 
may  be  experienced,  even  though  his  form  be  not  seen,  his  voice  not  heard. 

IV.  Another  says,  "  If  thou.  Lord,  hadst  been  here,  I  would  have  boldly 
ENCOUNTERED  PERSECUTION  AND  DARED  DEATH."  They  who  through  timidity  and 
faithlessness  fail  in  witnessing  to  their  Lord,  and  then  make  to  themselves  this  excuse, 
prove  how  little  knowledge  they  have  of  their  own  hearts.  Some  have  thought,  "  If, 
like  the  dying  malefactor,  we  could  have  hung  by  the  side  of  Jesus,  with  his  presence 
to  encourage  and  bis  example  to  choer  us,  then  we  could  have  dared  to  die  for  him ;  but 


110  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [cd.  xi.  1—57. 

how  can  we  suffer  for  his  sake  when  unnoticed,  unsupported,  and  alone  ?  "  This  way 
of  thinking  overlooks  Christ's  spiritual  presence.  In  reality,  they  who  suffer  for  him 
"  suffer  wiih  him." 

V.  Another  says,  "  If,  Lord,  thou  hadst  been  here,  then  thy  work  entrusted 
TO  m!y  hands  would  have  prospered."  There  are  those  who  fear  that  in  this  spiritual 
dispensation,  where  no  present  Lord  stands  ready  to  work  signs  and  wonders  for  the 
conviction  of  men,  it  is  vain  to  hope  for  great  results  to  follow  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel  and  the  witness  of  the  saints.  Yet  it  cannot  be  denied  that  greater  works  than 
those  wrought  during  Christ's  ministry  were  effected  after  his  ascension,  and  that  the 
spiritual  economy  was  introduced  into  the  world  with  signal  trophies  of  might  and 
signal  omens  of  victory.  It  is  not  the  Master's  bodily  absence  which  accounts  for  the 
slow  progress  of  the  truth  and  kingdom  of  Christ.  Spiritual  causes  account  for  this 
lamentable  fact ;  spiritual  powers  alone  can  check  the  advance  of  error,  and  hasten  the 
kingdom  of  God,  of  righteousness,  of  truth.  The  Church  has  not  faith  enough  in  the 
Lord's  own  assurance,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." 

Application.  It  is  well  for  us  to  remember  that,  as  a  matter  of  fact  and  reality, 
Christ  is  always  here.  His  Spirit  is  near  our  spirit.  He  is  truly  present  to  those  who 
have  faith.  When  duty  is  difficult  and  arduous,  let  us  reflect,  Christ  is  here  !  When 
temptation  is  urgent,  or  when  trials  are  severe,  let  us  not  forget  that  Christ  is  here  ! 
When  bereavement  overtakes  us,  and  we  are  very  sensible  that  those  whom  we  have 
loved,  and  upon  whom  we  have  relied,  are  gone,  then  let  us  cherish  the  comforting 
assurance  that  Christ  is  here ! — T. 

Ver.  35. — The  tears  of  Jesus.  Thrice  in  the  gospel  narrative  is  Jesus  recorded  to 
have  wept ;  viz.  over  the  unbelieving  and  doomed  city  of  Jerusalem,  by  the  grave  of 
his  friend,  Lazarus  of  Bethany,  and  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  when  enduring  the 
agony  which  all  but  overwhelmed  his  soul.  Much  valuable  and  consolatory  reflection 
is  suggested  by  the  simple  record,  "  Jesus  wept." 

I.  Christ's  capacity  for  tears.  1.  It  is  "obvious  to  say  this  capacity  lay  in  his 
true  human  nature.  As  we  read  in  Job,  "  Man  is  born  to  sorrow ; "  as  our  poet  sings, 
"Man  is  made  to  mourn."  Jesus  was  "a  Man  of  sorrows."  2.  Christ  was  capable  of 
human  sympathy.  Men  weep  for  themselves,  and  they  weep  for  others.  The  tears  of 
Jesus  were  tears  shed,  not  for  himself,  but  for  members  of  this  race  whose  nature  he 
assumed.  3.  This  capacity  lay  yet  deeper  in  our  Lord's  Divinity.  It  is  unjust  to 
represent  God  as  unfeeling;  he  is  susceptible  of  sonie  deep  "painless  sympathy  with 
pain."  He  pities  and  grieves  over  the  sorrow  he  nevertheless  in  wisdom  and  in  love 
permits. 

II.  The  occasions  of  Christ's  tears.  The  narrative  reveals :  1.  His  personal 
sorrow  for  the  death  of  his  friend.  He  had  been  wont  to  come  to  Bethany  to  meet 
with  a  cordial  welcome  and  a  friendly  smile  from  Lazarus.  And  as  he  knew  the  joys 
of  friendship,  so  did  he  experience  the  distress  of  bereavement.  There  was  justice  in 
the  exclamation  of  the  Jews,  "  Behold  how  he  loved  him  !  "  2.  His  sympathy  with 
the  grief  of  the  bereaved  sisters.  Mary  and  Martha  were  nearest  in  kindred  and  in 
affection  to  the  deceased  Lazarus ;  and  Jesus,  who  loved  all  three,  could  not  but  feel 
for  the  sisters  whom  he  found  in  sorrow  and  in  tears.  3.  Consciousness  of  the  power  of 
sin.  Nothing  less  than  this  can  account  for  the  prevalence  and  the  bitterness  of  the 
heart's  anguish.  Jesus,  who  knew  all  things,  knew  this;  it  was  sin  which  "brought 
death  into  the  world  with  all  its  woes."  In  every  instance  of  human  mortality  Jesus 
could  not  fail  to  discern  the  bitterer  root  of  fruit  so  bitter.  Hence  the  strong  emotion 
he  displayed,  as  he  groaned  and  was  stirred  and  moved  by  the  mighty  wave  of  feeling 
which  swept  over  his  soul. 

III.  The  practical  outcome  of  Christ's  tears.  There  are  cases  in  which  tears 
are  a  substitute  for  help.  It  was  not  so  in  the  instance  before  us.  The  heart  that 
found  expression  for  its  woe  in  tears,  found  expression  for  its  sympathy  and  pity  in  the 
reaching  out  of  a  hand  of  help.  Jesus  first  wept,  and  then  succoured  the  sorrowful 
and  raised  the  dead.  Christian  sympathy  should  be  like  Christ's  sympathy,  which  was 
not  content  with  words  and  tears,  but  made  for  itself  a  way  of  practical  compassion. 

IV.  The  significant  lessons  of  Christ's  tears.  1.  They  assure  us  that  we  have 
in  him  a  feeling  Friend.^^who  in  all  our  afflictions  is  afflicted.    2.  They  teach  us  a 


CH.  XI.  1—57.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  Ill 

lesson  of  sympathy — that  we  should  "  weep  with  those  who  weep."  3.  They  remind 
us  by  contrast  of  that  state  where  "  all  tears  shall  be  wiped  from  ofif  all  faces." 

♦'The  path  of  sorrow,  and  that  path  alone, 
LeudJa  to  the  laud  where  sorrow  is  uuknown." 

T. 

Yen  47. — A  signfjicant  admission.  It  was  not  before  the  public,  but  in  the  secret 
conclave  of  the  yanhedrin,  that  the  Sadducean  chief  priests  and  the  I'harisees  made 
this  very  remarkable  admission.  Animated  only  by  selfish  considerations,  these  men 
looked  the  fticts  in  the  face.  They  regarded  the  position  of  Jesus  in  the  light  of  their 
own  interests,  and  accordingly  proceeded  to  deal  with  his  case  with  a  brutal  frankness 
and  insensibility.  It  was  no  time  for  misrepresentation  or  self-deception.  To  this 
sincerity  of  wickedness  we  owe  the  valuable  witness  of  those  who  were  as  competent 
as  any  of  his  contemporaries  to  judge  of  the  validity  of  the  claims  of  Jesus.  "  This 
man  doeth  many  miracles." 

I.  TUIS  ADMISSION  ACCOUNTS   FOR  THE  FEARS   AND  THE  MALICE  OF  ChRIST's  ENEMIES. 

Had  Jesus  been  a  mere  teacher,  he  would  not  have  excited  the  enmity  which,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  encountered  him.  But  he  wrought  mighty  works,  and  by  their  means 
not  only  excited  interest  among  the  people, -but  acquired  influence  over  them.  That 
this  influence  might  be  used  to  the  detriment  of  the  religious  leaders  of  the  Jews  was 
their  chief  dread  with  regard  to  Jesus.  The  exact  ground  upon  which  they  might  well 
fear  him  they  did  indeed  misunderstand.  Yet  it  was  his  possession  of  superhuman 
power  which  made  him  formidable  to  their  imagination  and  to  the  foreboding  of  their 
guilty  hearts.  It  was  this  authority  which  in  fact,  though  in  adiff'erent  way  from  that 
expected  by  them,  did  prove  fatal  to  their  position,  and  subversive  of  their  sway. 

II.  This  admission  establishes  the  fact  of  Christ's  possession  of  miraculous 
POWER.  If  it  had  been  possible  for  these  selfish  and  calculating  ecclesiastics  to  do  so, 
doubtless  they  would  have  denied  the  fact  of  Christ's  miracles.  It  was  against  their 
interests  to  admit  it,  could  it  with  any  plausibility  be  questioned.  The  witness  of 
Christ's  friends  to  his  superhuman  power  is  valuable  ;  that  of  disinterested  and  impartial 
si^ectators  is  more  so ;  but  that  of  his  avowed  enemies  is  most  valuable  of  all.  They 
attributed  his  mighty  works  to  an  infernal  power ;  but  they  never  denied  them.  How 
can  the  conclusion  be  avoided  that  these  signs  and  wonders  did  really  take  place  ? 

III.  This  admission  aggravates  the  guilt  of  those  who  conspired  to  slay 
Christ.  There  could  be  no  question  that  the  miracles  of  Jesus  were  for  the  most  part 
obviously  benevolent  and  merciful,  and  that  this  was  well  known  to  his  enemies.  What 
excuse  then  could  they  have  for  plotting  his  death  ?  If  he  was  not  only  a  wise  Teacher, 
but  a  popular  Benefactor  and  Healer,  his  enemies,  in  conspiring  to  bring  his  ministry 
to  a  close,  proved  their  indifference  to  the  welfare  of  the  people,  which  Jesus  so 
compassionately  and  powerfully  promoted.  It  was  not  only  that  they  slew  "  the  Holy 
One  and  Just ; "  they  slew  the  Self-denying  and  Compassionate. 

IV.  This  admission  should  serve  to  convince  the  sceptical  that  Christ  was 
THE  Son  of  God.  If  men  enter  upon  the  consideration  of  Christ's  claims  with  the 
foregone  conclusion  in  their  minds  that  no  miracle  can  by  any  power  be  wrought,  then 
all  evidence  that  may  be  adduced  will  be  adduced  in  vain.  But  if  they  come  with 
unprejudiced  and  candid  minds,  the  testimony  recorded  in  this  verse  must  surely  liave 
weight  with  them.  At  all  events,  it  may  serve  to  show  that  the  objections  against  our 
Lord's  claims  advanced  in  these  days  are  utterly  unlike  those  advanced  in  his  lifetime. 
There  was  keen  criticism  then,  although  of  a  different  kind  from  that  we  meet  with 
now.  Tlif  n,  the  only  ground  on  which  our  Lord's  authority  was  disputed  was  the  very 
natural  ground  of  the  selfish  interests  of  his  enemies.  It  was  thought  expedient  to 
bring  his  ministry  to  a  close  by  violence,  falsehood,  and  injustice.  With  such  a  method 
of  opposition  to  Christ  many  modern  unbelievers  have  no  sympathy.  But  it  is  ^ery 
hard  to  substantiate  any  other  method  of  op|)osition,  that  is,  upon  the  grounds  of 
rational  plausibility.  Take  the  testimony  of  Christ's  worst  foeS,  and  deal  fairly  with  it. 
And  their  admissions  will  be  seen  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  impugning  Christ's 
authority.  Nor  must  it  be  forgotten  that  the  "  many  miracles'^  which  Jesus  wrought 
when  here  on  earth  were  the  earnest  and  the  promise  of  those  greater  and  more  amazing 


112  THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO  ST,  JOHN.       [ch.  xi.  1—57. 

moral  miracles  whicli  from  the  throne  of  his  glory  he  has  been  working  through  the 
long  ages  of  the  Christian  dispensation. — T. 

Ver.  48. — Selfishness  blinds  men  to  righteotcsness.  It  is  sometimes  brought,  as  an 
argument  against  man's  intuitive  perception  of  right,  that  there  are  always  to  be  found 
those  who  act  spontaneously  and  without  remorse,  in  defiance  of  the  moral  law.  This 
argument '  would  hold  good  were  there  no  principles  in  man's  nature  which  militate 
against  righteousness.  But  the  fact  is  that  selfish  and  sinful  passions,  and  consideratious 
which  become  evil  motives,  come  into  play  in  the  human  breast.  And  just  as  it  is 
no  valid  argument  against  gravitation  that  bodies  often,  under  other  physical  forces, 
move  in  contradiction  to  that  universal  law,  so  in  the  moral  realm  there  are  impulses  to 
action  which  both  conflict  with  and  often  overcome  the  conscience  of  right,  and  further, 
even  succeed,  as  it  were  by  clamour,  in  silencing  the  heavenly  voice.  We  have  a 
striking  illustration  of  this  complexity  of  human  nature  in  the  counsels  and  conduct  of 
Christ's  enemies  in  the  Jewish  Sanhedrin. 

I.  The  language  of  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  is  implicit  testimony 
BOTH  TO  THE  INNOCENCE  AND  THE  AUTHORITY  OF  Jesus.  If  they  had  posscsscd  any 
information,  or  had  even  cherished  any  suspicion,  that  Jesus  was  in  any  way  unworthy 
of  confidence  and  respect,  it  is  certain  that  charges  against  his  character  would  have 
been  adduced,  and  that  an  eflbrt  would  have  been  made  to  substantiate  them.  But 
it  does  not  seem  to  have  occurred  to  them  that  there  was  any  evidence  upon  which 
they  could  found  such  charges.  This  goes  a  long  way  towards  proving  that  our  Lord 
was  acknowledged  to  be  of  blameless  character,  and  that  his  ministry  was  felt  to  be 
irreproachable  and  benevolent.  At  the  same  time,  it  was  explicitly  admitted  that  his 
miracles  were  genuine.  The  enemies  of  our  Lord  did  not  complain  that  he  professed 
to  wield  miraculous  power  whilst  all  the  time  he  only  made  a  baseless  boast.  For  the 
very  gravamen  of  their  consultations  was  that  Jesus  did  many  miracles.  They,  at  all 
events,  admitted  that  superhuman  authority  resided  in  our  Lord. 

II.  Christ's  enemies  considered  his  ministry  merely  in  the  light  of  its  conse- 
quences,   AS    these   would   PROBABLY    AFFECT   THEIR    OWN   POSITION   AND  INTERESTS. 

When  men  look  at  conduct,  not  in  its  relation  to  principles,  but  in  relation  to  results, 
they  are  usually  in  danger  of  error  and  of  grievous  practical  misdeeds.  It  is  better  to 
think  of  actions  as  agreeing  or  disagreeing  with  a  standard,  than  as  involving  results. 
The  reasoning  of  Christ's  foes  was  sound  enough  upon  their  own  assumptions.  They 
argued  thus :  Jesus  works  many  miracles ;  the  result  of  these  will  be  the  faith  and 
adhesion  of  increasing  numbers  of  the  Jewish  people ;  this  will  lead  to  popular  excite- 
ment, which  will  give  rise  to  tuniidts  or,  at  all  events,  to  manifestations  of  enthusiasm, 
and  perhaps  fanaticism ;  such  movements  will  bring  about  the  interference  of  the 
Eoman  authorities ;  and,  as  surely  as  this  takes  place,  the  Sanhedrin  will  be  blamed  for 
its  Inability  to  restrain  the  populace,  the  last  remnants  of  national  rule  will  disappear, 
and  the  subjection  of  Israel  will  be  complete.  It  is  not  possible  to  regard  this  train  of 
reasoning  as  motived  by  exalted  patriotism.  It  was  for  themselves  that  the  chief 
priests  and  rulers  were  concerned — for  themselves  chiefly,  if  not  solely.  It  is  easy  to 
cloak  selfishness  in  the  garb  of  public  spirit  and  love  of  country.  The  discerning  and 
just  mind  can  see  through  such  hypocritical  pretences. 

III.  Considerations  of  righteousness  are  often  lost  when  the  considerations 
OF  selfishness  and  ambition  take  possession  of  the  soul.  After  all  said  and  done, 
Jesus  was  one  single  Person  ;  his  enemies  were  many.  He  was  lowly  in  the  world's 
esteem,  and  they  were  the  dignified  leaders  and  rulers  of  the  people.  He  had  no  force 
to  back  him — at  least,  none  that  they  were  cognizant  of — and  they  had  their  own 
armed  men  to  support  them,  and  could  command  the  troops  of  the  Roman  procurator. 
Such  being  the  case,  why  should  they  scruple  to  oppose  Jesus  by  fraud  and  by  violence  ? 
Nothing  prevented  save  the  sense  of  justice  ;  and  this  they  silenced  and  stifled.  Accord- 
ingly their  decision  was  taken,  their  plans  were  laid,  and  in  due  time  were  executed, 
under  the  influence  of  selfish  fears.  It  is  all  too  true  to  human  nature.  Let  self  be 
lost  sight  of,  and  then  justice,  equity,  fairness,  may  prevail.  But  let  self  be  made  pro- 
minent, and  alas !  how  often  will  the  right  be  sacrificed  as  of  no  account !  A  lesson 
this  as  to  the  importance  of  cherishing  a  high  standard  of  morality  ;  and  a  lesson,  too, 
of  the  proneness  from  which  we  all  suffer  to  give  heed  to  the  counsels  of  interest  and  of 


CH.  XI.  1—57.]       THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  113 


j>ersonal  advancement.  Let  all  men  beware  lest,  beginning  with  indulging  fcjolish 
views  of  the  importance  of  jwrsonal  aims,  they  end  by  "  crucifying  the  Sou  of  God 
afresh."— T. 

Vers.  49 — 52. — Tlie  counsel  of  Caiaphas.  We  have  here  recorded  the  witness  of  the 
earthly  to  the  heavenly  High  Priest,  of  human  guile  to  superhuman  innocence  and 
g.xjdness,  of  worldly  policy  to  disinterested  benevolence,  of  personal,  selfish  ambition  to 
Divine  and  ardent  love.  The  Sanhe.lrin  as  a  whole  had  testified  to  the  reality  of  our 
Lord's  miracles;  Caiaphas  here  testified  to  the  sacrificial  offering  and  the  world-wile 
mediation  of  Christ.  And  it  may  be  notetl  that,  not  long  after,  Pilate  bore  witness  to 
his  Divine  royalty. 

L  The  intention  of  Caiaphas  in  his  prediction  of  Christ's  vicarious  death. 
To  understand  this  we  must  notice :  1.  The  character  of  the  high  priest  himself. 
Caiaphas  was  a  Sadducce,  who  is  said  to  have  bought  his  sacred  office ;  he  was  the 
nominee  of  the  Roman  authorities,  and  acted  in  public  business  under  the  influence  of 
Annas,  his  father-in-law.  We  do  not  wrong  him  in  deeming  him  pre-eminently  a 
politician,  whose  aim  was  the  maintenance  of  the  existing  order  of  things,  and  the 
repression  of  any  popular  displaj^  of  feeling,  and  especially  any  symptom  of  liisatTection 
or  disorder.  2.  The  position  of  Jesus  at  this  critical  period  of  his  ministry.  His 
miracles,  and  especially  the  raising  of  Lazarus,  had  produced  a  great  impression ;  the 
courage  and  hopes  of  his  adherents  were  raised ;  the  number  of  his  disciples  and  . 
admirers  was  increasing,  and  consequently  the  fears  of  his  enemies  were  aroused,  and 
their  hatred  was  intensified.  Jesus  was  the  great  Figure  in  the  view  of  all  classes  of  the 
people.  The  hopes  of  some  and  the  fears  of  others  centred  in  the  Prophet  of  Nazareth. 
3.  Such  btnng  the  character  of  the  high  priest,  and  such  the  position  occupied  by  Jesus 
in  the  public  estimation,  it  is  evident  what  was  the  meaning  of  the  remarkable  language 
which  Caiaphas  used.  In  their  hearts,  the  Jewish  leaders  would  have  rejoiced  if  a 
great  Deliverer,  such  as  they  e.\pected  their  Messiah  to  be,  had  risen  up  among  them 
— had  emancipated  Israel  from  a  foreign  yoke,  and  had  provided  for  themselves  posts 
of  honour  and  power  under  the  new  dynasty.  But  they  saw  that  Jesus  was  not  the 
Deliverer  they  hoped  for.  They  thought  it  likely  that  his  preaching  and  teaching 
might  lead  to  insurrection,  which  the  Romans  would  certainly  repress  with  severity. 
They  preferred  to  retain  such  self-government  as  still  lingered  among  them,  such 
dignity  and  honours  as  were  still  allowed  them,  rather  than  risk  the  repression,  the  humi- 
liation, the  subjection,  to  which  an  unsuccessful  insurrection  would  lead.  Hence,  the 
counsel  of  Caiaphas.  He  was  for  immediate,  stringent,  and  violent  measures.  Having 
no  sympathy  with  the  profound  teaching  and  spiritual  aims  of  Jesus,  looking  upon 
religion  only  in  the  light  of  statecraft,  Caiaphas  advocated  the  ruthless  destruction  of 
him  who  was  the  occasion  of  so  much  anxietj'  and  selfish  fear.  His  policy  was  to  crush 
Jesus,  to  propitiate  the  Romans,  and  to  keep  his  own  position  until  the  advent  of  the 
expected  Deliverer.  Let  the  innocent  Jesus  be  sacrificed  ;  but  let  the  nation  be  saved, 
or  rather  the  rulers,  who  ever  thouglit  more  of  themselves  than  of  those  whom  they 
governed.  After  all,  Jesus  was  but  one,  and  they  were  many.  With  no  care  for  truth, 
for  righteousness,  for  religion,  for  God,  the  degenerate  leaders  of  the  chosen  people 
sacrificed  to  worldly  policy  him  whom  the  Father  had  consecrated  and  sent  into  the 
world. 

II.  The  intention  of  God,  putting  a  deeper  meaning  into  the  prediction  op 
Caiaphas.  It  is  true  that  genius  often  utters  language  which  is  susceptible  of  a  mean- 
ing far  deeper  than  appears  on  the  surface.  But  according  to  the  interpretation  of  the 
evangelist,  Caiaphas,  being  high  priest  during  that  memorable  year  of  sacrifice,  was 
prophetically  guided  or  overruled  in  his  language.  Thus  it  was  foretold  :  1.  That 
Jesus's  death  should  have  a  bearing  upon  others.  It  is  true  that  no  man  dieth  unto 
himself.  But  Jesus  so  lived  and  so  died  as  to  secure  the  salvation  of  those  whose  nature 
he  assumed.  For  others  he  lived,  and  for  others  he  died.  2.  That  Jesus  should  die 
for  his  own  nation.  He  came  to  his  own.  He  was  sent  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house 
of  Israel.  And  though  he  was  rejected  and  cast  out,  he  did  not  die  in  vain,  as  far  as 
his  own  people  were  concerned.  The  first  converts  made  after  his  ascension  were  for 
the  most  part  Jews.  The  apostles  were  themselves  Hebrews,  and  some  of  them  were 
ministers  to  the  circumcision.     True,  the  nation  as  a  whole  refused  the  Saviour,  and 

JOHN. — II.  I 


114  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  xi.  1—57. 

for  that  refusal  they  suffered  the  most  terrible  disasters.  But  their  fall  was  the  rise  of 
tlie  Gentiles,  and  the  time  is  yet  to  come  when  the  Jews  sliall  be  gathered  in.  3.  That 
Jesus  should  die  for  the  spiritual  Israel.  "  Not  for  that  nation  only."  To  this  con- 
ception Caiaphas  could  not  rise  ;  but  St.  John,  by  Divine  inspiration,  read  this  meaning 
into  his  words.  No  doubt,  fit.  Paul  did  very  rhuch  to  enlarge  the  geaeial  conception 
entertained  regarding  the  olijects  of  Christ's  mission  to  earth.  He  showed  how  Christ 
had  broken  down  the  middle  wall  of  partition,  and  had  made  of  Jew  and  Gentile  "  one 
new  humanity."  Thus  the  mystery  which  had  been  hidden  was  disclosed ;  that  the 
salvation  of  God  is  for  all,  irrespective  of  race  and  privilege.  The  text  makes  it  mani- 
jest  that,  in  this  view  of  Christianity,  St.  John  was  in  perfect  sympathy  with  the 
ajwstle  of  the  Gentiles.  4.  That  the  death  of  Jesus  should  issue  in  the  union  in  Christ 
of  all  the  scattered  children  of  God.  This  fifty-second  verse  is  one  of  the  sublimest  in 
the  whole  compass  of  revelation.  Not  only  sliall  the  children  of  the  Jewish  dispersion 
be  reunited.  All  lowly,  faithful,  prayerful,  obedient  hearts  in  every  land  shall  come 
under  the  mighty  sway  of  Christ's  precious  cross.  Christ  is  the  divinely  a])]X)inted 
head  of  the  ransomed  race ;  in  him  its  true  unity  shall  be  realized,  and  in  him  the 
benevolent  purposes  of  the  Father  shall  be  completely  and  eternally  fulfilled. — T. 

Ver.  11. —  Three  vieivs  of  three  vital  subjects.     "We  have  here — 

I.  A  VIEW  OF  Christian  friendship.  1.  It  has  Christ  as  its  Centre  and  Inspiration. 
(1)  He  is  its  Author,  its  Model,  and  Inspirer.  He  is  the  only  true  Friend  of  humanity. 
In  him  all  the  elements  of  true  friendship  pre-eminently  meet ;  and  they  are  pure, 
elevating,  and  Divine.  (2)  By  union  with  him  it  is  alone  attainable.  Apart  from  Christ 
there  can  be  no  true  Christian  friendship.  (3)  Love  is  its  leading  feature.  It  has  other 
features,  such  as  sincerity,  truth,  fidelity,  guilelessness,  and  constancy;  but  they  are 
all  the  emanations  of  deep,  high,  broad,  pure,  and  burning  love.  2.  It  is  common  and 
mutual.  "  Our  friend."  Not  "  my  "  nor  "  your  friend,"  but  "  our  friend."  The  friend 
of  Jesus  and  that  of  his  disciples.  The  friendship  is  common  and  mutual.  Friendship 
expects  and  deserves  the  same  in  return.  It  manifests  itself  specially  to  Christ  and  his 
followers,  and  generally  to  mankind  for  Christ's  sake.  Many  profess  great  friendship  to 
Christ,  who  is  personally  absent  and  invisible,  but  act  not  as  such  to  his  followers,  who 
are  visible  and  present — a  proof  of  a  lack  of  Christian  friendship  altogether,  or  a  great 
scarcity  of  it.  The  true  friend  of  Jesus  is  the  friend  of  all  his  disciples.  3.  It  is  a 
mark  of  a  high  Christian  excellency.  Our  Lord  wished  to  make  an  honourable  mention 
of  Lazarus,  and  speak  of  him  in  high  but  appropriate  terms.  He  did  so  by  calling  him 
a  friend.  There  are  degrees  of  Christian  excellence,  and  there  are  outer  and  inner 
circles  oi  Christian  fellowship.  Christian  friendship  is  one  of  the  inner  ones.  Lazarus 
had  attained  to  this.  Every  believer  is  a  brother,  but  every  brother  is  not  a  friend. 
This  is  a  distinction  attain('d  but  by  a  comparative  few.  4.  It  is  not  altogether 
excepted  by  death.  Lazarus,  though  a  friend,  yet  died.  Christian  friendship  does  not 
prevent  all  actions  of  death.  In  spite  of  it,  the  change,  with  its  pangs  and  pains  and 
separation,  is  experienced.  The  law  of  dissolution  is  left  by  Christ  to  take  its  natural 
course,  even  with  regard  to  most  of  his  best  friends.  5.  Although  not  excepted  by  death, 
yet  it  triumjihantly  survives  it.  Lazarus  was  dead,  still  he  was  the  friend  of  Jesus  and 
of  his  diiiciples.  "  Our  friend  Lazarus."  Death,  so  far  from  destroying  Christian  friend- 
ship, sfTves  its  highest  interests,  intensifies  and  purifies  it.  It  burns  in  the  pangs  of 
dissolution,  blazes  even  in  the  swelling  river,  and  shines  with  increasing  brightness 
through  the  intervening  gloom. 

II.  A  Christian  view  of  death.  "  Our  friend  Lazarus  sleepeth."  1.  With  regard 
to  his  friends,  Jesus  has  changed  the  name  of  death.  It  is  not  to  be  called  any  more 
death,  but  sleep.  Christ  not  only  changes  human  character,  and  the  character  of 
human  events,  but  changes  human  language.  In  the  Christian  dictionary  the  word 
"death"  is  not  found  but  as  an  explanation  of  the  word  "sleep."  The  worldly  mind  can- 
not understand  this  new  language  of  Christianity.  And  even  the  disciples  could  not  yet 
understand  it.  Christ  had  to  speak  to  them  in  their  own  language,  the  language  of  the 
old  world,  and  saj^.  "  Lazarus  is  dead."  2.  With  regard  to  his  friends,  death  is  really 
transformed  into  sleep.  Death  to  them  is  abolished.  To  his  foes,  death  is  death  still, 
and  will  ever  be  so  ;  but  to  his  friends,  all  that  makes  it  really  death  is  taken  away. 
They  are  too  near  him  who  is  the  Life  for  death  to  hurt  them ;  it  acts  as  their  friend,  and 


CH.  XI.  1—57.]       THE  GOSrEL   ACCOEDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  115 

lulls  them  into  a  quiet  and  happy'sleep.  Death  is  friendl}^  to  all  the  friends  of  Jesus.  3. 
This  view  of  death  is  very  consoIi7ig.  (1)  In  this  view,  departed  pions  friends  are  still 
in  a  conscious  and  a  happy  existence.  The}'  are  neither  annihilated  nor  lost,  only  asleep. 
Neither  are  they  in  a  state  of  dormancy.  Physical  sleep  is  a  state  of  unconsciousness, 
but  tlie  term  as  applied  by  Christ  refers  not  to  the  state  of  the  soul  in  relation  to  the 
spirit-life,  but  in  relation  to  this  life,  with  its  trials,  aftliclions,  and  sin.  In  relation  to 
these,  it  is  asleep  ;  but  in  relation  to  the  spirit-life,  it  is  awake  and  intensely  and  liappily 
alive.  (2)  In  this  view,  death  is  necessary  and  refreshing.  Physical  sleep  is  a  refiesh- 
ing  rest,  and  one  of  the  essential  conditions  of  life  and  health.  We  could  not  fully 
enjoy  spiritual  life  without  physical  death.  We  cannot  stand  a  hard  day's  work  with- 
out a  good  night's  rest.  The  sleep  of  death  is  a  necessary  and  most  refreshing  prepara- 
tion for  the  "  weight  of  ?lory,"  and  the  pleasant  enjoyments  and  duties  of  an  eternal  day. 

(3)  In  this  view,  death  is  natural.  Had  man  retained  his  primitive  innocency,  doubt- 
less there  would  be  some  process  of  transit  from  this  world  tantamount  to  death, 
although  not  so  called — called  perhaps  "biith;"  but  it  would  be  perfectly  natural, 
timely,  desirable,  and  beautiful,  like  the  falling  of  a  ripe  apple  from  the  tree.  But  sin 
has  made  this  transit  unnatural,  painful,  and  filled  it  with  horrors ;  but  union  with 
Christ  makes  it  natural  again.  It  becomes  natural  and  even  desirable  in  the  degree  this 
union  approaches  perfection.     "  Having  a  desire  to  depart."     It  is  not  death,  but  sleep. 

(4)  In  this  view,  death  is  robbed  of  all  its  real  terrors.  We  may  be  afraid  of  sleep  iu  the 
day,  when  duty  calls  ;  but  at  night,  after  the  day's  work  is  done,  who  is  afraid  of  sleep  ? 
We  arc  far  more  afraid  to  be  awake.  AVhat  parents  are  afraid  in  the  bedroom  at  mid- 
night, surrounded  by  their  sleeping  children?  Christians'  death  is  but  sleep,  and  their 
graves  are  but  beds  in  which  thev  enjoj-  rest  from  their  labours. 

III.  The  kesurrection  of  the  friends  of  Jesus.  1.  It  will  involve  a  Divine 
process.  It  will  involve  the  exercise  of  Divine  power.  Divine  power  alone  could 
restore  Lazarus  to  life.  All  the  power  of  men  and  angels  would  be  insufficient. 
The  same  jwwer  which  made  man  at  first  a  living  soul  can  alone  reunite  body  and 
soul  at  last,  after  the  great  dissolution.  2.  This  Divine  process  rvill  he  performed  by 
Christ.  He  raised  Lazarus,  and  he  shall  raise  all  the  dead  at  last.  This  is  most  becoming 
and  essential,  as  the  resurrection  is  a  most  vital  part  of  his  redemptive  work.  3.  A 
Divine  process  most  easily  performed  by  Jesus,  and  most  natural  and  improving  to 
them.  When  on  his  way  to  raise  Lazarus,  he  spoke  of  his  Divine  process  not  as  an 
exploit  of  power,  but  as  an  easy  task  ;  as  easy  as  it  would  be  for  one  of  his  disciples  to 
awake  a  friend  out  of  his  slumbers.  "  I  go  that  I  may  awake  him."  The  resurrection 
of  his  friends  to  Jesus  will  be  a  most  easy  process,  and  to  them  a  most  natural  and 
refreshing  experience.  There  will  be  no  sudden  shock,  no  painful  consciousness  of  the 
pangs  of  death  and  the  grief  of  separation  ;  but  the  throbbing  delight  and  gratitude  of 
awaking  after  a  sweet  and  a  refreshing  sleep.  The  Christian's  death  being  sleep,  his 
resurrection  will  be  an  awaking  out  of  it.  How  natural  and  delightful !  4.  A  pro- 
cess of  Divine  friendship.  Not  alone  of  power,  but  of  friendship  as  well.  "  Our  friend 
Lazarus  sleepeth,"  etc.  He  approached  his  grave  as  a  Friend,  and,  as  a  Friend,  called  his 
friend  back  to  life.  The  resurrection  of  the  wicked  will  be  an  act  of  retributive  justice, 
but  that  of  the  good  of  Christian  friendship.  Mutual  friendship  was  an  element  in  the 
resurrection  of  Lazarus,  and  will  be  at  the  resurrection  of  the  last  day. 

Lessoks.  1.  The  death  of  Lazarus  was  an  opportunity  for  Jesus  to  show  his  power 
and  friendship.  Our  greatest  misories  are  his  special  occasions  of  mercy.  2.  His  power 
and  friendship  manifested  in  the  resurrection  of  Lazarus  were  only  specimens.  What 
he  did  to  him  he  will  do  to  all  his  friends.  3.  If  the  friends  of  Jesus,  we  may  venture 
to  die.  Death  will  be  only  sleep.  4.  Jf  so,  we  may  venture  to  sleep.  Jesus  will  awake 
us  in  due  time.  He  cannot  leave  his  friends  to  sleep  long.  It  is  worth  while  awak- 
ing a  friend.  We  would  leave  a  foe  to  sleep  along,  unless  we  awoke  him  to  try  to  make 
a  friend  of  him.  His  friends  shall  not  sleep  too  long.  He  is  on  his  way  now  to  the 
resurrection.  5.  Jt  is  worth  ivhile  to  sleep  in  order  to  be  aivak-ened  by  Jesus.  How 
sweet  his  voice  in  the  morning !  But  this  cannot  be  experienced  without  the  sleep. 
But  the  sleep  would  be  intensely  dismal  but  as  an  introduction  to  the  glorious  awaking. 
6.  The  friends  of  Jesus  at  the  general  resurrection  ivill  be  better  off  than  Lazarus.  Now 
be  awoke  to  the  old  life;  thej'  to  a  new  one.  He  awoke  to  experience,  perhaps,  trials 
imtold,  and  weep  over  the  grave  of  sisters,  and  pay  with  interest  tears  shed  on  his  own  j 


116  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  xi.  1— 57. 

but  they  shall  awake  to  weep  no  more.  Lazarus  left  his  grave  and  his  grave-clothes 
to  assume  them  again ;  but  they  shall  for  ever  leave  the  abode  and  garments  of  mortality 
and  enter  life  eternal, — B.  T. 

Vers.  15,  21. — Oood  in  apparent  evil.     Notice — 

I.  That  all  the  movements  of  Christ  on  earth  had  an  immediate  eegaed 
TO  OTHERS.  1.  Bis  life  on  earth  was  purely  vicarious.  "  For  your  sakes."  Not  only 
his  death  was  vicarious,  but  his  life  was  equally  so.  Not  only  he  died  for  others,  but 
he  lived  for  them  as  well.  His  vicarious  death  was  only  the  natural  outcome  of  his 
vicarious  life.  All  his  movements,  his  actions,  his  miracles,  his  teaching  and  utter- 
ances, the  fact  and  sum  of  his  life,  were  for  others — for  mankind  generally  and  for  his 
disciples  particularly.  "For  your  sakes."  2.  His  life  on  earth  was  purely  self- 
sacrificing.  "  For  your  sakes."  He  sacrificed  every  personal  feeling,  convenience,  and 
consideration  for  the  advantage  of  others.  Had  he  consulted  his  own  personal  feelings 
— feelings  of  the  tenderest  affection  and  the  sincerest  friendship — friendship  for  the 
dying  and  the  living — nothing  would  have  kept  him  away  from  the  death-bed  of  his 
beloved  friend  at  Bethany ;  but  these  tenderest  feelings  of  personal  friendship  he 
sacrificed  for  the  sake  of  others.  For  their  sakes  he  was  not  there.  This  was  the  great 
and  grand  principle  of  his  whole  life.  3.  The  vicariousness  and  self-sacrifice  of  his  life 
viere  to  him  the  sources  of  the  greatest  pleasure.  "  I  am  glad,"  etc.  He  found  his 
highest  joy  in  doing  good  to  his  fellow-men,  and  the  greatest  delight  of  his  life  was 
spending  it  for  the  advantage  of  others.  In  benefitting  them  even  his  own  pain  was 
turned  into  pleasure,  his  sorrow  into  joy,  and  the  greatest  self-sacrifice  afforded  him 
the  greatest  satisfaction.  4.  His  life  on  earth  was  one  of  untiring  activity.  Nevertheless, 
let  us  go  unto  him.  His  time  for  sorrow  and  joy  was  very  limited.  His  was  to  act. 
(1)  His  activity  was  ever  timely.  He  would  ever  act  in  his  own  time ;  but  his  time 
was  always  right.  Some  thought  he  was  too  late ;  but  if  he  went,  even  to  a  grave,  it 
was  not  too  late.  (2)  His  activity  was  often  wonderful  in  its  aim,  but  ever  successful. 
"  Let  us  go  unto  him."  Lazarus  was  dead,  and  his  soul  in  the  spirit  world ;  but  he 
was  not  too  far  for  Jesus  to  reach  him — he  was  at  home  there.  To  human  view 
Lazarus  was  a  prisoner  of  death,  and  it  was  a  bold  march  to  go  to  him  through  the 
territories  of  the  king  of  terrors ;  but,  bold  as  it  was,  Jesus  undertook  it  successfully. 
(3)  His  activity  was  ever  inviting  and  inspiring.  "  Let  us  go."  The  disciples  could 
not  go  as  far  as  the  Master,  but  let  them  go  as  far  as  they  are  able.  If  they  can  only 
see,  weep,  and  witness,  let  them  do  what  they  can;  he  will  do  the  rest.  They  were 
inspired  to  go.  (4)  His  activity  was  ever  helpful,  in  consoling,  teaching,  and 
quickening. 

II.  That  all  the  movements  of  Christ  on  earth  had  a  special  regard  to 
THE  greatest  GOOD  OF  OTHERS.  "  To  the  intent  that  ye  may  believe."  1.  Whatever 
he  did  was  done  with  a  definite  purpose.  "  To  the  intent."  He  had  one  great  and 
special  aim  through  life.  In  every  movement  and  act  and  utterance  of  his  there  was 
a  definite  purpose,  and  he  kept  this  ever  in  view.  It  was  the  inspiration  and  guide  of 
his  movements.  In  all  his  various  and  busy  activities  there  was  not  a  single  random 
shot;  but  he  ever  took  a  definite  aim,  on  which  his  whole  being  centred.  This  is  one 
of  the  secrets  of  his  ultimate  success.  2.  Whatever  he  did  was  done  for  the  best  and 
highest  purpose.  In  relation  to  his  own  mission  and  the  salvation  of  the  world. 
"  That  ye  may  believe."  This  implies :  (1)  That  although  his  disciples  had  faith, 
yet  it  ivas  weak.  It  was  incomplete.  This  was  only  to  be  expected.  They  were  as 
yet  but  babes  in  Christ,  and  their  faith  was  young  and  tender.  Their  wings  had  not 
fully  grown,  and  could  not  soar  very  high — not  high  enough  as  yet  to  reach  and  fully 
rest  on  the  Saviour.  (2)  That  it  was  capable  of,  and  required  growth  and  confirma- 
tion. Genuine  faith,  however  weak  and  small,  will  grow  by  trial,  by  experience,  by  a 
fuller  manifestation  of  its  object,  and  cries  out  for  this.  Its  growth  is  certain  but 
gradual.  (3)  That  the  growth  and  confirmation  of  their  faith  involved  their  greatest 
good.  This  alone  could  bring  them  into  closer  union  with  Christ  and  with  the  Father, 
and  open  to  them  the  door  of  the  spiritual  kingdom,  and  fully  present  to  their  view 
the  grand  but  real  visions  of  the  spiritual  empire,  and  Jesus  as  the  King  in  his  beauty. 
This  was  the  only  true  foundation  of  their  character,  and  the  only  hope  and  sure 
means  of  its  future  perfection.     3.   Whatever  he  did  was  done  in  the  lest  way  to  effect 


CH.  XI.  1—57.]       THE  GOSrEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  117 

the  highest  purpose.  His  absence  from  Bethany  served  the  interest  of  faith  far  better 
than  his  presence  would  have  done.  This  implies :  (1)  That  the  death  of  Lazarus 
could  scarcely  take  place  in  the  immediate  presence  of  Jesus.  This  is  implied  in  what 
Jesus  said  to  his  disciples,  and  in  what  the  sisters  said  to  Jesus.  XVe  have  no  account 
that  death  ever  took  place  in  his  presence.  Even  at  a  distance  the  prayer  of  faith  was 
suflScient  to  call  forth  his  triumphant  power  against  it.  When  he  met  the  "  king  of 
terrors"  on  the  highway  with  a  lad,  a  stranger  to  Jesus,  in  his  prison-van,  he  had  to 
give  him  back  to  his  mother  at  once :  how  much  more  would  this  be  the  case  with 
regard  to  a  sick  friend !  Death  could  hardly  perform  his  work  in  the  very  presence  of 
life.  However,  Jesus  could  hardly  trust  himself,  and  was  glad  that  he  was  not  there. 
(2)  That  the  restonition  of  Lazarus  frotn  death  was  more  beneficial  to  faith  than  his 
preservation  from  it  tvould  have  been.  (3)  That  it  was  the  highest  aim  of  Christ  to 
serve  the  interest  of  faith  in  the  most  efficient  way.  He  did  not  expect  it  to  live  and 
thrive  on  nothing,  but  furnished  it  with  the  strongest  proofs,  and  with  the  most 
nourishing  diet.  He  not  only  produces  faith,  but  supports  it.  His  general  aim  was  to 
produce  faith  where  it  was  not,  but  especially  to  perfect  it  where  it  was.  His  aim  was 
concentration  of  influence — the  perfection  of  the  few  faithful  ones,  and  through  them 
the  perfection  of  the  many.  "  That  ye  may  believe."  4.  The  confirmation  of  faith 
in  the  disciples  produced  in  Jesus  the  greatest  joy,  (1)  This  was  the  joy  of  a  favourable 
opportunity  of  doing  the  greatest  good.  Such  opportunities  are  rare.  Jesus  availed 
himself  of  it  with  delight.  Faith  was  struggling  in  the  gloom  of  a  friend's  death. 
But  this  furnished  Jesus  with  a  special  opportunity  to  display  his  Divine  power  in  the 
grand  miracle  of  life.  (2)  27*6  joy  of  foreseen  success.  He  foresaw  the  success  of  his 
last  great  miracle,  which  involved  the  success  of  his  life,  and  through  the  wail  of  grief 
rolled  the  sweetest  strains  of  music  to  his  soul.  What  joy  is  like  that  of  the  joy  of 
success  in  the  chief  aim  of  life  ? 

in.  What  peoduces  regret  and  sorrow  in  us  often  produces  gladness  in 
Jesus.  His  absence  caused  sorrow  to  the  sisters,  but  joy  to  him.  The  same  event 
producing  different  feelings  in  different  persons,  as  illustrated  in  Jesus  and  the  sisters, 
and  why?  1.  Jesus  could  see  the  intention  of  his  absence;  the  sisters  could  not.  2. 
Jesus  could  see  the  ultimate  result  of  his  absence;  they  could  not,  Jesus  could  see  the 
restoration  of  his  friend,  the  display  of  Divine  power,  the  triumph  of  faith,  and  the 
glory  of  God.  This  produced  in  him  gladness.  The  sisters  could  not  see  this,  and 
they  were  sad.  3.  Jesus  could  see  the  gain  of  faith  by  the  death  of  Lazarus  to  be 
immeasurably  greater  than  the  loss  of  the  family.  They  could  not  see  this  as  yet.  (1) 
Their  loss  was  only  personal,  limited  to  a  few.  The  gain  of  faith  was  universal.  (2) 
Their  loss  was  only  physical  and  social.  The  gain  of  faith  was  spiritual  and  Divine. 
Social  feelings  are  nothing  to  the  ecstasies  of  faith.  (3)  Their  loss  was  only  temporary^ 
for  a  short  time.  The  gain  of  faith  was  eternal.  (4)  Their  loss  was  made  up  with 
interest;  but  the  loss  of  faith  for  the  want  of  the  miracle,  who  could  repair?  He  was 
the  prepared  object  of  the  miracle,  and  the  only  one  of  the  family  not  to  begrudge  the 
sacrifice.  His  death  was  the  occasion  of  life  to  faith,  and  doubtless  shared  the  joy  of 
Jesus  at  its  triumph,  and  was  the  willing  sacrifice  to  its  life. 

Lessons.  1.  When  the  claims  of  personal  feelings  come  in  collision  with  those  of 
public  good,  the  former  are  to  give  wiy  at  any  cost,  and  give  way  with  joy.  2.  In  the 
strange  dealings  of  trovidence  we  should  try  to  learn  the  Divine  intention ;  that  is  our 
good.  3.  This  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  often  to  realize.  Therefore  let  us  trust  and 
wait.  4.  Jn  the  light  (f  results  all  will  be  plain  awl  joyfid.  Jesus  was  glad  in  Pera^a, 
while  the  sisters  were  sad  in  Bethany ;  but  at  the  resurrection  they  could  join  with 
Jesus  in  the  song  of  triumph  and  the  anthem  of  life.  "All  is  well  that  ends  well." 
— B.  T. 

Vers.  21 — 27. — Martha^  a  faith.     We  have  here — 

I.  Her  faith  manifested.  1.  In  its  strength.  In  her  conversation  with  Jesus  there 
are  proofs  of  a  genuine  and  strong  faith  in  him.  (1)  Faith  in  his  personal  presence  as 
capable  of  preventing  her  brother's  death.  "  If  thou  hadst  been  here,"  etc.  She  had 
full  confidence  in  the  efficacy  of  his  power  and  influence,  and  the  sincerity  and  warmth 
of  his  friendship,  to  stand  between  her  brother  and  death  had  he  been  present.  (2) 
Faith  in  his  ever  and  all  prevailing  influence  vjith  God.     "I  know  that  even  now," 


118  THE   GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  xi.  1—57. 

etc.  In  her  faith  God  was  the  great  source  of  supreme  and  universal  power  and  favour, 
and  the  intercession  of  Christ  with  him  was  all-j)revailiug  and  coextensive  with  the 
power  of  God,  and  ever  present  and  available.  Even  now  it  was  not  too  late.  (3) 
Faith  in  the  great  resurrection.  That  all  the  dead  shall  rise  at  the  last  day,  and  that 
her  own  brother  would  appear  then  among  the  vast  throng.  This  problem  has  baffled 
many  a  bright  intellect,  and  staggered  the  faith  of  many  a  mighty  giant,  and  driven 
him  to  the  shades  of  doubt  and  unbelief.  Then,  as  now,  there  was  many  a  Sadducee 
and  agnostic.  But  Martha  was  not  one.  This  great  and  mysterious  fact  was  a  leading 
article  in  her  faith,  and  could  say  to  Jesus  with  serenity  and  full  confidence,  "I  know 
that  he  shall  rise,"  etc.  2.  In  its  weakness.  Though  genuine,  and  strong  in  some  of 
its  features,  it  is  still  weak  and  incomplete.  In  her  faith  :  (1)  Christ's  power  is 
limited  by  place.  "  If  thou  hadst  been  he7'e,"  etc.  In  her  faith  the  presence  or  absence 
of  Jesus  made  all  the  difference  with  regard  to  the  exercise  of  his  mighty  and  friendlv 
power.  Present  he  would  and  could,  absent  he  could  or  would  not.  Her  faith  partook 
largely  of  the  character  of  her  religion,  and  had  a  tendency  to  localize  Divine  energy. 
In  this  she  was  very  different  from  that  ruler  who  deemed  himself  unworthy  of  Christ 
coming  under  his  roof.  And  there  was  no  need  :  "  Speak  the  word  only,  and  my  servant 
shall-  be  healed."  In  this  his  faith  was  right  and  strong;  but  Martha's  wrong  and 
defective.  Christ  could  prevent  her  brother's  death  in  Peraja  as  well  as  at  Bethany  if 
he  so  wished.  (2)  Christ's  power  is  limited  by /jra?/er.  With  regard  to  the  best  of  men, 
prayer  is  the  medium  of  Divine  power,  and  yet  its  limitation.  In  his  human  nature 
and  official  capacity  Christ  ever  exercised  prayer,  but  was  not  limited  by  it ;  he  was 
really  above  it.  Martha  had  fully  grasped  what  he  was  in  relation  to  God,  but  not; 
what  he  was  in  himself,  the  Source  and  Giver  of  life  ;  and  her  faith  had  not  yet  risen  to, 
the  Divinity  of  his  Person  and  mission.  (3)  Christ's  power  is  limited  by  time.  "  If! 
thou  hadst  been  here ; "  but  that  is  passed.  "  I  know  that  he  shall  rise ;  "  that  is  future 
and  distant.  Her  faith  could  grasp  the  Divine  joower  and  infinite  certainties  of  the 
present  with  regard  to  Jesus.  "As  the  same  yesterday,"  etc.  3.  In  its  private 
striiggles.  In  the  language  of  Martha  there  are  indications  of  the  private  struggles  of 
her  faith.  (1)  Its  struggle/o?'  some  special  favour ,  for  consolation  in  their  hereavement. 
Something  which  no  one  else  could  give.  Her  love  was  stronger  than  her  faith,  but 
still  her  faith  timidly  struggled  for  a  blessing.  (2)  Its  struggle  with  doubt.  That  she. 
had  a  faint  belief  that  something  great  would  be  done  seems  evident.  The  sisters  were 
too  intelligent  and  true  to  dismiss  as  insignificant  the  message  of  their  Lord.  "  This 
sickness  is  not  unto  death."  Before  his  death  they  could  well  understand  it,  but 
what  can  it  mean  now?  Scores  of  times  it  was  pondered  over  in  their  minds.  It 
must  mean  something  good  and  great  as  coming  from  him,  but  what  ?  There  was  a 
doubt,  which  is  only  the  struggle  of  faith  and  its  vacillation  between  light  and  dark- 
ness. (3)  Its  struggle /or  a  more  definite  knowledge  and  a  clearer  light.  "I  know 
that  he  shall  rise,"  etc.  This  she  said,  not  merely  to  indicate  her  faith  in  the  distant 
resurrection,  but  also  to  draw  him  out,  and  it  indicates  the  struggle  of  her  faith  for  a 
nearer  and  a  clearer  light,  and  a  more  present  help  and  solace. 

II.  Her  faith  strengthened.  ].  By  its  own  trials.  (1)  It  was  tried  by  the 
absence  of  Jesus.  "Whoever  would  be  absent  from  their  brother's  bedside,  he  was  fully 
expected  to  be  there.  But  he  was  not.  Although  sent  for,  he  came  not.  A  great  dis- 
appointment, and  a  severe  shock  to  faith.  (2)  By  his  long  delay.  He  was  expected 
at  the  heel  of  the  message;  but  came  not  for  several  days,  and  their  brother  was  in  the 
grave.  (3)  It  was  tried  by  tlieir  sad  bereavement.  Their  brother  was  dead — dead, 
while  he  might  be  alive  if  Jesus  had  been  there.  Faith  was  really  in  a  storm.  The 
night  was  dark,  and  there  was  no  light  but  that  of  the  resurrection ;  but  that  was  too 
dim  and  distant  to  be  but  of  little  support.  (4)  Faith  is  strengthened  after  all  by  its 
ovm  trials.  It  gains  strength  by  trouble,  disappointment,  and  opposition.  It  gains 
strength  in  weakness,  and  is  prepared  for  more ;  and  down  in  the  region  of  doubt  it  is 
often  trained  to  take  higher  flights,  to  receive  sublimer  truths  and  grander  visions. 
2.  By  the  special  revelation  of  Christ  of  himself.  (Yer.  25.)  He  reveals  himself.  (1) 
As  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life.  There  is  an  inseparable  connection  between  the  two. 
The  former  is  the  effect,  the  latter  the  cause.  Jesus  reveals  himself  first  in  relation  to 
the  effect,  for  this  is  first  seen,  and  our  first  concern  on  this  side.  This  was  uppermost 
in  Martha's  thoughts.     This  was  the  subject  of  her  constant  meditation,  towards  which 


en.  XI.  1-57.]      THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  119 

her  faith  stretched  forth  ;  and  here  Jesus  meets  her.  "  I  am  the  Resurrection."  But,  as 
usual,  he  stojis  not  on  the  surface  with  the  eftcct,  but  leads  faith  down  to  the  cause. 
"  And  the  Life."'  This  is  complete,  and  faith  is  in  the  ]i<:ht.  (2)  As  being  all  this  him- 
self. "I  am,"  etc.  Not  "I  can  raise  the  dead,"  but  "I  am,"  etc.  Not  "I  can  <;ivc 
life  by  prayer  to  GckI,"  but  "1  am  the  Life."  He  is  tliis  in  himself,  in  virtue  of  the 
Divinity  of  his  Person  and  commission.  He  is  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life,  physically 
and  spiritually.  (3)  He  is  all  this  now.  "I  am,"  etc.  Not  "I  shall  be  at  some 
future  period,"  but  "  I  am  now,  irrespective  of  time."  Thus,  to  Martha's  faith,  what 
was  distant  is  near,  what  was  future  is  present,  and  the  resurrection  and  the  life  are 
embodied  before  her  in  the  person  of  her  Lord.  The  resurrection  is  not  entirely 
future,  but  in  Christ  it  is  potentially  now.  3.  By  a  revelation  of  the  tvonderful  effects 
of  faith  in  him.  (1)  "With  regard  to  the  believing  dead.  "He  that  believeth  on  mc, 
though  he  died,"  etc.  They  continue  to  live  in  spite  of  the  dij^solntiou  of  the  body, 
and  shall  live  in  union  with  it  again.  (2)  With  regard  to  belieuing  survivors.  "  Who- 
soever liveth,"  etc.  The  death  of  believers  is  not  really  death ;  to  faith  death  is 
abolished.  It  is  only  a  pleasant  change,  a  sweet  sleep,  and  a  natural  departure  fronx 
the  land  of  the  dying  to  the  land  of  the  Uving.  The  life  of  faith  is  uiiiuterrupted. 
"  Shall  never  die,"  It  is  rot  iu  the  least  interrupted  by  the  dissolution  of  the  body, 
but  suddenly  advanced.  What  wc  call  death  is  really  a  resurrection  with  Christ  iuto 
a  sublimer  state  of  being,  a  birth  to  a  higher  life  and  a  more  perfect  manhood.  (3) 
Faith  in  Christ  produce  these  effects  with  regard. to  all  believers  without  distinction. 
"  Whosoever,"  etc.  4.  Her  faith  is  strengthened  graduaJly.  Jesus  feeds  faith  as  a 
mother  feeds  her  babe,  little  by  little;  and  he  teaches  faith  to  move  as  a  mother 
teaches  her  child  to  walk,  or  as  au  eagle  teaches  her  young  to  fly.  She  takes  them  on 
her  back  and  soars  aloft  and  throws  them  down  on  the  friendly  air,  and  repeats  the 
process  till  they  are  able  to  reach  the  highest  altitudes  themselves.  Thus  Christ 
taught  Martha's  faith  gradually  and  helpfully.  "  This  sickness  is  not  unto  death."  His 
absence,  the  death,  the  disappointment  and  doubt;  but  he  comes  at  last,  and  in  his 
welcome  presence  and  revealing  and  hopeful  words  faith  obtains  a  resting-place. 
"Thy  brother  shall  rise  again."  Thus  gradually,  by  self-exercise  and  Divine  support, 
faith  is  taught  to  soar  aloft  till  at  last  she  reached  the  grand  heights  of  the  resurrection 
and  the  life. 

III.  Her  faith  triumphant.  "Yea,  Lord,"  etc.  1.  Her  faith  accepts  him  fully. 
(1)  As  the  Clirist.  (2)  As  the  Son  of  God.  (3)  As  the  One  expected  to  come  into  the 
world.  Who  would  fill  all  the  world's  expectations  and  wants,  and  carry  out  his 
Divine  purposes.  Her  faith  accepts  him  as  being  all  he  had  just  revealed,  and  much 
more.  (4)  As  the  Lord  of  her  faith  and  ivhole  spiritual  being,  who  should  rule  over 
her,  and  to  whom  she  would  submit.  2.  Although  her  understanding  coidd  not  fully 
grasp  his  revelation,  her  faith  could  fully  accept  him.  We  are  not  to  think  that  she 
understood  all  that  Jesus  had  just  told  her;  but,  failing  this,  her  faith  embraced  his  Person 
and  mission  with  implicit  trust  and  hope.  3.  In  accepting  him  she  ensured  all  at  once. 
What  he  had  just  said,  after  all,  contained  only  a  few  crumbs  from  his  rich  table,  a 
few  drops  from  the  inexhaustible  ocean  of  his  power  and  love.  Instead  of  remaining 
with  these,  her  faith  embraced  him  altogether,  and  ensured  at  once  his  Divine  and 
infinite  fulness.  4.  She  makes  a  hearty  and  full  confession  of  her  faith.  The  con- 
fession is  fuller  than  the  request.  "  Believest  thou  this?"  "Yea,  Lord,"  and  much 
more:  "I  believe  that  thou,"  etc.  To  believe  in  Christ  is  much  more  than  to  believe 
a  few  truths  of  his  revelation.  Probably  Martha's  head  had  become  dizzy  in  looking 
down  from  the  heights  of  the  resurrection  and  the  life ;  but  faith  came  to  the  rescue, 
and  threw  her  arms  around  him  who  is  both,  and  there  found  a  safe  repose  and  a 
glorious  triumph. 

Lessons.  1.  In  some  directions  too  much  may  be  expected  of  Christ.  "  If  thou 
hadst  been  here,"  etc.  There  is  a  slight  complaint  in  these  words,  as  if  Christ  were 
buund  to  be  there.  But  he  was  under  no  obligation  to  keep  even  Lazarus  alive.  Too 
much  often  is  expected  of  his  personal  presence,  time,  attention,  and  service.  He  had 
other  places  to  visit,  other  things  to  do,  other  wants  to  supply,  and  purposes  of  his 
own  to  accomplish.  Some  are  ignorant  and  selfish  enough  to  monopolize  Christ  and 
bis  ministers  to  serve  their  own  personal  and  private  ends.  2.  In  the  right  directions 
too  little  is  expected  of  him.     The  apix;tite  is  often  keener  for  the  physical  than  for  the 


120  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  xl  1—57- 

spiritual,  for  the  personal  than  for  the  seneral,  for  the  temporal  than  for  the  eternal. 
Many  are  more  anxious  for  health  of  body  than  for  health  of  soul,  for  a  physical 
resurrection  tliau  for  a  spiritual  one.  They  prefer  a  dead  graveyard  to  a  living 
sanctuary,  and  some  interesting  talk  from  the  minister  during  the  week  to  a  good 
sermon  on  the  sabbath.  Too  little  is  expected  of  Jesus  in  the  right  direction.  He 
will  not  satisfy  our  whims  and  low  appetites,  but  will  save  our  souls  to  the  uttermost. 
3.  In  the  right  direction  too  much  cannot  he  expected  of  him.  The  more  the  better. 
The  more  by  faith  we  expect,  the  more  he  will  give  and  we  receive.  "  According  to 
thy  faith  be  it  unto  thee."  Expect  as  much  as  we  like,  his  grace  will  exceed  our 
highest  expectations,  and  will  surprise  us  with  more.  Martha's  expectations  were  for 
a  future  resurrection  at  the  last  day,  but  Jesus  surprised  her  with  a  present  one  in 
himself;  and  that  very  day  became  to  her  a  day  of  resurrection.  4.  The  absolute  neces- 
sity and  importance  of  faith  in  Christ.  It  is  necessary  to  the  gracious  operations  of 
Jesus  and  to  our  participation  of  his  grace.  Without  it  even  he  could  not  do  much, 
and  we  can  do  or  enjoy  nothing.  But  with  it,  in  relation  to  our  highest  interest,  Christ 
is  omnipotent,  and  we  through  him  are  eternally  happy  and  blessed.  "  He  that 
believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,"  etc. — B.  T. 

Vers.  28 — 32. — Martha's  and  Mary's  faith.     Notice— 

I.  Certain  features  of  Martha's  faith.  1.  The  satisfaction  of  her  faith. 
"  AVhen  she  had  so  said,"  etc.  Her  faith  was  unspeakably  satisfied  with  Jesus,  with 
his  presence,  with  his  gracious  words,  and  his  wonderful  revelations.  She  needed  no 
further  explanations.  Her  mind  and  heart  were  full  to  the  brim.  She  was  satisfied  with 
her  own  confession,  that  she  had  been  so  far  enabled  to  unbosom  her  heart  and 
unburden  her  mind,  and  confess  her  full  faith  in  her  Lord.  She  could  remain  no  longer, 
but,  spirituallj^  buoyant,  joyous  and  elevated  above  her  grief,  she  went  her  way.  2. 
The  natural  affinity  of  her  faith.  She  came  to  Mary.  She  went  not  to  some  of  her 
neighbours,  nor  even  to  the  Jews,  who  were  in  her  house,  but  to  her  own  sister. 
Christianity  does  not  destroy  nor  check  the  natural  instincts  of  relationship ;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  revives,  sanctifies,  and  uses  them  for  the  highest  purposes — to  bring  the 
soul  to  Jesus  and  Jesus  to  the  soul,  and  form  a  spiritual  alliance  between  them. 
Andrew  sought  his  brother  Simon.  3.  Tlie  communicativeness  of  her  faith.  No  sooner 
was  she  in  the  house  than  she  called  her  sister.  Her  soul  was  all  ablaze.  Her  faith 
was  fuU  and  running  over.  Her  heart  was  almost  bursting  to  communicate  its  joy 
and  satisfaction,  and  especially  with  a  desire  that  her  sister  share  the  same,  and  go  to 
the  fountain  to  drink  of  its  living  waters.  Genuine  faith  in  Christ  is  ever  communica- 
tive, benevolent,  and  sympathetic.  It  partakes  of  the  genius  and  disposition  of  its 
object.  Having  found  Christ  for  the  first  time,  or  found  him  more  full}%  or  enjoyed  a 
clearer  vision  of  him,  there  is  an  intense  desire  to  make  it  known  to  others,  arising  from 
the  special  request  of  the  Master,  and  ofren  from  its  own  character  and  iuspiiation.  We 
have  a  happy  illustration  of  this  in  the  woman  of  Samaria.  4.  TJie  discretion  of  her 
faith.  Her  faith  met  a  difficulty  at  the  threshold.  There  were  in  the  house  indifferent 
and  unfriendly  ears  to  Jesus,  and  it  w(juld  be  neither  safe  nor  wise  to  make  public  her 
mission.  But  where  there  is  a  will  there  is  a  way.  She  called  her  sister  on  one  side 
and  told  her  secretly.  Her  message  was  secret  and  personal,  and  it  was  wise  that  it 
should  be  so  conveyed.  Faith  should  be  discreet  as  well  as  bold  and  faithful,  and 
encounter  difiiculties  with  discretion  as  well  as  with  valour.  Much  harm  may  be  done 
in  the  transmission  of  the  message.  What  is  intended  to  be  private  is  often  made 
public,  and  what  is  public  is  made  private.  Faith  has  its  secret  mission  as  well  as  its 
]iuhlic  one.  In  this  case  it  should  be  whispered.  5.  Tlie  ntessaye  of  her  faith  "  The 
jMaster  is  come,"  etc.  It  is  implied :  (1)  That  the  family  of  Bethany  had  Jesus  as 
their  Master.  He  was  their  Master  absolutely,  and  only  one.  He  sat  on  the  throne  of 
their  heart.  He  occupied  that  position,  not  on  account  of  any  worldly  influence, 
Avealth,  or  bearing,  for  he  was  poor.  He  occupied  that  position  as  the  Christ,  the  Son 
of  God,  and  the  Saviour.  The  best  of  masters,  not  by  usurpation,  but  by  the 
choice  of  faith  alone.  (2)  The  Master's  arrived.  "The  Master  is  come."  He  was 
their  Master  wherever  he  was.  It  was  joyous  news  that  he  had  come  at  last.  And 
Lis  long  delay  made  his  arrival  all  the  sweeter.  Whatever  complaint  there  was,  it 
was  on  the  surface.    In  the  depth  of  the  heart  there  was  the  most  hearty  welcome  and 


CH.  XI.  1—57.]      THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  121 

gratitude.  There  was  a  vast  difference  between  this  meeting  and  the  last.  One  of  the 
members  of  the  family  had  passed  away.  Lazarus  was  in  his  grave,  but  now  there  is 
no  talk  of  hiui.  Grief  for  him  is  for  the  time  lost  in  the  joy  of  the  Master's  airival. 
(3)  21ie  Master's  invitation.  "Calleth  for  thee."  He  will  call  some  one  else  by-and- 
by.  This  call  of  Mary  is  not  recorded  by  the  evangelist,  but  it  comes  out  in  the 
message  of  faith.  It  is  personal  and  gracious,  and  full  of  personal  friendship  and 
affectionate  consideration  and  sympathy.     She  is  not  forgotten  by  the  Master. 

II.  Certain  features  of  the  faith  of  Mary.  1.  The  readiness  of  her  faith. 
"  As  soon  as  she  heard,"  etc.  The  readiness  of  her  faith  is  not  only  proved  by  her 
jtrompt  response  to  the  kind  invitation  of  Jesus,  but  also  by  the  interview  between 
them.  Jesus  had  not  so  much  work  to  inspire  and  strengthen  Mary's  faith  as  he  had 
with  that  of  Martha.  Her  faith  had  been  long  ago  nursed,  strengthened,  and  prepared 
at  his  feet.  Faith  thrives  well  at  the  feet  of  Jesus.  2.  2Vie  alacrity  of  her  faith. 
"  She  arose  quickly."  This  was  rather  unusual  for  her,  Martha  was  impulsive  and 
quick  in  her  movements.  Mary  was  reflective  and  slow.  Impulsiveness  runs ; 
reflection  walks  slowly,  and  often  sits  under  its  heavy  but  delightful  burden.  When 
the  more  reflective  and  deeper  nature  of  Mary  was  thoroughly  stirred,  her  movements 
were  exceptionally  quick,  to  the  surprise  of  all  who  saw  aud  knew  her.  Faith  is  very 
swift.  There  is  only  one  swifter  in  movement,  that  is  Jesus.  Faith  is  willing  to  give 
up  to  him  in  the  race.  "  He  fainteth  not,  neither  is  weary."  3.  The  attractive  Object 
of  her  faith.  What  made  her  rise  and  move  so  quickly  ?  The  known  arrival  of  Jesus, 
his  kind  and  gracious  invitation,  and  the  resistless  attraction  of  his  near  presence. 
The  Jews  thought  that  she  had  gone  to  the  grave  to  weep ;  but  this  was  a  mistake, 
and  not  the  first  nor  the  last  mistake  with  regard  to  the  movements  of  faith.  She  had 
now  stronger  attractions  than  those  of  the  grave — the  attractions  of  him  who  "  is  the 
Resurrection  and  the  Life."  He  called,  and  she  ran.  A  happy  illustration  of  the 
words,  "  Draw  me,  and  we  shall  run  after  thee."  4.  Tlie  story  of  her  faith.  (1)  The 
story  of  the  death  of  their  brother.  It  was  the  same  story  as  that  of  Martha.  This 
was  the  sad  tale  of  Bethany,  and  especially  of  the  bereaved  family  in  those  days 
of  weeping.  Nothing  else  was  scarcely  thought  and  spoken  of.  (2)  The  story  of 
a  conditional  and  glorious  certainty.  The  presence  of  Jesus  would  have  certainly 
prevented  their  brother's  death.  A  present  Saviour  would  beyond  doubt  result  iu  a 
living  brother.  "If  thou,"  etc.  How  many  "ifs"  have  we  in  relation  to  the  death 
of  dear,  dear  friends !  If  we  had  done  or  not  done  this  or  that !  if  the  doctor  were 
here  in  time !  How  groundless  are  our  "  ifs  "  generally !  But  in  the  "  if  "  of  these 
sisters  there  was  a  glorious  certainty.  (3)  The  wail  of  a  lost  opportunity.  Past 
possibilities  and  especially  conditional  certainties  with  regard  to  departed  friends  are 
ever  very  painful.  It  was  so  here,  and  the  pain  felt  bursts  forth  in  a  wail  to  the 
Saviour.  "  If  thou,"  etc.  5.  The  attitude  of  her  faith.  Its  story  is  tlie  same  as  that 
of  Martha's,  but  its  attitude  differs,  and  this  makes  all  the  difference.  "  She  fell  down 
at  his  feet."  (1)  The  attitude  of  deep  humility ;  of  a  burdened  and  a  broken  heart, 
and  a  contrite  spirit ;  of  conscious  unworthiness  to  address  him  but  at  his  feet.  (2) 
The  attitude  of  profound  reverence,  of  humble  homage,  affectionate  devotion;  an 
acknowledgment  of  the  majesty  and  gradousness  of  his  presence ;  and  gratitude  for 
his  kind  invitation  and  continued  esteem.  (3)  The  attitude  of  earnest  prayer.  The 
deepest  prayer  of  her  faith  could  only  be  expressed  in  the  silent  but  eloquent 
language  of  her  prostrate  and  suppliant  attitude.  The  attitude  of  simple  submission 
and  trust.  Submission  with  regard  to  the  past,  and  trust  with  regard  to  the  future. 
What  Martha  said  to  Jesus,  Mary  says  also,  but  at  his  feet.  If  she  complains,  she 
fours  her  complaint  out  at  his  feet ;  and  there  leaves  the  profoundest  prayer  of  her 
faith  and  the  heaviest  burden  of  her  heart  in  simple  trust  and  submission. 

Lessons.  1.  Jn  our  bereavements  Jesus  ever  comes  to  us.  When  we  are  in  trouble 
he  is  never  far,  and  even  his  delay  is  only  to  try  our  faith,  and  agreeably  suri>rise  it  at 
last.  How  welcome  is  his  presence  in  such  an  hour !  2.  In  our  bereavements  he  has  a 
special  message  to  us,  and  the  message  is  gracious  and  personal.  "  He  calleth  for  thee." 
He  calls  through  the  living  and  the  dead.  Departed  pious  souls  are  his  ministering 
spirits.  He  calls  us  through  others  who  have  been  with  him.  iMartha,  fresh  from  the 
Saviour,  called  Mary  to  him  to  share  the  same  comfort.  3.  If  Jesus  is  met  by  faith,  tve 
iltedl  find  more  than  we  have  lost,    lie  takes  away  to  give  us  more — to  give  us  himself 


122  THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xt.  1—57. 

more  fully.  Before  he  could  not  draw  us  near  enough  to  himself,  neither  was  the  way 
clear  for  him  to  come  to  us.  When  the  temporal  sea  ebbs,  let  us  look  out  for  the  flow 
of  the  eternal.  4.  Rather  than  go  to  the  graves  of  departed  friends,  let  us  go  to  Jesus, 
■ivho  is  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life.  And  if  we  go  to  their  graves,  let  us  take  Jesus 
with  us  as  a  Companion.  He  is  the  only  safe  Guide  through  a  graveyard.  Without 
him  it  is  dark,  dead,  and  dangerous ;  but  he  will  fill  it  with  light,  life,  and  joy,  and 
will  restore  our  friends,  not  to  sense,  but,  far  better,  to  faith,  and  bring  us  even  now 
into  spiritual  fellowship  with  them,  and  a  bright  prospect  of  a  complete  reunion  in  the 
future.— B.  T. 

Ver.  35. —  The  Savioui-^s  tears.  "Jesus  wept."  Who  wept?  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God, 
the  eternal  Word,  who  was  in  the  beginning  with  God,  and  who  was  God !  What 
made  him  weep  who  is  the  Delight  of  heaven,  and  ever  sets  its  golden  harps  to  the 
tune  of  happiness  and  joy?  What  could  bring  tears  into  the  eyes  of  him  Avho  wipes 
away  the  tears  of  thousands,  and  hushes  the  sighs  of  millions  of  the  children  of  fate  ? 
How  could  he  weep  ?  In  human  nature,  on  his  way  to  the  grave  of  a  friend,  we  are 
told  that  Jesus  wept.     Notice  his  tears — 

I.  As  EXPEESSiOKS  OF  HIS  DEEP  SYMPATHY  WITH  THE  SISTERS.  They  were  in  the 
depths  of  trouble  and  grief.  They  had  lost :  1.  A  brother.  Their  brother  Lazarus  was 
dead,  and  now  in  his  grave.  A  brother  is  one  of  the  nearest  and  dearest  relations  of 
life.  It  is  not  a  neighbour  or  a  friend  that  was  cut  off  by  death,  but  a  brother.  2.  An 
only  brother.  To  lose  one  out  of  many  is  a  great  trial,  but  in  such  a  case  there  is  an 
alleviating  consideration — there  are  others  to  share  the  grief,  and  to  whom  wounded 
affection  may  still  cling.  But  these  sisters,  as  far  as  we  can  see,  had  lost  their  only 
remaining  brother.  As  they  returned  from  the  graves  of  dear  ones  before,  they  had 
Lazarus  with  them  as  the  centre  of  their  human  affections,  the  healer  of  their  grief ;  but 
now  he  is  under  the  cold  hand  of  death.  3.  A  most  kind  and  good  brother.  Even  the 
death  of  an  undutiful  and  prodigal  brother  is  keenly  felt,  for  he  is  a  brother  in  spite  of 
all.  But  the  death  of  a  good  brother  is  more  keenly  felt  still.  Lazanis  was  a  model 
brother.  The  natural  relationship  was  intensified  and  endeared  by  sweetness  of  temper, 
kindness  and  goodness  of  nature,  and  piety  of  character,  which  made  him  not  only 
their  support,  but  their  chief  solace  and  sunshine.  4.  Jesus  deeply  sympathized  with 
them.  (1)  With  their  personal  and  social  loss  and  grief.  They  were  left  lonely  and 
undefended  in  the  world.  (2)  With  their  utter  helplessness  in  the  face  of  death.  In 
themselves  they  were  entirely  helpless  in  this  circumstance.  They  could  do  nothing 
but  weep,  and  he  wept  with  them.  (3)  He  sympathized,  as  they  repjresented  the  grief 
and  bereavements  of  the  whole  human  family.  The  death  of  Lazarus  was  only  a 
specimen  of  the  ravages  and  the  universal  reign  of  the  "  king  of  terrors  "  on  earth, 
which  he  had  come  to  abolish  ;  and  the  grief  of  these  sisters  was  only  a  specimen  of  the 
universal  grief  of  the  human  race  whose  nature  he  had  assumed,  and  whose  sorrow  he 
carried ;  and  he  could  not  contemplate  all  this  without  expressing  his  sympathy.  5. 
This  expression  of  sympathy  is  most  tender.  Jesus  was  not  only  sympathetic,  but  most 
tenderly  sympathetic  with  all  human  woes.  Many  have  sympathy,  but  they  manifest 
it  awkwardly  and  even  roughly  ;  it  is  spoilt  in  transmission.  But  Jesus  manifested  his 
sympathy  with  these  sisters  most  tenderly  ;  he  conveyed  it  to  them  in  tears.  "  Jesus 
wept." 

II.  As  EXPRESSIONS  OF  STRONG  AND  GENUINE  FRIENDSHIP.  Jesus  wept,  not  Only  in 
sympathy  with  the  bereaved  sisters,  but  in  friendship  to  their  departed  brother.  The 
Jews  were  right  for  once  in  their  interpretation  of  Jesus  when  they  said,  "  Behold  how 
he  loved  him !  "  Lazarus  was  the  special  friend  of  Jesus.  Their  friendship  was  not 
long.  1.  It  was  very  intimate  and  sincere.  It  was  the  highest  and  purest  friendship, 
arising  from  a  general  agreement  in  temper,  taste,  character,  principles,  and  sympathies. 
In  Lazarus  Jesus  could  see  his  image  ;  and  in  Jesus  Lazarus  could  see  a  perfect  Model, 
and  all  that  his  heart  could  wish.  So  intimate  and  sincere  was  the  friendship,  that 
Jesus  could  not  refrain  from  weeping  for  the  temporary  separation  of  his  friend.  And  his 
were  not  mercenary  tears — he  was  not  a  paid  mourner — but  they  were  tears  of  genuine 
friendship.  2.  It  was  very  valuable.  The  friendship  of  Lazarus  was  very  valuable  to 
Jesus  during  his  active  ministry.  His  foes  were  many,  but  his  friends  were  very  few  ; 
he  had  only  one  Lazarus.     Many  a  time  had  he  sheltered  from  the  storm  under  the 


cii.  XI.  1—57.]      THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.   JOHN.  123 

wins  of  his  friendship,  and  there  tasted  of  the  sweets  of  human  kindness  in  an  hostile 
world  ;  these  reminiscences  now  crowded  his  memory,  filled  his  heart  with  sorrow,  and 
his  eyes  with  tears.  3.  It  %vas  moH  intense.  If  it  had  been  only  of  a  short  duration, 
this  was  amply  made  up  in  depth,  breadth,  and  intensity.  Jesus  could  love  in  an  hour 
more  than  we  can  in  an  age.  His  love  to  Lazarus  must  be  intense  ere  he  would  weep, 
Small  natures  can  weep  ofteii,  but  great  ones  only  weep  on  extraordinary  occasions. 
Only  twice  it  is  recorded  that  Jesus  wept.  Once  over  a  spiritually  dead  city;  now 
near  the  grave  of  a  departed  friend.  One  was  the  wail  of  pity,  and  the  other  the  wail 
of  personal  and  wounded  love  ;  and  so  intense  were  his  feelings  that  they  could  not 
be  suitably  expressed  but  in  tears,  nor  find  relief  but  in  a  wail  of  sorrow. 

III.  As  EXPRESSIONS  OF  HIS  THOuouGH  HUMAXiTY.  1.  It  IS  characteristically  human 
to  weep.  We  know  not  of  any  other  being  that  can  Aveep  but  man.  Angels,  perhaps, 
have  not  the  power  to  weep ;  they  certainly  have  no  need.  Devils  have  need,  but  not 
the  inclination  and  power.  Man  has  the  need  and  power  to  weep.  Jesus  was  a 
thorough  Man;  he  wept.  2.  It  is  human  to  weep  with  those  that  weep.  Human 
sorrow  is  ever  contagious.  Tears  are  its  natural  language.  A  thorough  man  will  ever 
be  impressed  by  the  emotions  of  his  fellows,  and  will  express  them,  as  well  as  those  of 
his  own,  in  the  general  language  of  tears.  3.  Jesus  luas  thoroughly  human.  "  Jesus 
wept."  We  are  glad  in  a  sense  that  he  wept ;  we  rejoice  in  his  tears,  for  in  them  we 
meet  him  as  a  thorough  Man.  A  Saviour  who  could  not  weep,  could  not  be  a  perfect 
Saviour  for  us ;  but  in  tears  we  embrace  him  as  our  human  Friend.  We  scarcely  know 
which  to  admire  and  adore  most — Jesus  on  his  way  to  the  grave,  in  his  thorough 
humanity  weeping  ;  or  Jesus  at  the  grave,  in  his  thorough  Divinity  calling  the  dead  to 
life.  In  the  one  he  is  our  God,  in  the  other  he  is  our  Brother;  and  in  both  he  is  our 
perfect  Saviour. 

IV.  As  EXPRESSIONS  OF  DiviNE  COMPASSION.  1.  His  compasston  was  Divine.  The 
tears  were  human,  but  the  com]>assion  and  sympathy  were  Divine  as  well.  God,  as 
such,  cannot  shed  tears — cannot  weep ;  but  he  can  sympathize,  pity,  and  sorrow.  The 
tears  of  Jesus  were  virtually  those  of  incarnate  Deity,  they  were  faithful  and  expressive 
translations  of  Divine  emotions  into  human  language,  and  a  revelation  of  the  Divine  in 
the  human.  2.  His  compassion  was  practical.  Our  compassion  often  begins  and 
ends  in  tears.  We  are  helpless.  We  weep  over  the  graves  of  departed  friends ;  we  can. 
do  nothing  else.  Our  tears  cannot  restore  them  to  life  and  society.  But  the  tears  of 
Jesus  did  this.  The}-  became  unbearable  to  Heaven;  they  moved  Divine  power,  and 
Lazarus  had  to  return.  They  were  divinely  practical,  and  practically  Divine.  Jesus 
does  not  literally  weep  now,  but  in  his  friends,  and  this  wail  shall  by-and-by  bring 
about  the  great  resurrection  and  the  grand  reunion  at  the  last  day. 

Lessons.  It  is  natural  and  right  to  weep  after  departed  friends.  1.  Although  we 
knoiv  that  they  are  in  happy  existence,  far  happier  than  on  this  side.  Jesus  knew  that 
Lazarus  was  so ;  still  he  wept.  2.  Although  ive  know  that  we  shall  soon  meet  again. 
Jesus  knew  that  he  should  soon  meet  Lazarus  even  on  this  side ;  still  he  wept.  3. 
WJien  we  iveep  after  our  clejmrted  friends,  who  are  also  the  friends  of  Jesus,  we  are  not 
alone.  Jesus  wept,  and  virtually  weeps  still,  and  shall  not  cease  till  all  his  friends  are 
fully  with  him,  and  with  each  other,  and  death  swallowed  up  in  victory. — B.  T. 

Ver.  40. —  The  vision  of  the  Divine  glory.  "  Jesus  said  unto  Martha,  Said  I  not  unto 
thee,  that,  if  thou  wouldest  believe,  thou  shouldest  see  the  glory  of  God  ?  "  When  Lazarus 
of  Bethany  fell  sick,  his  sisters  sent  a  messenger  beyond  Jordan  to  carry  the  tidin^is  to 
Jesus.  Our  Lord's  reply  was  to  the  following  effect :  "This  sickness  is  not  unto  death, 
but  fur  the  glory  of  God,"  etc.  We  cannot  doubt  that  these  words,  or  the  substance  of 
them,  was  conveyed  by  the  messenger  to  Martha  and  Mary,  and  yet,  either  before  the 
arrival  of  the  message  or  shortly  after,  Lazarus  died,  and  his  death  was  followed  by 
bis  burial.  Four  days  of  mourning  passed  away,  and  at  last  Jesus  himself  came  to 
Bethany.  ^Martha  met  him  at  the  outskirts  of  the  village,  and  he  told  her  that  ber 
brother  should  rise  again,  and  that  he  himself  was  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life.  At 
last  the  Saviour  stootl  at  Lazarus's  grave.  It  was  a  cave,  and  its  inner  recess,  which 
concealed  the  dead  from  view^  was  blocked  up  by  a  stone.  Before  it  stooil  ^lartha  and 
Mary  and  a  crowd  of  their  weeping  friends.  But  when  our  Lord  bade  the  bystanders 
take  away  the  stone,  then  Martha  interfered.   She  evidently  hoped  from  first  to  last  that 


124  THE  GOSPEL   ACCOKDIXG  TO   ST.  JOHX.       [ch.  xi.  1—57. 

Jesus  would  do  something  to  meet  her  case,  and,  though  her  hopes  were  vague,  they 
were  nourished  by  his  own  words  ;  but  now  her  fears  prevailed  against  her  hopes.  Her 
frtith  »ave  way  before  the  exigencies  of  sense.  She  dreaded  the  removal  of  the  stone  and 
the  evidences  of  corruption.  She  could  not  bear  to  look  into  the  dark  and  noisome  grave. 
How  eently,  and  yet  how  solemnly,  does  Jesus  chide  her  unbelief !  "  Said  I  not  imto 
ttiee,"  etc.  ?  He  reminds  her  of  all  that  had  passed  between  them  before.  And  could 
she  now  mistrust  him,  whatever  he  might  do  ?  Why  doubt  that  power  and  wisdom 
add  love,  even  all  that  makes  up  Divine  glory,  would  shine  forth  in  his  actions  ?  This 
was  enough  for  Martha,  and  now  she  trusts  her  Lord.  Xow  she  is  in  a  right  state  of 
iLiod  and  heart  for  profiting  by  all  that  followed.  Had  it  been  otherwise,  even  the 
rskiiiing  of  her  brother  from  the  tomb  would  not  of  itself  have  revealed  to  her  the  glory 
of  God.  For  her  it  might  have  been  but  a  temporal  mercy,  an  earthly,  pierbaps  a 
questionable  boon,  carrying  no  spiritual  blessing  along  with  it.  Miracles,  when  they 
w.^re  wrought,  were  extraordinary  means  of  grace,  but  they  might  be  misunderstood 
and  abused  like  any  other  means ;  nay,  we  must  not  forget  that  there  were  men  who 
•witnessed  this  miracle  as  well  as  Martha,  whose  hearts  were  only  hardened  by  what 
they  saw.  They  went  their  ways  to  the  Pharisees  and  helped  them  to  plot  against  the 
Prince  of  life  !  Our  text  is  this,  "If  thou  wouldest  believe,"  etc.  The  significance  of 
these  words  extends  far  beyond  the  occasion  on  which  they  were  uttered.  As  a  master- 
key  opens  many  locks,  so  it  is  with  such  sayings  of  Jesus  dropped  incidentally  ia  the 
course  of  conversation.  If  we  could  only  use  them  aright  they  would  open  many  of 
the  secrets  of  our  hearts,  and  explain  to  us  much  of  the  character  and  of  the  ways  of 
God. 

I.  These  wobds  coxtadt  a  gkeat  DOCTBDfE,  viz.  that  the  globy  of  God  cas 
OXLY  BE  SEEy  BY  THE  EYE  OF  FAITH.  This  is  Universally  true,  whether  we  think  of 
his  glory  as  displayed  in  nature  and  in  providence,  or  by  his  Word  and  his  Son  from 
heaven.  The  psalmist  of  Israel  exclaims  (Ps.  xix.),  "  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of 
God ;  and  the  firmament  showeth  his  handywork."  And  so  it  has  been  from  the 
beginning.  But  what  multitudes  have,  alas !  been  deaf  and  blind  to  all  this  teaching — in 
some  ages  worshipping  the  host  of  heaven  instead  of  him  who  made  them  ail ;  and  in 
later  times  seeing  nothing  in  God's  grandest  works  but  a  vast  and  complicated  machine 
without  a  final  purpose,  a  thickly  woven  veil  of  laws  and  second  causes  with  nothing 
behind  it !  Ah !  the  last  word  of  unbelief  is  a  blank  and  cheerless  materialism.  And 
the  same  thing  must  be  said  of  the  very  highest  display  of  Grod's  glory  in  the  face  of 
Jesus  Christ.  There,  surely,  it  shines  forth  in  wondrous  and  yet  attractive  radiance. 
"Christ  the  Power  of  God,  and  the  Wisdom  of  God."  His  life  on  earth  the  very 
image  of  God's  holiness.  His  cross  the  meeting-place  of  righteousness  and  mercy. 
His  resurrection  the  triumph  of  victorious  grace.  But  why  is  Christ  to  so  many  a 
stumbling-stone  and  a  rock  of  offence  ?  Why  is  he  still  despised  and  rejected  of 
men,  so  that  they  turn  from  him  with  indifference  or,  perhaps,  with  a  far  worse 
feeling  ?  Why  do  they  think  nought  of  his  Divine  glory,  and  make  so  much  of  the 
glory  of  man,  which  is  as  the  flower  of  grass  ?  The  Apostle  Paul  replies  that  "  the 
natmal  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God  .  .  .  neither  can  he  know  them, 
because  they  are  spiritually  discerned."  The  god  of  this  world,  or  the  spirit  of  the  age, 
or,  it  may  be,  some  lust  of  their  own  hearts,  has  blinded  their  eyes,  so  that  they  will  not 
beUeve.  On  the  other  hand,  every  Christian  knows,  by  a  very  practical  experience,  that 
the  glory  of  God  is  a  spiritual  thing,  which  can  only  be  seen  by  the  eye  of  the  spirit. 
By  whatever  way  he  has  been  led  in  providence  and  grace,  he  has  learned  this  much, 
that  God,  who  commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  .of  darkness,  has  shined  in  his  heart 
and  opened  his  eyes.  And  what  has  been  the  result  ?  May  we  not  say  that,  so  far  as 
he  has  walked  in  this  light,  life  has  become  a  more  solemn  and  blessed  thing  than  it 
was  before,  and  the  Bible  a  different  book  to  what  it  was,  and  the  day  of  rest  other- 
wise hallowed  and  welcomed,  and  the  means  of  grace,  instead  of  seemly  and  well- 
meaning  forms,  have  become  wells  of  salvation  ?  Xot  seldom  among  his  fellow-pilgrims 
in  life's  journey  he  recognizes  men  and  women  who  have  the  mark  of  God  on  their 
foreheads ;  and  there  are  times,  too,  when  on  the  face  of  nature  itself — on  the  many- 
coloured  earth  beneath  and  on  the  heavens  over  his  head — there  seems  to  him  to  rest 
"a  light  that  never  was  on  land  or  sea,"  revealing  to  him  a  glimpse,  as  it  were,  of  the 
glory  of  the  EtemaL 


en.  XI.  1-57.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  125 

II.  These  words  contain  a  great  promise,  treasured  up  here  for  the  encou- 
ragement OF  each  disciple  of  Christ.  "  Said  I  not  unto  thee,  that,  if  thou  wouldest 
believe,"  etc.  ?  For  this  vision  of  faith  of  which  we  have  been  speaking  docs  not  per- 
petuate itself.  I  do  not  mean  that  it  passes  away  like  a  dream  in  the  night,  leaving  no 
traces  behind  it.  The  Christian  who  has  seen  ought  of  the  Divine  glory  must  desire  to 
see  it  still,  or  he  would  be  no  Christian  at  all ;  but  how  many  things  tend  to  veil  it 
from-his  view !  Sometimes,  from  the  inevitable  cares  and  engagements  of  life,  often 
Irom  causes  which  cannot  be  traced,  he  finds  himself  in  perplexity  and  gloom.  But, 
weak  and  changeful  as  he  is,  God's  promises  do  not  dejieiid  on  his  varying  moods  of 
mind  ;  and  in  view  of  such  a  promise  as  this,  faith  bursts  into  prayer,  and  evermore  the 
prayer  of  faith  shall  live.  "  I  beseech  thee,  show  me  thy  glory  ; "  "  Open  thou  mine 
eyes,  that  I  may  see  wondrous  things  out  of  thy  Law  ;  "  "  Lord,  I  believe ;  help  thou  mine 
unbelief."  But  it  is  in  the  greater  trials  of  life  that  the  soul  feels  most  its  own  intrinsic 
weakness,  and  that  the  promise  in  the  text  is  "  exceeding  great  and  precious."  When, 
for  example,  health  is  suddenly  shattered ;  or  when  fair  earthly  prospects  are  dashed 
to  the  ground ;  or  when  the  family  circle  is  broken  in  upon,  and  a  tenderly  loved 
member  is  taken  away; — then  ruAtnre's  darkness  and  nature's  sorrow  compass  us  in  on 
every  side.  The  heart  whispers,  "  Vanity  of  vanities."  Our  common  life  loses  its 
interest — "like  a  dream  when  one  awaketh."  And  perhaps  unbelief,  no  longer  like  a 
silent,  lifeless  weight, but  rather  like  a  mocking  demon,  assails  the  very  foundations  of  the 
faith,  or  tells  us  that  our  interest  in  them  has  been  all  a  delusion.  Thus  it  was  with 
the  Psalmist  Asaph,  when  in  an  hour  of  infirmity  he  exclaimed  (Ps.  Ixxvii.),  "Will 
the  Lord  cast  off  for  ever?  .  .  .  Doth  his  promise  fail  for  evermore?  .  .  .  Hath  God 
forgotten  to  be  gracious?"  Poor  and  cold  is  the  comfort  that  the  world  can  give  in 
such  a  case — perhaps  telling  the  sufferer  that  things  might  have  been  worse ;  or  that 
misfortune  is  the  common  lot  of  man ;  or  that  time  will  in  the  long  run  blunt  the 
edge  of  his  feelings ;  and  that  "  wild  flowers  may  yet  grow  among  the  ruins  of  his 
happiness,"  and  that  meanwhile  "  to  bear  is  to  conquer  his  fate."  Ah  !  surely  if  these 
are  the  only  lessons  that  trial  has  to  teach  us,  we  must  often  come  to  look  upon  provi- 
dence as  a  necessary  evil.  How  different  are  the  Master's  words,  "  If  thou  wouldest 
believe,"  etc.  1  This  is  indeed  the  sum  and  substance  of  many  an  ancient  oracle.  In 
all  ages  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  which  breathed  in  the  prophets,  had  spoken  in  the  same 
tones.  God's  children  were  ever  taught  to  look  within  the  veil  and  walk  by  faith. 
"  Who  is  among  you  that  feareth  the  Lord,  .  .  .  that  walketh  in  darkness,  and  hath 
no  light  ?  let  him  trust  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord,  let  him  stay  himself  on  his  God  " 
(Isa.  1. 10).  But  here  Christ  himself  adds  his  "Yea  and  Amen"  to  all  the  promises  given 
by  his  forerunners ;  and  not  only  when  he  raised  Lazarus  from  the  grave,  but  above  all 
when  he  burst  for  ever  the  chains  of  death  in  his  own  resurrection,  he  gave  assurance 
unto  all  men  that  his  words  are  faithful  and  true.  What,  then,  is  the  perpetual 
message  of  these  words  of  his  to  his  disciples  ?  Believe  that  your  sicret  trials  are  not 
the  shafts  of  a  blind  fate,  but  the  decrees  of  a  reconciled  Father's  will.  They  are  not 
designed  to  crush  you,  inscrutable  as  they  now  appear.  They  bid  you  "  be  still,  and  know 
that  he  is  God;"  but  they  are  never  lightly  inflicted,  never  inconsistent  with  his 
wisdom  and  love.  Trust  him,  then,  in  the  dark.  Trust  him  when  your  heart  is  aching. 
Trust  him  when  human  sympathy  falls  short  of  your  need,  and  your  faith  shall  not  be 
in  vain.  He  has  many  ways  in  providence  and  grace  of  showing  you  his  glory ; 
tempering  your  trials  with  mercy;  perhaps  giving  them  an  unexpected  issue;  raising 
you  above  them,  and,  as  it  were,  above  yourselves;  giving  you  new  discoveries  of  his 
love,  a  deeper  assurance  than  you  ever  had  before  that  he  is  your  God.  Thus  those  who 
walk  by  faith  and  not  by  sight  have  this  promise  of  Christ  fulfilled  to  them  even  here 
below.  Through  the  checkered  experiences  of  life,  whether  those  be  joyous  or  grievous, 
God  is  ever  drawing  near  to  them  and  manifesting  himself  to  them.  They  shall  never, 
indeed,  take  the  measure  of  his  perfections,  and  they  adore  him  for  this ;  but  whilst 
their  knowledge  of  him  cannot  l)e  full,  it  may  be  most  real ;  whilst  it  cannot  be  com- 
prehensive, it  may  yet  be  sufficient  for  their  life-journey.  They  may  see  enough  of  his 
glory  to  make  them  habitually  humble  snd  thankful  and  hopeful,  to  strengthen  them 
for  daily  work,  and  support  them  under  daily  trial.  How  often  may  two  persons  be  met 
with  whose  lives  have  been  visited  with  much  the  same  trials  and  enriched  with  much 
the  same  outward  blessings,  and  yet  as  they  approach  the  evening  of  their  days  you 


126  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.       [ch.  xi.  1—57. 

hear  the  one  complaining  that  he  was  born  under  an  unlucky  star,  that  his  steps  have 
been  dogged  by  an  unkind  fate,  and  that  all  is  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit;  while  the 
other  is  saying  that  goodness  and  mercy  have  followed  him  all  the  days  of  his  life,  and 
asking  what  he  shall  render  to  the  Lord  for  all  his  benefits  towards  him  !  Whence  the 
difference  between  the  two?  Is  it  not  from  this — that  the  one  has  lived  without  God 
in  the  world,  whilst  the  other  has  sought  for  grace  to  walk  in  the  light  of  his  counte- 
nance ?  So  much  for  the  life  that  now  is.  But  there  is  a  larger  fulfilment  of  this 
promise  that  belongs  to  the  life  to  come.  Here  the  glory  of  God  can  only  be  seen 
amidst  the  clouds  and  darkness  of  this  storm-tossed  world.  The  faith  of  his  children, 
too,  is  not  only  tried  by  the  long  conflict  between  good  and  evil  which  rages  around 
them,  but  by  the  unbelief  of  their  own  hearts  and  the  weakness  of  their  bodies  of 
humiliation.  "  Now  they  see  through  a  glass  darkly ."  But  this  is  not  to  last  for  ever. 
This  vision  is  only  for  an  appointed  time.  And  when  the  mystery  of  God  has  been 
finished,  and  the  children  of  the  resurrection  open  their  ej'es  on  the  new  heavens  and 
the  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness,  then  shall  each  one  of  them  learn  the 
fulness  of  these  words  of  Christ,  "  Said  I  not  unto  thee,  that,  if  thou  wouldest  believe, 
thou  shouldest  see  the  glory  of  God  ?  " — G.  B. 

Ver.  11. — Death  and  sleep.  Here  we  have  another  instance  of  what  is  so  frequent 
in  John's  Gospel,  Jesus  using  common  words  in  special  and  unexpected  meanings. 
The  disciples  did  not  understand  Jesus — how  were  they  likely  to  do  so?  Their 
rejoinder  was  a  very  natural  one.  Why,  then,  should  Jesus  speak  of  the  reality  of 
death  under  the  form  of  sleep  ? 

I.  All  death  would  be  peculiablt  bepugxant  to  Jesus.  Jesus,  we  may  take 
it,  had  in  him  a  fulness  and  healthiness  of  natural  life  which  would  lie  at  the  very 
antipodes  of  death.  Many  live  on  the  verge  of  death,  as  it  were,  for  a  long  time.  They 
have  just  enough  of  the  vital  principle  in  them  to  keep  the  organism  going.  But  Jesus, 
in  his  own  natural  life,  was  far  away  from  death.  He  had  no  occasion  to  look  upon  it 
in  the  despairing,  bewildered  way  which  the  common  run  of  men  must  adopt.  To  have 
spoken  of  Lazarus  as  dead,  without  being  forced  so  to  speak,  would  have  suggested 
thoughts  to  the  disciples  which  he  wished  to  be  swallowed  up  in  the  inspiring  dis- 
coveries of  a  new  revelation. 

II.  Death  was  to  get  a  new  and  special  meaning.  Contrast  the  way  in  which 
Jesus  speaks  of  Lazarus  here  with  the  language  he  uses  in  Luke  ix.  60.  Here  he 
speaks  of  the  dead  Lazarus  as  only  sleeping ;  there  he  speaks  of  living  unbelievers 
in  himself  as  being  dead.  This  is  the  true  death,  to  be  dead  to  the  reception  of  the 
heavenly  Bread.  Lazarus  was  dead,  according  to  the  manner  in  which  men  use  that 
word ;  no  one  would  have  thought  of  putting  food  into  that  mouth.  But  so  far  as 
concerned  the  Bread  that  cometh  down  from  heaven,  Lazarus  was  not  dead.  The  life 
that  needs  nourishing  from  heaven  is  more  than  the  flesh  and  blood,  which  is  only 
converted  food.  The  flesh  and  blood  may  go,  but  the  life  remains.  With  regard  to 
the  unbelievers,  however,  Jesus  reckoned  them  as  dead,  for  the  true  Bread  found  them 
as  indifferent  to  its  nearness  as  a  corpse  would  be  to  a  loaf  laid  beside  it.  "  Death  "  is 
a  word  that  very  reasonably  has  the  most  dreadful  associations,  and  Jesus  wished  to 
make  the  most  of  it  as  reserved  for  the  most  dreadful  state  of  things  he  knows.  That 
a  believer  in  Jesus  should  pass  from  the  world  of  sense  is  dreadful,  just  as  a  paroxysm 
of  physical  jjain  is  dreadful ;  but  once  the  experience  is  over,  all  may  be  right.  But 
that  jiny  one  should  remain  out  of  living  union  with  Jesus  is  far  worse  than  any  pain 
or  deprivation  belonging  to  physical  death. 

III.  Sleep  was  to  get  a  new  and  special  meaning.  Human  beings  get 
separated  from  each  other  in  sleep.  No  communication  is  possible  between  them  that 
sleep  and  them  that  wake.  But  that  very  lapse  of  communication  will  make  the  com- 
munication fresher  and  more  active  when  the  lapse  is  over.  It  is  probable  that  Lazarus, 
returning  to  life,  returned  to  a  healthier  and  more  vigorous'  life.  Natural  sleep  comes 
after  a  period  of  labour,  and  as  the  result  of  exhaustion,  and  it  is  followed  by  fresh 
power  and  zest  for  work.  But  it  is  work  of  the  same  sort,  and  with  the  same  faculties. 
When  the  Christian  believer  falls  asleep,  he  falls  to  wake  in  an  altogether  new  sort  of 
morning,  amid  new  scenes,  and  to  engage  in  a  new  service,  free  from  the  toil  and 

In  the  higher  state  of  exist- 


en.  XI.  1—57.]      THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHIT.  127 

ence  there  will  still  be  work,  in  a  sense — the  work  of  faith  ;  but  the  toil  of  love  and  the 

endurance  of  hope  will  alike  have  vanished. — Y. 

t 

Yen  19. — MartJia's  and  Mary's  comforters.  I.  A  mission  that  could  not  be  escaped. 
The  mourners  must  not  be  left  unvisited,  however  awkward  and  vain  the  condolences 
may  be.  Such  visits  may  indeed  be  looked  upon  as  often  having  somewhat  of  evil  in 
them  ;  but  the  evil  is  not  a  necessity,  whereas  the  good  is  always  a  probability.  And 
in  certain  circumstances,  where  everything  is  favourable,  where  Christian  character 
belongs  alike  to  the  departed,  the  mourners,  and  the  comforters,  such  a  mission  may 
Jiave  in  it  the  highest  good.  Sympathy,  though  it  be  no  more  than  si-lent  companion- 
ship, is  the  demand  of  humanity. 

II.  A  MISSION  SUCH  AS  HAD  BEEN  PERFORMED   INNUMERABLE  TIMES.      That  Very  day, 

all  over  Israel,  people  would  be  setting  out  on  similar  errands.  Condolence  would  be 
reduced  to  a  system.     The  very  Avords  would  get  stereotyped. 

III.  A    MISSION   SUCH    AS    IN    MANY    INSTANCES    WOULD    ONLY    INTENSIFY   THE   LOSS. 

When  people  are  mourning  for  their  dead,  nothing  the  unaided  intellect  of  men  is  able 
to  devi.se  can  lighten  the  blow  or  heal  the  wound.  Too  often  there  is  an  incongruity 
between  the  words  that  must  be  spoken  and  the  real  feelings.  We  cannot  sorrow  for 
the  bereaved  as  they  sorrow  themselves.  If  we  could  watch  the  vast  majority  of  people 
so  as  to  observe  from  what  occupations  they  go  to  condole,  and  to  what  occupations 
they  return,  bow  we  should  be  impressed  with  the  inconsistencies  of  human  life!  A 
man  may  go  visiting  the  widow  and  the  fatherless  in  the  afternoon,  but 'that  will  not 
keep  him  from  the  convivial  circle  in  the  evening.  To  go  from  the  house  of  mourning 
to  the  house  of  feasting  is  all  in  the  business  of  the  day.  Tne  visitor  heaves  a  sigh  of 
relief  when  he  has  got  the  necessary  formality  over.  And  this  is  plainly  what  must  be, 
according  to  the  limits  of  nature.  To  feel  the  pain  of  bereavement  as  the  bereaved  feel 
it  would  make  life  intolerable. 

IV.  A  MISSION  WHICH  Jesus  often  undertakes  in  his  own  way.  Jesus  has  done 
for  few,  very  few,  what  he  did  for  Martha  and  Mary.  But,  after  all,  we  must  not  exag- 
gerate the  act  whereby  he  comforted  them.  The  resurrection  of  Lazarus  w\as  not  as  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus.  Lazarus  twice  knew  the  pains  of  death.  It  was  the  mortal  body 
into  which  he  came  back.  But  to  all  mourners  Jesus  would  come  with  the  plain, 
unvarnished  truth.  He  would  not  say,  "Comfort !  comfort !"  when  there  is  no  comfort. 
He  would  have  his  people  understand  that  the  only  guarantee  of  abiding  relations  is 
that  there  should  be  a  spiritual  element  in  them.  Mere  natural  relations  soon  break 
up  when  there  is  nothing  better  in  them.  Jesus  virtually  tells  all  so  to  live  that, 
when  they  are  gone,  survivors  may  not  be  driven  to  delicate  hypocrisies  concerning 
them,  as  it  were  whitening  their  sepulchres  to  please  the  bereaved. — Y. 

Ver.  28. —  Tlie  Teacher  tvanting  his  disciple.  I.  The  propriety  of  the  description. 
AVhat  a  flood  of  light  this  one  word  "  Teacher  "  (StSdcTKaXos)  casts  on  the  relations  of 
Jesus  to  the  family  at  Bethany !  How  it  corresponds  with  what  we  are  told  elsewhere 
of  the  docile  attitude  of  Mary,  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  and  listening  to  his  Word ! 
Martha,  lacking  as  she  seems  to  have  been  in  spiritual  insi-aht  and  sympathy,  could  not 
have  known  the  significance  and  propriety  of  her  description  ;  but  we  speak  ofttimes 
better  than  we  know,  and  the  description  was  very  signiticant  and  appropriate.  The 
lime  had  come  when  Jesus  had  a  very  practical  lesson  for  both  Martha  and  Mary,  but 
Mary  would  learn  the  most.  The  service  of  Jesus  to  mankind,  always  essentially  the 
same,  has  many  aspects,  many  ways  of  beginning.  Jesus  began  his  work  in  some  by 
boiiily  healing,  but  in  very  many — more,  probably,  than  we  imagine — by  dropping  into 
their  ears  marvellous  utterances  which  attracted  and  charmed  them.  And  of  this 
number  Mary  seems  to  have  been  one.  Jesus  was  a  Friend  of  the  household,  and 
Martha  might  have  said,  "Our  Friend  is  come,  and  calleth  for  thee;"  but  some  happy 
providence  ruled  her  tongue,  and  she  spoke  just  the  word  that  set  prominently  forward 
the  teaching  mission  of  Jesus. 

II.  The  lessons  the  Teacher^had  come  to  teach.  Jesus,  indeed,  was  always  teach- 
ing, always  shedding  fresh  light  on  dark  places.  Not  one  of  his  wonderful  deeds  but 
was  full  of  instruction.  His  miracles  were  instructive,  and  his  teaching  was  miraculous. 
His  miracles  were  great  object-lessons,  and  here  surely  is  one  of  the  richest.     How  it 


123  THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.   JOHN.       [ch.  xi.  1— 57. 

stops  the  men  who  want  to  map  out  the  laws  of  life  and  death  with  scientific  precision  ! 
No  wonder  they  deny  the  validity  of  such  a  record.  Jesus  comes  in  here,  as  elsewhere, 
with  a  truth  greater  fhan  any  our  senses  can  tell  us.  Mere  human  experience  points 
out  the  sequence  thus :  life,  death,  corruption,  and  so  union  with  mother  eartli.  Jesus 
comes  with  his  power,  and  makes  the  sequence  thus  :  life,  death,  incipient  corruption, 
life  acfain.  Our  experience  tells  us  the  actual,  not  the  necessary.  Then  another  great 
lesson  Mary  had  to  learn  was  that  of  absolute  trust  in  Jesus.  Jesus  was  using  the  dead 
decomposing  body  of  Lazarus  for  nobler  purposes  than  one  would  have  thought  possible 
to  reside  in  a  corpse.     Jesus  can  make  use  of  the  dead  not  less  than  of  the  living. 

IIL  We  should  feel  that  the  Teacher  is  calling  for  us  constantly.  Not  a 
day  but  what  we  can  apply  the  great  leading  principles  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 
Not  a  day  but  what  we  can  find  illustrations  of  his  laws  kept  and  his  laws  broken. 
The  very  daily  newspaper  should  be  read  with  Jesus  to  explain  its  bearing  on  his  great 
purpose.  He  can  show  us  what  is  really  great  and  what  is  really  little.  Without  him 
to  guide,  we  are  very  likely  to  overlook  things  of  the  greatest  moment,  and  dwell 
admiringly  on  things  of  little  worth ;  and  especially,  amid  the  frequent  inroads  of  death, 
we  need  to  be  thoroughly  taught  the  lesson  that  there  is'  One  greater  than  death.  Jesus 
never  points  to  more  glorious  and  inspiring  truth  than  when  he  points  to  himself. — Y. 

Ver.  35. —  Why  these  tears  ?  This  is  the  only  occasion  on  which  Jesus  is  recorded  as 
having  shed  tears;  for  although  tbe  Passion  in  Gethsemane  is  alluded  to  in  the  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews  as  having  been  a  scene  of  strong  cr3Hng  and  tears,  yet  this  is  too 
general  and  rhetorical  an  expression  to  be  taken  literally.  (In  Luke  xix.  41,  fKXavae 
is  used,  not  eSdKpva-e,  as  here.)  But  Jesus,  going  to  the  grave  of  Lazarus,  did  mani- 
festly shed  tears,  and  this  intensity  of  emotion  was  noticed.  Why,  then,  was  he 
moved  to  this  extent  ? 

I.  A  TESTIMONY  TO  THE  FULNESS  OF  HIS  HUMANITY.  These  Were  the  tears  of  friend- 
ship. Many  a  time  Jesus  must  have  been  filled  with  profound  pity  for  human  suffering 
and  bereavement,  but  that  by  itself  would  not  cause  him  to  shed  tears.  Jesus  was  on 
terms  of  loving  intimacy  with  the  family  at  Bethany.  Every  bit  of  evidence  should 
be  welcomed  that  deepens  the  impression  of  this;  for  to  be  sure  that  Jesus  had  special 
friends  is  to  make  us  feel  that  he  was  a  true,  full  Man.  Every  true  man  must  have 
some  who  are  dearer  to  him  than  others.  A  Jesus  without  intimate  friends  would  have 
been  a  contradiction  to  all  that  is  best  in  humanity. 

II.  A  TESTIMONY  TO  FULL  COMMUNION  OF  FEELING.  In  One  scuse  there  was  no  need 
for  these  tears.  In  a  few  minutes  many  tears  might  be  shed,  but  they  would  be  tears 
of  joy  over  the  restored  relative.  Jesus  knew  what  was  going  to  happen  ;  why,  then, 
did  he  seem  as  if  plunged  in  the  very  depths  of  sorrow  ?  The  answer  is  that  he  really 
was  in  the  very  depths  of  sorrow,  in  full  communion  of  grief  with  the  two  sisters  who 
were  his  friends.     Jesus  behaved  in  all  respects  naturally  and  tenderly. 

III.  We  must  not,  however,  forget  that  these  were  the  tears  of  Jesus.  They  are 
part  of  the  proof  of  his  humanity,  but  they  must  be  looked  at  in  the  light  of  the  whole 
of  that  humanity.  They  were  the  tears  of  a  sinless  Jesus.  Tears  must  be  looked  at 
according  to  their  cause.  Oftentimes  they  express  the  most  utter  selfishness.  The 
passion  of  grief,  natural  and  inevitable  as  it  is,  brings  out  the  whole  man  by  the  very 
violence  of  its  expression,  and  so  enables  us  to  see  how  much  evil  there  is  in  the  heart. 
People  can  hear  with  equanimity  of  deaths  all  round  them  ;  it  never  strikes  them 
there  is  anything  wrong — anything  that  wants  exj)laining.  The  problems  and  the 
mysteries  of  life  are  as  if  they  were  not.  But  let  the  blow  break  their  own  circle, 
and  utterances  the  most  reckless  and  purely  self-regarding  come  from  their  lips. — Y. 

Vers.  46 — 53. — Mistaken  patriotism.  I.  The  fundamental  misapprehension.  We 
must  understand  clearly  the  great  and  fundamental  error  that  underlay  all  the  ani- 
mosity of  the  Pharisees  and  priests  towards  Jesus.  To  understand  that  error  makes 
their  relentless  pursuit  of  Jesus  more  explicable.  Jesus  talked  much  of  a  kingdom, 
and  what  should  the  Pharisees  take  that  to  mean  unless  a  visible  kingdom — a  kingdom 
the  establishment  of  which  must  be  contested  and  prevented  by  the  Pioman  empire, 
tolerant  of  no  authority  that  rivalled  its  own  ?  If  these  Jews  had  only  comprehended 
what  the  kingdom  of  heaven  really  was,  they  would  have  spared  themselves  much 


CH.  XII.  1—50.]     THE   GCfSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN. 


129 


anxiety,  and  been  free  from  the  stains  of  great  wickedness.  That  all  men  should  believe 
ill  Jesus  meant,  in  the  esteem  of  the  priests  and  Pharisees,  that  Jesus  would  be  made  a 
King  after  the  fashion  of  men.  They  judged  Jesus  by  themselves.  They  had  no 
standard  by  which  to  guess  at  his  motives  and  proceedings,  save  their  own  ambitious 
hearts.  Each  one  of  them  would  have  been  glad  to  be  a  king  if  they  could  have  got 
the  multitude  to  accept  them.  They  did  not  yet  understand  that  human  government, 
an  exceedingly  important  thing  in  its  place,  is  but  secondary  and  subordinate  com- 
pared with  the  perfect  subjection  of  the  individual  to  Jesus.  If  Jesus  had  had  all  the 
authority  and  power  of  the  Roman  empire  at  his  back,  he  could  have  done  nothing 
with  it. 

II.  The  unsuccessful  scheme.  Successful,  and  yet  unsuccessful.  The  priests  and 
Pharisees  succeeded  beyond  their  hopes.  Jesus  did  not  become  the  sort  of  king  they 
feared  he  might  be.  They  got  him  out  of  the  way,  and  then  they  were  happy.  But, 
for  all  that,  the  Romans  did  in  due  season  come  and  take  away  both  their  place  and 
their  nation.  It  is  the  frequent  delusion  of  men  that  if  only  they  do  certain  things 
they  will  prevent  or  secure  certain  other  things.  The  best  way  of  providing  for  the 
future  is  to  attend  to  present  truth  and  present  duty. 

III.  The  unconscious  prophet.  Caiaphas  knew  full  well  how  popular  Jesus  was  in 
many  quarters,  and  what  a  hold  he  had  on  the  people  in  the  country  disti  icts,  so  to 
speak.  No  doubt  the  national  party  was  in  a  dilemma  to  begin  with,  and  to  this  was 
added  the  deep  feeling  in  the  hearts  of  many  that  to  attack  him  was  to  attack  a  really 
good  Man.  They  would  not  have  hesitated  for  a  moment  if  he  had  been  a  mere  dema- 
gogue, but  being  what  he  was  they  did  hesitate.  So  Caiaphas  comes  to  the  front  with 
what,  from  his  point  of  view,  was  a  statesmanlike  proposition  enough.  What  he  says 
amounts  to  this,  "  We  must  not  think  of  the  character  of  the  one,  but  the  necessities  of 
the  many."  You  do  not  hesitate  to  demolish  a  fine  building  and  scatter  its  contents  if 
that  will  stop  the  burning  down  of  many  streets.  And  the  Father  of  Jesus  has  the 
same  principle  underl3ing  his  plans,  only  it  is  a  principle  carried  out  with  true 
wisdom  and  perfect  success. — Y. 


EXPOSITION. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

The  twelfth  chapter  neither  belongs  in- 
trinsically to  that  which  precedes  nor  to 
that  which  follows.  It  is  a  paragraph  of 
high  significance,  as  bearing  on  the  con- 
struction  of  the  Gospel.  It  is  the  transition 
between  the  public  and  the  private  ministry, 
the  great  pause  between  the  two  classes  of 
manifestation  forming  the  climax  of  the 
public  ministry. 

III.  Consummation  of  the  Public 
Ministry. 

Vers.  1 — 8. — 1.  The  feast  of  love  and  gra- 
titude. 

Ver.  1. — Jesus  therefore,  six  days  before 
th«  Passover.  Every  preliminary  of  that 
solemn  feast  is  memorable  to  our  evangelist. 
The  coincidence  of  the  Passover  feast  and 
the  killing  of  the  Paschal  lamb,  with  the 
sacrifice  of  "  Christ  our  Passover,"  cannot 
be  concealed.  [For  the  grammatical  con- 
struction with  TTph,  cf.  note,  ch.  xi.  18,  where 
a  similar  use  of  iin6  occurs ;  not,  however,  a 
Latinism,  as  some  have  supposed,  as  similar 
phrases  are  found  in  good  Greek  (see  Winer, 
JOHN. — u. 


'  Greek  Gram.,'  p.  69).]  The  date  from 
which  the  calculation  is  made  is  com- 
plicated with  the  intricate  controversy 
upon  the  day  of  our  Lord's  death,  i.e. 
whether  he  suffered  on  the  14th  or  loth 
of  Nisan,  and  whether  a  "  harmony "  is 
possible  or  not  with  the  statements  of  the 
synoptists,  who  all  three  assert  that  our 
Lord  ate  the  Passover  with  his  disciples ' 
(see  Introduction,  pp.  xcii. — xciv.).  How- 
ever this  matter  be  finally  settled,  if  the 
14th  of  Nisan  was  the  day  on  which  the 
Passover  was  killed,  "between  the  even- 
nings,"  the  13th  was  reckoned  as  the  first 
day  before  the  Passover,  and  the  sixth  day 

*  TJie  month  Nisan. 

The  day  when  The 
Paschal  lambs  Feast- 
were  slain,    day. 
6, 7, 8,  9,-10, 11, 12, 13,      14,        15,    IC,  17 

Sahbathl  Sabbath  j 

Sabbath  Sabbath 

If  Christ  were  crucified  on  the  14th,  the 
sabbath  was  a  high  day  corresponding:  with 
the  great  feast  and  convocation,  and  Easter 
was  the  IGth.  If  the  crucifixion  took  place 
on  the  15th,  both  15th  and  IGth  were 
sabbaths,  and  Easter  was  on  the  17th. 


150 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.'  JOHN.     [ch.  xn.  1—50. 


TTonld  be  the  8th  of  Nisan.  If  the  weekly 
sabbath  occurred  on  the  16th,  then  the 
9th  also  was  a  sabbath.  The  Lord  would 
then  have  reached  Bethany  on  the  eve  of 
the  sabbath,  and  have  rested  on  the  sabbath 
itself.  The  evening  of  the  9th  would  be 
the  occasion  of  the  feast,  and  the  10th  would 
correspond  with  Palm  Sunday.  If  the  Lord 
were  crucified  on  the  14th,  and  the  weekly 
sabbath  coincided  with  the  Passover-day  of 
convocation,  the  15th,  then  the  previous 
sabbath  was  on  the  8th,  and  our  Lord 
must  have  reached  Bethany  in  '-the  end 
of  the  sabbath,"  and  then  the  feast  was 
on  the  following  day.  When  Jesus  halted 
at  Bethany,  the  vast  crowd  of  pilgrims 
advanced  into  the  suburbs  of  Jerusalem, 
encamping  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and 
would  be  ready  for  the  great  demonstration 
of  the  next  day.  Westcott,  after  Bengel, 
observes  that  John's  Gospel  begins  and 
ends  with  a  sacred  week  (cf.  ch.  i.  29 — 
35,  43;  ii.  1).  Jesun  therefore,  six  days 
before  the  Passover,  came  to  Bethany.  The 
quiet  rest  of  that  last  sabbath  with  the 
family  at  Bethany  is  a  thouglit  full  of  sug- 
gestion. Thoma  accounts  for  the  triumphal 
feast  and  anointing,  "six  days  before  the 
Passover,"  as  answering  to  the  day  on  which 
the  lamb  was  separated  from  other  and  se- 
cular animals,  and  consecrated  for  this  holy 
service  (Exod.  xii.  3 — 6;  Heb.  vii.  26). 
The  segregation,  however,  was  partial  or 
premature,  and  the  anointing  (see  below) 
took  place  five  days  before  the  Passover.  It 
is  not  said  that  the  day  of  his  arrival  at 
Bethany  is  the  day  of  the  festive  welcome. 
Bethany  is  described  as  the  place  where 
Lazarus  was.  The  explanatory  clause,'  he 
who  had  been  dead,  is  not  necessary,  as  the 
evangelist  limits  and  explains  sufficiently 
the  great  motive  for  his  pause  and  presence 
at  Bet!  I  any  by  adding,  whom  he  (Jesus) 
raised  from,  the  dead.  It  is  extraordinary 
that  some  most  able  expositors  should  be 
so  unwilling  to  accept  the  synchronous 
statements  of  the  synoptists.  Their  narra- 
tive is  not  out  of  harmony  with  the  hypo- 
thesis that  our  Lord  passed  the  previous 
days  witii  the  pilgrim-band  from  Peraja, 
and  that,  taking  ilie  head  of  the  procession 
as  it  was  passing  through  Jericho,  he  should 
tbus  have  distinctly  cliallenged  the  autho- 
rities, and  taken  up  the  public  position  to 
which  they  were  anxious  he  should  lay 
claim.  By  his  visit  to  the  house  of  Zac- 
chseus  he  proclaimed  the  new  feature  and 

'  'O  reOpTiKws  of  the  T.R.  is  rejected  on 
the  authority  of  N,  B,  L,  X,  Syriac  sbme- 
what  doubtfully,  by  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.), 
by  Westcott  and  Hort  and  E.T.  But  Lach- 
niann  retains  it ;  Tregelles  includes  it 
with'iu  brackets. 


spirit  of  his  kingdom  ;  by  healing  the  blind 
man  he  gave  a  typical  illustration  of  the 
work  of  grace  needed  by  all  his  disciples ; 
by  resting  at  the  home  where  human  love 
and  Divine  power  had  been  so  wonderfully 
blended  he  called  the  most  solemn  attention 
to  his  supreme  claims ;  by  pressing  on  with 
urgency  up  the  steep  mountain  pathway  at 
the  head  of  his  disciples  he  seemed  to  bo 
ready,  in  his  own  words,  "  to  lay  down  his 
life,  that  he  might  take  it  again."  The 
oiiv,  according  to  Meyer,  is  simply  the  re- 
sumption of  the  narrative,  but  surely  those 
are  right  who  regard  it  as  a  distinct  refer- 
ence to  ch.  xi.  55.  The  Sanhedrists  had 
given  the  ivroKri  that  if  any  knew  where  he 
was,  they  should  declare  it.  Christ  was  re- 
solved, now  that  his  hour  was  come,  to  lift 
the  whole  responsibility  from  bis  friends, 
and  take  it  upon  himself.  The  other  evan- 
gelists do  not  mention  the  halt.  Their  pur-  . 
pose  was  not  a  chronological  one.  They 
give  the  narrative  of  the  anointing  apait 
from  its  deepest  meanings  and  consequences, 
apart  from  anv  references  to  Lazarus  (see 
Matt.  xxvi.  6—12 ;  Mark  xiv.  1—11).  There 
are  other  subtle  omissious  from  the  synop- 
tists, the  difficulties  of  which  must  be 
settled  as  between  themselves.  Thus,  accord- 
ing to  Mark  xi.  12  and  20,  an  interval  of  a 
whole  day  and  night  took  place  between 
the  withering  of  the  fig  tree  and  the  conver- 
sation about  it,  but  Matthew  makes  the 
conversation  follow  immediately  upon  the 
miracle.  In  like  manner,  John  abstains 
from  any  reference  to  the  discussions  in  the 
temple,  to  the  withering  of  the  fig  tree,  to 
the  cleansing  of  the  temple,  or  to  the  pa- 
rables which  followed. 

Ver.  2. — There,  therefore,  they  made  him 
a  supper,  and  Martha  served :  but  Lazarus 
was  one  of  them  that  sat  at  the  table  with 
him.  John  does  not  tell  us  in  whose  house 
"  they  made  the  dinner"  or  supper,  and  un- 
less Simon  the  leper  (Matt.  xxvi.  6  and 
Mark  xiv.  3)  is  a  member  of  the  family  (or, 
as  some  suggest,  the  husband  of  Martha), 
we  cannot  suppose  that  it  was  in  the  quiet 
home  of  Bethany  that  this  feast  in  honour 
of  Jesus  was  held,  but  that  it  took  place,  as 
the  synoptists  positively  declare,  "  in  the 
house  of  Simon  the  leper."  Simon  may  easily 
have  been  one  of  the  many  lepers  whom  our 
Lord  had  healed,  and  whose  soul  was  filled 
with  accordant  gratitude.  At  that  table 
there  would  be  seated  two  transcendent 
proofs  of  the  power  of  Jesus  to  save,  not 
only  from  the  semblance  but  from  the 
reality  of  death  (see  Meyer  ;  Matt.  xxvi.  6). 
We  wonder,  with  Godet,  that  Meyer  should 
reject  this  simple  supposition  as  "  spurious 
harmony."  All  that  is  here  stated  is  in 
agreement  with  it :  (1)  that  Martha  should 
have  shown  her  reverence  by  serving  her 


CH.  xn.  1—50.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN, 


131 


Lord,  according  to  her  wont,  not  necessarily 
as  hostess  (Hengstcnberg  and  Lange),  but 
ns  the  exprossiou  of  her  devoted  thankful- 
ness ;  (2)  that  Lazarus  sliould  have  been 
one  of  those  who  sat  at  meat,  reclined  at 
table,  with  him,  i.e.  took  a  position  as  a 
guest,  like  himself;  and  (3)  tliat  ]\Iary 
should  have  poured  forth  her  costly  spike- 
nard, in  royal  self-forgottiug  lovo.  The 
conduct  of  all  the  three  thus  mentioned  is 
compatible  with  the  fact  stated  in  the  sy- 
noptic narrative,  that  the  festival  was  cele- 
brated in  the  house  of  Simon  tlie  leper.  Our 
Lord  had  commented,  in  the  house  of  Simon 
the  Pharisee  (Luke  vii.  44,  etc.),  on  the  ab- 
sence of  the  customary  anointing  with  oil. 
Mary  knew  of  this,  and  resolved  that,  what- 
ever the  woman  who  was  a  sinner  had  done, 
no  similar  act  of  neglect  siiould  occur  on 
that  memorable  evening.  A  chronological 
discrepance  renders  an  identification  of  the 
synoptic  narrative  of  Matthew  with  this 
story  perplexing.  In  Matt.  xxvi.  2  we  are 
brought  to  within  two  days  of  the  Pass- 
over, whereas  here  we  cannot  well  be  less 
than  five  days  before  it.  However,  there  is 
nothing  in  Matt.  xxvi.  6 — 13  which  indu- 
bitably declares  the  date  of  the  supper 
The  "  two  days  "  may  refer  to  the  date  of 
Judas's  treachery,  after  mentioning  which 
he  goes  back  to  an  event  which  furnished 
occasion  and  temptation  to  the  avaricious 
mind  of  Judas. 

Ver.  3. — Mary  therefore  took  a  ponnd 
(the  synoptists  Matthew  and  Jlark  say 
"  an  alabaster,"  i.e.  a  flask  made  of  the 
costly  spar,  which  was  peculiarly  adapted 
to  the  preservation  of  liquid  perfume,  her- 
metically sealed  before  it  was  broken  for 
immediate  use.  Tiie  fact,  as  stated  by 
Matthew  and  Mark,  is  inconsistent  with  her 
reserving  any  of  the  precious  fluid  for 
another  occasion)  of  ointment  ("  liquid  per- 
fume," sometimes  added  to  the  more  ordinary 
oil),  of  pure  (or  possibly^  pistic)  nard.  Mark 
uses  this  imusual  word  wiffTtKds,  which 
belongs  to  later  Greek.  The  derivation  of 
iriffKTiK6s  from  irlvu,  equivalent  to  "  pot- 
able," is  not  appropriate  in  meaning,  though 
this  "  nard  "  was  used  for  perfuming  wine. 
In  Mark  xiv.  3  also  the  Authorized  Version 
translates  it  "spikenard,"  as  it  does  here 
(cf.  also  Song  of  Sol.  i.  12  and  iv.  13,  14, 
where  Hebrew  inj  corresponds  with  pdpSos). 
But  the  one  place  where  the  word  was  sup- 
posed to  be  found  in  Aristotle  is  now  seen 
not  to  be  TTKTTtKus,  but  irtKTTtKos,  trustworthy, 
or  unadulterated.  It  is  possible  that  the 
word  may  have  had  a  local  geographical 
value,  belonging  to  some  proper  name,  and 
is  untranslatable.  Very  precious.  Mark 
(xiv.  3)  uses  the  word  ■!ro\vTe\ovs,  and 
Matthew  (xxvi.  7)  $apvTinov.  John  appears 
to  combine  the  idea  of  both  words  in  his  tto- 


XvtIuov.  Each  of  the  synoptists  severally 
mentions  a  fact  which  John  omits — that  Mary 
broke  the  alabaster  box,  and  poured  the 
costly  unguent  on  his  head  in  rich  abun- 
dance, as  though  hers  had  been  the  royal 
or  high-priestly  anointing  (cf.  Ps.  cxxxiii.); 
but  John  shows  that  this  at  least  was  not 
all  she  did.  She  anointed  the  feet  of  Jesus, 
and  wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair :  and  the 
house  was  filled  with  the  odour  of  the  oint- 
ment. Thoma  thinks  that,  conformably  with 
John's  idea,  the  anointing  of  the  head  of 
the  true  High  Priest  was  the  work  of  God 
alone,  quoting  Philo's  comment  on  Lev.  xxi. 
10,  etc,  "The  head  of  the  Logos,  ns  High 
Priest,  is  anointed  with  oil,  ie.  his  inner- 
most essence  gleams  with  dazzling  light;  " 
and  adds,  that  as  the  feet  of  the  high  priest 
were  washed  with  water  from  recent  defile- 
ment of  the  world's  dust,  so  God's  anointed 
Lamb  and  Priest  was  anointed  on  his  feet 
with  the  spikenard  of  faith,  the  best  and  cost- 
liest thing  that  man  coukl  off"cr.  So  profound 
an  analogy  seems  to  us  contrary  to  the  sim- 
plicity of  the  narrative,  which  is  perfectly 
natural  in  its  form.  The  perfumed  nard 
ran  down  to  the  Saviour's  feet  and  the 
skirts  of  his  garments,  and  there  accumu- 
lating, the  significant  act  is  further  re- 
counted how  Mary  wiped  off  the  superfluous 
perfume  from  his  feet  with  the  tresses  of 
her  loosened  hair.  Tliis  simple  act  pro- 
claimed the  self-humiliation  and  adoration 
of  her  unbounded  love,  seeing  tliat  the 
loosening  of  a  woman's  hair  was  a  mark  of 
unusual  self-abandonment.  Many  most  un- 
necessary inferences  have  been  drawn  from 
this.  John  adds  an  interesting  feature, 
revealing  the  sensitive  eye-witness  of  the 
scene,  "and  the  house  urns  filled  irith  the- 
odour  of  the  ointment; "  and  the  whole  house 
of  God  ever  since  has  been  fragrant  with 
her  immortal  and  prophetic  act. 

Ver.  4. — But  Judas  the  Iscariot,  one  of 
his  disciples,'  who  was  about  to  betray  him, 
said.  The  speaker  here  is  singled  out  by 
name.  Matthew  refers  the  speech  to  the  dis- 
ciples generally,  in  whom  the  suggestion  of 
Judas  had  stirred  up  (without  guile  or  blame 
on  their  part)  a  not  unnatural  inquiry.  Blark 
says  "  some "  murmured  to  tliemselves, 
"  Why  this  waste  ?  "  (loss,  destruction).  John 
(without  the  malice  which  Renan  hns  at- 
tributed to  the  writer)  mentions  the  source 

'  The  T.R.  reads,  Ae7€j  oZv  els  Ik  tw;'  /la- 
OriTuv  avTOv,^lov5as  'S.lfxoivos  'IffKaptwrri^,  witll 
a  large  number  of  later  uncials,  with  va- 
rieties of  spelling  in  Old  Latin  Versions. 
The  R.T.,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Alford, 
Tregelles,  on  the  authority  of  N,  B,  L,  1, 
33,  Vulgate,  and  numerous  versions,  read, 
Aeyei  5e  'louSay  &  'icrKapiwTrjs,  th  4k  ruu 
fxadriTuv  auToOi  6  fxtWwv,  etc.    R.T.  omits  tK. 


132 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1— 50. 


of  the  suggestion,  "  Judas  Iscariot,  Simon's 
son."  The  word  Mfiwvos,  contained  in  T.R., 
is  omitted  here  in  the  best  texts.  The  fact 
that  he  was  the  traitor,  being  one  of  the 
-well-known  and  awful  events  of  the  gospel 
history  when  John  wrote  some  half  a  cen- 
tury later,  might  well  be  introduced  by  the 
evangelist,  with  no  other  than  a  purely  his- 
torical motive. 

Vers.  5,  6. — Why  was  not  this  ointment 
sold  for  three  hundred  pence,  and  given  to 
the  poor  1  Sinful  motive  often  hides  itself 
under  the  mask  of  reverence  for  another 
virtue.  In  Mark's  Gospel  the  same  price 
was  put  upon  the  pound  of  pure  nard  as 
that  which  is  mentioned  here — about  £10  of 
our  money.  Christ  had  given  emphatic  ad- 
vice about  generosity  to  the  poor,  and  even 
during  this  very  week  (ch.  xiii.  29)  it  is 
clear  that  his  words  were  not  forgotten,  and 
in  his  great  discourse,  probably  also  delivered 
during  this  same  week,  he  identified  him- 
self with  the  poor  (Matt.  xxv.  35,  etc.),  and 
called  for  unreserved  consideration  of  them ; 
so  that  this  language  was  not  unnatural. 
The  value  of  this  ointment  is  another  mi- 
nute indication  that  there  is  no  connection 
between  the  Lazarus  of  John  and  the  Lazarus 
of  the  parable.  But  John  adds  that  the 
utter  lack  of  perception  on  Judas's  part  of 
INIary's  self-devotion  was  prompted  by  the 
most  unworthy  motive.  The  suggestion  of 
Judas  is  put  down  by  the  evangelist  to  the 
sheerest  covetousuess.  During  the  interval 
that  elapsed,  Judas  had  revealed  his  cha- 
racter, and  John  did  not  hesitate  to  refer 
the  suggestion  to  the  traitor.  Now  this  he 
said,  not  because  he  cared  for  the  poor.  He 
really  cared  nothing  for  the  poor.  He  was 
ambitious,  eager  for  the  display  of  the 
Master's  power,  anxious  for  the  rewards 
which  might  follow  the  Master's  assump- 
tion of  supreme  authority,  turning  to  his  own 
account  all  that  might  liappen.  But  because 
he  was  a  thief,  and  having  '■  possession  of  the 
common  purse  (the  word  yXaxraSKonos,  which 
occurs  in  the  sense  of  a  chest  (2  Chron.  xxiv. 
8),  has  a  curious  etymology,  which  had  passed 
out  of  recognition  ;  from  yAuxrcra  and  KO/ue'to 
comes  yXoDffffoKonflov,  that  in  which  mouth- 
pieces of  flutes  might  be  kept  in  safety,  and 
subsequently  a  chest  or  box  for  the  safe 
guardianship  of  other  valuables),  he  was  the 
bearer — perhaps,  bore  away  (see  ch.  xx.  15, 
and  Josephus,  '  Ant.,'  vii.  15.  3,  for  this  use 
of  0affrdC<^),  at  all  events  had  at  his  dis- 
posal— of  the  things  which  were  cast,  in 
generous  profusion,  into  it.  Thoma  makes 
the    astounding  suggestion    that    "  John " 


'  'Exa'J',  on  the  authority  of  N,  B,  D,  L, 
etc.,  is  preferred  by  Westcott  and  Hort,  and 
R.T.,  TregeUes,  Tischeudorf  (8th  edit.),  to 
e?X«  "ai  of  T.R. 


here  covertly  refers  to  Simon  Magus  of 
Acts  viii.  18,  etc.  The  question  is  often 
asked — Why  was  Judas  entrusted  with  the 
common  purse?  Was  it  not  likely  to  aggra- 
vate a  disposition  to  which  he  was  prone  ? 
Did  not  Jesus  know  what  was  in  man  ?  and 
had  he  not  discerned  the  propensity  of  Judas 
(see  ch.  vi.  71)?  In  reply:  (1)  The  ap- 
pointment may  have  been  made  by  the 
apostles  themselves.  (2)  Our  Lord  may 
not  have  interfered  with  it,  deeming  confi- 
dence more  likely  to  help  him  than  distrust. 
(3)  It  may  also  show  how,  if  men  will  yield 
themselves  to  sin,  God  will  not  and  does  not 
promise  them  immunity  from  temptation, 
but  sometimes  even  brings  them  into  it.  (4) 
The  purse  might  have  been  a  preservative 
against  the  vile  temptation  to  sell  his 
Master,  and  a  test  and  motive  for  self-con- 
quest. 

Ver.  7. — The  two  readings  of  the  text 
must  here  be  compared  with  one  another 
and  with  the  synoptic  narrative.  The  T.R. 
reads.  Let  her  alone  : '  unto  the  day  of  the 
preparation  for  my  burial  she  has  carefully 
guarded  this  precious  perfume.  This  is,  in 
one  sense,  that  very  day,  and  she  has  found 
out  the  solemn  fact  in  a  way  in  which  the 
disciples  had  as  yet  failed  to  do.  With  this 
agrees  the  language  of  the  synoptists, "  Why 
trouble  ye  the  woman?  she  hath  wrought 
a  good  work  on  me;  .  .  .  she  hath  done 
that  which  was  possible  to  her  (t  eVxe" 
iiroiriaev) "  of  Mark  xiv.  8.  In  fact,  Mark 
expressly  conveys  this  thought — "  she  has  an- 
ticipated the  anointing  of  my  body  for  the 
burial."  If  we  have  tlie  direct  testimony  of 
Mark  (i.e.  Peter),  Christ  must  have  ex- 
pressed himself  thus.  Matthew  also  in 
different  words  records  the  same  pathetic 
and  subtle  thought :  "  For  in  that  she  poured 
[cast]  this  ointment  upon  my  body,  she  did 
it  to  prepare  me  for  burial "  (ch.  xxvi.  12). 
Heugstenberg,  Godet,  and  Stier  abide  by  the 
reading  of  the  T.R. ;  but  the  principal  manu- 
scripts, in  most  powerful  combination,  have 
led  Lachmann,  Alford,  Tischendorf,  and 
Westcott  and  Hort  to  read  here,"li'a  ds  rriu 
Tjfxepav  rov  ei'Ta<pia(Tft.ov  Trjpijffri  avT6,"  In  order 
that  she  may  keep  or  guard  this  for  the  day 
of  my  burial."  Westcott  says  that  the  sy- 
noptists imply  rather,  by  the  word  KaTex^^v^ 
that  she  had  not  already  consumed  the 
whole  of  tlie  ointment.  Meyer,  with  this 
text,  translates,  "  Let  her  alone,  that  she 
may  preserve  it  (this  ointment,  of  which  she 

*  T.R.  reads,  "Ac^es  avriiv,  "  Let  her  alone," 
omitting  'Iva,  with  the  later  uncials ;  and,  in 
place  of  T7)pi\ari,  reads  rerTjpTjKej' ;  but  N,  B, 
D,  K,  L,  33,  42, 145,  numerous  versions,  fol- 
lowed by  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Tregelles, 
and  RT.,  omit  the  period,  and  read  Iva  with 


en.  XII.  1—50.];    THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING   TO  ST.  JOHN. 


133 


has  just  poured  some  over  my  feet)  for  the 
day  of  my  embahnment."  This  certainly 
seems  inconsistent  with  the  complaint  of 
the  disciples  or  of  Judas,  at  the  apparently 
superduous  expenditure,  and  would  compel 
us  to  restrict  the  avT6  to  the  unused  portion. 
The  advocates  of  the  T.R.  reading  say  that 
it  represents  the  original  text,  which  has 
been  altered  by  criticism  arising  from  mis- 
understanding of  the  idea  of  the  day  of 
burial  having  ideally  arrived ;  but  why  did 
they  not  alter  on  the  same  principle  the  lan- 
guage of  tlie  synoptists  ?  The  advocates  of 
Lachmanu's  text  say  that  it  has  been  altered 
by  copyists,  to  bring  it  into  accord  witli  the 
text  of  the  synoptists.  Lange  justities  the  Re- 
vised Version,  "  Suffer  her  to  keep  it  against 
the  day  of  my  burying,"  and  puts  it  thus : 
"  Permit  her  to  keep  it  [i.e.  to  have  kept 
the  ointment  which  she  might  have  used  at 
the  burial  of  Lazarus]  for  the  day  of  my 
burial,"  now  ideally  present  in  the  outbreak 
of  Judas's  devilish  malignity.  So  virtually 
Luthardt  and  Paumgarten-Crusius.  Godet 
argues  that  this  is  forced  and  ungrammati- 
cal.  But  there  is  this  advantage  in  it,  that 
it  brings  the  language  into  much  closer  re- 
lation with  the  synoptists.  Westcott  prefers 
the  idea  of  Meyer.  The  older  view  is  to 
me  far  more  satisfactory.  Edersheim  (ii. 
35)  adds  to  this,  "  Mary  may  have  had  that 
alabaster  box  from  early  days,  before  she 
had  learned  to  serve  Christ.  When  she 
understood  that  decease  of  which  he  con- 
etantly  spake,  she  may  have  put  it  aside, 
"  kept  it,"  "  against  the  day  of  his  burying." 
And  now  the  decisive  hour  is  come. 

Ver.  8. — This  verse  is  omitted  iu  D,  but 
abundantly  attested  here.  It  occurs  almost 
verbatim  in  INIatthew  and  Mark,  and  can- 
not be  set  aside  on  the  authority  of  this  one 
eccentric  manuscript.  For  the  poor  ye  have 
always  with  you  (cf.  Dent.  xv.  11).  You 
will  always  have  opportunity  of  doing  to 
them,  as  to  representatives  of  me,  what  is  in 
your  heart  of  compassion  (cf.  Matt.  xxv. 
40 — 45).  But  me,  as  an  object  of  personal, 
tangible  regard  and  visible  attention,  de- 
serving thus  and  ever  the  affluence  and  ex- 
uberance of  your  love,  ye  have  not  always ; 
and,  though  I  shall  be  with  you  always  in 
my  Divine  power  and  Spirit,  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  world,  and  tliough  I  shall  always 
be  with  you  in  the  person  of  the  poor  and 
needy,  yet  in  the  sense  in  which  this  ex- 
pression of  love  can  be  made,  I  shall  be 
absent.  As  though  he  had  said,  "  After  this 
very  night,  the  opportunity  to  offer  me 
affectionate  attention  or  symbolic  homage, 
to  give  expression  to  feelings  in  accordance 
with  just  presentiments  as  to  my  mission, 
will  be  over  for  ever,  and  belong  to  the 
irrecoverable  past — Now  or  never  !  She  has 
done  this  thing,  she  will  have  everlasting 


remembrance  thereby."  The  frankincense 
of  the  Wise  Men,  the  ointment  of  Mary,  tho 
homage  of  tho  Greeks,  were  symbols,  and 
can  never  bo  repeated.  The  greatest  motive 
for  generous  and  affectionate  interest  in  the 
poor  is  that  they  represent  the  Lord ;  but 
they  aro  not  to  bo  rivals  of  the  Lord  him- 
self. Westcott  remarks,  "The  promise  of 
the  future  record  of  the  act  of  love  is  omitted 
by  the  one  evangelist  who  gives  the  name 
of  the  woman  who  showed  this  devotion  to 
her  Master."  Moulton,  "  The  very  charity 
that  cares  for  tlie  poor  whom  we  see  has 
been  kept  alive  by  faith  iu  and  devotion  to 
the  crucified  Redeemer  whom  we  cannot 
see." 

Vers.  9— 11.— 2.  The  effects  of  the  great 
sign. 

Vers.  9. — (1)  On  much  people  of  the  Jews. 
The  article  (6),  which  the  best  texts  intro- 
duce before  iJxAos  tto\vs,  gives  to  these  words 
an  almost  technical  force.  The  huge  multi- 
tude of  the  Jews — tlie  surging  crowd  of 
ever-gathering  pilgrims  blended  with  the 
"  common  people,"  the  bulk  of  the  population 
of  Jerusalem  and  its  neighbourhood  (ch.  xi. 
55,  56) — therefore — because,  i.e.,  of  the 
rumours  of  the  feast,  the  news  of  the  royal 
consecration  and  sacred  anointing,  which 
had  taken  place  in  honour  of  Jesus  and  his 
last  great  miracle — learned  that  he  was 
there — that  he  had  left  his  unknown  place 
of  retirement  at  Ephraim.  We  gather  from 
the  synoptic  narrative  that  he  had  joined 
the  pilgrim-throng,  advancing  first  into 
Jericho,  and  then,  after  a  night  spent  tliere, 
had  moved  onwards  to  Bethany.  The  disper- 
sion of  hundreds  of  these  excited  followers 
into  Jerusalem  had  again  bruited  abroad 
the  fact  of  the  resurrection  of  Lazarus,  and, 
by  reason  of  the  Lord's  return  to  Bethany, 
the  Jerusalem-party  at  length  learned  where 
he  was.  'O  ox^os  €k  tuv  'lovSaicov  shows  an 
antithesis  intended  between  the  Judsean  and 
the  Galilsean  crowds.  These  the  synoptists 
describe  as  "  those  that  went  before,  and 
those  that  followed  after."  And  they  came, 
not  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  only,  but  that  they 
might  see  Lazarus  also,  whom  he  raised 
from  the  dead.  .Jesus  was  not  the  only  at- 
traction ;  the  risen  man  Lazarus  was  a  rival 
in  popuhirity,  and  by  this  ocular,  tangible 
specimen  of  the  supernatural  resources  of 
Jesus,  they  would  deepen  their  interest  and 
strengthen  their  convictions.  Many  of  this 
Jerusalem  populace,  on  account  of  him 
(Lazarus),  and  the  fact  of  his  resuscitation 
(vTTTjyov),  went  away,  perhaps,  though  not 
necessarily  so,  "  apostatized,"  from  the  high- 
priestly  party,  from  the  hostile  party  in  the 
capital,  and  separated  themselves  from  the 
open  but  dosj)erate  plot  against  the  Divine 
Master,  and  believed  on  Jesus— threw  in 
their  part  and  lot  with  the  Lord  and  hia  dia- 


134 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1— 50. 


ciples.  This  roused  the  malignity  of  the 
unspiritual  and  unscrupulous  party  of  Caia- 
phas,  of  Annas,  and  of  the  Pharisees  in  the 
Sanhedrin. 

Vers.  10, 11.— (2)  On  the  chief  priests.  The 
chief  priests  consulted  that  they  might  put 
Lazarus  also  to  death ;  because  that  by  reason 
of  him  many  of  the  Jews  went  away,  and 
believed  on  Jesus.  They  deliberated  to  kill 
Lazarus  as  well  as  Jesus.  It  was  not 
enough  that  one  man  should  die;  another 
and  another  must  follow  if  their  plan  is  to 
succeed.  And  now  the  hour  had  come  (ch. 
ii.  4 ;  vii.  30),  but  not  until  our  Lord  had 
once  more  warned  the  disciples  with  intense 
eignificance  and  explicitnessof  his  approach- 
ing death  and  burial.  Thus  another  striking 
illustiatiou  is  given  of  the  judgment,  the 
crisis,  the  sifting  jjrocess,  which  is  always 
going  on  in  the  presence  of  Christ.  His 
greatest  signs,  his  wisest  teachings,  his 
most  amazing  love,  bring  out  the  twofold 
result.  Some  receive,  some  reject,  some 
burst  into  louder  acclaim,  some  try  to  slay. 
As  with  the  history  of  this  "  Gospel,"  some 
hear  in  it  the  very  voice  of  the  Eternal,  but 
there  are  others  who  would  grind  it  to 
powder.  Because  Ignatius  and  Polycarp 
bear  witness  to  the  existence  of  the  Gospel, 
these  Lazaruses  must  be  put  to  death,  or 
banished  to  a  later  period  out  of  harm's  way. 
I  Even  the  genuineness  of  the  Apocalypse,  so 
long  a  tower  of  defence  for  the  Tiibingen 
school,  is  too  powerful  a  proof  of  St.  John's 
residence  in  Asia  to  be  accepted  with  equa- 
nimity or  left  in  possession,  and  some  of  the 
later  critics  have  taken  counsel  to  repudiate 
its  Johannine  authorship. 

Vers.  12— 19.— 3.  The  triumphal  entry  into 
Jerusalem.  Christ's  challenge  of  the  autho- 
rities, and  its  results.  (On  the  differences 
between  John's  account  of  this  transaction 
and  that  of  the  synoptic  narrative,  cf.  com- 
mentaries. Matt.  xxi.  1 — 11 ;  Mark  xi.  1 — 
10;  Luke  xix.  29—44.)  On  the  precise 
order  of  events  it  is  difficult  to  speak  with 
absolute  decision.  The  main  difference  be- 
tween the  synoptists  and  John  is  in  the 
break  at  Bethany  of  the  journey  from  Jericho 
to  Jerusalem,  to  introduce  a  feast,  which  is 
related  afterwards  by  the  synoptists,  though 
not  limited  by  them  to  any  later  chronological 
position.  It  should  be  observed,  moreover, 
that  the  synoptic  narrative  contains  numerous 
references  to  the  residence  in  Bethany 
during  several  days  of  the  week  (cf.  Mark 
xi.  12;  Matt.  xxi.  17)  which  followed. 
John  adds  important  details,  and  while  he 
.omits  the  great  discussions  in  the  temple, 


the  withering  of  the  fig  tree,  the  cleansing 
of  the  temple,  the  parables  of  the  judgments 
on  scribes  and  Pharisees,  and  the  pro- 
phecy of  the  future,  he  portrays  the  inner 
life  of  the  Lord,  and  records  his  most  gracious 
esoteric  teaching  and  sublime  prayer.  The 
current  tradition  of  the  Church,  the  distinct 
note  of  time  for  Christ's  arrival  at  Bethany 
(six  days  before  the  Passover),  make  the 
triumphal  entry  take  place  on  Sunday  after- 
noon (cf.  ver.  1)  of  Passion  week. 

Vers.  12,  13. — The  next  day  (on  the 
morrow)  must  be  the  day  after  the  feast. 
We  have  seen  that  that  feast  probably  took 
place  on  the  evening  of  the  sabbath.  The 
events  that  happened  are  far  more  abun- 
dantly described  in  Matthew,  Mark,  and 
Luke — the  excitement  in  Jerusalem,  the 
method  in  which  the  triumph  was  carried 
through,  the  mode  adopted  to  secure  "  the 
young  ass,"  the  weeping  over  Jerusalem 
from  the  summit  of  the  hill ;  none  of  these 
circumstances  are  inconsistent  with  this 
account.  Brief,  however,  as  our  narrative 
is,  it  adds  some  features  which  are  peculiar 
and  highly  historic.  A  ^  vast  crowd  that 
had  come  to  the  feast,  when  they  heard  that 
Jesus  was  coming  to  Jerusalem.  These  that 
had  come  from  the  country,  and  had  already 
encamped  near  or  in  Jerusalem,  came  grou^J 
after  group  to  Bethany  to  escort  him  into 
the  city.  The  synoptists,  not  mentioning  the 
pause  of  the  sabbath  at  Bethany,  and  not 
clearly  indicating  where  and  when  the  feast 
at  Bethany  took  place,  naturally  connect  the 
journey  from  Jericho  with  the  entrance  into 
Jerusalem.  John  explains,  in  addition,  that 
there  were  of  the  Jerusalemites  themselves 
certain  who  had  been  led  to  go  to  Bethany 
and  throw  in  their  lot  with  the  Lord.  The 
early  pilgrims  mentioned  in  ch.  xi.  55,  56, 
also  came  forth  from  the  city  to  hail  and 
welcome  his  approach.  Took  branches  of  the 
palm  trees,  and  went  forth  to  meet  him.  The 
synoptists  had  mentioiied  that  the  trium- 
phant host  had  cut  "branches,"  /cAa5oiis(Matt. 
xxi.  8),  from  the  trees,  and  Mark  (xi.  8) 
had  said  a-n^dSas,  fragments  of  trees,  grass, 
small  branches,  that  could  be  strewn  in  the 
way.  Luke  (xix.  35)  simply  mentions  the 
garments  thus  strewn — a  fact  mentioned  also 
by  Mark  and  Matthew.  Our  narrative  gives 
greater  defiuiteness,  and  even  adds  a  new 
feature,  by  speaking  of  rd  ^aia  twv  (poiv'iKwv, 
"the  palm  branches  of  the  palm  trees," 
which  they  waved  probably  in  triumph,  as 

»  Tregelles,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  and 
R.T.,  on  the  autiiority  of  N*,  A,  and  quota- 
tions from  Origen,  do  omit  the  article  6 
before  oxxos. 


CH.  XII.  1—60.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOIIX. 


1S5 


they  had  been  accustomed  to  do  in  toktn  of 
the  approach  of  a  conqueror  (ef.  1  Mace.  xiii. 
51,  whore  Simon's  return  to  the  city  was 
celebrated  witli  "  thauksfjivins:  and  ^atuv 
and  with  harps  and  cymbals,"  etc.).  Tlio 
use  to  which  tlic  branches  of  the  well-known 
palm  trees  were  put,  diftVrs  from,  but  does 
not  exclude,  tlie  use  to  which  KKaSot  and 
<TToij8o5fr  were  also  ])ut.  Bethany  (sec  note, 
ch.  xi.  1)  was  "the  house  of  datfs,"  and  the 
palm  branches  for  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles, 
on  its  first  celebration  after  the  Captivity  (cf. 
Lev.  xxiii.  40),  were  fetched  from  the  mount 
(Neh.  viii.  15).  The  palju  tree  was  a  sacred 
symbol  for  Israel.  "Tamar,"  a  palm  tree, 
was  a  favourite  name  for  a  woman.  The 
Maccabajan  coins  were  decorated  with  the 
palm  and  vine.  The  medal  itruik  by  Titus 
represented  a  captive  sitting  inider  a  palm. 
Throughoiit  tlieir  history,  in  their  gorgeous 
temple  ritual,  it  continually  reappears,  and 
at  the  last  the  Apocalypse  represents  the 
victorious  songs  of  triumpliant  elders  accom- 
panied by  the  waving  of  the  palm.  If  we 
compare  the  four  accounts  of  the  demon- 
stration, we  shall  see  again  how  in  com- 
bination they  vividly  represent  the  whole 
scene.     The  multitude  cry,  according  to — 

Matthew  (xxi.  9) :  "  Hosanna  '  to  the  Son  of 

David:    Blessed  be   he  that  cometii  in 

the  Name  of  the  Lord ;  Hosanna  in  the 

highist." 

Mark  (xi.  fl,  10) :  "  Hosanna;  Blessed  be  he 

that  cometh  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord : 

Blessed  be  the  coming  kingdom  of  our 

father  David :  Hosanna  in  the  highest." 

Luke(xix.38),remembering  the  angel's  song: 

"  They  praised  God  with  a  loud  voice. 

.  .  .  Blessed  be  the  King  that  cometli  in 

the  Name  of  the  Lord  :  in  heaven  peace, 

and  glory  in  the  highest." 

John  says  they  went  forth   to  meet  him, 

palm     branch     in    hand,    and     cried, 

Hosanna  :  Blessed  be  he  that  cometh  in 

the  Name  of  the  Lord,  and  (blessed  be) 

(even)  the  King  of  Israel. 

These  diflerences  show  how  various  groups 

used  with  freedom  the  tones  and  sentiment 

of    the    hundred    and    eighteenth    psalm, 

adopting  the  welcome  with  which  the  priests 

were  accustomed  to  greet  the  pilgrims  to 

the  festival.   Bui  each  account  demonstrates 

that,  on  this  occasion,  there  was  a  general 

ascription  to  our  Lord  of  Messianic  honour. 

He  is  hailed  by  the  people  as  King  of  Israel, 

as  the  Head  of  the  coming  kingdom  of  their 

father  David,  and  as  giving  glory  to  God. 

•  'Clffavvi  is  a  GrecLze<l  form  of  the  words, 
K|~nyE''i-i,  equivalent  to  "  Save,  I  pray  !  " 
abbreviated  to  wyrin.  It  is  followed  here 
by  the  dative,  rip  vlw  Aoj3f5.  It  is  a  quotation 
from  Pb.  cxviii.  25,  26. 


Tlie  Name  of  the  Lord  is  tlie  manifestation 
and  comi)cndium  of  all  tlie  perfections  of  the 
Lord.  For  centuries  the  gracious  hope  had 
rung  forth  in  the  sacred  liturgy,  and  now 
the  people  see  that  the  hope  is  on  the  point 
of  realization. 

Vcr.  H. — And  Jesus,  having  found  a 
young  ass,  sat  thereon  ;  as  it  is  written. 
The  whole  account  of  the  process  by  which 
our  Lord  secured  the  6vdf>iov  is  described 
at  great  length  bv  the  synoptists  (sec  Matt, 
xxi.  2;  Mark  xi."l2;  Lukn  xix.  30).  The 
foal  implies  that  the  animal  had  never  borne 
another  burden.  The  account  of  Matthew 
refers  to  the  mother  and  the  foal,  as  tliough 
they  were  inseparable,  and  togetlicr  bore 
tlie  sacrt  d  burden.  Mr.  Holmun  lluot,  in 
his  picture  of  the  '  Triumph  of  the  Inno- 
cents,' has  represented  the  beast  braring 
Mary  and  her  Child  as  accompanied  by  tiio 
colt.  The  entire  process  of  securing  both 
must  have  taken  time,  and  augmented 
the  excitement.  Christ  at  length,  on  the 
eve  of  his  Passion  which  he  so  distinctly 
foreshadowed,  allowed  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
people  to  prevail,  and  accepted  the  homage. 
The  Galilee  pilgrims  take  up  the  demon- 
stration, which  was  commenced,  as  we  see 
from  John's  Gospel,  by  "  the  Jews "  and 
those  Jerusalemites  who  had  been  pro- 
foundly moved  by  the  significance  of  the 
resurrection  of  Lazarus.  The  circumstances 
thus  elucMated  from  the  four  narratives,  re- 
veal undesigned  coincidences .  The  entry  into 
Jerusalem  did  not  take  place  till  tlie  after- 
noon, and  so  we  find  that  all  that  our  Lord 
did  on  arrival  was  to  "go  to  the  temple, 
look  round  on  all  things,  and,  now  that  the 
even  was  come,  to  revisit  Bethany  with  the 
twelve"  (Mark  xi.  11). 

Ver.  15. — John,  as  well  as  Matthew,  sees 
here  a  symbolical  fulfilment  of  what  had 
been  declared  by  one  of  the  latest  of  tlie 
prophets,  as  the  peculiarity  of  the  Messiah 
(Zech.  ix.  9)  :  Fear  not,  daughter  of  Zion ; 
behold,  thy  King  cometh,  sitting  on  an  ass's 
colt.'  This  oracle  is  admitted  by  commen- 
tators of  opposite  schools  to  refer  to  the 
Messiah.  There  was  no  need,  in  order  to 
fulfil  the  spirit  of  the  whole  passage,  that 
the  King  should  come  to  his  own  Utcralhj 
upon  the  back  of  a  beast  of  burden.  The 
prophecy  does, however,  suggest  tiie  modesty, 
the  absence  of  all  pomp  or  display  of  worldly 
wealth  and  power;  nay,  the  humiliation  on 


'  See  careful  treatment  of  Zech.  ix.  9,  10 
in  Wright's  '  Prophecies  of  Zechariah.' 
Turpie  (the  'Old  Testament  in  tiio  New,' 
pp.  221,  222)  compares  critically  Matthew's 
quotation  of  Zechariah  with  its  mollifications 
of  both  the  Hfbrow  and  the  LXX.,  with 
John's  abbreviated  citation  of  the  samo 
oracle. 


136 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1—50. 


the  part  of  the  true  King.  Both  Matthew 
and  John  omit  the  characteristics  of  "  right- 
eous and  saved," '  i.e.  "  delivered  "  from  the 
liands  of  his  cruel  enemies.  The  suffering 
Servant  of  God  of  the  great  oracle  of  Isa.  liii. 
was  in  the  mind  of  the  Prophet  Zechariah, 
and  he  adds  this  feature  to  the  triumpliant 
coming  of  the  true  Prince  of  Peace,  that  he 
would  "  cut  off  the  chariot  from  Ephraim 
and  the  horse  from  Jerusalem,"  i.e.  so  act 
that  even  the  national  pride  and  power  and 
military  prowess  should  come  to  an  end ; 
"  Sjjeak  peace  to  the  nations ;  rule  from  sea 
to  sea,  from  the  river  to  the  ends  of  the 
eartli."  As  John  and  Matthew  both  see  the 
symbolical  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy,  they 
doubtless  would  have  us  bear  in  mind  the 
whole  passage.  John  transforms  the  "  Re- 
joice greatly,  shout,"  etc.,  of  the  prophet 
into  "Fear  not."  He  seems  to  take  it  at 
one  stage  only  of  fulfilment,  when  anxiety 
might  momentarily  be  put  to  rest.  The 
"Fear  not"  is  a  lower  form  of  "great  re- 
joicing." It  is  something  for  men  to  dis- 
miss their  doubts  and  hush  their  unrest, 
even  when  they  cannot  burst  into  song. 
Hengstenberg  and  Godet  urge  that  the 
"  meekness  and  lowliness "  to  which  the 
prophet  referred,  and  which  Matthew  cited 
from  him,  was  imaged  in  the  lowly  beast  on 
which  never  man  sat.  But  it  must  not  be 
forgotten  that  the  ass  was  used  by  distin- 
guished personages  (Judg.  v.  9,  10;  x.  4; 
2  Sam.  xvii.  23 ;  xix.  26).  And  all  that  was 
really  meant  by  it  was  the  choice  of  a 
creature  associated  rather  with  daily  life 
than  with  military  display.  Meyer  and 
Moulton  urge  that  it  was  a  chosen  symbol 
of  peace  {Kad-fi/xfyos  is  substituted  for  the 
iTTL^i^T)Kws  firi  of  the  LXX.  and  Matt.  xxi. 
5).  Contrary  to  Keim's  animadversion,  our 
Lord  and  his  disciples  adopted  here  the 
idea  of  a  Jewish  Messiah,  stripping  it  of 
its  worldly  characteristics.  It  should  be 
observed  tiiat,  while  John's  narrative  is  in 
harmony  with  the  syuoptists,  he  greatly 
abbreviates  it. 

Yer.  16. — These  things  understood  not  his 
disciples  at  the  first:  but  when  Jesus  was 
glorified,  then  remembered  they  that  these 
things  were  written  of  him.  This  verse 
shows  that  the  disciples  (of  whom  John  was 
one)  took  part  in  the  celebration,  though 
they  did  not  see  at  the  tinie,  nor  until  after 
tbe  Ascension — not  until  they  saw  by  faith 
the  Sd|a  into  which  the  Lord  had  entered — 
that  the  honour  which  they  had  done  to  him 
had  corresponded  strangely  with  the  marvel- 
lous words  of  the  old  prophecy.  And  that  they 
had  done — clearly  the  disciples,  on  gram- 


matical grounds ;  ol  nadfirai,  is  the  subject  of 
eVoiTjffaf — these  things  unto  him.  'ESo^d^dT^ 
is  used  of  the  uplifting  to  the  glory  which 
he  had  before  the  world  was ;  not  until  then 
was  the  Spirit  given  that  explained  so  much 
of  the  mysterious  life.  (For  other  illustra- 
tions of  rh  irpSiTov,  in  the  rare  sense  of  "  at 
first,"  see  ch.  x.  40  ;  xix.  39.)  (1)  Men  often 
act  and  speak  without  perceiving  the  full 
meaning  of  deed  or  word,  not  grasping  the 
link  of  connection  thus  instituted  between 
a  consecrated  past  and  a  predestined  future. 
(2)  Words  and  actions  are  freely  done  from 
personal  motives  and  in  entire  spontaneity 
when  they  are  nevertheless  fulfilling  the 
Divine  purpose  and  working  out  the  plan  of 
God.  (3)  The  revealing  moment  comes,  and 
the  whole  significance  flashes  into  view. 

Vers.  17 — 19. — These  verses  connect  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  multitudes  with  the  great 
miracle  of  ch.  xi.,  indicating  a  point  concern- 
ing which  the  synoptic  narrative  is  silent, 
and  further  they  consociate  the  miracle  and 
its  effect  upon  the  multitude  with  aggrava- 
tion of  the  malignant  feeling  of  the  consti- 
tuted authorities  which  leads  to  the  capture 
and  crucifixion  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

Ver.  17. — The  multitude  therefore  which 
was  with  him  when  he  called  Lazarus  out 
of  the  tomb,  and  raised  him  from  the  dead, 
were  bearing  witness.  The  seventeenth 
verse  goes  back  to  the  {ox^os)  multitude 
who  are  mentioned  in  ch.  xi.  42  ;  i.e.  to  the 
friends  of  Mary  and  Martha  and  to  other 
inhabitants  of  Bethany,  as  well  as  visitors 
from  Jerusalem  (ch.  xi.  31).  All  these  are  in- 
volved in  the  explicit  declaration,  6  Hv  fxer 
aiiTov.  Which  icas  icith  him  when  '  he  called 
Lazarus  out  of  his  grave,  and  (not  only  so, 
but)  raised  him  from  among  the  dead. 
Those  who  had  actually  beheld  the  miracle, 
and  were  as  eye  and  ear  witnesses  of  the 
event,  wlio  had  hovered  about  Bethany  since 
his  return  to  it, — these  were  hearing  witness. 
They  spread  themselves  abroad  in  the  crowd 
of  Galilfean  pilgrims  and  others,  and  were 
uttering  their  testimony  on  all  sides.  The 
word  is  used  absolutely,  as  in  ch.  xix.  35, 


■  The  Authorized  Version  incorrectly 
translates  the  word  ye*i3  "  having  salvation," 
whereas  it  means  "  being  saved." 


*  "Ot6,  not  8t(,  which  would  alter  the 
meaning  of  the  whole  passage,  and  require 
the  following  clause  to  become  the  object  of 
the  verb  iixaprvpfi :  "  The  multitude  which 
was  with  him  [at  the  time  at  which  tlie 
narrative  reached]  were  bearing  witness  that 
he  called  Lazarus."  But  ore  is  read  by  all 
the  principal  imcial  codices,  X,  A,  B,  E, 
etc.,  and  versions,  and  by  R.T.,  although 
Meyer  and  Tischendorf  (Sth  edit.),  mainly 
on  internal  grounds,  prefer  on ;  not  so 
Alford  (6th  edit.),  Moll,  Tregelles,  West- 
cott  and  Hort,  or  Bale  Revisers,  nor  Tisch- 
endorf in  previous  editions.  "Oti  is  found 
in  D,  K,  L,  n,  and  some  patristic  references. 


CH.  XII.  1—50.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDINa  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


137 


ami  the  imperfect  tense  should  not  bo  turned 
here  into  a  mere  preterite. 

Ver.  18. — For  this  cause  also  the  (6  Sx^^s) 
multitude — which  here  seems  to  be  the  aggre- 
gate of  the  (6x>^os  iro\vs)  crowds  made  up 
of  the  Judxan  and  Galilseau  pilgrims  and 
"  the  Jews  "  who  had  believed  on  him — met 
him  (see  especially  vers.  12, 13) — went  forth, 
and  cut  down  the  branches  of  the  palm 
trees,  and  came  in  high  jubilance  to  meet  him 
— because  they  heard  that  he  had  wrought 
this  sign.  The  resurrection  of  Lazarus  is 
the  motive  of  the  triumphal  procession.  The 
synoptists,  who  have  omitted  the  wliolo  epi- 
sode of  Bethany,  are  naturally  silent  con- 
cerning the  impression  produced  by  it  on 
the  Passover  pilgrims  and  the  Jerusalem 
crowd.  John,  more  intimately  acquainted 
with  the  currents  of  thought  in  the  capital 
than  the  rest,  drew  here  from  his  experience 
and  memory,  and  has  preserved  historical 
features  which  they  had  ignored. 

Ver.  19. — The  Pharisees  therefore,  at  the 
sight  of  the  popular  enthusiasm,  said  to 
themselves ;  i.e.  to  their  own  inner  circle. 
Hengstenberg  thinks  here  is  a  hint  of 
some  medium  of  communication  between 
John  and  the  Pharisees,  and  imagines  it  to 
be  found  through  Martha  and  Simon  (her 
husband).  Their  language  was,  Perceive 
[ye] — or,  ye  perceive  (either  imperative  or 
indicative) — that  ye  prevail  nothing !  The 
interrogative  may  also  be  a  true  translation. 
Do  ye  perceive  that  ye  prevail  nothing  ?  On 
either  hypothesis,  it  cannot  be,  as  Chrysostom 
says,  the  language  of  the  friends  of  Jesus 
among  the  Pharisees,  but  rather  the  cry  of 
despair  and  rage.  Behold,  the  (kSo-hos)  world 
has  gone  away  after  him.  They  are  re- 
penting that  they  had  not  followed  out  the 
coercive  plans  and  murderous  designs  of 
Caiaphas,  and  had  been  content  with  half- 
measures. 

Vers.  20— 30.  — 4.  The  desire  of  the 
"  Greeks  " — the  representatives  of  the  Western 
world — to  see  Jesus,  and  his  reply.  And  now 
a  scene  is  related  of  transcendent  interest 
— the  one  solitary  incident  of  the  Passion 
week  between  the  triumph  and  the  night 
of  the  Last  Supper.  John  assumes  here  a 
knowledge  of  all  that,  in  current  tradition 
and  narrative,  had  taken  place  between  these 
two  events.  The  cleansing  of  the  temple, 
the  solemn  parables  by  which  Jesus  re- 
pulsed the  Sanhedrin,  the  conflict  with 
Sadducees  and  scribes,  and  with  the  com- 
bined forces  of  Herodians  and  Pharisees,  the 
denunciation  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees, 
and  the  prophetic  parables,  possibly  the 
awful  doom  of  Jerusalem,  and  tlie  departure 
from  the  temple.    This  event  may  have  oc- 


curred towards  the  close  of  this  solemn  and 
crowded  week,  and  it  made  profound  im- 
pression upon  John.  The  Hellenes  were 
probably  "  proselytes,"  like  the  Etliiopian 
chamberlain  (Acts  viii.  27).  Edershcim  says 
they  were  "  proselytes  of  righteousness,"  for 
no  others  would  be  allowed  to  worship  at 
the  feast.  Whether  they  came  from  some 
Greek  city  in  Ituraja,  or  from  Gyrene  or 
Edessa,  Ephesus  or  Alexandria,  we  know 
not.  As  wise  men  came  from  the  East  to  the 
cradle  of  the  Lord,  some  can  imagine  these 
Hellenes  to  have  been  Judaized  thoughtful 
men  who  were  longing  for  the  light  and  joy 
found  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  the  reli- 
gious teachings  or  ceremonial  of  the  temple, 
into  the  outer  courts  of  which  they  would 
be  admitted.  When  they  saw  the  kind  of 
reception  which  this  mighty  Sage  was  re- 
ceiving from  his  own  people  and  from  the 
constituted  authorities,  they  were  ready  to 
plead  with  him  to  go  among  them,  and  to 
ofi'cr  his  message  to  the  Gentiles.  For  the 
most  part  he  had  confined  his  mission  to 
"  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel,"  but  in 
his  care  for  the  Herodian  nobleman,  the  Ro- 
man centurion,  the  Syro-Phcenician  woman, 
and  his  references  to  the  "other  sheep  he 
had,"  to  the  "  world "  which  his  Father 
loved,  etc.,  he  partially  revealed  his  ulti- 
mate mission  to  the  whole  world,  though  he 
always  implied  that  such  a  mission  presup- 
posed his  cruel  cutting  off  and  awful  mys- 
terious hour. 

Ver.  20. — Now  there  were  certain  Greeks 
among  those  that  went  up  to  worship  at  the 
feast.  Tii/es  implies  a  group,  and  a  larger 
company  of  these  ava^aivofraiy,  who  were 
and  are  in  the  habit  of  going  up  (perhaps 
were  still  doing  it  even  when  John,  before 
writing  his  Gospel,  had  first  put  the  narra- 
tive into  words).  They  went  up  with  a 
view  to  worship  in  the  feast,  that  is,  there 
were  burnt  oiferings  and  thank  offerings 
wliich  they  were  allowed  to  present.  This 
shows  tliat  they  were  not  heathen  nor  un- 
ciriJiimciscd  Hellenists,  whichever  view  of 
t  Eat  word  bo  accopted. 

Ver.  21.— These  therefore  came  to  Philip, 
who  was  of  Bethsaida  of  Galilee,  and  asked 
him,  saying.  Sir,  we  would  see  Jesus.  The 
first  expression  of  that  greaf  yearning  which, 
swollen  by  multitudes  witliout  number,  is 
loud  as  tlie  voice  of  many  waters  and  migjjty 
thundcrings.  It  is  the  wail  of  every  peni- 
tent; it  is  the  birth-cry  of  every  renewed 
soul ;  it  is  the  raptured  burst  of  joy  as  each 


138 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [en.  xii.  1—50. 


eon  of  God  passes  behind  the  Teil.  The 
"  therefore  "  implies  some  kind  of  previous 
relation  with  Philip,  whose  somewhat  timid, 
cautious,  speculative  mind,  as  hinted  in  the 
earlier  portions  of  the  Gospel,  made  him 
accessible  to  them.  Personal  acquaintance 
is,  of  course,  possible.  Was  Philip  identical 
with  the  Aristiou  of  Papias  (see  Introduction, 
p.  xxxiv.,  and  Archdeacon  Farrar,  Expositor, 
November,  ISSl)  ?  The  mention  of  Beth- 
saida  of  Galilee  confirms  the  suggestion 
that  they  were  inhabitants  of  one  of  the 
Greek  cities  of  Decapolis,  or  of  the  slopes  of 
the  Lebanon.  Many  commentators  refer  to 
Philip's  Greek  name  as  indicating  proclivi- 
ties or  sympathies  on  his  part  which  would 
make  him  peculiarly  accessible. 

Ver.  22. — The  slight  modification  of  text 
preferred  by  the  Revised  Version  gives  great 
vivacity  to  the  picture  (see  below,  note  1). 
Philip  receives  the  respectful  request  of 
the  Greeks,  "  Sir  [my  lord],  we  would  see 
Jesus,"  i.e.  "converse  with."  They  pro- 
bably sought  to  bring  some  proposal  before 
him.  Surely  they  must  have  had,  if  they 
wished  it,  many  opportunities  of  merely 
seeing  Jesus,  when  he  crossed  the  Mount 
of  Olivet  during  those  three  days,  or  tarried 
in  the  court  of  the  Gentiles;  now  they 
pressed  for  an  interview.  Philip  cometh 
and  telleth  Andrew.  Andrew  was  the  ear- 
liest of  the  disciples,  who  brought  his  own 
brother  Simon  to  Jesus  (ch.  i.  40 — 42). 
He  is  mentioned  as  in  close  association  with 
Simon,  James,  and  John,  as  partners  with 
them  in  the  fishing-trade  on  the  lake  of 
Galilee  (see  Mark  i.  16,  29,  and  iii.  18,  com- 
pared with  Luke  v.  10).  There  is  some  hint 
that  Andrew  and  John,  after  the  first  call 
to  become  followers  of  Christ,  clung  to  him, 
and  went  with  him  to  Jerusalem,  and  then 
returned  with  him  through  Samaria,  after 
■which  occurred  the  second  call  of  the  brothers 
Simon  and  James.  The  frequent  references 
to  Andrew  and  Philip  in  this  Gospel  corre- 
spond with  the  tradition  preserved  in  the 
Muratorian  Fragment  on  the  Canon,  touch- 
ing Andrew's  part  in  the  composition  of  this 
Gospel.  These  two  disciples  are  rejOTesented 
as  consulting  with  each  other  on  previous 
occasions,  as  though  peculiarly  related  in 
sympathy.  Philip  sees  certain  difficulties, 
and  Andrew  has  a  practical  mind,  and  pro- 
poses a  way  out  of  them  (see  ch.  vi.  7,  8). 
There  was  something  now  to  be  said  on  both 
sides.  Their  ancient  prophecies  anticipated 
a  world-wide  aspect  of  the  Messianic  king- 
dom (Isa.  Iv.  4,  5  ;  Ivi.  3,  7 ;  as  well  as  Gen. 
xlix.  10).  Now,  if  this  incident  occurred 
after  Jesus  had  claimed  the  hundred  and 
tenth  psalm  as  an  oracle  which  described 
his  own  Divine  claims  and  his  universal 
victory  as  the  Lord  and  Son  of  David  and 
royal  Warrior-Prest  (Matt.  xxii.  41—46,  and 


parallel  passages),  Philip  may  have  felt  this 
moment  to  be  a  most  critical  one  in  his  his- 
tory ;  for  he  may  have  been  perfectly  aware 
of  the  outbreak  of  peril  which  converse  with 
Greek  proselytes  might  at  that  moment  have 
provoked  in  the  minds  of  the  turbulent  popu- 
lace. '  Andrew  cometh  and  Philip,  and  they 
(together)  tell  Jesus.  Jesus  alone  could  solve 
the  difficulty  at  that  time,  and  Jesus  him- 
self is  the  just  and  reasonable  Source  of  all 
enlightenment.  Jesus  is  at  this  hour  the 
highest  Expression  of  man  and  his  destiny, 
and  he  is  also  the  perfect  Manifestation  of 
the  Father,  the  only  Mediator  between  God 
and  man,  absolutely  one  with  both.  We 
still  go  to  him  to  know  what  God  is  and 
what  God  would  have  us  to  think  and  to  be, 
and  to  learn  what  man  may  become.  We 
take  to  him  the  puzzles  of  our  logic,  the 
accusations  of  our  conscience,  and  the  bur- 
dens of  our  heart.  Additional  interest  is 
thrown  round  this  narrative  by  a  suggestion 
of  Archdeacon  Watkins,  that,  in  the  course 
of  this  week,  our  Lord  had  cleansed  the 
temple  and  courts  of  its  profane  traiSc,  and 
declared  it  to  be  a  house  of  prayer  for  all 
nation!^.  Such  grand  revolutionary  concep- 
tions as  those  of  our  Lord  must  have  deeply 
stirred  the  souls  of  the  susceptible  Greeks. 
Aliens  were,  as  we  know  from  Josephus 
('Ant.,'  XV.  11.  5),  forbidden  to  pass  beyond 
the  balustrade  round  the  'Upov.  M.  Gan- 
neau  ^  has  found  among  the  ruins  of  Jeru- 
salem one  of  the  slabs  of  stone  which 
recorded  this  exclusion. 

'  ''EpxfTai  4>iAiir7ros  /col  Ae'^ei  Tij?  'AvSpea' 
epXfrat  'Avdpeas  Kcd  ^iKnriTos  Kol  Aeyovtrt  is 
the  reading  of  N,  A,  B,  L,  cursives,  Italic, 
Jithiopic.  The  koI  irdKiv  was  added  in  N 
to  the  repeated  epxerat,  which  subsequently 
displaced  the  verb,  and  the  Kal  disappeared 
before  the  Xeyovatv.  Had  the  verb  been 
written  as  a  gloss,  epxovrai  w^ould  have  been 
written.  The  reading  is  preferred  by  E.T., 
Teschendorf  (8th  edit.),  Tregelles,  Meyer. 

'  See  '  Survey  of  Western  Palestine  : 
Jerusalem,'  by  Warren  and  Conder,  p.  423, 
quoted  from  the  '  Quarterly  Statement  of 
the  Palest.  Explor.  Society,'  1871,  p.  132, 
by  Clermont-Ganneau.  The  inscription  is 
written  in  monumental  characters,  in  seven 
lines  :  MTjSera  aWoy^v-r]  eicnropevffOai  ivros 
Tov  Trept  TO  lepov  rpvcpaKTov  Kai  Trepi0o\ou  os 
5  av  X7)(pdr)  eavToot  antos  fcrrai  Sia  ro  e^aKo- 
XovQiiv  Bavarov — "  No  stranger  is  to  enter 
within  the  (Tpv<paKTos)  balustrade  round  the 
temple  and  enclosure.  Whoever  is  caught 
will  be  responsible  to  himself  for  the  death 
which  will  ensue."  Curiously,  Josephus,  in 
the  passage  referred  to,  speaks  of  the  rpvcpaH- 
ros  which  surrounds  the  'kpov.  The  inscrip- 
tion also  throws  interesting  light  upon  the 
episode  in  Acts  xxi.  26,  etc. 


CH.  XII.  1—50.]     THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN. 


139 


Vers.  23— 26.— (1)  The  glorification  of  Ihe 
Son  of  vian  in  and  throuijh  death. 

Ver.  23. — And  Jesus  answereth  '  them. 
Jinny  com  men  tutors  (Ewald,  Goikt,  H(,ng- 
stenlx^rjx)  think  tliut  Jesus  did  not  address 
tlie  following  words  to  the  Greeks,  that 
until  he  had  gone  through  the  agony  of 
death,  and  entered  in  human  nature  on  his 
Divine  and  mediatorial  reign,  the  mifsiou 
to  the  Gentiles  could  not  commence.  Tho- 
luck  supposed  that  the  interview  was  over, 
and  that  the  solemn  words  are  addressed  to 
the  disciples  in  tlie  presence  both  of  Greeks 
and  of  others  aftericards ;  but  there  is  no 
such  break  suggested.  It  is  more  probable 
(with  Luthardt,  Edersheira,  Langc)  that 
the  Greeks  were  close  behind  Andrew  and 
Philip,  and  that  our  Lord  at  once,  for  their 
advantage,  as  well  as  for  that  of  the  dis- 
ciples, proceeded  to  exj)lain  the  solemn  im- 
pression made  upon  himself  by  this  remark- 
able desire.  Surely  it  is  unnecessary  to 
say  that  our  Lord  was  anxious  not  to  give 
umbrage  to  the  priests,  or  to  rouse  the 
animosity  of  the  i)eople.  Every  word  of 
the  terrib'e  address  of  Blatt.  xxiii.,  all 
the  controversies  in  the  temple,  even  the 
triumphal  entry  itself,  would  and  did  give 
mortal  umbrage  to  the  priestly  party  and 
to  the  Sanhedrin.  He  had  boldly  chal- 
lenged their  entire  position.  He  had  smit- 
ten down  their  prejudices  and  assailed  their 
notions  of  exclusive  privilege,  and  therefore 
would  not  have  shrunk,  on  that  ground, 
from  intercourse  with  devout  Greeks  wor- 
shipping at  the  feast.  The  words  are  surely 
said  to  them  and  ahout  them,  but  in  the 
main  for  the  instruction  of  the  disciples 
themselves.  The  hour  is  come  for  which 
he  had  been  waiting  (see  cli.  ii.  4 ;  xiii.  1)  — 
the  mysterious  *'  hour  "  on  which  his  glory 
would  depend,  and  the  destiny  of  the  world 
turn.  God  not  only  contemplates  great 
periods,  aeons  of  time,  but  "  acceptable 
yeai  s,"  "  days  of  the  Lord,"  "  moments  of 
time,"  as  parts  of  the  eternal  plan.  That 
the  Son  of  man  should  be  glorified.  The 
"  Sou  of  man."  rather  than  "  Son  of  (xod," 
is  the  term  he  uses  in  reference  to,  and  in 
the  presence  of,  the  Greeks.  The  highest 
JIau  is  now  about  to  assume  his  supreme 
glory,  to  go  forth,  as  the  mighty  Man,  to 
ride  the  world  of  men.  The  Son  of  man  is 
ahout  to  ascend  into  his  eternal  throne,  to 
clothe  himselfwith  all  authority  of  judgment 
and  mercy  in  heaven  and  earth.  The  glori- 
fication of  the  Son  of  man  is  one  of  the  high 
main  themes  of  the  Gosjiel,  and  its  justifica- 

>  Tregelles,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  "West- 
cott  and  Ilort,  and  R.T.  read  anoKpii/eTai, 
with  N,  13,  L,  3.3.  T.K.  and  Lachmann 
read  ansKpivaro,  with  A,  D,  r,  A,  Vulgate, 
Bud  Svriac. 


tion  is  to  bo  found  in  the  fact  that  the  Son  of 
man  is  indeed  the  Logos  made  ilesh,  and  the 
Lamb  slain,  and  like  the  Serpent  is  being 
lifted  up,  and  as  the  true  Slieph(!rd  is  laying 
down  his  life  that  he  might  take  it  again.  The 
advent  of  the  Greeks  opens  prophetic  vistas 
which  involve  tremendous  experiences  of 
his  own,  and  also  great  principles  of  service 
for  all  ins  followers.  His  Passion  was  so 
inextricably  interwoven  with  his  glory,  that 
the  former  becomes  verily  tiie  prelude  of  h's 
victory  and  supreme  exaltatiou.  His  death 
is  but  his  glory.  Moreover,  the  approach 
of  the  Gentiles  suggested  the  universal 
belief  in  him  which  would  follow  ujjon  his 
Passion  and  resurrection,  and  he  "  foretells 
that  the  hour  of  his  glorification  was  already 
come  "  (Augustine).  (See  remarks  in  Intro- 
duction, pp.  Ixxviii. — Ixxx.,  on  the  several 
epochs  in  this  record  of  the  Lord's  life, 
where  the  "  hour  "  seems  to  strike,  but  is 
again  and  again  postponed  with  a  view  to 
fresh  revelations,  exactly  as  the  climax  is 
deferred  throughout  the  Apocalypse.) 

Ver.  24. — The  oracle  is  introduced  with 
a  solemn  'A/xrji',  ay.^v,  Ae^a;  iifuv  :  Verily, 
verUy,  I  say  unto  you,  Except  the  corn  (or, 
grain)  of  wheat,  having  fallen  to  the  ground, 
die,  it  abideth  by  itself  alone ;  but  if  it  die, 
it  beareth  much  fruit.  The  simple  illustra- 
tion of  life  through  death,  life  triumphing 
over  death.  "  Even  nature  protests  against 
the  Hellenic  fear  of  death  "  (Lange).  As 
long  as  the  corn  of  wheat  is  scrupulously  kept 
from  decomposition  and  death  in  the  granary, 
the  hidden  germ  is  dormant ;  let  it  be  sown 
as  "  bare  grain  "  (1  Cor.  xv.  36,  etc.),  then 
the  strange  force  within  it  puts  forth  its 
hidden  faculty,  the  outer  covering  of  this 
point  of  energy  falls  away,  and  the  new 
thing  appears.  God  gives  it  a  body,  and 
much  fruit  is  brought  forth.  Thoma  sug- 
gests that  the  Johaunist  here  is  putting 
into  the  lips  of  Jesus  the  thoughts  of  Paul. 
How  much  more  probable  is  it  that  Paul 
grasped  tlie  thought  of  Jesus,  and  applied 
a  part  of  it  to  the  grand  argument  for  the 
resurrection,  both  of  Christ  and  Christians! 
Compare  with  this  the  teaciiing  of  oh.  vi., 
where  the  Bread  of  life  is  given  for  the 
food  of  men.  Even  the  "bread-making" 
for  man  involves,  in  another  way,  the  tem- 
porary destruction  of  the  living  germ  in  the 
giain  of  which  it  is  composed,  that  it  may 
become  the  life  of  men.  Christ  is  himself 
the  "  Sou  of  God,"  the  "  Logos  incarnate," 
the  "Son  of  man."  By  becoming,  in  his 
death,  the  food  of  man's  soul,  ho  created 
thus  a  new  life  in  the  hearts  of  men.  Over 
and  over  again  our  Lord  has  declared  him- 
self to  be  "the  Life,"  and  "the  Source  of 
life,"  for  men ;  but  ho  here  lays  down  the 
principle  that  this  life-giving  power  of  his  is 
conditionated  by  his  death.    The  great  har- 


140 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDINa  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1-50. 


vest  will  be  reaped  only  when  lie  shall  have 
sacrificed  his  life  and  put  away  sin  by  the 
sacrifice  of  himself.  It  is,  too,  only  as  every 
believing  man  dies  to  himself,  is  crucified 
with  Christ,  is  dead  with  him  to  the  world, 
that  he  rises  again  in  the  newness  of  life. 

Vers.  25,  26. — The  Lord  here  introduces 
a  solemn,  almost  oracular  utterance,  which 
proves  how  close  and  intimate  is  the  rela- 
tionship between  the  synoptics  and  the 
Fourth  Gospel.  On  several  great  occasions 
our  Lord  has  impressed  this  law  of  the 
Spirit  of  life  upon  his  disciples.  Thus  in 
Matt.  X.  37 — 39,  in  the  lengthened  commis- 
sion given  to  the  twelve,  after  calling  on 
his  followers  to  place  his  own  claim  on  their 
afiection  as  greater  than  that  of  fatlier, 
mother,  friend,  and  calling  for  self-sacrifice, 
and  self-crucifixion,  he  said,  "He  that  findeth 
his  life  (4'ux'^)  shall  lose  it :  he  that  loseth  his 
life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it."  Again  (Mutt, 
xvi.  25,  etc.),  after  rebuking  Peter  for  his 
unwillingness  to  recognize  the  necessity  and 
significance  of  the  killing  of  "the  Son  of 
the  living  God,"  he  laid  down  the  same  law 
once  more,  calling  for  self-denial  and  daily 
cross-bearing,  ond  adds,  "Whosoever  will 
save  his  life  shall  lose  it :  and  whosoever  will 
lose  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it."  So 
also  Luke  ix.  23,  etc.  Luke  (xiv.  26)  also 
introduces  the  same  solemn  aphorism  in  our 
Lord's  discourse  concerning  the  close  of  the 
Jewish  national  life.  Surely  here  he  is 
applying  to  his  own  case  the  law  of  the 
Divine  life  which  he  had  shown  to  be  uni- 
versal, and  of  which  he  was  on  the  point  of 
giving  the  crowning  and  climacteric  ex- 
pression. He  does  it  with  amplifications 
and  a  supply  of  motives.  If  life  be  regarded 
as  an  end  in  itself;  if  it  be  treated  as  com- 
plete when  rounded  with  its  own  indi- 
viduality ;  if  life  shrink  from  sacrifice,  if  it 
"  love  itself,"  and  will  at  all  hazards  pre- 
serve itself;  if  the  natural  and  instinctive 
fear  of  death,  and  instinct  of  self-preserva- 
tion, become  a  self-idolatry  ; — that  life  will 
"abide  alone."  If  it  sacrifice  itself  for 
higher  ends  than  self;  if  it  regard  the  higher 
end  as  more  valuable  than  itself;  if  it  lose 
Itself  in  the  object  to  which  it  is  conse- 
crated ;  if  it  be  content  to  "  die  ;  " — it  abideth 
no  longer  "  alone,"  but "  bringeth  forth  much 
fruit." 

Ver.  25.— He  that  loves  his  own  life 
(ij/uxij);  life  used  as  equivalent  to  "  self,'"'  in 
that  totality  of  being  which,  like  the  life  of 
the  seed-corn,  survives  the  accident  of  death 
— he  that  loves  his  own  life  (self)  is  losing  * 
it;    or,   perhaps,  destroying   it,  ipso  facto. 

1  'AiroWvei  is  read,  with  N,  B,  L,  33,  by 
Tischendorf,  R.T.,  etc.,  instead  of  inroKean 
of  T.R.,  with  A,  D,  X,  and  numerous 
versiona. 


There  are  ends  and  objects  of  love  so  much 
greater  than  "  the  self,"  that  to  keep  it  by 
some  act  of  will  and  recreant  fear  is  to  make 
it  utterly  valueless,  is  really  to  destroy  its 
true  vitality.  And  he  that  hateth  his  {■^vx'h') 
life  {self)  in  this  world,  wherever  the  greater 
claim  of  Christ  and  of  the  Father  would  be 
compromised  by  loving  it,  shall  veritably 
preserve  it,  viz.  the  self,  unto  eternal  iC'^i)) 
life ;  i.e.  to  the  blessedness  of  eternal  being. 
The  ^vxh  13  a  great  possession ;  and  "  what 
advautagetli  a  man  if  he  should  gain  the 
whole  world,  and  lose  it  ?  "  But  if  a  mau 
persists  in  gaining  the  world,  and  forgets 
that  this  earthly  existence  is  not  capable  of 
satisfying  the  demands  or  finding  a  sphere 
for  the  true  self,  and  so  makes  the  earthly 
reign  or  enjoyment  of  the  ^vxh  the  end  of 
all  striving, — then  he  miserably  fails.  So 
far  it  is  clear  that  our  Lord  is  applying  a 
great  principle  of  the  true  life  to  the  case 
of  his  own  Messianic  work  and  ministry. 
He  draws,  from  a  law  of  the  superiority  of 
the  Divine  life  to  the  fear  of  death  and  to 
the  fact  of  death,  a  justification  of  his  own 
approaching  doom.  He  can  only  by  dying 
live  his  perfect  life,  win  his  greatest  triumph, 
reap  his  world-wide  harvest. 

Ver.  26. — In  this  verse  the  Lord  brings 
the  light  of  heaven  down  into  this  deep  pa- 
radox. He  speaks  like  an  anointed  King 
and  great  Captain  of  salvation,  who  has 
{BiaKovoi)  "  servants  "  willing  to  do  his  bid- 
ding. If  any  man  will  be  my  servant,  let 
him  follow  me  along  the  line  which  I  am 
prepared  to  take,  in  the  way  of  sacrifice  and 
death,  which  is  the  true  glorification ;  and 
where  I  am,  there  shall  also  my  servant  be. 
This  association  of  the  servant  with  the 
Lord,  as  the  suflicient  and  the  transcendent 
motive,  pervades  the  Gospels  (cf.  ch.  xiv.  3 
and  xvii.  24 ;  comp.  also  Luke  xxiii.  43, 
"  with  me  in  Paradise ; "  and  2  Cor.  xii.  2, 
4  ;  V.  8 ;  Phil.  i.  23).  It  is  remarkable  that 
Christ  chose  the  twelve  that  they  should  be 
"  with  him "  (Mark  iii.  14).  There  is  no 
greater  blessedness.  Still,  the  Lord  adds, 
If  any  man  serve  me,  him  will  the  Father 
honour.  For  the  Father  to  honour  a  poor 
child  of  the  dust  seems  almost  more  than 
we  can  receive.  The  conception  of  the 
steps  by  means  of  which  the  Lord  makes 
this  possible  to  his  followers  and  servants 
produced  in  his  own  self-consciousness  one 
of  those  sudden  and  overwhelming  crises 
and  changes  from  joy  to  perturbation,  as  of 
agony  to  peace  and  to  reconcilement  with 
the  eternal  Father's  will,  which  prove  how 
certainly  St.  John  is  always  portraying  the 
same  Personage,  the  same  transcendent  cha- 
racter whom  the  synoptists  describe  (Luke 
xii.  49,  50 ;  comp.  Luke  xix.  38,  41 ;  Matt, 
xi.  20,  25 ;  xvi.  17,  etc.,  and  21).  More  than 
this,  the  whole  passage  that  follows  is  a 


CH.  XII.  1—50.]     THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING   TO   ST.  JOHN. 


141 


solemTi  prelude  to  that  agony  of  the  parden 
which  the  synoptists  alouc  record,  while  they 
omit  this. 

Vers.    27— 30.— (2)   The    anticipation   of 
Gethfemane. 

Ver.  27. — Now,  at  tliis  moment,  has  heen 
and  yet  is  my  soul  troubled  ("  concuri  ebat 
horror  mortis  et  ardor  obcdicntia),"  Bengei). 
In  ch.  xi.  Sliwe  hoar  that  he  troubled  himself, 
and  shu(Jdered  wrathfully  in  his  "spirit" 
(irvfVfiaTi)  at  the  contemplation  of  all  the 
evils  and  curse  of  death ;  now  his  whole 
^vx-fi,  i.e.  his  life  centred  in  its  corporeal 
environment  as  a  man,  the  self  which  the 
Son  of  God  had  taken  up  into  the  Divine 
essence,  was  in  depth  of  agony,  preluding 
the  strong  crying  and  tears  to  which  Heb.  v. 
7  refers.  These  perturbations  of  his  soul 
and  spirit  can  only  bo  accounted  for  by  the 
uniqueness  of  his  Personality,  the  capacity 
for  suffering,  and  the  extent  to  which  he 
was  identifying  himself  with  the  sinful 
nature  with  which  he  had  invested  himself. 
Sin  is  the  sting  of  death.  He  had  by  the 
nature  of  his  incarnation  become  sin  for  us. 
Martyrs,  freed  from  sin,  delivered  from  its 
curse  and  shame  and  power  through  him, 
face  it  with  calmness  aud  hope  ;  but  there 
was  infinite  space  in  his  breast  for  all  the 
curse  of  it  to  rain  its  horrible  tempest.  He 
felt  that  the  hour  of  his  extremest  travail 
had  come  upon  him.  And  what  shall  I 
(must  I)  say  f  What  is  the  regal  passion  of 
my  heart?  What  is  the  right  revelation  for 
me  to  make  to  you?  What  is  the  prayer 
fur  me  to  offer  to  the  Father  ?  It  remains 
a  great  question  whether  the  next  utterance 
is  the  primary  answer  of  the  question  itself, 
or  whether  it  continues  the  interrogation— 
whether,  i.e.,  the  Lord  lifts  up  for  a  moment 
the  cry  of  heart-rending  grief,  Father,  saiie 
me  from  this  hour ! '  or  whether  he  said. 
Shall  I  say,  Father,  save  me  from  this  hour  ? 
The  first  view  supposesin  the  first  place  actual 
uncertainty  and  awful  bewilderment,  and 
then  a  most  intense  cry  (Heb.  v.  7)  to  him 
who  was  able  to  save  him  from  death.  Save 
me  either  from  the  death  itself,  or  from  the 
fear  and  horror  which  accompanies  it  (Liicke, 
Meyer,  Hengstenberg,  and  Moulton).  It 
need  not  be  a  prayer  to  leave  the  world 
unsaved,  to  sacrifice  all  the  work  on  which 
he  had  come.  We  are  told  by  the  apostle 
(Heb.  V.  7)  that  he  was  "  heard  "  (cmb  rrjs 
fv\a$fias)  and  delivered  from  human  weak- 

'  Compare*  the  note  of  Professor  Milligan, 
'  Resurrection  of  our  Lord,'  and  note  48,  p. 
271,  on  this  passage.  Buttman  says  that  e/c 
ftnd  awh  are  frequently  interchangeable — a 
position  which  Milligan  contends.  He  gives 
to  4k  its  strictest  meaning,  "  out  of,"  and 
translates,  "  Bring  me  out  of  this  hour  " — 
"  safely  through  and  out  of  this  conflict." 


ness  which  might  have  rebelled  in  the  in- 
tolerable darkness  of  that  hour.  Pathor,  save 
me  from  this  hour;  the  equivalent  to  the 
prayer,  "  If  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass 
from  me,"  witli  its  grand  "  nevei-thcless," 
etc.  If  this  be  its  meaning,  we  have  a 
scene  nearly,  if  not  closely,  identifiable  with 
the  agony  of  the  garden.  The  correction 
which  immediately  follows  augments  the 
conii)ari8on  with  the  scene  in  Gethsemane 
recorded  by  the  synoptists.  The  R.T.  aiid 
Revised  Version  have  put  their  note  of  in- 
terrogation after  ravrrfs  into  the  margin,  and 
not  into  the  text.  Ewald,  Lange,  Kliug, 
Tholuck,  Lachmann,  accept  this  punctu- 
ation, and  Godot  regards  it  as  an  hypo- 
thetical prayer,  although  he  does  not  place 
the  interrogation  after  Tavri)s.  The  self- 
interrogation  of  the  previous  utterance  at 
least  reveals  the  presence  of  such  a  desire, 
but  one  which  vanishes  as  the  mysterious  hour 
engulfs  and  wr^ips  him  round.  If  this  bo 
the  true  interpretation,  then  the  clause  that 
follows  must  be,'  Nay,  this  I  cannot  .'^ay,  for 
on  account  of  this  very  conflict — for  this 
cause — only  to  fight  this  great  battle — I 
came  steadily  forward  to  this  hour.  I  can- 
not pray  to  escape  from  it.  If,  however,  we 
have  tlie  expression  of  an  actual  though 
momentary  prayer,  and  if  we  give  it  the 
meaning,  "  bring  me  safely  through  and  out 
of  this  hour,"  it  corresponds  with  the  Divine 
trust  in  the  Father's  love  which,  in  the 
extremity  of  the  anguish  and  desertion,  ho 
yet  reveals,  and  the  dAAo  becomes  equiva- 
lent to  "  Nay,  this  I  need  not  say  ;  the  end 
is  known  "  (Westcott).  I  know  that  I  shall 
be  delivered,  for  this  cause,  viz,  that  I  should 
encounter  aud  pass  through  the  hour  I  came 
into  the  world,  aud  have  reached  the  final 
crisis.  This  is,  to  my  mind,  more  satis- 
factory ;  the  interrogative  prayer  gives  a 
sentimental  character  to  the  utterance  out 
of  harmony  with  the  theme.  Godet  thinks 
that  the  fact  that,  according  to  the  synoptists, 
our  Lord  in  the  garden  did  actually  offer 
the  prayer  which  he  here  hesitates  to  present, 
is  evidence  of  the  historic  character  of  both 
accounts.  I  differ  from  him,  because  the 
sublime  answer  to  the  prayer  here  given 
would  seem  to  preclude  the  necessity  of  the 
final  conflict.  The  circumstance  that  ho 
did  offer  the  prayer  as  interpreted  above, 
a  prayer  which  was  veritably  heard,  is  in 
harmony  with  the  narrative  of  the  agony. 

Vers.  28,  29. — A  heavy  thunder-cloud 
seems  to  hang  over  him;  for  a  moment  a 
break  in  the  darkness,  a  rift  in  the  clouds, 
presents  itself,  and,  though  ho  might  havo 
prayed  for  legions  of  angels,  ho  did  not. 
The  second  Adam  knows  the  issue  of  the 
tremendous  trial,  and,  in  full  apprehension 
of  the  answer  to  his  deepest  prayer,  he  cries, 
Father,  glorify  thy  Name.    The  ''thy"  is 


142 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xn.  1—50. 


emphatic.  A  contrast  is  implied  between 
the  eternal  glory  and  the  glory  of  the  Christ. 
"  I  am  thine ;  thou  art  mine  ;  "  "  Thy  will 
be  done ; "  "  Not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou 
wilt ; "  "  If  this  cup  cannot  pass  away  from 
me  except  I  drink  it,  thy  will  be  done ; " 
"  Not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done."  I  bare  ! 
my  breast  for  the  blow ;  I  yield  my  rf/vx'fi 
absolutely  to  thy  control !  God  glorifies  him- 
self in  many  ways,  and  here  we  see  the 
highest  point  to  which  the  human  can  rise. 
Godet  calls  attention  to  the  extraordinary 
mistake  made  by  Colani,  who  founds  a 
charge  against  the  Gospel  itself  on  the  suppo- 
sition that  these  solemn  words  were,  "  Father, 
glorify  my  Name."  The  synoptists  tell  us 
that  at  the  baptism  (Matt.  iii.  17)  and  at 
the  Transfiguration  (Matt.  xvii.  5)  a  literal 
voice  of  words  was  heard  from  heaven  con- 
veying intelligible  ideas  to  John  the  Baptist 
and  subsequently  to  Peter,  James,  and  John. 
And  here  the  same  John  (son  of  Zebedee) 
records,  not  only  that  such  a.  kind  of  voice 
vras  repeated  on  this  occasion,  but  reports 
the  very  words  themselves.  There  came 
therefore  a  voice  out  of  heaven,  saying,  I 
have  both  glorified  it,  and  will  glorify  it 
again.  These  words  many  of  the  crowd 
round  about  him,  as  well  as  Jesus  him- 
self, distinctly  heard.  The  multitude  that 
stood  by  said,  It  has  thundered;  hearing 
only  a  voice  of  thunder.  It  will  not,  how- 
ever, on  that  account  be  fair  to  this  evan- 
gelist to  say  (with  Paulus,  Liicke,  and  even 
Hengstenberg)  that  there  was  no  objective 
audible  voice  which  any  ear  beside  that  of 
Jesus  could  hear,  and  which  none  but  the 
mind  of  Jesus  could  interpret.  It  is  not 
suflScient  to  say  "  that  the  thunder  and  the 
voice  were  identical."  Hengstenberg  quotes 
numerous  passages  from  the  Old  Testament 
where  thunder  was  interpreted  to  mean  the 
"voice  of  Jehovah"  (1  Sam.  xii.  18;  Ps. 
xxix. ;  Job  xxxvii.  4;  Ps.  xviii.  13),  but 
there  are  numerous  passages  both  in  the  Old 
Testament  and  in  the  Gospels  and  Acts 
where  an  objective  voice  was  heard.  Such 
voice  was  at  times  accompanied  by  thunder, 
but  not  in  the  majority  of  cases.  In  the 
promises  made  in  the  garden  of  Eden,  in 
the  call  of  Moses  and  Samuel,  and  in  the 
communion  that  passed  between  the  Lord 
and  Abraham,  Moses,  Joshua,  Gideon, 
Samuel,  Solomon,  and  Elijah,  Jehovah  spake 
in  audible  words  without  such  auxiliary. 
When  communications  were  made  to  Eli,  to 
David,  to  Hezekiah,  and  others,  they  were 
given  by  the  lips  of  prophetic  men.  When 
the  Law  was  given  to  all  the  tribes  of  Israel, 
the  thunder-trumpet  was  exceeding  loud  and 
long,  and  the  people  could  not  bear  the 
awful  experience,  so  that  the  Lord  was 
pleased  to  speak  to  Moses  only,  and  he  was 
to  communicate  with  the  people.     The  case 


of  Elijah  is  remarkable  because  the  "  still 
small  voice "  is  distinguished  from  the 
thunder,  etc.,  which  had  preceded  it.  Why 
should  Hengstenberg  have  refrained  from 
giving  these  Old  Testament  facts  their 
proper  weight?  The  rationalistic  view 
would  make  the  words  spoken  to  have  been 
the  inference  that  either  Jesus  or  John  drew 
from  a  clap  of  thunder,  and  must  conclude 
that  the  crowd,  so  far  as  the  ojecti've  fact 
was  concerned,  were  practically  in  the  right. 
The  narrative  itself  recounts  a  varied  appre- 
ciation of  a  distinct  and  objective  fact. 
Those  who  were  not  alive  to  any  voice  from 
heaven  confounded  it  with  thunder,  lowered 
the  Divine  communication  down  to  an 
ordinary  natural  fact.  Others,  i.e.  "  a  few 
others,"  were  much  nearer  to  the  reality  when 
they  said,  An  angel  hath  spoken  to  him  (com- 
pare reference  to  the  angelic  aid  that  came 
to  the  Lord  in  Gethsemane).  The  voice  of 
God's  plenipotentiary  angeh  speaking  in  his 
Name,  was  recognized  as  a  supernatural 
communication,  though  the  meaning  of  it 
was  not  grasped  (cf.  the  voice  with  which 
Jesus  spoke  to  Paul  on  the  way  to  Damascus). 
But  we  may  reasonably  suppose  that  these 
Greeks,  that  the  disciples  who  surrounded 
Jesus,  that  the  beloved  John,  found  in  the 
voice  a  direct  answer  to  the  previous  sublime 
cry  of  the  Lord.  The  prayer, "  Father,  glorify 
thy  Name,"  received  the  answer,  I  have  both 
glorified  it,  and  will  glorify  it  again;  i.e. 
In  thy  work  and  life  hitherto,  as  Prophet, 
Master,  Example,  as  my  beloved  Son,  my 
Name  has  already  been  glorified  inthee,  and 
now  in  thy  approaching  sacrificial  agony  in 
which  thou  wilt  become  perfect  as  a  Priest- 
King,  and  the  Author  of  eternal  salvation, 
"  I  will  glorify  it  again." 

Ver.  30. — Jesus  answered  to  the  confused 
murmur  of  remark,  and  said,  This  voice 
hath  not  come  for  my  sake,  but  for  your 
sakes.  This  surely  establishes,  on  the  autho- 
rity of  Jesus,  the  objective  character  of  the 
revelation.  "It  was  necessary  that  you 
should  hear  and  know  and  feel  who  and 
what  I  am."  Ever  tliinkingof  others,  living 
in  them,  he  thinks  of  their  spiritual  advnn- 
tage  now.  Thoma  says  tl;at  whereas  the 
whole  scene  corresponds  with  the  synoptic 
account  of  Gethsemane,  it  is  idealized  on 
the  basis  of  the  Joliannine  idea  of  the 
Divine  Lamb  and  the  IPI^^WE^  flesh,  and 
that  Jesus  here  shows  that  he  needed  no 
strengthening,  as  the  objective  revelation 
was  entirely  for  the  sake  of  others,  and  not 
for  his  own  consolation.  This  ingenious  cri- 
ticism of  Thoma  rests  on  the  unjustifiable 
hypothesis  that  the  scene  before  us  did  not 
precede  the  agony  of  the  g'lrden,  but  was  a 
bare  invention  of  the  evangelist,  becaiise  the 
latter  ruled  that  Gethsemane  needed  "ideali- 
zation."     Why  should  not  the  two  scenes 


en.  xn.  1— oO.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


143 


be  equally  true,  revealing  the  fundamental 
identity  of  olmractor  and  personality,  the 
one,  moreover,  preparing  for  the  other  ?  (See 
notes  on  cli.  xix.) 
Vers. 3 1  — 3G. — 5.  Thejudgment o/th is uorld. 
Ver.   31. — Still   more   emphatically  doe8 
Christ  exjOTuud  the  heavenly  voice,  and  vin- 
dicate for  himself  the  most  solemn  position 
with  reference  to  the  world  and  its  prince. 
The  "  world,"  or  humanity  evolving  itself  to 
the  highest  form  of  a  complicated  civilization, 
was  present  to  him  far  more  vividly  than 
when  tlie  tempter  showed  him  all  the  king- 
doms of  tlie  world  and  tiie  glory  of  them. 
Instead  of  liolding  them  in  royal  fee  of  the 
devil,  and  of  compelling  tiicm  to  do  his  bid- 
ding, he  declares  that  his  hour,  which  had 
come,  was  an  hour  of  judicial  condemnation  for 
the  world.    The  corruption  of  the  world,  tlie 
radical  injury  done  to  human  nature,  starts 
out  on  its  beautiful  and  decorated  front  like 
the  leprosy  ditl  on  the  face  of  Naaman.  Now 
is  a  judgment  of  the  world.     Observe,  not  rj 
Kplffts.     This  is  compatible  with  the  state- 
ments of  eh.  iii.  17 — 19,  and  not  inconsistent 
with  the  frequent  references  in  ch.  v.  to  the 
"  last  day."  Because  John  gives  prominence 
to  the   great   principles   of  judgment,  and 
implies  that  the  books  of  remembrance  and 
condemnation  are  written  all  over  indelibly 
by  the  hand  of  the  world  itself,  there  is 
no   proof  that    the    Lord   (in    John)    says 
nothing   of   the   great    catastrophic   judg- 
ments of  wliich  the  synoptic  Gospels  pre- 
serve the  prophecy.     Our  Lord  has  rather 
revealed  (according  to  John)  the  principles 
which  make  the  judgment  of  the  great  day 
credible.     What  a  man  has  become  at  any 
epoch  of  his  existence,  what  a  nation   is 
about  at  any  crisis  of  its  history,  whatsoever 
act  represents  the  spirit  of  the  whole  world, 
is  in  each  case  the  judgment  which  God,  by 
his  providence,  passes  upon  him  or  it.    Still 
more  impressively  witii  a  second,  Now,  he 
adds,  shall  the  prince  of  this  world  be  case  out. 
The  phrase,  "  archon  of  this  world,"  is  a  well- 
known  later  Hebraic  phrase  for  "the  ruler  of 
tlie  darkness  of  this  world,"  the  shir-olam 
of  the  rabbinical  books,  the  angel  of  death, 
to  whom  was  entrusted  the  rulersliip  of  the 
world  outside  of  tlie  sacred  family.     Chri.st 
declares   that  his  own  hour,  in  which  the 
world   and   its    prince   would   seem   to   be 
triiimphant,  wonld   be   the   hour   when    he 
should  be  cast  out  of  earth  as  he  had  been 
already  cast  out  of  heaven.     This  expulsion 
and  destruction  of  the  power  and  works  of 
the  devil  was  one  great  end  assigned  to  the 
manifestation  of  the  Son  of  God  (1  John  iii. 
8).  It  is  important,  however,  to  notice  the  dif- 
ference of  tenses.    "  Now  is  the  judgment  of 
this  world," — this  is  the  immediate  result  of 
his  death ;  "  Now  shall  the  prince  of  this 
world  be  cast  out"  describes   the  gradual 


victory  of  truth,   which    is   pursued   more 
explicitly  in  the  next  verse. 

Vers.  32, 33.— And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  out  of  (or, 
from)  the  earth,  will  draw  all  (men)  to  myself. 
Now  this  he  spake,  signifying  by  what  death 
he  was  abotit  to  die.  'r\pueu  has  been  by 
Meyer,  as  well  as  many  of  the  Fathers, 
referred  to  the  Lord's  resurrection  and  ascen- 
sion. The  tK  rrjs  7^j  would  certainly  be  in 
favour  of  it,  and  be  a  possible  rendering  if 
wo  hold  (with  Westcott  and  other.s)  that 
resurrection  and  uplifting  from  the  earth 
involve  and  presuppose  a  previous  death,  or 
that  John  always  speaks  of  Christ's  death 
as  itself  a  glorious  thing,  as  itself  the  com- 
mencement of  the  supreme  glory  of  the 
Son  of  man.  On  the  other  hand — though 
this  idea  is  reiterated  by  the  opponents  of 
the  Fourth  Gospel — there  is  nothing  in  the 
New  Testament  which  makes  the  cross  of 
Christ  in  itself  a  symbol  of  the  exaltation  of 
Jesus.  Moreover,  the  next  verse  compels  a 
closer  reference  to  "  the  way  in  which  he 
was  about  to  die" — a  mode  of  departure 
admirably  expressed  by  the  term  "  uplift- 
ing." The  language  of  Jesus  to  Nicodemus, 
in  which  the  same  word  occurs  in  describing 
the  lifting  up  of  the  Son  of  man  after  the 
fashion  in  which  the  serpent  was  uplifted  in 
the  wilderness,  confirms  this  interpretation 
of  the  evangelist,  which  we  have  no  claim 
to  traverse  (cf.  also  ch.  xviii.  32;  xxi.  19). 
Christ  declared  that  the  attraction  of  the 
cross  would  be  mightier  than  all  the  fasci- 
nation of  the  prince  of  this  world.  The  word 
e\Kv(Tai,  "  I  will  draw,"  is  applied  elsewhere 
(ch.  vi.44)to  the  Father's  work  of  grace,  which 
preveniently  prepares  men  to  come  to  Christ. 
In  these  words  we  learn  that  the  attraction 
of  the  cross  of  Christ  will  prove  to  be  the 
mightiest  and  most  sovereign  motive  ever 
brought  to  bear  on  the  human  will,  and, 
when  wielded  by  the  Holy  Spirit  as  a  revela- 
tion of  the  matchless  love  of  God,  will  involve 
the  most  sweeping  judicial  sentence  that  can 
be  pronounced  upon  the  world  and  its  prince. 
Inch.  xvi.  11  the  belief  or  the  conviction  that 
the  prince  of  this  world  has  been  already 
condemned  (xe'/cpiTat)  is  one  of  the  great 
results  of  the  mission  of  the  Comforter. 

Ver.  34. — The  audience  of  Jesus  on  tliis 
occasion  has  swollen  into  a  vast  group.  The 
few  Greeks,  with  Philip  and  Andrew,  the 
other  disciples,  the  smaller  circle  of  sympa- 
thetic listeners,  the  disturbed  and  feverish 
crowd,  are  all  about  him,  as  he  claims  by 
death  itself  to  judge  the  world,  to  win  all 
men,  and  cast  out  the  spirit  and  prince  of 
the  world  from  his  usurped  throne.  The 
multitude  then '  answered  him.  We  heard — 

'  The  oiv  is  inserted  by  Tischendorf  (8th 
edit.)  and  R.T.,  with  N,  13,  L,  X.  Lach- 
mann,  Tregciles,  and  T.R.  omit  it 


144 


THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1— 50. 


received  information  by  public  teaching — 
out  of  the  Law  that  the  Christ  abideth  for 
ever.  Numerous  passages  may  have  been 
reasonably  in  their  minds — Ps.  ex. ;  Isa.  ix. ; 
Ezek.  xxxvii.  25;  Dan.  vii.  13, 14 — in  which 
the  glories  of  an  everlasting  kingdom  were 
predicted.  In  ver.  23  the  Lord  had  in  their 
hearing  spoken  of  himself  as  "  Son  of  man." 
Meyer,  by  giving  the  dominant  sense  of 
glorification  to  the  vxpdOai,  thinks  that  the 
people  must  be  contrasting,  in  pert  criticism, 
the  lowly  "  Son  of  man  "  before  them  with 
the  *'  Son  of  man  "  of  Daniel's  vision.  But 
it  would  be  far  more  probable  that  the 
people  accepted  Christ's  intimation  of  the 
manner  of  his  death,  and  hence  felt  the 
incongruity  of  such  a  Son  of  man — One  who 
dies,  and  therefore  lives  again — with  the 
glowing  pictures  of  Daniel  or  the  '  Book  of 
Henoch.'  "  The  Christ  abideth  for  ever." 
And  how  say  est  thon  that  the  Son  of  man 
must  be  lifted  up  1  Who  is  this  Son  of  man  ? 
They  did  not  identify  "  the  Son  of  man  "  with 
the  Messiah.  They  probably  supposed  two 
manifestations.  They  may  have  doubted,  a* 
John  the  Baptist  did,  whether  Jesus  had  ful- 
filled the  whole  conception  of  the  tpx^/J-fvos. 
It  was  once  more  a  vague,  dull  inquiry, "  Who 
art  thou  ?  "  We  are  still  in  doubt  who  thou 
art,  and  how  thou  canst  claim  to  be  the 
Christ  of  our  prophecies.  To  be  our  Christ, 
and  die,  is  a  contradiction  in  terms. 

Ver.  35. — Christ's  reply  is  introduced  with 
a  simple  tl-Trtv.  Jesus  therefore  said  to  them, 
not  in  answer  to  their  question,  but  by 
taking  up  a  title  of  dignity  that  he  had 
claimed  before.  He  evidently  assumes  to  be 
the  Light  of  the  world  (ch.  viii.  12),  and 
now  the  time  is  almost  over  when  they  could 
see  its  lustre  or  discern  other  things,  either 
themselves,  or  their  sins,  or  this  world,  or  the 
next  world,  by  that  Light.  The  time  for 
further  instruction,  or  remonstrance,  or  decla- 
rations is  at  an  end.  The  evangelist  sums 
up,  in  vers.  44 — 50,  the  general  substance  of 
our  Lord's  teaching  with  reference  to  him- 
self and  his  disciples  and  the  world  which 
would  not  believe;  and  thus,  then,  in  a 
wonderful  way,  justifies,  as  it  were,  the  non- 
answer  to  the  captious  question,  "  Who  is 
this  Son  of  man  ?  "  Yet  a  little  while  is  the 
Light  amongst  you.  The  "  little  while  "  of 
our  Lord's  day  of  ministry  was  often  upon 
his  lips  (ch.  vii.  33 ;  xiii.  33 ;  xiv.  19  ;  xvi. 
16).  Verily  to  his  consciousness  it  must 
have  been  but  as  the  twinkling  of  an  eye, 
and  now  it  was  a  very  little  while  even  for 
his  hearers.  Based  on  this  solemn  fact,  he 
makes  a  last  public  appeal  to  individuals, 
propounding  gracious  invitation.  Divine  pro- 
mise, solemn  warning ;  and  so  he  terminated 
his  public  ministry,  and  vanished  from  before 
them.  As  far  as  the  memory  of  his  living 
words  and  deeds  might  influence  them,  the 


Light,  though  not  among  them,  might  still 
shine,  and  the  glory  of  Pentecost  would 
renew  the  appeal.  Walk  as  ye  have  the 
Light ;  make  progress  in  the  understanding 
of  self,  of  duty,  of  time,  of  eternity,  and  act 
accordingly.  The  ais  is  the  reading  pre- 
ferred to  the  e&iy  of  the  T.R.  in  this  and 
the  following  verse  by  Tischendorf,  Meyer, 
Westcott  and  Hort,  and  the  Revisers'  text. 
]\Ieyer  here  differs  from  Godet  and  others  who, 
accepting  the  reading  us,  give  it,  in  virtue 
of  certain  passages  in  the  classics,  the  sense 
of  quamdiu,  and  justly  maintains  the  sense 
"as,"  "in  the  measure  that."  According 
to  the  light  that  you  see,  walk,  lest  ("va  /xr;, 
"  in  order  that  not")  darkness  overtake  you: 
and  he  that  walketh  in  the  darkness  knoweth 
not  whither  he  goeth;  lest  the  possibility  of 
seeing  the  Divine  revelation  in  me  be  taken 
from  you,  and  lest  there  be  taken  away  from 
you  that  which  you  seem  to  have  (cf.  Jer.  xiii. 
16).  Then,  in  harmony  with  the  great  say- 
ings of  ch.  ix.  4,  5  and  xi.  9,  "In  the  night 
no  man  can  work ; "  "  In  the  night,  when 
men  cannot  see  the  light  of  this  world,  they 
stumble  over  unseen  perils  and  pitfalls ;  " 
so  here,  he  says,  in  the  darkness  that  will 
come  upon  men  from  making  no  iise  of  the 
Light  of  the  world,  "they  will  not  know 
whither  they  are  going,"  they  will  find 
no  work,  have  no  perception  of  imminent 
danger,  but,  driven  on  and  on  by  measure- 
less force,  they  will  drift  over  the  fathom- 
less unknown  into  infinite  and  endless 
suspense.  When  the  Light  of  the  world  is 
spurned,  and  a  godless  evolution  made  to 
supply  its  place,  humanity  and  the  world 
have  no  goal  set  before  them ;  there  is  no 
end  at  which  they  aim — no  mind  or  will  to 
guide  the  progress  of  mankind. 

Ver.  36. — But  he  concludes  with  one  more 
glorious  invitation.  As,  up  to  this  moment, 
you  have  the  Light,  believe  in  the  Light; 
treat  it  as  light — receive  the  revelation  I 
have  given  you  (cf.  the  ninth  and  eleventh 
chapters);  "Work  while  it  is  called  to-day;" 
"stumble  not;"  make  no  irreparable  mis- 
take. "  Become  " — so  walk  that  ye  may  be- 
come yourselves  sons  of  Light,  illumined  and 
luminous.  This  fine  expression  is  found 
in  Luke  xvi.  8 ;  1  Thess.  v.  5 ;  and,  with 
alteration  of  viol  into  renva,  in  Eph.  v.  8. 
This  last  word,  public  word,  of  Jesus,  which 
was  in  part  accepted  by  some  of  his  hearers, 
as  we  see  from  ver.  42,  corresponds  with  the 
Beatitudes,  and  sustains  one  at  least  of  the 
main  theses  of  the  prologue :  "  The  Life 
was  the  Light  of  men."  These  things  spake 
Jesus,  and  departed,  and  was  hidden  from 
them.  This  utterance  records  the  close  of 
the  Lord's  public  ministry,  and  therefore  the 
solemn  termination  of  the  various  scenes 
and  discourses  preserved  in  the  synoptic 
narrative.    The  people  of  his  love  saw  him 


CH.  xir,  1—50.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


145 


no  more  till  he  nppeared  as  a  criminal  in 
the  hands  of  the  ofiBcera  of  the  Sanliedrin, 
on  his  way  to  the  Prsstorium.  In  the  silence 
of  tlie  home  at  Bethany  he  prohably  spent 
the  last  day  of  his  earthly  ministry,  which 
terminated  in  the  marvellous  converse  at 
the  Last  Supper.  "  This  time  it  was  no 
mere  cloud  which  obscured  the  sun,  for  to 
tliem  the  sun  itself  had  sot."  And  now, 
through  several  verses,  the  evangelist  pre- 
sents his  own  reflections  on  the  cause  of 
the  strange  paradoxical  proceeding  which 
led  "his  own"  not  to  receive  him. 

Vers.  37—43.-6.  The  reflections  of  the 
evangelist. 

Ver.  37. — Thongli  he  had  done  so  many 
signs  in  their  presence,  yet  they  believed  not 
on  him.  (Too-aOra  is  discriminated  from 
toioCto,  Plat.,  'Gorgias,'  p.  456,  c.  The 
passages  ch.  vi.  9;  xiv.  9;  xxi.  11,  are 
generally  held  to  establish  the  meaning  of 
'■  so  many,"  rather  "  so  great ;  "  the  proof  is 
not  conclusive.)  If  "so  many  "  be  the  cor- 
rect reading,  John  is  simply  implying  what 
he  elsewhere  expresses,  that  a  widespread 
knowledge  was  possessed  by  him  of  groups 
of  miraculous  signs,  of  which  herecorded  only 
seven  crucial  symbolic  specimens ;  (1)  wine ; 
(2)  breati ;  (3)  walking  on  the  sea ;  (4)  heal- 
ing nobleman's  son;  (5)  healing  impotent 
man ;  (6)  resurrection  of  Lazarus ;  to  be 
followed  by  (7)  the  healing  of  the  ear  of 
Malchus,  and  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord 
himself,  (a)  Signs  in  heaven,  earth  and 
sea ;  (b)  startling  miracles  on  human  nature, 
and  (c)  on  dead  men,  did  not  compel  belief. 
The  inaccessibility  of  the  people  reveals 
their  mental  condition,  but  no  reproach  is 
thrown  upon  the  metliod  which  the  Lord 
took  to  reveal  his  Divine  mission.  The 
tragic  refrain  still  echoes  on,  "He  came 
unto  his  own,  and  his  own  received  him 
nut." 

Ver.  38. — In  order  that  the  words  of  Isaiah 
the  prophet  might  be  fulfilled,  which  he 
spake,  Lord,  who  believed  our  report?  or 
tlie  message  which  the  prophets  have 
delivered — the  prediction  they  made  of  a 
suffering  and  rejected  Ciirist,  of  One  who 
would  "  sprinkle  many  nations,"  and  in  the 
very  "travail  of  his  soul  see  iiis  seed."  To 
whom  was  the  arm  of  the  Lord  revealed  1 
It  docs  not  mean  that  no  hearts  responded 
to  tlie  appeal,  that  tlie  voice  from  heaven 
fell  on  no  susceptible  ears;  but  that  it  is  one 
of  the  anomalies  of  humun  life  tliat  man 
does  seem  so  insensible  to  his  own  highest  ] 
interests.  Prophets  are  always  wondering 
at  the  condition  of  mankind.  Even  Jesus 
niarvelle<l  at  the  unbelief  of  his  hearers. 
The  \6yos  of  Isaiah  shows  that  prophets 
foresaw  the  issue  of  the  kind  of  reception 
that  a  people  who  had  been  so  faithless  to 
Jehovah's  lesser  manifestations  would  give 
JOHN.  —II. 


to  the  most  amazing  of  all  his  self-dis- 
closures. The  Xva.  irKr]pi»9ri  must  not  bo 
explained  away,  the  outline  was  presented 
by  Isaiah  of  the  reception  which  tho 
favoured  but  prejudiced  and  hardened  house 
of  Israel  gave  to  Divine  revelations.  It 
would  be  tilled  in  by  the  events  which  were 
then  about  to  be  enacted.  God's  intuition 
of  actual  facts,  his  unconditional  foreknow- 
ledge of  all  contingent  phenomena,  do  not 
necessitate  their  occurrence  so  as  to  deprive 
sinners  of  their  guilt ;  yet  when  they  have 
occurred,  the  causes  which  produced  tiio 
widespread  unbelief  in  the  days  of  Isaiah 
were  seen  to  be  still  at  work,  and  to  account 
for  the  strange  incomprehensible  mystery 
that  blindness  in  part  had  liappened  to 
Israel.  God  works  by  law,  and  works  freely 
by  men  and  in  them,  not  only  foreseeing 
the  evil  and  blindness,  but  positively 
punishing  sin  by  blindness,  taking  away 
from  a  man  that  which  he  seemeth  to  have. 
By  this  means  the  "altar  was  built,  tlie 
wood  and  the  knife"  for  the  great  sacrifice. 
The  use  made  of  various  portions  of  this 
oracle,  by  the  Lord,  by  evangelists,  by  the 
apostles,  by  tlie  deacon  Philip,  by  Paul  and 
Peter,  shows  that  the  early  Church  regarded 
it  as  the  detailed  description  of  the  character 
suffering,  and  work  of  Christ.  It  became 
virtually  a  portion  of  the  New  Testament, 
and  it  was  practically  treated  as  such  by 
Barnabas  (c.  5,  'Ep.  to  Diog.,'  c.  49)  and 
Justin  Martyr  (1  '  Apol.,'  c.  50).  The  fifty- 
third  of  Isaiah  may  "have  been  imperfectly 
understood  by  its  author,  may  in  his  mind 
have  had  this,  that,  or  the  otlier  original 
reference,  and  have  suffered  various  Judaic 
interpretations.  Modern  criticism  may  scoff 
at  it  as  a  Messianic  prophecy.  All  this 
does  not  touch  tlie  patent  fact  that  nearly 
all  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament  and 
numerous  classes  in  the  early  Church  used  it 
as  descriptive  of  their  idea  of  Chrisfs  work. 
It  tlius  becomes  of  priceless  value. 

Vers.  39,  40. — In  these  verses,  however,  a 
deeper  difficulty  still  is  involved.  The  5ia 
TovTo  .  .  .  brt  leave  us  no  option  (see  ch.  vii. 
21,  22)  but  to  translate  :  Per  from  this 
reason  they  were  unable  to  believe  (see 
other  illustrations  of  the  usage,  ch.  v.  18 ; 
viii.  47 ;  x.  17).  There  was  a  moral  impossi- 
bility inherited  by  them  through  ages  of 
rebellion  and  insensibility  to  Divine  grace, 
and  through  their  misuse  of  Divine  revela- 
tion. The  issue  of  it  was,  "tiiey  could  not 
believe."  Because  Isaiah  said  again;  i.e.  in 
another  place;  illustrative  of  this  great  Jles- 
sianic  oracle  and  the  reception  it  would  meet 
with  from  the  nation  as  a  whole.  In  the 
passage  which  follows  we  have  a  translation 
whicli  does  not  directly  correspond  with 
either  the  Hebrew  or  tlie  LXX.  of  Isa.  vi.  9, 
10.     The  prophet  is  bidden  by  the  Lord  to 


146 


THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1—50. 


punish  the  people  for  their  obduracy  by  blind- 
ing their  eyes  and  hardening  their  heart,  and 
even  arresting  the  conversion  and  healing 
of  the  covenant  people.  This  same  solemn 
passage  is  quoted  in  four  other  places  in 
the  New  Testament.  Perhaps  Luke  viii.  10 
is  hardly  to  be  regarded  as  a  citation;  a 
small  portion  only  of  the  passage  is  intro- 
duced from  the  prophet  without  reference 
to  him,  and  this  is  inverted  in  order.  In 
Matt.  xiii.  14, 15  there  is  the  nearer  approach 
to  the  LXX.,  which,  however,  transforms 
the  y'oW  ippe*,  "  to  hear,  hear  ye,"  into  okoj? 
aKova-ere,  "  by  hearing  ye  shall  hear ; "  and 
similarly  with  the  other  clauses, — the  im- 
perative of  God's  command  to  the  prophet 
being  resolved  into  the  future  of  most 
certain  accomplishment,  and  in  place  of 
"  Lest  they  understand  with  their  heart,  and 
convert,  and  he  [God]  heal  them,"  LXX. 
reads,  "  Lest .  .  .  should  convert,  and  I  [who 
give  you  the  command  to  deliver  such  a 
message,  notwithstanding  its  results  upon 
them]  heal  them."  This  St.  Matthew  has 
followed.  Mark  iv.  12  has  given  a  different 
representation  again,  and,  while  omitting  a 
considerable  poiiion  of  the  passage,  passes 
to  the  climax,  which  is  put  thus  :  "  Lest  they 
should  be  converted,  and  their  sin  should 
be  forgiven  them,"  showing  that  the  evan- 
gelist, looking  to  the  Hebrew  rather  tlian  to 
the  LXX.,  has  resolved  its  meaning  into  a 
clearly  related  paraphrase.  In  Acts  xxviii. 
26,  27  the  passage  almost  verbally  follows 
the  LXX.  Here  in  the  remarks  of  St.  John 
the  whole  passage  seems  independent  of  the 
LXX.,  and  to  have  resolved  the  Hebrew 
"imperative,"  addressed  to  the  prophet, 
into  an  awful  assurance  of  Divine  agency 
in  the  matter.  Instead  of  "shut  their 
eyes,"  Hebrew  imperative,  or  LXX.  "  their 
eyes  they  closed,"  iKafifivaav,  LXX.,  he  says, 
r€Tv<p\a}Kev,  He  hath  blinded  their  eyes;. 
and  so  with  the  other  terms  :  He  hardened ' 
their  heart;  in  order  that  they  should  not 
(lest  they  should)  see  with  their  eyes,  and 
perceive  with  their  heart,  and  should  turn, 
and  I  should  heal  them.  In  Ida-u/xai  the 
evangelist,  returning  to  the  first  person, 
draws  a  distinction  between  the  retributive 
activity  of  the  pre-existent  Christ  of  the 
earlier  revelation  and  the  historical  Saviour. 
There  is  no  slip  or  negligence.  Godet  and 
Ilengstenberg  go  a  long  way  in  making 
God  the  Author  of  the  sin  and  rejection, 
and  tlie  cause  of  the  impossibility  of  their 
repentance  and  healing.  That  which  in  all 
the  several  quotations  of  this  passage  we 
learn  from  Isaiah's  oracle  is   that  the  un- 

•  Ue-nwpaiK(v  of  T.R.  is  replaced  by 
i-Kiiipujcrev,  by  E.T.  with  Tischendorf  (8th 
edit.),  Tregelles,  Alibrd,  and  A,  B.  N  also 
lias  an. emendation  of  iirijpwri^crav. 


forced  and  wilful  rejection  of  the  Divine 
Word  is  visited  by  condign  withdrawment 
of  the  faculty  to  receive  even  more  accessible 
and  apprehensible  truth.  This  is  the  great 
law  of  Divine  operation  in  the  nature  of  all 
moral  beings.  This  law  is  described  as  a 
distinctly  foreseen  event,  and  by  LXX.  aa 
an  apprehensible  and  even  conspicuous  fact, 
and  it  is  quoted  by  St.  John  as  the  direct  con- 
sequence of  tiie  Divine  activity.  He  does 
not  mean  to  say  that,  because  Isaiah  fore- 
told this  as  a  Divine  reprobation,  they, 
whether  they  would  or  not  as  individuals, 
were  fated  to  die  the  death  of  blindness,  but 
they  could  not  believe,  because,  on  the 
principle  involved  in  Isaiah's  predictions, 
the  Divine  government  had  fulfilled  itself, 
had  acted  upon  its  universal  law,  and  in 
consequence  of  vows  and  acts  of  wilful  dis- 
obedience, they  had  thus  fallen  into  the  curse 
that  belongs  to  a  neglect  of  the  Divine. 
"  They  could  not  believe."  Thus  even  now 
disinclination  to  God  and  to  righteousness 
leads  to  moral  incapacity.  Sin  is  pimished 
by  its  natural  consequences :  unbelief  is 
punished  by  unsusceptibility  to  clearest 
evidence;  prejudice  by  blindness ;  rejection 
of  Divine  love  by  inability  to  see  it  at  its 
best.  How  is  this  natural  evolution  brought 
about?  Surely  by  laws  of  God.  What  are 
these  laws  but  God's  ways  of  acting  with 
all  moral  agents  whatever? 

Ver.  41. — These  things  said  Isaiah,  be- 
canse  *  he  saw  his  glory,  and  he  spake  of  him. 
By  this  reference  to  the  theophany  of  Isa. 
vi.  1,  2  the  evangelist  here  identifies  Christ 
with  the  Adonai  whom  the  prophet  saw  in 
his  vision,  and  thus  expresses  his  conception 
of  the  Christ  (comp.  1  Cor.  x.  4;  Phil.  ii. 
6).  Because  the  prophet  saw  the  glory  of 
Christ,  the  unutterable  majesty  of  the 
"  Word  of  God,"  he  delivered,  as  we  know, 
this  tremendous  burden.  Few  utterances  of 
the  New  Testament  convey  in  more  startling 
form  the  conviction  of  the  apostles  touching 
the  pre-existence  of  the  Lord,  and  the  iden- 
tification of  the  Divine  Personality  of  the 
Christ,  with  the  highest  conception  that  the 
Hebrew  prophet  entertained  of  the  Almighty 
One,  of  the  eternal  Godhead. 

Ver.  42. — There  are  several  illustrations 
in  this  verse  that  the  diction  of  the  evange- 
list differs  from  that  which  he  uses  when 
recording  the  words  of  Christ.  Thus  oiuou 
/xevToi  is  peculiar  to  John  himself,  and  thus 
is  an  airal  \iy6fxivov ;  but  fjLtvroi  occurs  five 

'  "Ore,  "  when,"  of  D,  r.  A,  other  uncials 
and  Fathers,  in  T.R.  and  Authorized  Ver- 
sion, is  a  correction  probably  from  3ti,  which 
is  preferred  by  Lachmann,  Meyer,  Tregelles, 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Westcott  and  Hort, 
R.T.,  N,  B,  L,  M,  X,  1,  33,  and  numerous 
quotations. 


CH.  xn.  1—50.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


147 


times  in  the  style  of  John  himself  (sco  ch. 
iv.  27;  vii.  13;  xii.  42;  xx.  5;  xxi.  4),  not 
once  by  our  Lord.  'Ofxo\oye7v  again  is  used 
four  times  by  the  evangelist,  and  seven 
times  in  the  Epistles  and  Apocalypse,  but 
never  put  by  him  into  tho  lips  of  Jesus. 
Nevertheless  many  of  the  rulers  believed  on 
him.  These  words  are  used,  not  to  mitigate 
the  charge,  but  to  show  that,  though  indi- 
viduals did  believe,  even  among  the  rulers, 
they  had  not  courage  to  avow  their  faith. 
The  instances  of  Nicodemus  and  Joseph  and 
others  lie  upon  the  surface.  Godet  thinks 
rather  of  Gamaliel  and  th6  like,  "  tho  Eras- 
muses of  those  days."  Theirs  was,  indeed, 
an  hypocrisy  of  unbelief,  and  it  is  not  al- 
together banished  from  the  modern  world, 
and  notwithstanding  Christ's  rejection  by  the 
nation  as  a  nation,  individuals  saw  his  glory 
and  believed.  It  is  still  true  of  municipali- 
ties, nations,  even  Churches,  that  they  reject 
Christ,  while  individuals  among  them  are 
moulded  by  and  obedient  to  the  faith.  But 
by  reason  of  the  Pharisees — our  Lord's  most 
deadly  enemies,  from  cli.  i.  to  ch.  xii. — they 
were  making  no  confession — or,  aclawicledg- 
ment — of  his  claims,  lest  they  should  be  put 
out  of  the  synagogue;  become  the  excommu- 
nicate, fall  under  the  terrible  ban  (see  ch. 
ix.  22).  The  fear  of  class  exclusion,  the 
dread  of  running  counter  to  the  current 
opinion  of  the  Church  or  the  world,  has  led 
to  much  of  the  misery  of  both. 

Ver.  43. — The  generalization  is  given  as 
a  reason,  For  they  loved  the  glory  (5J{o, 
very  nearly  in  the  original  Greek  use  of  the 
word, "  opinion,"  "  good  reputation")  of  men, 
very  much  more  (^irep,  another  New  Testa- 
ment, oira|  \iy6ixivov,  occurring  in  the  narra- 
tive portion  of  John,  and  a  mode  in  which 
the  negative  force  of  the  ^  is  heightened ; 
see  Meyer,  Jelf,  p.  779,  and  English  edition 
of  Winer,  p.  549)  than  the  glory  of  God. 
The  form  of  the  expressions,  "  of  God  "  and 
"of  men,"  is  different  from  the  irapa  tov 
fiSvov  &(ov  and  irapa  aW-fi\coi>  of  ch.  V.  44, 
and  the  statement  is  apparently  incon- 
sistent with  the  declaration  that  those  in 
such  a  state  of  mind  "could  not  believe." 
Moulton  suggests  that  the  glory  here 
thought  of  by  the  apostle  was  the  "  glory  " 
of  ver.  41 — the  glory  of  the  union  of  the 
Redeemer  with  his  people,  the  glory  of 
suffering  and  death.  The  reference  to  Isa. 
vi.  appears  to  bo  the  true  solution.  The 
glory  of  Go§  himself  in  his  awful  holiness 
was  of  less  interest  than  the  glory  of  the 
Sanhedrin  and  the  approval  of  the  world. 
Alas!  this  glory  is  nearer,  more  obvious, 
and  has  more  to  do  with  tangible,  sensuous, 
advantages,  than  the  Divine  approval. 

Vers.  44 — 50. — 7.  The  summation  of  the 
tupreme  conflict  between  our  Lord  and  the 


tporld.  The  portion  of  the  chapter  which 
follows  is  regarded  by  most  commentator-s, 
Liieke,  Meyer,  Godet,  Olshausen,  and  West- 
cott,  as  a  summary  of  our  Lord's  teaching, 
as  a  reiteration  by  the  evangelist  of  those 
salient  points  of  the  Lord's  ministry  wliich, 
while  they  are  the  life  of  the  world,  are 
nevertheless  the  grounds  on  which  blinded 
eyes  and  hardened  hearts  rejected  him. 
Vers.  44 — 4G  characterize  the  believer ; 
vers.  47,  48  emphasize  Christ's  relation  to 
the  unbeliever ;  vers.  49,  50  the  principle 
upon  which  both  deliverances  turn  and  will 
continue  to  turn.  There  are  those  who 
think  that  these  were  special  private  ad- 
dresses to  the  disciples,  uttered  after  our 
Lord  {iKpi^n)  was  hidden,  but  tlie  word 
(fKpa^f)  "cried  aloud,"  would  not  then  have 
been  used,  as  it  was  used  for  the  most  pub- 
lic expressions  of  his  doctrine,  when  given 
once  for  all  (here  comp.  ch.  vii.  28,  37,  with 
Luke  xviii.  39).  Keim,  De  Wette,  Baur, 
and  Hilgenfeld  think  that,  because  there  is 
no  fresh  departure  here,  it  is  proof  that  all 
the  discourses  of  Christ  in  John  are  simi- 
larly put  together  with  no  historical  basis. 
But  if  it  be  so,  this  differs  strangely  from  all 
the  rest  of  our  Lord's  discourses  recorded  by 
John  in  that  it  has  no  occasion,  or  persons, 
or  opportunity  to  which  it  seems  to  fit. 
Certain  aorists  suggest  the  idea  that  John 
has  here  given  specimens  of  our  Lord's 
appeals  which  had  ended  in  his  being  re- 
jected by  the  nation  as  a  whole.  Luthardt 
takes  the  view  of  these  words  being  spoken 
totidem  verbis  on  our  Lord's  departure,  and 
with  him  Hengstenberg  also  agi-ees.  These 
critics  suppose  that  they  form  the  closing 
words  of  our  Lord's  public  ministry,  delayed 
by  the  intercalary  remarks  of  the  evangelist, 
and  really  belong  to  the  close  of  the  thirty- 
sixth  verse.  Though  the  expressions  that 
follow  are  built  upon  the  discourses  else- 
where uttered,  we  admit,  with  Hengstenberg, 
that  there  is  no  verbal  parallel  that  is 
at  all  close,  and  that  therefore  the  evange- 
list must  not  be  quoting  from  what  he  had 
already  reported,  but  giving  the  substance 
of  a  threefold  class  of  observations  found 
from  one  end  of  the  Gospel  to  the  other,  and 
in  words  that  he  had  heard  the  blaster  use. 

Vers.  44,  45. — Jesus  cried  and  said,  He 
that  believeth  on  me,  believeth  not  on  me, 


148 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1—50. 


but  on  him  thst  sent  me;  and  he  that 
beholdeth  me,  beholdeth  him  that  sent  me. 
These  words  do  not  occur  before,  but  in 
every  form  our  Lord  had  exalted  "him 
that  sent  him."  His  doctrine  or  teach- 
ing, his  purpose  in  manifestation,  the  secret 
food  that  sustained  him,  the  Divine  pre- 
tence that  never  left  him  alone,  the  entire 
background  of  the  mission  of  his  human 
will  and  life  into  the  world,  the  object  of 
faith  to  men  as  revealed  in  his  humanity, 
and  that  which  the  spiritual  eye  ought  to 
see,  nay — if  the  beholder  did  but  know  it  does 
see,  constitute  an  unveiling  of  the  eternal 
Father  who  sent  him  into  the  world  (see  ch.  iv. 
84 ;  V.  36  ;  vi.  38 ;  vii.  17, 18,  29  ;  viii.  28,  42  ; 
X.  38 ;  cf.  also  ch.  xiv.  1,  9,  24).  It  becomes, 
then,  of  high  value  to  grasp  the  truth.  We 
actually  believe  in  God  when  believing  in 
him.  His  mission  is  lost  in  the  glory  of  God 
who  appears  in  him.  So  far  as  he  is  gent, 
he  was  necessarily  of  lower  order  and  rank 
than  he  who  sent  him.  His  humanity  began 
to  be  in  time ;  it  was  generated  in  the  womb 
of  the  Virgin ;  it  was  sanctified  and  sent  into 
the  world  ;  and  yet  through  it  there  was  the 
highest  revelation  of  the  Father.  We  can- 
not attribute  so  stupendous  a  thought  to  the 
evangelist,  and  at  the  same  time  we  admit 
the  portentous  singularity  and  uniqueness 
of  the  consciousness  which  could  thus  aver 
identity  of  nature  with  God  and  the  com- 
pleteness of  revelation  that  the  Speaker  was 
making  in  himself  of  the  Father. 

Ver.  46. — The  revelation  of  God  becomes 
the  light  of  the  soul  and  the  light  of  the 
world.  The  evangelist  had  said,  in  his  pro- 
logue, "  In  him  was  life,"  and  the  Life  (the 
eternal  Logos  of  life)  was  "  the  Light  of 
men."  All  true  understanding,  all  purifying, 
gracious  influeuce  shed  on  human  affairs, 
natuie,  or  destiny,  are  the  issue  and  result  of 
the  Divine  Life  which,  under  every  dispensa- 
tion, has  wrought  in  humanity.  Above  all, 
"  the  Light  that  lighteth  every  man,"  namely, 
that  which  has  always  and  which  ever  will 
radiate  from  the  life  conferred  on  our  hu- 
manity by  the  Logos,  the  life  of  God  in 
mind  and  conscience, "came into  the  world" 
— came,  that  is,  in  a  new  and  more  effective 
form,  came  in  the  radiance  of  a  perfect 
human  life.  The  evangelist  has  sustained 
his  teaching  by  quoting  the  solemn  words  of 
Jesus  in  ch.  iii.  19;  viii.  12;  also  ch.  ix.  5, 
where  a  special  narrative  of  miraculous  love 
typified  both  the  need  in  which  the  human 
family,  the  sacred  Israel,  and  even  his  own 
disciples,  stood  of  light,  and  of  the  light 
which  he  could  pour  upon  the  sightless  eye- 
balls. And  now  the  connection  of  this  pas- 
sage is — You  could  not  behold  me  if  light  did 
not  stream  forth  from  me.  I  have  come,  and 
am  come  (lATjXi/ffa,  this  has  been  and  is  my 
abiding  purpose;  cf.  ch.  v.  43  ;  vii.  28>  a  Light 


into  the  world,  and  my  object  has  been  and 
is  that  whosoever  believeth  On  me — whoso- 
ever sees  by  the  inward  eye  that  which  I 
really  am,  sees  how  my  life  stands  related  to 
the  Father,  whosoever  assents  to  the  new 
revelation  thus  given,  even  over  and  above 
the  "  inward  light "  of  the  Logos — should  not 
abide  in  the  darkness  which  enwraps  all 
souls;  for,as  said  in  the  prologue,  "the  Light" 
(the  archetypal  Light)  shineth  upon  the 
darkness  of  human  nature,  and  the  darkness 
comprehendeth  it  not."  It  should  be  especi- 
ally noticed  that  in  2  Cor.  iv.  6  St.  Paul 
had  grasped  and  uttered  the  fulness  of  this 
thought. 

Ver.  47. — If  any  one  shall  have  heard  my 
sayings,  and  have  (guarded)  kept '  them  not. 
Here  our  Lord  passes  from  the  effect  of  his 
earthly  life,  which  is  light,  to  that  of  the 
words  (priniTo)  by  which  the  whole  future 
of  mankind  will  be  affected,  and  one  is  re- 
minded of  the  close  of  the  sermon  on  the 
mount,  where  the  condition  of  that  man  is 
portrayed  who  hears  the  \6yovi  of  Christ 
and  doeth  them  not,  whose  destiny  will  be 
determined  by  the  natural  course  of  things 
(see  Matt.  vii.  26,  27).  Keep  (guard)  them 
not  (see  Matt.  xix.  20).  The  "hearing"  is 
clearly  not  identical  with  spiritual  accept- 
ance, but  is  restricted  to  the  awful  charge 
of  responsibility  that  comes  upon  every  man 
who  simply  hears,  knows  what  Christ's 
words  are,  and  then  "  keeps "  them  not  so 
as  to  fulfil  their  intention.  Christ  says,  I 
jadge  him  not.  I  am  not  now  pronouncing 
a  sentence  upon  him ;  I  am  his  Saviour ;  but 
this  is  his  condemnation,  that  he  believes 
not,  etc.  (ch.  iii.  17 — 19).  Our  Lord  claimed, 
in  the  sermon  on  the  mount,  to  be  the 
Executer  of  a  judgment,  and  in  ch.  v.  22 — 29 
he  declared  that  he  would  be  as  Son  of 
man,  the  final  Adjudicator  of  doom  on  the 
disobedient  (cf.  Matt,  xxv.),  and  in  many 
places  he  made  this  thought  even  more 
solemn  by  speaking  of  himself  on  that 
occasion,  not  as  the  compassionate  Saviour, 
but  the  Administrator  of  an  inviolable  law, 
which  cannot  be  swayed  by  immediate 
emotion,  but  will  effectuate  itself  on  eternal 
and  unswerving  principles.  The  Law  ac- 
cuses— the  old  Law  (ch.  v.  45) — but  I  judge 
him  not;  for  I  came  (ijA.0ov)  not  to  judge, 
but  to  save  the  world,  referring  to  the  In- 
carnation in  its  purport  and  supreme  motive. 

Ver.  48. — He  that  rejecteth  me,  and  re- 
ceiveth  not  my  sayings  (^^juaraf,  hath  one 
that    judgeth    him — perhaps,    that    which 

'  The  T.R.  reads  vto-revcxri,  with  E,  F,  G, 
H,  M,  S,  and  many  other  authorities ;  but 
(pvxd^ri  is  the  reading  of  N,  A,  B,  D,  K,  L, 
1, 13,  33,  numerous  versions,  and  is  preferred 
by  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Tregelles,  West- 
cott  and  Hort,  Godet,  Meyer,  and  B.T. 


CH.  XII.  1—50.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.   JOHN. 


149 


judgeth  him — the  word  (xSyos)  which  I 
spake,  that  will  jadge  him  at  the  last  day. 
There  la  no  more  awful  utterance  than  this 
(comp.  1  John  iv.  17;  2  Cor.  v.  10,  where 
the  irresistible  power  of  a  searchiiij^  in- 
violable Laio  is  vindicated).  How  strange 
that  some  critics  should,  with  a  view  to 
disparage  the  authenticity  of  the  Gospel, 
make  it  appear  that  there  is  no  reference  in 
it  to  judgment  to  come,  or  to  the  last  day, 
and  shoulil  deliberately  ignore  this  feature 
of  the  Johannine  Gospel ! 

Vers.  49,  50. — There  is  much  emphasis  to 
be  laid  upon  the  2ti,  which  implies  that 
our  Lord  would  give  a  sacred  reason  for  the 
tremendous  power  with  which  his  \6yus 
would  be  invested.  The  \6yos,  the  prifj.a,  is 
not  simply  his;  it  did  not  proceed  from 
himself  only,  from  his  humanity,  or  even 
his  Divine  Sonship  alone,  but  from  the 
Father  which  sent  me.  He  stood  and  spake 
always  as  the  Voice  of  the  Eternal  One,  from 
whom  he  came,  with  saving  powers.  He  has 
given  me  commandment  what  I  should  say, 
and  what  I  should  speak.  The  two  words 
flirw  and  XaKrjcroo  {dicam  and  loquar,  Vul- 
gate), though  Hengsteuberg  says  it  is 
frivolous  to  distinguish,  are  supposed  by 
Meyer,  Westcott,  and  Godet,  to  discriminate 
matter  ted  form,  as  Godet  says,  "  What  I 
should  say,  and  how  I  should  say  it."  My 
words  and  their  manner  and  opportunity 
and  tone  are  all  of  them  the  outcome  of 
the  Father's  ivToArj.  It  certainly  is  in- 
credible that  John  could  have  put  these 
words  into  the  lips  of  Jesus.  They  are  no 
mere  summary.  They  are  set  down  with 
awful  sincerity  as  having  burned  them- 
selves into  his  memory.  But  the  Lord 
added,  "I  may  be  rejected  and  my  words 
spurned,  and  yet  they  may  go  on  as  appari- 
tors of  judgment,  but  however  that  may  be, 
and  I  know  (olSa)  that  his  commandment,  his 
commission  to  me,  is  life  eternal — is  so  now  " 
(cf.  eh.  iii.  36;  xvii.  3;  1  John  v.  12,  13). 


"  The  Law  is  ordained  unto  life,"  said  Paul, 
and  "  the  goodness  of  God  Icadeth  us  unto 
repentance."  The  depth  of  this  sublime 
experience  goes  down  and  back  into  the 
eternal  counsels.  The  things  which  there- 
fore I  speak  (am  speaking  even  at  this 
moment),  even  as  the  Father  has  said  unto 
me,  80  I  speak.  "  In  rejecting  me  and  my 
words,  men  reject  and  insult  the  Father. 
His  word  tliey  dare  to  renounce,  as  solemn 
and  unalterable  as  the  word  spoken  on 
Sinai.  They  not  only  reject  me,  but  they 
count  themselves  unworthy  of  eternal  life. 
They  not  only  spurn  Law,  but  love."  Thus, 
at  the  conclusion  of  the  public  ministry,  the 
evangelist  sets  forth,  in  a  few  burning  words, 
the  theme  of  the  prologue,  so  far  as  it  is 
realized  in  the  offer  of  a  full  revelation  of 
the  Logos  to  the  world  in  human  flesh. 
This  Logos  found  adequate  utterance 
through  the  human  life  and  lips  of  Jesus. 
"The  Father  has  been  so  amply  revealed 
that  the  non-believer  and  rejecter,  who 
hears  and  does  not  keep  my  sayings,  is  dis- 
believing and  rejecting  him."  These  potent 
words,  and  this  wonderful  conclusion  of  the 
entire  record  of  the  public  ministry  of  Jesus, 
is  the  appropriate  summary  of  teachings 
which  were  now  brought  to  a  close.  With- 
out any  exact  parallels,  they  breathe  the 
spirit  of  the  whole  teaching,  they  supply, 
the  basis  of  the  prologue.  It  is,  however, 
clear  that  the  style  is  difl'erent  from  the 
prologue,  and  from  the  reflection  of  the 
evangelist  in  previous  verses.  Just  as  the 
whole  Gospel  is  a  series  of  recollections 
which  form  from  their  own  intrinsic  glory 
and  truth  a  sacred  inimitable  whole,  so 
this  spicilegitim  is  a  brief  evangelium  in 
evangelio — a  gathering  up  of  the  whole  in 
the  narrow  compass  of  a  few  precious  lines. 
Though  "  the  hour "  has  come,  it  waits. 
The  comparison  between  this  method  of  tlie 
evangelist  and  that  of  the  apocalyptist  is 
very  impressive. 


HOMILETICS. 

Vers.  1 — 11. — The  supper  at  Bethany.  While  the  hostility  of  the  Jews  grows  day  by 
day,  the  devotion  of  our  Lord's  friends  visibly  increases, 

L  The  time  of  the  supper.  "  Six  days  before  the  Passover."  1.  The  most 
probable  opinion  is  that  it  took  place  on  the  day  after  the  Jewish  sahbath.  2.  The  edict 
of  the  authorities  at  Jerusalem  respecting  Jesus  had  no  deterrent  effect  upon  his  friends 
at  Bethany.     This  feast  is  their  answer  to  it. 

IL  The  place  of  the  supper.  1.  It  was,  as  we  learn  from  the  other  evangelists, 
held  in  the  house  of  Simon  the  leper.  Probably  he  had  been  healed  by  Jesus,  and  gave 
the  feast  as  a  sign  of  his  gratitude  and  iove.  2.  Tlie  guests  were  Jesus  and  his  apostles ; 
Martha,  who  gave  her  personal  service ;  Mary,  whose  extraordinary  act  showed  equal 
faith  and  love ;  and  Lazarus,  whose  very  presence  glorified  our  Lord. 

in.  The  act  of  Mary.  "  Then  took  Mary  a  pound  of  ointment  of  pure  nard,  very 
costly,  and  anointed  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair."  1.  Other 
evangelists  mention  that  she  anointed  his  head ;  that,  however,  was  a  common  courtesy. 


150  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1—50. 

Mary's  act  was  an  extraordinary  mark  of  honour,  for  she  anointed  his  feet  as  well  as 
his  head.  2.  Her  act  was  a  virtual  consecration  of  Jesus  to  a  Divine  work,  involving 
death.  3.  No  apostle  had  ever,  perhaps,  sacrificed  so  much  upon  the  Lord  as  Mary, 
for  her  offering  was  "  very  costly."  A  loving  heart  judges  no  offering  too  precious  for 
Christ. 

IV.  The  hypockitical  bemonstrance  of  Juda8  Iscariot.  "Why  was  not  this 
perfume  sold  for  two  hundred  pence,  and  the  price  given  to  the  poor?"  1.  It  was 
undoubtedly  a  large  sum  to  expend  for  such  a  purpose.  Says  Mark  (xiv.  5),  "  It  might 
have  been  sold  for  more  than  three  hundred  pence,"  a  sum  equal  to  the  support  of  a  work- 
ing man  during  a  whole  year.  2.  The  complaint  of  Judas  was  echoed  by  the  other  apostles. 
"  And  they  were  angry  at  her  "  (Mark).  How  ready  even  good  men  are  at  times  to 
respond  to  the  suggestions  of  selfish  but  plausible  men !  3.  The  objection  of  Judas  to 
Mary^s  profusion  was  dictated  in  no  degree  by  a  genuine  regard  for  the  poor.  "  Now  he 
said  this,  not  that  he  cared  for  the  poor,  but  because  he  was  a  thief,  and  kept  the  bag, 
and  took  what  was  put  in  it."  (1)  Judas  thought  it  would  have  been  a  wiser  act  for 
Mary  to  entrust  the  value  of  this  costly  offering  to  his  keeping.  (2)  It  would  have 
given  him  a  fresh  opportunity  of  purloining  from  the  common  stock.  (3)  Mark  how 
a  covetous  heart  grudges  everything  to  Christ.  (4)  Mark  the  false  motive  that^ 
prompted  the  remonstrance.  How  common  is  the  tendency  to  undervalue  a  generous 
act  through  envy  or  selfishness !  (a)  He  had  no  compassion  for  the  poor.  (6)  The 
poor  always  had  their  share  of  the  common  fund  provided  for  the  apostles  (ch.  xiii.  29). 

V.  OuB  Lord's  vindication  of  Mary's  devotedness.  "  Let  her  alone :  against 
the  day  of  my  burial  hath  she  kept  this.  For  the  poor  always  ye  have  with  you ;  but 
me  ye  have  not  always."  1.  Mary  utters  not  a  word  in  her  own  vindication.  2.  Jesus 
vindicates  her  act,  as  having  relation  to  his  approaching  burial.  (1)  It  was  usual  to 
make  such  preparations  for  the  grave.  (2)  Her  act  showed  that  she  believed  in  his 
approaching  death.  In  this  respect  Mary  saw  further  than  the  apostles  themselves. 
3.  Faith  honours  a  crucified  as  well  as  an  ascended  Lord.  4.  The  act  of  Mifry  now 
begun  was  completed  by  Nicodemus  and  Joseph  of  Arimathxa.  (Ch.  xix.  40.)  5.  There 
is  a  proper  season  for  the  honour  or  love  to  be  shown  to  those  dear  to  us.  (1)  There  w^ill 
never  be  wanting  the  poor  to  receive  the  tokens  of  a  kindly  heart.  "  For  the  poor 
shall  never  cease  out  of  the  land  "  (Deut.  xv.  11).  (2)  Jesus  in  his  human  life  was 
soon  to  disappear  from  the  world. 

VI.  The  curiosity  of  the  Jews  concerning  Jesus.  "  Much  people  of  the  Jews 
therefore  knew  that  he  was  there :  and  they  came  not  for  Jesus'  sake  only,  but  that  they 
might  see  Lazarus  also,  whom  he  had  raised  from  the  dead."  1.  The  miracles  he  had 
wrought  profoundly  interested  the  people  in  the  Person  of  our  Lord.  2.  It  was  curiosity 
rather  than  conscience  that  led  to  the  desire  to  see  Lazarus  as  well  as  Jesus.  Curiosity, 
however,  is  lawful  and  ri^ht  when  it  leads  to  a  serious  inquiry  into  the  facts. 

VII.  The  fresh  act  of  violence  contemplated  by  the  chief  priests.  "  Now 
the  chief  priests  consulted  that  they  might  put  Lazarus  to  death  also."  1.  The  sacrifice 
of  one  life  often  leads  to  the  sacrifice  of  more.  Yet  what  injury  had  Lazarus  done  ? 
2.  The  idea  of  the  authorities  was  to  destroy  the  living  evidence  of  a  most  remarkable 
miracle.  3.  The  cause  of  the  bloody  design  was  the  effects  of  the  miracle  in  adding  to  the 
number  of  Christ's  converts.  "  Because  many  of  the  Jews  went  away,  and  believed  on 
Jesus."  (1)  They  not  only  withdrew  from  the  communion  of  Judaism  and  the  juris- 
diction of  the  chief  priests,  (2)  but  became  true  disciples  of  Jesus.  Nothing  so  enrages 
the  enemies  of  Christ  as  the  enlargement  of  his  kingdom. 

Vers.  12 — 19. — The  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusalem.  On  the  day  after  the  feast  at 
Bethany,  Jesus  entered  the  city  under  circumstances  of  unusual  public  enthusiasm. 

I.  Consider  the  persons  who  accorded  to  him  this  public  manifestation  of 
FAVOUR.  "  On  the  next  day  a  great  crowd  of  people  that  were  come  to  the  feast,  when 
they  heard  that  Jesus  was  come  to  Jerusalem,  took  branches  of  palm  trees,  and  went 
forth  to  him,  and  cried,  Hosanna :  Blessed  is  the  King  of  Israel  that  cometh  in  the 
Name  of  the  Lord."  1.  They  were  not  Jews  of  Jerusalem,  who  were  almost  entirely 
hostile  to  Jesus,  but  Galilseans  who  had  come  up  to  observe  the  Passover.  These  people 
were  far  more  receptive  of  truth  than  the  people  directly  under  the  guidance  of  the 
religious  chiefs  of  the  nation.    2.  The  palm  branches  were  emblematic  of  triumph, 


CH.  xii.  1—50.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  151 

strength,  and  joy.   3.  The  exclamation  of  the  people,  which  is  taken  from  Ps.  cxviii.,  was 
a  recognition  of  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus. 

II.  Consider  our  Lord's  response  to  the  salutations  of  the  people.  "  Jesus 
having  found  a  young  ass,  sat  thereon  ;  as  it  is  written.  Fear  not,  daughter  of  Zion  : 
behold,  thy  King  cometh,  sitting  on  an  ass's  colt."  1.  The  action  was  a  Messianic  sign 
of  humility.  The  ass  is  as  despised  in  the  East  as  in  the  West.  The  entry  of  Jesus 
upon  it  set  forth  the  essentially  spiritual  aspect  of  his  Kingship.  2.  The  quotation  from 
ancient  prophecy  might  assu7-e  the  Jews  that  this  King  would  be  no  tyrant.  3»  Yet  the 
t)'ue  import  of  the  sign  ivas  not  directly  understood  even  by  the  disciples.  "  Now  the 
disciples  understood  not  these  things  at  the  time."  (1)  The  disciples  were  often  "  slow 
of  heart "  to  believe  all  that  the  prophets  had  spoken.  (2)  But,  in  the  light  of  our 
Lord's  ascension,  they  saw  the  import  of  his  action,  and  understood  the  part  which 
they  themselves  had  contributed  to  it. 

III.  TuE  explanation  of  this  demonstration.  "The  multitude  therefore  that 
was  with  him  when  he  called  Lazarus  out  of  his  grave,  and  raised  him  from  the  dead, 
bare  him  witness;  and  for  this  cause  also  the  multitude  met  him,  because  they  had 
heard  that  he  had  done  this  miracle."  Both  the  Jews  of  Jerusalem  and  the  strangers 
bore  witness  to  the  miracle  which  led  to  the  demonstration  It  shows  how  profound 
was  the  impression  made  by  the  miracle. 

IV.  The  effect  of  the  demonstration  on  the  Pharisees.  "  Whereupon  the 
Pharisees  said  among  themselves,  You  see  that  you  prevail  nothing;  behold,  the  whole 
world  is  gone  away  after  him."  1.  This  is  the  language  of  vjeak  and  irresolute  despair. 
2.  They  seem  to  blame  each  other  for  the  frustration  of  their  plans.  3.  They  evidently 
deem  that  the  time  is  past  for  mere  half-measures,  and  are  prepared  to  adopt  the  more 
energetic  and  extreme  measures  suggested  by  Caiaphas. 

Vers.  20 — 36. —  The  intervieio  of  the  Greeks  with  Christ.  This  is  the  only  incident 
recorded  between  the  entry  into  Jerusalem  and  the  institution  of  the  Lord's  8upper. 

I.  The  significance  of  this  interview.  "  And  there  were  certain  Greeks  among 
them  that  came  up  to  worship  at  the  feast."  1 .  They  were  not  Gentiles,  but  j^roselytes 
of  the  gate,  of  Gentile  extraction,  who  had  been  admitted  to  Jewish  privileges.  They 
came  to  the  Passover  as  reverent  and  earnest  worshippers.  2.  They  probably  belonged 
to  one  of  the  Greek  cities  of  Becapolis,  which  were  full  of  Greeks.  These  cities  were  on 
the  other  side  of  the  sea  of  Galilee.  Thus  we  understand  their  application  to  Philip  of 
Bethsaida  in  the  first  instance.  3.  It  is  significant  that  Philip  and  Andrew  xuere  the 
only  disciples  whose  names  are  of  Greek  origin.  4,  I'he  request  of  the  Greeks  was  for 
a  private  conversation  with  Jesus  on  religious  subjects.  "  We  would  see  Jesus."  5.'  It 
is  significant  that  these  Greeks  should  bring  our  Lord  into  relation  with  the  Gentile 
world  at  the  end,  as  the  Magi  from  the  Fast  did  at  the  beginning.  6.  It  is  still  more 
significant  that  these  proselytes  of  the  Gentiles  should  be  so  anxious  to  see  Jesus  at  a  time 
when  the  Pharisees  were  taking  steps  for  his  destruction  in  a  spirit  of  the  deepest  hate. 
7.  Tlie  interview  was  readily  conceded,  aft«r  the  two  disciples  consulted  cautiously  with 
one  another  about  the  matter,  as  they  must  have  remembered  our  Lord's  words,  "  I  am 
not  sent  but  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel." 

II.  Our  Lord's  answer  to  the  application  of  the  Greeks.  It  is,  in  substance, 
that  the  extension  of  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles  was  conditioned  by  his  death.  1.  The 
presence  of  the  Greeks  suggests  the  thought  of  the  scattered  sheep  for  whose  gathering  the 
Shepherd  must  lay  down  his  life.  (Oh.  x.  16 — 19.)  Jesus  sees  already  "the  other  sheep  " 
as  ready  to  be  gathered  into  the  fold.  (1)  His  language  implies  that  the  hour  of  his 
Passion  was  at  hand.  "  The  hour  is  come  that  the  Son  of  man  should  be  glorified,"  (2) 
It  implies  that  the  conversion  of  the  Greeks  would  be  a  chief  feature  in  his  glorification. 
(3)  It  implies  that  his  human  nature  would  be  exalted.  It  is  as  the  Representative  of 
humanity  that  Jesus  is  to  be  glorified.  2.  Jesus  states  the  condition  of  his  communi- 
cating blessing  to  the  Gentiles.  "  Except  a  corn  of  wheat  fall  into  the  earth  and  die,  it 
abideth  alone :  but  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit."  (1)  The  principle  here 
stated  is  true  of  all  life.  The  particle  of  grain  seems  to  be  dead,  but  there  is  lodged  in 
it  the  possibility  of  a  manifold  life.  The  seed  by  dying  is  united  to  the  life  that 
quickens  all  seeds.  (2)  Tlie  principle  is  illustrated  in  the  life  of  Christ,  (a)  His 
aeath  took  him  out  of  the  loneliness  of  his  unapproachable  glory  and  connected  him 


152  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1— 50. 

•with  ttie  whole  race  of  man.  Through  his  death  a  new  life  went  forth  to  millions. 
(h)  If  he  had  not  died,  he  would  have  been  confined  to  one  spot  of  earth,  and  the 
Spirit's  influences  would  have  been  confined  to  his  own  Person.  But  by  his  death  the 
Spirit  became  universally  diffused.  (3)  The  principle  is  illustrated  in  Christian  life, 
(a)  Sin  isolates  the  sinner.  (6)  But  when  he  "  dies  unto  sin  and  lives  unto  God,"  he 
is  delivered  from  solitude.  He  is  no  longer  alone.  He  is  the  member  of  a  heavenly 
family.  3.  Jesus  asserts  his  own  subjection  to  that  fundamental  law  which  he  so  often 
applied  to  his  disciples.  "  He  that  loveth  his  life  loseth  it ;  and  he  that  hateth 
his  life  in  this  world  shall  keep  it  in  life  eternal."  (1)  There  is  a  love  of  this  mere 
physical  life  that  imperils  the  higher  life.  If  Jesus  had  not  died,  he  would  not  have 
been  glorified.  His  life  would  have  been  sterile.  (2)  There  is  a  reward  involved  in  the 
saciifice  of  the  present  life  in  the  cause  of  God.  4.  The  claims  of  discipleship.  (1) 
The  Lord's  service  implies  a  close  following  of  the  Master.  "  If  any  man  serve  me, 
let  him  follow  me."  They  must  obey  his  doctrine  and  imitate  his  example.  (2) 
Faithful  service  will  be  rewarded  by  the  servant  being  eternally  associated  in  glory 
with  the  Master.  "And  where  I  am,  there  also  shall  my  servant  be."  (3)  The 
Father  will  crown  with  dignity  those  who  serve  his  Son  in  a  holy  obedience.  "  If  any 
man  serve  me,  him  will  my  Father  honour."  5.  Jesus  is  deeply  moved  at  the  prospect 
of  his  approaching  sorrows.  "  Now  is  my  soul  troubled ;  and  what  shall  I  say  ?  Father, 
save  me  out  of  this  hour ;  but  for  this  cause  came  I  to  this  hour.  Father,  glorify  thy 
Name."  (1)  The  shock  had  already  come.  John  does  not  mention  the  agony  of  Geth- 
semane,  but  it  is  really  true.  The  very  words  of  that  scene  occur  here.  (2)  There  is 
cue  element  of  perplexity  implied  in  this  deep  trouble.  "  What  shall  I  say  ?  "  The 
thought  of  deliverance  was  present  to  the  mind,  but  not  admitted.  The  prayer  which 
would  have  delivered  him  would  have  been  the  ruin  of  the  world.  (3)  The  prayer 
actually  offered  was  not  for  deliverance  from  death,  but  for  deliverance  out  of  death,  as 
the  word  signifies  in  the  original.  It  is  a  prayer  to  be  brought  safely  out  of  the  conflict. 
(4)  The  real  design  of  this  suffering  was  that  he  misiht  win  a  victory  over  sin  and 
death.  "  But  for  this  cause  came  I  to  this  hour."  (5)  His  exemption  from  suffering 
would  have  been  inconsistent  with  the  glory  of  God.  "  Father,  glorify  thou  me." 
6.  The  Father^s  approval  of  the  Son's  consecration.  "  Theii  came  there  a  voice  from 
heaven :  I  have  both  glorified  it,  and  will  glorify  it  again."  (1)  It  was  a  real  articulate 
voice,  not  a  mere  sound  of  thunder,  though  the  multitude  may  not  have  understood  the 
words  uttered  from  heaven.  (2)  The  glorification  past  referred  to  the  voices  at  his 
baptism  and  his  transfiguration,  in  which  the  Father's  character  was  revealed  along  with 
his  own  Sonship.  (3)  The  glorification  in  the  future  would  follow  from  the  universal 
proclamation  of  the  gospel  to  a  sinful  world.  7.  Jesus  explains  what  is  involved  in  the 
(jlorification  of  the  Father^s  Name  by  himself  "  This  voice  came  not  because  of  me, 
but  for  your  sakes."  It  was  designed  to  convince  the  people  of  the  true  purport  of  his 
mission.  (1)  It  was  for  the  judgment  of  the  world.  "  Now  is  the  judgment  of  this 
world."  The  cross  would  disclose  the  moral  condition  of  man,  and  reveal  the  secrets  of 
all  hearts  ;  and,  above  all,  their  attitude  toward  Christ.  (2)  It  was  for  the  casting  out 
of  Satan.  "Now  shall  the  prince  of  this  world  be  cast  out."  (a)  Satan  is  a  usurper, 
and  thus  the  "god  of  this  world,"  "the  spirit  that  worketh  in  the  children  of  dis- 
obedience." (b)  It  is  natural  that  the  judgment  of  the  world  should  be  followed  by 
the  casting  out  of  its  ruler,  (c)  Christ,  by  his  death,  will  deliver  men  from  the  dominiou 
of  Satan  and  the  slavery  of  sin.  (3)  It  was  for  the  accession  of  the  true  Sovereign 
to  his  kingdom.  "  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men  unto 
me."  (a)  He  refers  here  to  the  manner  of  his  death.  He  is  to  be  lifted  up  on  the 
cross ;  yet  he  points  likewise  to  the  ascension  which  is  to  follow  his  death.  He  will 
thus  be  freed  from  all  earthly  ties,  and  placed  in  immediate  relation  to  the  whole  world 
of  man,  that  he  may  become  "  Lord  of  all "  (Rom.  x.  12).  (b)  The  effect  of  his  death 
and  ascension.  "  I  will  draw  all  men  unto  me."  (a)  He  is  himself  the  Centre  of  the 
world's  attraction,  (fi)  He  will  attract,  but  not  force,  men  into  saving  relationship 
with  himself.  The  language  implies  that  men  are  at  a  distance,  and  alienated  from 
him.  "  Draw  me,  we^will  run  after  thee."  There  is  a  marvellous  drawing  power  in  the 
lifted-up  Redeemer.  (7)  He  will  draw  all  men  unto  himself.  Not  only  Jews,  but 
Gentiles.  The  words  cannot  signify  that  all  men  will  be  saved,  for  there  are  many 
already  lost,  and  there  will  be  many  at  the  last  day  to  whom  he  will  say,  "  Depart 


CH.  XII.  1—50.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  153 

from  me,  ye  workers  of  iniquity."  8.  The  papular  misapprehension  of  our  Lord's  mean- 
ing. "  The  people  answered  him,  "We  have  heard  out  of  the  Law  that  Christ  abideth 
for  ever :  and  how  sayest  thou.  The  Sou  of  man  must  be  lifted  up  ?  who  is  this  Son 
of  man  ?  "  (1)  The  question  implied  that  they  understood  their  own  Scriptures.  Yet 
they  bad  no  true  insight  into  their  meaning,  for  they  imagined  the  Messiah  would  be 
a  temporal  prince  who  would  deliver  them  from  Roman  bondage.  (2)  They  could  not 
reconcile  their  idea  of  the  Messiah  with  the  idea  of  his  death  and  his  transportation 
from  earth,  for  earth  was  to  be  the  scene  of  the  achievements  of  their  Messiah.  9. 
The  last  appeal  of  Jesus  to  the  Jews.  "  Yet  a  little  while  is  the  light  with  you.  Walk 
while  ye  have  the  light,  lest  darkness  come  upon  you."  (1)  It  is  an  appeal  to  the  Jews 
to  use  their  opportunities  while  the  light  was  among  them,  and  not  to  trifle  with  their 
destinies  by  captious  and  idle  objections.  (2)  The  words  of  Jesus,  imply  that  the  last 
hour  of  Israelite  opportunity  was  at  hand.  He  would  be  but  "  a  little  time  "  with 
them.  (3)  They  imply  that  progress  heavenward  was  still  possible  and  necessary,  for 
the  darkness  had  not  yet  descended.  (4)  The  way  to  become  children  of  light  is  to 
believe  in  the  light.  "  While  we  have  the  light,  believe  in  the  light,  that  ye  may  be 
the  children  of  light."  (a)  Believers  become  like  Christ  by  believing  in  him.  (i)  They 
will  become  *'  light- bearers"  (Phil.  ii.  15)  to  the  world  in  proportion  as  they  receive  of 
the  light  of  life.  10.  Our  Lord's  faretvell.  "  These  things  spake  Jesus,  and  departed, 
and  did  hide  himself  from  them."  Jesus  had  no  other  answer  to  give,  and  here  closed 
his  ministry  to  the  Jews.  "  He  then  retired,  and  did  not  reappear  on  the  morrow. 
This  time  it  was  no  mere  cloud  which  obscured  the  sun,  but  the  sun  itself  had  set." 

Vers.  37 — 41. — The  causes  of  Jewish  unbelief.  The  evangelist  now  turns  to  the 
remarkable  failure  of  the  Messiah's  work  in  Israel,  and  proceeds  to  account  for  it. 

I.  The  unbelief  of  the  Jews  was  inexcusable.  "But  though  he  had  done  so 
many  miracles  before  them,  yet  they  believed  not  on  him."  1.  Lt  is  implied  that  Jesus 
did  many  more  miracles  than  the  seven  recorded  in  this  Gospel.  2.  The  miracles  luere 
done  "  before  them,"  so  as  to  leave  them  without  this  excuse  of  ignorance.  3.  The 
imperfect  tense  of  tJie  verb,  "  believed,"  emphasizes  the  persistence  of  their  unbelief, 

II.  Their  unbelief  was  predicted.  "  That  the  saying  of  Esaias  the  prophet 
might  be  fulfilled,  which  he  spake.  Lord,  who  hath  believed  our  report  ?  and  to  whom 
hath  the  arm  of  the  Lord  been  revealed  ? "  1.  The  unbelief  of  the  large  body  of  the 
Jewish  nation  was  clearly  foreseen  centuries  before  the  advent  of  Christ,  as  well  as  their 
disregard  of  the  evidence  of  his  miracles.  "  The  arm  of  the  Lord."  2.  Let  not  ministers 
be  surpi'ised  that  their  gospel  is  neglected  or  refused,  for  their  Master  encountered  a 
similar  disappointment.     3.   Yet  the  prediction  was  not  the  cause  of  Jewish  unbelief. 

III.  The  true  cause  of  their  unbelief.  "  Therefore  they  could  not  believe, 
because  that  Isaiah  said  again,  He  hath  blinded  their  eyes,  and  hardened  their  heart ; 
that  they  should  not  see  with  their  eyes,  nor  understand  with  their  heart,  and  be 
converted,  and  I  should  heal  them."  1.  Ood  in  judgment  gave  them  over  to  hardness 
of  heart.  It  is  a  fixed  law  that  power  disused  destroys  itself.  Thus  the  persistent  dis- 
regard for  religion  makes  it  more  difficult  to  obey  or  to  believe.  The  callous  heart  is 
the  effect  of  wdful  unbelief.  2.  What  an  obstacle  it  would  have  been  to  a  pure  spiritual 
Christianity  if  the  Jews  had  been  received  by  Christ  on  their  ovm  conditions  of  a  carnal 
and  legal  Fhariseeism .'  3.  The  apostle  does]  not  attempt  to  explain  or  reconcile  the 
mystery  of  God's  sovereignty  and  man's  resjwnsibility,  but  simply  accepts  the  two  facts 
as  standing  each  on  its  own  impregnable  foundation. 

IV.  This  prediction  expressly  referred  to  Christ.  "These things  said  Isaiah, 
when  he  saw  his  glory,  and  spake  of  him."  1.  The  glory  was  that  of  the  pre-incarnate 
Word  of  God.     2.  The  suprem/e  Deity  of  Christ  is  here  implied. 

Vers.  42,  43. — A  movement  Christward  among  the  chief  rulers.  The  unbelief  of  the 
Jews  was  neither  total  nor  final. 

I.  The  adhesion  of  many  chief  rulers.  "  Nevertheless  among  the  chief  rulers 
also  many  believed  on  him."  1.  Some  of  them,  like  Nicodemus  and  Joseph  of  Arimathcea, 
were  true  believers.  2.  Others,  probably,  were  inwardly  persuaded  that  he  was  the 
Messiah,  but  could  not  bring  themselves  to  an  open  discipleship.  The  causes  were  two- 
fold.   (1)  The  fear  of  excommunication.     "  But  because  of  the  Pharisees  they  did  not 


154  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ctt.  xii.  1—50. 

confess  him,  lest  they  should  be  put  out  of  the  synagogue."  (a)  This  proves  at  once 
the  crushing  tyranny  exercised  by  Christ's  most  determined  foes,  and  (h)  the  reality  of 
the  decree  already  mentioned  (ch.  ix.  22).  (2)  The  fear  of  a  loss  of  reputation.  "  For 
they  loved  the  praise  of  men  more  than  the  praise  of  God."  This  fear  has  often  been 
a  powerful  obstacle  to  the  profession  of  religion.  "Yet  confession  is  necessai-y  to  salvation 
(Rom.  X.  10). 

Vers.  44 — 50. — The  responsibilities  attaching  to  Jewish  unbelief.  The  evangelist  now 
takes  a  retrospective  glance  at  the  unbelief  of  Judaism.  What  follows  is  but  a  summary 
of  our  Lord's  past  teaching. 

I.  Mark  by  conteast  the  position  of  the  believer.  "He  that  believeth  on 
me,  believeth  not  on  me,  but  on  him  that  sent  me.  And  he  that  seeth  me  seeth  him 
that  sent  me."  1.  The  believer  recognizes  Jesus  as  the  Messiah  sent  by  the  Father,  as  the 
Revelation  of  the  Father's  love  and  mercy  and  righteousness.  The  Jew,  therefore,  who 
believed  in  Christ  did  not  believe  in  man,  but  in  God.  2.  Ee  recognizes  the  doctrine  of 
Jesus  as  the  clear  manifestation  of  the  ^Father's  mind.  "  I  am  come  a  Light  into  the 
world,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  me  should  not  abide  in  darkness."  Thus  the  believer 
becomes  a  son  of  light. 

II.  Mark  the  position  of  the  unbeliever.  "  And  if  any  man  hear  my  words,  and 
keep  them  not,  I  judge  him  not :  for  I  came  not  to  judge  the  world,  but  to  save  the 
world."  1.  The  fate  of  those  who  reject  Ohrisfs  Word.  It  is  judgment.  2.  3%e  Judge 
is  not  Christ,  though  he  is  to  be  the  final  Judge ;  but  he  will  then  only  apply  the  rule  of 
the  Word  to  each  life.     The  Law,  in  the  nature  of  things,  is  the  accuser. 

III.  Mark  the  importance  which  Jesus  attaches  to  the  word  of  judgment. 
"  For  I  have  not  spoken  of  myself ;  but  the  Father  who  sent  me  has  himself  commanded 
me  what  I  should  say,  and  how  I  should  say  it."  1.  His  teaching,  as  to  matter,  is  from 
the  Father,  Its  essential  principle  is  "  life  everlasting."  (1)  It  tells  of  life ;  (2)  it 
offers  life  ;  (3)  it  is  "  spirit  and  life."  2.  His  teaching,  as  to  its  variety  of  form,  is  from 
the  Father.  Thus  the  message  of  mercy  comes  to  man  with  every  equipment  of  true 
wisdom,  and  bears  the  very  accent  of  Heaven  in  its  utterance. 

HOMILIES  BY  VARIOUS  AUTHORS. 

Ver.  3. — The  odorous  offering.  The  fact  that  three  of  the  evangelists  have  recorded 
this  interesting  incident,  proves  how  deep  was  the  impression  it  made  upon  the  minds 
of  Christ's  followers  and  friends.     We  recognize  in  Mary's  gift — 

I.  An  evidence  of  grateful  love.  Mary  had  many  reasons  for  regarding  Jesus 
with  affectionate  thankfulness.  To  him  she  was  indebted  for  many  precious  lessons  in 
spiritual  knowledge.  Sitting  at  his  feet,  she  had  imbibed  his  incomparable  teaching. 
To  him  she  was  indebted  for  a  brother  restored  to  life  and  home.  That  she  appreciated 
what  Jesus  had  done  for  her  is  abundantly  apparent  from  her  conduct  on  this  occasion. 
And  her  love  is  a  rebuke  to  the  cold-heartedness  with  which  many  of  our  Saviour's 
professed  disciples  regard  him  to  whom  they  owe  every  privilege  in  the  present,  and 
every  prospect  for  the  future. 

II.  An  instance  of  Christ-like  self-sacrifice.  Although  the  circumstances  of 
the  family  of  Bethany  may  be  presumed  to  have  been  easy,  still  the  costly  gift  of 
perfumed  unguent  here  described  was  the  fruit  of  self-denial.  Mary  did  not  offer  a 
common  gift,  did  not  give  of  her  superfluity,  did  not  part  with  what  cost  her  little  or 
nothing.  Our  offerings  to  Christ's  cause  too  seldom  in  this  respect  resemble  hers.  But 
if  we  give  our  hearts  to  Jesus,  it  will  be  natural  in  us  to  render  to  him  offerings  which 
shall  be  meet  expressions  of  our  consecration,  to  serve  him  with  our  best. 

III.  The  willingness  of  Jesus  to  accept  the  offering  of  a  friend.  One  of 
our  Lord's  disciples  looked  with  cold  disapproval  upon  this  act  of  ardent  love,  grudging 
a  gift  evidently  costly  but  not,  in  his  view,  evidently  useful.  To  Jesus  himself  the 
tribute  was  welcome,  for  it  was  the  sincere  and  genuine  tribute  of  affection.  Christ  had, 
and  has,  a  human  heart ;  and  he  can  understand  and  sympathize  with  the  disposition 
which  is  not  satisfied  unless  treasure  can  be  poured  out  at  his  feet.  He  found  a  meaning 
in  the  gift  deeper  than  any  of  which  the  giver  was  conscious.    He  saw  in  the  perfumed 


en.  xii.  1—50.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  155 

unguent  the  offering  for  his  embalmincr,  for  he  knew  that  his  death  and  burial  were  at 
hand.  They  who  bring  to  the  Lord  Christ  any  gift  which  the  heart  dictates  and  the 
judgment  approves,  need  not  fear  lest  he  should  repulse  them.  Since  he  seeks  and 
desires  their  love,  it  must  needs  gratify  him  to  receive  its  genuine  expression,  whatever 
form  it  may  assume.  It  may  be  said  that  this  is  to  take  a  somewhat  simple  and  child- 
like view  of  religion.  Be  it  so;  still  the  language  and  conduct  of  Christ  here  recorded 
assure  us  that  it  is  a  view  which  the  Lord  himself  approves. — T. 

Ver.  21. —  The  desire  to  see  Jesus.  The  wish  of  these  Greek-speaking  Gentiles,  who 
(being  proselytes  to  the  faith  of  Israel)  had  come  to  Jerusalem  to  take  part  in  the  sacred 
festival,  is  a  wish  not  to  be  explained  with  certainty.  How  far  they  were  animated  by 
mere  curiosity,  how  far  by  intelligent  interest  and  spiritual  yearning,  we  cannot  say. 
But  the  language  in  which  they  expressed  their  desire  is  not  only  beautiful  in  its 
simplicity,  it  is  susceptible  of  appropriation  by  all  those  who  have  felt  their  need  of  the 
Saviour. 

I.  What  prompts  the  desire  to  see  Jesus  ?  To  answer  this  question  we  must 
consider  :  1.  The  spiritual  impulse.  Man  is  so  made  as  that  he  desires  "  to  see  good," 
and  that,  if  his  soul  be  really  awakened  to  newness  of  life,  he  desires  to  see  the  highest 
and  the  purest  good.  They  who  have  seen  many  earthly  objects  and  persons  have  come 
to  understand  that  all  which  this  world  can  give  is  in  its  very  nature  unsatisfying. 
If  sought  as  the  supremely  excellent,  worldly  good  cannot  fail  to  disappoint.  Thus 
there  remains  an  aspiration  which  is  unquenched,  and,  so  far  as  earthly  streams  are 
concerned,  is  unquenchable.  But  we  must  consider :  2.  The  attractiveness  of  Christ. 
The  Greeks  had  heard  something,  perhaps  much,  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth ;  in  any  case 
they  had  heard  enough  to  induce  them  to  seek  a  personal  interview  and  acquaintance 
with  the  great  Prophet.  When  the  gospel  is  published,  and  the  spiritual  charms  of  the 
Saviour  set  forth,  he  is  portrayed  before  men's  eyes  as  the  "  chief  among  ten  thousand,  .  .  . 
the  altogether  lovely."  To  hear  of  him  "  with  the  hearing  of  the  ear  "  is,  where  there 
is  any  susceptibility  to  spiritual  excellence  and  beauty,  to  desire  closer  knowledge  and 
fellowship.  Thus  the  preaching  of  Christ  is  designed  to  lead  to  the  very  application 
made  by  these  inquiring  Greeks. 

II.  What  is  involved  in  the  desire  to  see  Jesus  ?  1.  A  longing  for  acquaint- 
ance with  the  personal,  historical.  Divine  Saviour.  They  who  ask  to  see  Jesus  imply 
by  their  request  that  there  is  "  one  Jesus  "  who  may  be  known  ;  not  a  fiction  of  the 
imagination,  but  a  real  and  living  Being,  who  may  be  approached  and  studied.  2.  A 
readiness  of  faith  to  find  in  Jesus  all  that  he  declares  himself  to  be.  The  desire  in 
question  is  not  merely  for  speculative  satisfaction  ;  it  is  for  spiritual  enrichment.  The 
soul  hopes  to  see  in  him  a  mighty  Saviour  and  a  gracious  Friend.  3.  An  earnestness, 
candour,  and  teachableness  of  spirit,  such  as  become  those  who  have  nothing  when 
they  draw  near  to  One  who  has  all. 

III.  How  does  Jesus  regard  the  desire  to  see  him?  1.  He  is  willing  to  be 
sought.  Never  during  his  ministry  did  he  hide  himself  from  those  who  really  wished 
to  have  an  interview  with  him.  He  was  ever  accessible  to  the  needy,  to  the  suffering 
and  sorrowful,  to  the  sinful  and  penitent.  2.  He  is  ready  to  befriend  and  bless  and 
save.  Do  men  ask  to  see  Jesus  ?  his  answer  is,  "  Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye  saved." 
Do  men  timidly  approach  Jesus?  he  encourages  them  by  saying,  "Come  unto  me, 
and  I  will  give  you  rest." 

IV.  To  what  issues  may  this  desire  lead  ?  1.  It  may  lead  to  the  action  to  which 
the  soul  is  encouraged  by  the  Saviour,  i.e.  to  true  spiritual  approach  to  himself.  2.  It 
may  then  lead  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  blessings  which,  through  the  knowledge  and 
fellowship  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  may  be  experienced  by  the  soul  that  sees  the  Saviour 
with  the  gaze  and  vision  of  true  faith.  The  eyes  of  the  understanding  being  opened, 
the  illumined  nature  looks  upon  the  Lord  ;  and  to  look  upon  him  is  to  live. 

V.  What  may  Christ's  Church  do  to  satisfy  this  desire  ?  The  Greeks  came 
to  the  disciples,  and  the  disciples  introduced  the  strangers  to  the  Lord.  They  themselves 
could  give  no  satisfaction  to  the  inquirers,  but  they  could  lead  them  to  him  in  whom 
such  satisfaction  was  to  be  found.  Thus  those  who  themselves  have  seen  Jesus,  and 
who  know  him,  may  point  to  him  whom  they  know  and  love,  and  may  say  in  the  hear- 
l.ig  of  others,  "  Behold  the  Lamb ! "— T. 


156  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1—50. 

Ver.  23. —  The  hour  of  glory.  Our  Saviour  was  "  a  Light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles,"  as 
Veil  as  "'  the  Glory  of  God's  people  Israel."  It  is  remarkable  that  on  the  several  occasions 
upon  which  Jesus  was  brought  into  contact  with  Gentiles,  such  contact  was  suggestive 
of  the  wide  and  far-reaching  consequences  of  his  mission  to  mankind.  The  faith  of  the 
centurion  prompted  the  prediction,  "  Many  shall  come  from  the  East  and  from  the 
West,  and  shall  sit  down  in  the  kingdom  of  God."  When  the  Samaritans  believed, 
the  Lord  saw  that  the  fields  were  already  ripe  unto  the  harvest.  The  inquiry  of  certain 
Greeks  gave  rise  to  Christ's  prediction,  "  I  will  draw  all  men  unto  myself."  As  at 
Christ's  birth  the  wise  men  came  from  the  East  to  his  cradle,  so  before  his  death  the 
Greeks  came  from  the  West  unto  his  cross. 

I.  Theee  was  in  the  history  of  Immanuel  a  crisis  of  suffering.  1.  This  was  a 
fixed,  a  certain,  an  expected  hour.  If  our  Lord's  birth  was  in  "  the  fulness  of  time,"  it 
is  reasonable  to  believe  the  same  to  have  been  the  case  with  his  death.  Hitherto  Jesus 
had  said,  "  My  hour  is  not  yet  come  ; "  henceforth  his  language  was,  "  My  hour  is  at 
hand,  is  near,  is  come."  He  was  prepared  for  it,  and  for  all  it  might  bring.  2.  This 
was  a  solemn  and  momentous  hour.  There  are  great  and  memorable  hours  in  the 
history  of  nations — as  when  a  great  act  passes  the  legislature ;  when  a  mighty  revolution 
is  accomplished ;  when  slavery  ceases  ;  when,  after  a  long  war,  peace  is  concluded  ;  when 
some  momentous  decision  upon  national  policy  is  formed.  So  this  approaching  hour  in 
the  Saviour's  life  was  that  for  which  all  others  had  prepared,  which  had  been  foretold, 
expected,  and  waited  for.  3.  This  was  the  hour  of  the  apparent  success  of  Christ's  foes. 
The  conspiracy  was  successful ;  the  innocent  was  condemned ;  seemingly  the  work  of 
Christ  was  brought  to  a  close  and  proved  a  failure,  4.  This  was  the  hour  of  humiliation 
and  of  woe.  Jesus  alone  could  fully  appreciate  the  magnitude  of  the  crisis,  the  mys- 
terious import  of  the  great  transaction.     It  was  the  hour  of  sacrifice  and  of  redemption. 

II.  This  crisis  of  suffering  was  to  Christ's  prophetic  mind  a  crisis  of  glory. 
He  saw  not  as  man  sees.  Satan  appeared  victorious ;  Christ's  enemies  seemed  to  have 
succeeded  in  their  malignant  schemes ;  his  disciples  and  friends  seemed  overwhelmed 
with  consternation  and  despair.  But  Jesus  looked  beyond  the  cruel  cross  to  the 
immortal  crown.  1.  The  hour  was  at  hand  when  Jesus  should  receive  his  personal 
glorification,  as  the  Son  of  man.  As  the  Word,  the  Son  of  God,  this  exalted  Being  had 
enjoyed  glory  with  the  Father  before  the  world  was.  But  now  his  humanity  was  to 
be  glorified.  He  loved  to  call  himself  the  Son  of  man  ;  in  this  capacity  he  was  about 
to  be  raised  to  immo'rtal  majesty.  2.  His  glory  was  to  be  shown  as  the  accepted  of  the 
Father  in  his  resurrection  from  the  dead.  God  raised  him  from  the  dead,  and  gave  him 
glory.  In  his  ascension  Jesus  Christ  was  "  received  up  into  glory."  There  was  evident 
humiliation  in  the  cross,  and  as  evident  glory  in  his  exaltation  to  the  throne.  3.  His 
official  glory  was  to  be  displayed  in  his  kingship  and  dominion.  In  heaven  he  was  to 
receive  the  homage  both  of  angels  and  of  glorified  men ;  upon  earth  he  was  to  extend,  by 
his  Spirit  and  by  his  Word,  the  empire  be  had  founded  by  his  death.  4.  Christ's  truest 
glory  was  to  consist  in  the  salvation  of  multitudes  of  the  human  race  by  means  of  his 
sacrifice  and  intercession.  The  highest  glory  of  an  earthly  monarch  consists  in  the 
number  and  loyalty  of  his  subjects.  No  earthly  king  has  ever  exercised  a  sway  so 
wide,  so  beneficent,  so  enduring,  as  that  of  Christ.  The  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  to 
become  the  kingdoms  of  our  God  and  of  his  Christ.  All  foes  shall  be  put  beneath  his 
feet.  The  inclusion  of  Jews  and  Gentiles  in  the  "  one  new  humanity  "  is  a  triumph  of 
Christ's  spiritual  kingship.  On  his  head  are  many  crowns.  To  an  enlightened  and 
spiritual  mind  there  is  no  proof  of  royal  majesty  secured  by  sacrificial  love  so  con- 
vincing as  this — the  subjugation  of  human  hearts  and  lives  to  his  moral  authority, 
whose  "  kingdom  is  righteousness,  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost." — T. 

Ver.  24. — Death  and  fruitfulness.  The  principle  here  stated,  and  applied  by  Christ 
to  himself,  is  one  ordained  by  the  Creator  of  the  moral  universe.  The  only  true  enrich- 
ment is  through  giving,  the  only  true  gain  is  through  loss,  the  only  true  victory  is 
through  suffering  and  humiliation,  the  only  true  life  is  through  death.  The  earth 
yields  a  harvest  when  the  grain  is  entrusted  to  its  keeping,  even  when  the  Egyptian 
husbandman  casts  his  bread  upon  the  waters.  And  the  Son  of  God  saw  clearly  that  he 
must  die  and  be  buried,  in  order  that  he  might  become  to  mankind  the  source  of 
spiritual  and  eternal  life.  , 


CH.  xir.  1—50.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  157 


I,  TuE  LIFE  OF  THE  world's  SPIRITUAL  SEED.  Imagination  can  see  in  an  acorn  all 
which  may  arise  from  it — an  oak,  a  ship,  a  navy  ;  for  the  acorn  has  a  life-germ  which  is 

■capable  of  increase  and  multiplication.  Imagination  can  see  in  a  handful  of  seed-corn 
carried  to  a  distant  isle,  a  nation's  food.  So  in  one  Person,  the  speaker  of  these  words, 
there  lay — though  only  Omniscience  could  clearly  foresee  this — the  spiritual  ho^^es  of  a 
whole  race.  Jesus  himself  knew  that  this  was  so,  and  foresaw  and  foretold  the  results 
of  his  obedience  unto  death.  In  the  coming  of  these  Greeks  he  discerned  the  earnest 
of  a  glorious  future  ;  and  the  prospect  of  approaching  suffering  and  of  future  victory 
stirred  and  troubled  his  soul  with  a  mighty  emotion.  The  explanation  of  this  marvel- 
lous potency  is  to  be  found  in  the  fiict  that  Christ  was  Life — the  Life  of  men.  His  Divine 
nature,  his  great  vocation,  his  faultless  character,  his  gracious  ministry,  his  spiritual 
power,  his  unrivalled  love,  his  incomparable  sacrifice,  are  all  signs  of  the  possession  by 
him  of  a  wonderful  life.  Only  a  divinely  commissioned  and  qualified  Being  could 
become  the  world's  Life.  Because  he  was  the  Son  of  God,  it  was  possible  for  him  to 
bring  to  this  human  race  what  none  other  could  confer — spiritual  vitality  and  fruitfulness. 
The  claim  which  Jesus  made  may  have  seemed  to  an  observer  of  his  ministry  incre- 
dible or  even  presumptuous.  Yet  as  a  tiny  seed  may  produce  a  majestic  tree,  because 
iu  the  seed  is  a  germ  of  life,  so  in  the  lowly  Nazarene  was  the  promise  of  a  new  and 
blessed  life  for  this  humanity.  "I  am  come,"  said  he,  "  that  they  may  have  life,  and 
may  have  it  abundantly."     Such  sayings,  from  his  lips,  were  the  simple,  literal  truth. 

II.  The  dissolution  of  the  world's  spiritual  seed.  To  one  unacquainted  with 
the  mystery  of  growth,  it  must  seem  that  the  strangest  use  to  which  a  seed  could  be  put 
is  to  bury  it  in  the  ground.  Death  is  the  unlikeliest  road  to  life.  Yet  experience  teaches 
us  that  dissolution  is  necessary  to  reproduction.  The  substance  of  the  grain  dissolves, 
and  nourishes  and  protects  the  living  germ,  which  by  means  of  warmth  and  moisture 
puts  forth  the  signs  of  life,  grows  and  develops  into  a  corn-plant  or  a  tree.  Had  not 
the  seed  been  planted,  it  would  have  remained  by  itself  alone  and  unfruitful.  The  law 
obtains  in  the  moral  realm.  Our  race  gains  its  best  of  knowledge,  experience,  progress, 
happiness,  virtue,  not  from  the  prosperous  and  the  peaceful,  but  from  those  whose  life 
is  a  life  of  toil,  endurance,  patience  in  suffering,  and  sacrifice.  The  world  is  infinitely 
indebted  to  its  confessors,  its  martyrs,  its  much-enduring  heroes.  The  highest  exem- 
I'lification  of  this  law  is  to  be  found  in  the  sacrifice  of  the  world's  Redeemer.  His  lite 
of  labour  and  weariness  was  closed  by  a  death  of  shame  and  anguish.  He  gave  up  his 
body  to  the  cross  and  to  the  tomb.  His  whole  life  was  a  death  unto  self,  unto  the 
world  ;  and  he  did  not  shrink  from  that  mortality  which  is  the  common  lot  of  man. 
This  death  did  not  come  upon  him  by  accident ;  he  several  times  distinctly  foretold  it — it 
was  part  of  his  plan.  He  is  not  to  be  numbered  among  the  many  who  might  have  been 
spiritual  forces  for  highest  good,  but  who  remained  fruitless  because  they  dared  not  die. 
The  ignominious  cross  has  ever  been  a  stumbling-block  to  many ;  but  to  multitudes, 
spiritually  enlightened,  and  touched  in  the  heart  by  his  Spirit,  it  has  been  the  supreme 
revelation  of  God.  The  cross  and  the  grave  are  to  the  unspiritual  an  offence ;  but  to 
Christians  they  are  a  glory  and  a  joy,  the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  God.  Via 
cruris,  via  Ittcis.  Christ's  body  did  not  indeed  see  corruption ;  yet  his  life's  close  was 
an  exact  correspondence  to  the  dissolution  of  the  seed.  A  bystander  might  naturally 
have  said,  "Here  is  the  end  of  the  professions  and  the  work  of  Jesus!"  But  God's 
ways  are  not  our  ways. 

.  III.  The  fertility  of  the  world's  spiritual  seed.  One  grain  of  wheat,  if  sown, 
and  its  produce  resown,  may  in  time  produce  a  vast,  all  but  incalculable  crop.  One 
grain  seems  thrown  away,  but  millions  are  gathered  and  garnered.  Much  fruit  rewards 
the  faith  of  the  husbandman.  Our  Lord  teaches  us  that,  in  the  spiritual  realm,  a 
similar  result  follows  a  similar  process.  He  knew  that  he  was  about  to  die ;  but  he 
knew  also  that  his  death  should  be  rich  in  spiritual  fruit.  The  immediate  results 
verified  his  prediction.  In  a  short  space  of  time  after  our  Lord's  death,  the  number  of 
his  disciples  was  not  merely  increased,  it  was  multiplied.  The  fruit  borne  upon  the 
day  of  Pentecost  was  the  firstfruit  of  a  rich,  abundant  harvest.  Not  only  iu  the 
Jewish  world,  but  among  the  Gentiles  also,  it  was  speedily  manifest  that  Jesus  had 
not  died  in  vain.  Israel  had  conspired  to  kill  him  ;  bftt  he  became  the  Saviour  of  the 
true  Israel — the  Israel  of  God.  The  Romans  had  put  him  to  death  ;  but  in  a  few  genera- 
tions the  Roman  empire  acknowledged  his  supremacy.     The  world  had  cast  him  out : 


158  THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1— 50. 

but  the  world  was  saved  by  him.  The  history  of  Christendom  is  the  story  of  one  long 
harvest — a  harvest  yielded  by  the  spiritual  seed  which  was  sown  on  Calvary.  The  . 
future  has  yet  to  reveal  the  vastness  of  the  work  which  Christ  has  wrought.  He  shall 
draw  all  men  unto  himself.  "  Many  shall  come  from  the  East  and  from  the  West."  A 
great  multitude,  whom  no  man  can  number,  shall  join  in  the  grateful  praise  and 
reverent  adoration  of  heaven. 

Practical  lessons.  1.  Our  indebtedness  to  Christ.  2.  Our  identification  with 
Christ.     3.  Our  hope  in  Christ. — T. 

Ver.  26. — Service  and  reward.  In  both  parts  of  this  declaration  made  by  our  Lord, 
there  is  a  condescension  to  our  human  ignorance  and  imperfection.  The  Master  makes 
use  of  language  drawn  from  human  relations  and  human  experiences. 

I.  What  Christ  requires.  1.  Service.  This  is  not  equivalent  to  bondage,  but  to 
personal  ministration.  It  is  a  just  and  helpful  view  to  take  of  the  Christian  life,  to 
regard  it  as  consisting  of  a  personal  attendance  upon  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  a  reverent 
and  affectionate  obedience  to  him.  A  Saviour  he  is ;  but  he  is  also  the  kindest  and  the 
best  of  Masters.  The  twelve  felt  this,  and  their  life  was  a  practical  acknowledgment  of 
it,  both  during  the  Lord's  ministry  and  more  especially  after  his  departure.  The 
Greeks,  whose  coming  suggested  this  language,  may  have  cherished  some  desire  and 
hope  of  being  admitted  into  the  number  of  Christ's  servants.  It  is  the  highest  ambi- 
tion any  man  can  cherish  to  be  counted  an  adherent,  a  retainer,  a  minister,  of  Jesus. 
2.  Following.  This  involves :  (1)  Obedience  to  Christ's  commands.  His  people  obey 
him  from  love,  but  still  they  do  obey  him.  (2)  Conformity  to  his  character.  He  not 
only  says,  "  Do  what  I  bid  you ! "  but,  "  Be  what  I  am  ! "  (3)  Endurance  of  the  trials 
incident  to  his  service.     It  is  for  Christ's  people  to  bear  their  Leader's  cross. 

II.  What  Christ  promises.  It  is  observable  that  Jesus  addresses  to  his  followers 
no  promise  of  worldly  or  carnal  advantage,  such  as  Mohammed,  for  example,  made  use  of 
to  allure  and  inspire  his  adherents.  Jesus  invited  men  to  become  his,  even  when  he 
saw  the  cross  before  his  eyes.  There  was  sublimity  in  such  an  invitation  given  in 
such  an  hour.  And  as  the  service  to  which  he  invited  men  was  not  without  its  perils, 
so  the  recompense  he  offered  was  unworldly  and  spiritual.  1.  His  own  fellowship  and 
society.  They  who  know  and  appreciate  Christ  deem  it  the  highest  and  purest  happi- 
ness to  be  "  with  "  him,  to  share  his  conflict,  to  hear  his  encouraging  voice,  to  partici- 
pate in  the  glory  of  his  victory.  2.  The  honour  of  the  Father.  The  honour  which 
men  seek  from  their  fellow-men  is  often  inadequate,  often  misplaced,  often  pernicious. 
There  are  no  such  disadvantages  attaching  to  the  Divine  Father's  approbation.  It  is 
indeed  well  with  him  "  whom  the  Lord  commendeth."  What  brighter  prospect  can 
there  be  than  this,  "  Then  shall  every  man  have  praise  of  God  "  ? — T. 

Vers.  27,  28. — The  soul-conflict  of  Christ.  Only  now  and  again  do  we  observe  the 
Saviour's  regard  turned  inwardly  upon  himself,  upon  his  own  feelings  and  anticipations. 
Usually  his  thoughts  and  his  speech  concerned  others.  But  in  this  passage  of  his 
ministry  he  gives  us  an  insight  into  his  inmost  heart. 

L  The  crisis  of  this  conflict.  The  approach  of  the  Greeks  marks  "  the  beginning 
of  the  end."  Now  the  Son  of  man  began  to  feel  by  anticipation  the  burden  of  the 
cross.  Opposition  and  persecution  were  at  hand.  He  was  about  to  tread  the  winepress 
alone.  Pain,  humiliation,  sorrow,  death,  were  close  upon  him.  The  "  hour  "  which  he 
had  long  foreseen  was  now  nearly  marked  upon  the  dial  of  his  life ;  it  was  the  hour  of 
his  enemies'  power  and  of  the  prince  of  darkness. 

11.  The  character  of  this  conflict.  1.  On  the  one  side  was  personal  feeling, 
which  expressed  itself  in  the  cry,  so  human,  so  touching,  so  sincere,  "  Father,  save  me 
from  this  hour ! "  This  was  the  voice  of  human  weakness,  to  be  repeated  afterwards 
in  the  form,  "  If  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me  1 "  This  shrinking  from  all 
that  was  involved  in  the  sacrifice  was  real.  Our  Lord's  human  nature  was  reluctant 
to  endure  the  anguish  of  Gethsemane,  the  agony  of  Golgotha.  2.  On  the  other  side 
was  the  perception  that  all  the  past  experience  of  his  humanity  led  up  to  just  this 
distressful  burden,  the  pressure  of  which  he  was  now  beginning  to  feel.  He  had  con- 
sented to  live  in  order  that  he  might  consent  to  die.  The  baptism  of  sorrow  most 
overwhelm  him,  the  bitter  cup  must  be  drained  to  the  dregs,  in  order  that  his  ministry 


CH.  xn.  1—50.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  159 

might  bo  complete.  The  Incarnation  itself  contemplated,  and  virtually  included,  the 
sacrifice.  The  past  would  prove  to  have  been  endared  in  vain,  if  the  future  should  be 
evaded ;  and  the  life  of  the  Saviour,  with  the  cross  left  out,  if  such  a  conception  be 
possible,  would  be  all  but  powerless  in  the  spiritual  history  of  humanity.  3.  Hence 
the  distraction  of  mind  evinced  in  the  exclamation,  "What  shall  I  say?"  The  two 
wishes  were  inconsistent  with  each  other.  With  which  of  them  should  the  deliberate 
and  decisive  resolve  identify  itself? 

III.  TuE  DECISIVE  CRY  OP  THE  CONFLICT.  The  issuc  of  the  struggle  within  the 
Saviour's  Spirit  was  apparent  when  he  uttered  the  exclamation,  the  prayer,  "  Father, 
glorify  thy  Name ! "  For  this  revealed  the  fact  that  Jesus  was  turning  away  from  him- 
self and  from  his  own  feelings,  and  was  turning  to  his  Father.  He  was  sinking  the 
consideration  of  himself  and  his  sufferings  in  a  filial  regard  to  his  Father's  honour,  to 
the  Divine  purposes  which  underlay  the  whole  of  his  mission.  God  was  exalted  in  the 
completion  of  the  Mediator's  work.  Jesus  learned  obedience,  and  displayed  obedience, 
in  the  things  which  he  suffered.  Our  salvation  was  assured  when  the  decision  was 
reached,  when  the  cry  was  uttered,  when  the  Father's  glory,  by  its  dazzling  brightness, 
its  burning  radiance,  consumed  all  beside. 

IV.  The  close  of  the  conflict.  The  solemnity  and  grandeur  of  the  crisis  is  shown 
by  the  audible  interposition  with  which  the  Father  responded  to  the  cry  of  his  beloved, 
chosen  Son.  1.  The  voice  from  heaven  was  a  reminder.  How  the  Father  had  glorified 
his  Son  we  know  from  the  record  of  what  took  place  at  the  baptism  and  at  the  Trans- 
figuration. But  to  the  spiritually  enlightened  and  discerning  there  had  been  apparent, 
all  through  our  Saviour's  ministry,  a  moral  glory  which  was  hidden  from  the  thought- 
less world.  2.  The  voice  from  heaven  was  a  promise.  The  further  glory  of  the  Father  in 
his  Son  was  to  be  manifested  in  all  the  events  to  follow  the  perfect  obedience  unto  the 
death  of  the  cross.  Especially  in  the  resurrection  of  Christ  did  God  "  give  him  glory." 
The  Ascension,  the  marvels  of  Pentecost,  the  signs  accompanying  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel,  were  evidences  that  the  Divine  purposes  were  in  course  of  fulfilment.  The 
whole  dispensation  of  grace  is  "rather" — i.e.  in  a  superior  measure  and  degree — "rather 
glorious."  The  establishment  of  the  kingdom  of  God  among  men,  the  introduction  of 
a  new  and  higher  life  into  our  humanity,  the  salvation  of  untold  myriads  of  sinners, 
the  peopling  of  heaven  with  the  redeemed  from  every  nation, — these  are  signs  that  the 
Lord  has  seen  of  the  travail  of  his  soul  and  is  satisfied,  that  the  purposes  of  the  Father 
are  accomplished,  that  the  glory  of  the  Father  is  secured. — T. 

Ver.  32. — Divine  attraction.  The  shadow  of  the  cross  lay  athwart  the  path  of  Jesus. 
His  soul  was  troubled,  for  the  hour  was  come.  The  grain  of  wheat  was  about  to  fall 
into  the  soil,  and  there  to  die.  Yet  our  Saviour  looked  beyond  the  near  to  the  distant 
future.  He  knew  that,  though  the  hour  was  come,  it  was  the  hour  in  which  God  should 
be  glorified  ;  that  though  the  seed  should  die,  it  should  bear  much  fruit ;  that  though 
he  himself  was  about  to  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  he  should  draw  all  men  unto 
himself. 

I.  Who  was  he  who  looked  fobwabd  to  a  prospect  so  qlorioxts  ?  This  must  be 
asked,  because  the  words  used  are  such  as  from  ordinary  lips  might  naturally  be  deemed 
but  vaiu  boasting.  How  often  have  conquerors  hoped  to  subdue  the  world,  thinkers  to 
convert  all  mankind  to  their  opinions,  preachers  and  promulgators  of  religious  systems 
to  win  the  empire  over  the  hearts  of  the  race !  Experience  has  dispelled  mauy  such 
illusions  ;  and  we  are  slow  to  accept  claims  to  universal  dominion.  Who,  then,  was  he 
who  uttered  this  confident  expectation — that  all  men  should  be  drawn  to  him  ?  To  all 
outward  appearance  a  peasant,  a  teacher,  a  healer,  a  reformer,  a  benefactor  of  his  fellow- 
men.  What  prospect  was  there  of  one  in  such  a  position  realizing  a  hope  so  vast  ? 
And  how,  if  he  was  about  to  be  crucified,  could  he  find  the  cross  a  means  to  such  an 
end?  The  thing  seemed  incredible,  even  to  his  own  adherents  and  friends.  If  Jesus  had 
been  a  mere  man,  although  a  saint  or  a  prophet,  such  language  would  have  been  egotism. 
But  Jesus  knew  the  purpose  of  the  Father,  and  felt  within  him  the  consciousness 
of  power  to  achieve  a  work  so  great.  And  the  events  which  followed — the  Besurrection 
and  Ascension,  and  especially  the  Pentecostal  outpouring — opened  the  eyes  of  his  dis- 
ciples to  the  glory  of  their  Master's  Person,  the  power  of  his  Spirit,  the  certainty  of  the 
prospect  he  beheld. 


160  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1—50. 

II.  What  was  the  condition  of  the  exercise  of  this  superhuman  power  ?  The 
expression,  "  lifting  up,"  as  applied  by  Jesus  to  himself,  is  interpreted  for  us  by  the 
evangelist.  Used  three  times,  it  denotes,  in  each  instance,  the  manner  of  Christ's  death, 
the  lifting  up  u^  on  the  cross.  This  was,  indeed,  to  be  followed  by  the  lifting  up  to  the 
throne  of  empire  and  of  glory.  As  a  Saviour,  Jesus  was  crucified;  as  a  Divine  Saviour, 
he  was  exalted.  The  wisdom  of  God,  the  power  of  God,  were  to  be  displayed  in  this 
triumph  of  humiliation,  suffering,  and  death. 

III.  What  was  the  nature,  the  action,  of  this  attractive  power?  It  is  very 
significant  that  the  "  drawing  "  which  Jesus  exercised  displayed  itself  even  whilst  he 
hung  upon  the  tree.  The  multitude  gathered  around ;  and  if  the  soldiers  viewed  the 
scene  with  indifference,  there  were  women  who  watched  and  wept,  and  there  were 
among  the  people  those  who  smote  their  breasts  in  sorrow  and  in  fear.  But  we  have  to 
notice,  not  the  curiosity  or  the  natural  emotions  excited  by  the  spectacle  of  one  suffer- 
ing crucifixion,  but  the  spiritual  attraction  of  Calvary.  The  incomparable  love  and 
pity  manifested  by  the  Crucified  possess  a  mysterious  charm.  It  is  the  Shepherd 
smitten  for  the  flock  he  came  to  save,  it  is  the  Friend  laying  down  his  life  for  his 
friends,  who  exercises  this  Divine  magnetism.  They  who  discern  in  the  Lord's  suffer- 
ings and  death  the  appointed  means  of  man's  redemption,  who  know  that  "  with  his 
stripes  we  are  healed,"  can  understand  how  a  spiritual  force  emanates  from  the  cross  as 
gravitation  from  a  central  sun.  Man's  nature  is  such  as  to  be  affected  by  the  exhibition 
on  Christ's  part  of  love  stronger  than  death,  of  compassion  worthy  of  a  God.  That  the 
sacrifice  of  our  Redeemer  had  its  bearing  upon  the  government  of  God — this  is  clearly 
taught  in  Scripture.  But  here  our  Lord  lays  stress  upon  its  bearing  upon  the  heart  of 
man,  upon  human  society  and  human  prospects. 

IV.  Whither  does  the  crucified  One  draw  those  whom  his  influence  affects? 
The  suffering,  the  glorified  Redeemer  draws  men  away  from  sinful  affections  and  sinful 
courses ;  he  draws  them  unto  safety,  peace,  and  life.  But  it  is  obfervable  that  Christ 
declares  his  purpose  to  draw  them  "  unto  himself"  i.e.  to  enjoy  his  fellowship,  to  parti- 
cipate in  his  character.  A  personal  power  draws  men  to  a  personal  Saviour,  Friend, 
and  Lord.     Men  are  drawn  by  the  cross,  not  to  Christianity,  but  to  Christ. 

V.  What  is  the  range  of  this  attraction  ?  Jesus  is  a  universal  Saviour.  He 
proposes  and  promises  to  draw  all  men  unto  himself.  The  firstfruits  of  this  harvest 
were  yielded  whilst  he  still  hung  upon  the  tree.  The  conversion  of  the  dying  male- 
factor, the  enlightenment  of  the  centurion,  were  an  earnest  of  greater  victories.  It  was 
the  intention  of  Christ  to  save  friends  and  foes,  Jews  and  Gentiles.  And  the  facts  of 
history  are  a  proof  of  the  extent  to  which  this  intention  has  already  been  fulfilled.  The 
idolater  has  forsaken  his  "  gods  many ; "  the  Jewish  rabbi  has  abandoned  confidence 
in  the  "  letter,"  and  has  learned  to  rejoice  in  "  the  Spirit ;  "  the  philosopher  has  found 
the  wisdom  of  God  better  than  the  wisdom  of  this  world.  Human  beings  of  all  grades 
have  felt  and  yielded  to  the  Divine  attraction  of  the  cross.  The  young  and  the  old,  the 
profligate  and  the  ascetic,  the  tempted,  the  aged,  and  the  dying,  are  day  by  day  being 
drawn  unto  the  heart  of  Immanuel.  The  marvels  of  Pentecost  were  an  omen  of  a  new 
life  for  all  nations  of  mankind.  The  apostles  themselves  witnessed  enough  to  convince 
them  of  the  truth  of  their  Master's  words,  the  depth  of  their  Master's  insight,  the 
vastness  of  their  Master's  prophetic  view.  Looking  back,  and  looking  around,  we  learn 
to  look  forward  with  an  inspiring  confidence  to  the  realization  of  a  promise  so  benevo- 
lent and  so  glorious  as  this  from  the  lips  of  him  who  was  about  to  die. — T. 

Ver.  34. — The  Son  of  man.  Perplexity  and  inquiry  mingle  in  this  question  which 
the  Jews  were  prompted  to  put,  when  they  heard  the  language  in  which  Jesus  claimed 
authority  in  his  death  to  gather  mankind  around  himself. 

I.  The  designation  applied  to  Jesus.  The  expression,  "  Son  of  man,"  was  familiar 
to  the  Jews.  1.  In  the  Old  Testament  it  was  used  as  equivalent  to  "  man."  It  is 
applied  in  the  Book  of  Ezekiel  to  that  prophet  himself,  in  about  eighty  passages.  There 
is  one  passage  in  the  Book  of  Daniel  in  which  the  Messiah  is  introduced  as  "  like  a  Son 
of  man."  2.  In  the  New  Testament  the  expression  occurs  eighty-two  times,  and  in 
almost  all  instances  it  is  used  by  Jesus  of  himself.  It  is  found  in  all  four  Gospels. 
Here  only  in  the  Gospels  is  it  used  by  others  of  our  Lord,  and  as  if  it  were  desired  to 
understand  the  full  meaning  of  the  phrase.    Stephen,  when  threatened  with  the  martyr's 


CH.  XII.  1—50.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  161 

death,  made  use  of  this  appellation,  which  shows  that  it  was  well  known  and  current 
among  the  early  Christians.  The  same  is  ajiparent  from  its  employment  by  John  in 
the  Apocalypse,  when  describing  the  ascended  Christ.  3.  There  are  passages  fiom 
which  it  would  seem  that  "Son  of  man"  was  regarded  as  almost  equivalent  to  "Son 
of  God."  Thus  in  Peter's  great  confession,  in  answer  to  Christ's  inquiry  (see  Matt. 
xvi.  13 — 16).  And  again  in  Caiaphas's  interpretation  of  our  Lord's  language  (see  Luke 
x.xii.  69,  70).  4.  To  the  Christian  the  designation  is  suggestive  of  great  and  distinc- 
tively Christian  doctrines.  The  Son  of  man  is  to  him  incarnate  Deity,  and  yet  Deity  in 
participation  with  our  nature,  in  priestly  fellowship  with  our  life,  in  human  sympathy 
with  our  feelings,  in  humiliation  and  sacrifice.  And  on  the  other  hand,  the  Son  of 
man  assures  us  that  he  is  our  Representative  above,  our  Mediator  and  Friend,  our  Lord 
and  Judge. 

IL  The  question  asked  concerning  Jesus.  "  Who  is  this  Son  of  man  ?"  1.  It  is 
a  question  which  is  prompted  by  our  acquaintance  with  the  facts  of  Christ's  ministry. 
The  record  of  what  Jesus  did,  suffered,  and  said,  is  the  most  amazing  record  in  the 
history  of  humanity.  Is  it  possible,  seriously  and  thoughtfully,  to  make  acquaintance 
with  the  facts  of  his  life,  death,  and  resurrection,  without  being  urged  to  the  inquiry, 
"  Who  is  this  ? "  2.  It  is  a  question  upon  the  answer  to  which  great  issues  depend. 
Was  Jesus  an  impostor,  or  a  fanatic,  or  an  altogether  mythical  personage?  tjpon 
many  questions  we  can  afford  to  suspend  our  judgment ;  but  not  upon  this.  It  makes 
all  the  difference  to  the  world,  it  makes  all  the  difference  to  ourselves,  whether  or  not 
Jesus  be  the  Saviour  from  sin,  and  the  Lord  of  righteousness  and  life.  3.  It  is  a 
question  which  admits  but  of  one  reply.  Reason  and  conscience  alike  are  satisfied,  and 
can  find  rest,  when  the  assurance  is  given  that  the  Son  of  man  is  Son  of  God. — T. 

Ver.  35. — LigM  on  the  path.  The  occasion  of  this  admonition  is  intelligible  enough. 
The  Jews  were  naturally  perplexed  at  Jesus'  saying  (ver.  32)  concerning  his  approach- 
ing death,  and  the  mysterious  power  which  in  and  after  his  death  he  should  exercise 
over  men.  No  wonder  that  they  asked  who  this  Son  of  man  could  be.  Jesus  did  not 
want  to  discourage  them  from  this  inquiry  as  one  of  great  speculative  interest ;  truth, 
especially  upon  the  highest  themes,  must  be  reverently  and  earnestly  sought.  Yet  it 
was  the  desire  of  Jesus  that  the  Jews  should  remember  the  practical  bearing  of  bis 
language.  His  ministry  among  them  was  a  probation  to  those  who  were  brought  inti) 
contact  with  him.  Some  used  that  probation  aright;  many  misused  it.  Now  tliafc 
the  light  shone,  it  was  for  those  favoured  with  its  shining  to  walk  by  its  celestial 
guidance. 

I.  An  injunction.  1.  What  is  the  light  in  which  we  are  directed  to  walk  ? 
Undoubtedly  the  spiritual  li^^ht  shed  upon  the  world  by  Christ  and  his  gospel — the 
li^ht  which  is  Divine,  glorious,  unsetting,  and  sufficient  for  the  illumination  of  all 
men.  This  is  the  clear  light  of  knowledge,  the  pure  light  of  holiness,  the  bright  light 
of  joy,  the  welcome  li^ht  of  counsel  and  of  safety.  2.  What  is  it  to  walk,  having  the 
light?  It  is  in  the  first  place  to  accept  the  true  and  Divine  light  in  preference  to  false, 
delusive  lights  of  earth.  Then  to  be  practically  guided  by  it  so  as  to  escajje  the  errois 
and  follies  and  sins  into  which  men  are  prone  to  be  misled.  Then  to  learn  by  experience 
so  to  love  the  light  as  to  partake  its  very  nature,  and  so  to  become  the  children  of  the 
light. 

II.  A  warning.  "That  darkness  overtake  you  not."  A  traveller  in  a  lonely 
desert  or  a  dangerous  country  is  anxious  to  travel  by  daylight,  and  to  reach  his  halt- 
ing-place or  his  destination  before  nightfall.  Making  use  of  this  similitude,  our  Lord 
enjoins  all  who  value  his  counsel  to  speed  their  onward  way,  lest,  if  they  be  slothful 
and  inattentive  to  Divine  guidance,  they  be  overtaken  by  the  night  of  judgment  and 
destruction.  The  darkness  to  be  dreaded  is  the  darkness  of  spiritual  insensibility.  The 
soul  that  shuns  the  light  learns  to  hate  the  light.  And  such  a  moral  failure  to  use 
aright  the  precious  advantages  conferred  involves  the  privation  of  privilege.  Thus  the 
unfaithful  is  brought  into  the  darkness  of  Divine  displeasure  and  death.  How  the 
warning  of  Christ  was  fulfilled  in  the  experience  of  Israel  as  a  nation,  history  has 
recorded.  The  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  dispersion  of  the  once  favoured  nation, 
show  that  "  darkness  overtook "  them.  No  more  solemn  warning  exists  against 
negligence  and  unfaithfulness. — T. 

JOUN.— IL  X 


162  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1—50. 

Ver.  36. — "Sons  of  light."  This  remarkable  expression  occurs  four  times  in  the 
'New  Testament.     In  Luke  xvi.  8  the  Lord  Jesus  contrasts  with  the  children  of  this 

generation  the  sons  of  light.  In  this  passage  he  holds  out  the  prospect  before  those 
I  who  believe  on  the  Light  that  they  will  become  sons  of  light.     Paul,  in  Eph.  v.  8, 

admonishes  Christians  to  walk  as  children  of  light,  and  in  1  Thess.  v.  5  assures  Christians 
jthat  they  are  all  sons  of  light.     The  designation  is  instructive  and  appropriate  as 

indicating — 

I  I,  Their  origin;  for  the  God  of  light  is  their  Father.  God  is  Light;  he  is 
Itbe  Author  of  natural  light,  for  he  first  said,  "  Let  there  be  light :  and  there  was  light." 
I  He  too  '*  hath  shined  into  our  hearts,  to  give  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of 
I  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ." 

I  II.  Their  illumination  ;  for  Christ  by  the  Holy  Spirit  enlightens  them.  In 
Ithe  forty-sixth  verse  it  is  recorded  that  Jesus  said,  "  I  am  come  a  Light  into  the  world, 

that  whosoever  believeth  on  me  may  not  abide  in  the  darkness."     Not  only  dues  Christ 

as  the  Light  of  the  world  shine  upon  us  in  spiritual  glory ;  but  the  Holy  Spirit  illumines 

the  inner  nature  by  opening  the  eyes  of  the  understanding  to  perceive  the  truth  and 

grace  of  heaven. 

III.  Their  character  ;  for  they  are  light  in  the  Lord.  Christians  possess  the 
light  of  knowledge,  distinguishiug  their  state  from  the  darkness  of  ignorance ;  the  light 
of  holiness,  by  which  their  condition  contrasts  with  that  of  those  who  love  and  do  the 
works  of  darkness;  the  light  of  happiness  and  spiritual  joy,  for  they  are  delivered  from 
the  gloom  of  despondency  and  of  fear. 

IV.  Their  calling  and  work  ;  for  their  mission  is  to  shine  upon  a  benightkd 

WORLD. 

"  Heaven  doth  with  us  as  we  with  torches  do— 
Not  light  them  for  themselves." 

It  is  distinctive  of  true  Christians  that  they  not  only  receive  the  light,  but  diffuse  it 
abroad.  They  thus  adorn  their  profession,  become  the  agents  in  the  salvation  of  others, 
and  glorify  their  God. 

V.  Their  final  goal  and  home;  for  they  are  preparing  for  and  hastening 
TJSTO  the  heaven  OF  LIGHT.  There  is  a  sense  in  which  this  present  state  is  the  night, 
which  is  far  spent ;  the  day  is  at  hand.  The  fulness  of  light  is  where  God  is  in  his 
glory,  and  where  he  purposes  that  his  people  shall  be  with  him,  and  see  his  face.  The 
prospect  before  the  sons  of  light  is  none  other  than  "  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in 
light."-T. 

Vers.  44,  45. — The  knowledge  of  the  Eternal  through  Christ.  The  world's  great 
want  is  to  believe  in  God.  Men  believe  in  power,  in  wealth,  in  pleasure,  in  prosperity, 
in  science ;  that  is  to  say,  they  believe  that  such  things  are  desirable  and  attainable, 
and  worth  trying  and  toiling  and  suffering  for.  These  are  prized,  and  therefore  sought. 
They  are  more  or  less  good.  Yet  they  cannot  satisfy,  they  cannot  bless,  man ;  for  he 
has  a  spiritual  and  imperishable  nature,  for  which  all  earthly  things  are  not  enough, 
which  they  cannot  meet  and  satisfy.  Yet  multitudes  of  men  have  found  nothing  better. 
Some  believe  that  the  good  things  of  this  world  are  man's  highest  good,  and  strive  to 
bring  down  their  souls  to  this  level.  Others  know  that  this  cannot  be,  and  are  most 
unhappy,  because  they  are  strangers  to  aught  that  is  higher  and  better ;  because  they 
are  not  convinced  of  their  own  spirituality  and  immortality ;  because  they  do  not  feel 
assured  that  there  is  in  the  universe  a  Being  greater,  holier,  and  more  blessed  than 
they  are.  It  is  the  childish  fashion  of  the  day  to  doubt  all  save  what  is  often  a  most 
doubtful  kind  of  knowledge — the  knowledge  which  we  have  by  sense.  What  men 
chiefly  need  is  to  believe  in  a  Being  who  is  both  in  and  above  all  things  seen  and 
temporal ;  who  administers  and  governs  all ;  who  is  ever  revealing  himself  in  all  things, 
and  to  all  his  intelligent  creation ;  who  has  purposes,  and  purposes  of  wisdom  and  of 
love,  towards  all  his  children  in  every  place.  In  a  word,  what  they  need  is  to 
believe  in  God.  This  is  faith,  and  faith  is  the  essence  of  religion.  Faith  in  a  living 
Person,  conscious  and  moral ;  not  in  an  impersonal  intelligence  (whatever  that  may  be) 
inferior  to  ourselves ;  but  in  a  Father  in  heaven,  in  whom  is  every  moral  excellence 
which  we  admire  in  our  fellow-men,  only  in  measure  exceeding  our  imagination  and 


en.  xn.  1—50.]     THE  GOSrEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST,  JOHN.  ^  1G3 

indeed  altogether  beyond  measure.  If  men  live,  as  millions  do,  without  this  foith, 
they  live  below  the  possibilities  of  their  nature  and  calling.  It  is  this  faith  that  gives 
to  the  human  heart  peace,  strength,  and  hope;  and  to  the  human  life  and  lot  meaning, 
stability,  and  grandeur.  Without  it,  man  is  not  truly  man ;  with  it,  he  is  a  son  oi 
God  himself.  Yet  this  faith  is  not  easy  to  any  of  us ;  to  multitudes  it  is,  in  their  state, 
barely  possible,  perhaps  not  possible  at  all.  God  knows  this,  and  pities  our  infirmity. 
Hence  his  interposition  on  our  behalf,  his  revelation  of  himself  to  our  ignorant, 
necessitous,  and  helpless  souls.  His  mercj'-,  his  compassion,  his  Fatherly  counsel,  have 
provided  for  this  emergency.  The  supreme  manifestation  of  himself  is  not  in  lifeless 
matter  or  in  living  forms,  is  not  even  in  the  universal  reason  and  conscience  of  man- 
kind. He  has  come  unto  us,  and  spoken  in  our  hearing,  and  made  himself  known  to 
our  spirits,  in  the  Person  of  his  Soji.  In  him  he  appeals  to  us,  summoning  and 
inviting  us  to  faith.  No  longer  is  he  hidden  from  our  sight,  no  longer  distant  from  our 
heart. 

I.  Christ's  presence  among  men  is  the  presence  of  God.  This,  indeed,  is  the 
meaning  of  the  incarnation  of  our  Lord.  God's  works  we  see  on  every  side,  proofs  of 
"his  eternal  power  and  Godhead" — witnesses  without  which  he  has  never  left  himself. 
But  God  himself  no  man  hath  seen  at  any  time.  Yet  he  would  have  us  know  him ; 
not  only  know  something  about  him,  but  know  himself.  Hence  "  the  Word  became 
flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us,  and  we  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  Only  Begotten 
of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth."  He  is  "  the  Image  of  the  invisible  God,"  "  the 
Brightness  of  his  glory,  and  the  express  Image  of  his  Person."  Christ  was  conscious  of 
this  relation,  and  both  assumed  and  declared  it.  Nowhere  in  language  more  definite 
and  simple  than  here:  "He  that  seeth  me  seeth  him  that  sent  me."  What  wants  were 
met  in  this  manifestation  !  One  fancies  the  exiled  Hebrew,  panting  forth  his  heart's 
deep  want,  exclaiming  in  religious  fervour,  "  My  heart  and  my  flesh  crieth  out  for 
the  living  God!  When  shall  I  come  and  appear  before  God?"  Some  glimpse  of  his 
majesty  and  his  grace  the  devout  psalmist  might  hope  to  gain  in  the  temple,  which  was 
the  scene  of  his  presence,  his  service,  and  his  praise.  But  what  language  would  that 
ardent  spirit  have  found  to  express  its  wondering  gratitude,  could  the  vision  of  Immaimel 
have  flashed  upon  it  ?  One  fancies  the  Athenian  philosophers,  "  seeking  the  Lord,  if 
haply  they  might  feel  after  him  and  find  him ; "  the  Atbenian  poet,  by  a  stretch  of 
imagination  and  in  a  rapture  of  natural  piety,  rising  to  the  conviction,  "  We  are  also 
his  offspring."  But  what  satisfaction,  what  joy,  would  have  come  to  such  hearts, 
yearning  for  the  unknown  God,  had  the  Divine  Man  come  to  them,  with  the  declaratioii 
of  marvellous  simplicity  and  grace,  "  He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father  "  ! 
But  this  was  a  revelation,  not  only  for  saints  and  prophets,  for  sages  and  for  poets,  but 
for  all  mankind.  When  the  husbandman  hailed  the  rising  sun,  and  the  seaman  gazed 
upon  the  steadfast  pole-star,  this  question  must  have  arisen — Is  this  the  handiwork  of 
God?  When  the  father  looked  upon  the  lifeless  form  of  his  beloved  child,  what  thought 
could  soothe  and  temper  the  bitterness  of  his  bereavement  and  his  woe,  except  his 
confidence  in  the  supreme  Father's  care  and  love  ?  And  when  the  old  man  came  to  die, 
•what  could  light  up  the  dark  future  into  which  he  was  hastening,  save  the  uncreated 
light  which  comes  from  the  unseen?  In  their  manifold  questionings  and  doubts, 
sorrows,  infirmities,  and  fears,  men  have  looked  above,  and  we  do  not  say  they  have 
not  received  some  tokens  of  Divine  sympathy  and  love ;  they  have  "  cried  unto  God 
I  with  their  voice,"  and  he  has  heard  and  succoured  them.  But  how  dim  has  been  their 
vision !  How  faint  their  faith !  How  inarticulate  the  response  which  has  reached  them 
from  afar !  They  would  fain  have  believed ;  from  many  a  soul  went  up  the  eager  and 
intense  inquiry,  "Who  is  he,  that  I  might  believe?"  Nothing  did  they  so  deeply  desire 
as  to  see  him,  who  is  the  Author  of  all  being  and  the  Arbiter  of  all  destinies ;  but  as 
they  strained  their  vision,  it  was  as  those  peering  into  the  scarcely  penetrable  twilight, 
with  eyes  suffused  with  tears.  Who  can  by  searching  find  out  God,  or  know  the 
Almighty  to  fierfection?  Why  this  want  was  at  once  awakened,  and  allowed  to  remain 
so  long  unsatisfied,  we  cannot  tell.  It  is  one  of  those  mysteries  upon  which  eternity 
may  shed  some  light ;  for  time  has  little  to  yield.  It  is  enough  for  us  that  "  in  the 
fulness  of  the  time  God  sent  forth  his  Son,"  that  this  Son  of  God  is  the  one  Object  of 
human  belief,  the  Centre  attracting  the  gaze  of  all  eyes,  and  the  love  and  reverence  of 
all  hearts.     In  human  form,  through  human  life  and  death,  with  human  voice  .  God- 


164  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xn.  1—50. 

the  unknown,  makes  himself  known  to  us ;  God,  the  unseen,  makes  himself  visible  to 
us.  For  we  can  believe  on  Christ,  our  Fiiend,  our  Brother ;  we  can  behold  him,  the 
human  Immanuel.  We  greet  him  as  he  comes  to  us  from  heaven ;  we  listen  to  him 
as  he  speaks  to  us  in  earthly  language.  For  us  the  problem  is  solved,  the  chasm  is 
bridged,  the  impossible  is  achieved ;  as  Jesus  says,  "  He  that  believeth  on  me,  believeth 
not  on  me,  but  on  hira  that  sent  me.  And  he  that  seeth  me  seeth  him  that  sent  me." 
Some  persons  have  found  it  hard  to  believe  that  "  God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh."  But 
it  seems  far  harder  to  believe  that  God  was  not  in  Christ,  that  Christ  was  not  "  God 
with  us."  It  seems  hard  to  imagine  how  otherwise  we  could  be  brought  to  realize 
the  unspeakable  nearness  of  our  heavenly  Father,  how  otherwise  we  could  look  into 
his  face,  recognize  his  voice,  love  him  and  delight  in  him.  God  is  in  nature ;  but 
can  it  be  said,  "He  that  believeth  in  physical  law,  that  seeth  material  glory,  believes  in 
and  beholds  the  Father  above"?  He  spake  by  the  prophets  ;  but  could  Moses  assert, 
or  Elijah,  "He  that  seeth  me  seeth  him  that  sent  me  "?  The  incongruity  must  strike 
every  mind ;  such  language  from  human  lips  would  send  a  shock  through  every 
Christian  heart.  There  are  good  men  living  now ;  will  the  best  of  them  stand  up  before 
the  world,  and,  claiming  to  come  from  God,  declare,  "  He  that  seeth  me  seeth  him  that 
sent  me  "  ?  But  how  naturally  do  such  words  come  from  Jesus  of  Nazareth  !  How 
simple !  How  free  from  exaggeration  and  assumption  !  And  how  justly  and  confidently 
do  many  hearts  rest  in  his  Divine,  his  welcome,  his  precious,  his  authoritative  assurance, 
"  He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father  " ! 

II.  Christ's  words  are  the  words  of  God.  This  is  indeed  the  meaning  of  the 
ministry  of  Jesus,  as  a  ministry  of  teaching.  In  the  context  this  truth  is  brought  out 
with  special  distinciuess  and  power.  "  I  have  not,"  says  the  great  Teacher,  "  spoken 
of  myself;  but  the  Father  which  sent  me,  he  gave  me  a  commandment,  what  I  should 
say,  and  what  I  should  speak.  .  .  .  Whatsoever  I  speak,  therefore,  even  as  the  Father 
said  unto  me,  so  I  speak."  It  is  true  that  all  human  language  is  imperfect,  and  that, 
if  it  is  not  capable  of  expressing  all  the  thoughts,  and  especially  all  the  feelings  of  men, 
it  is  not  reasonable  to  expect  that  it  shall  utter  in  completeness  the  mind  of  the  infinite 
God.  This  objection  is  brought  by  some  against  a  revelation  in  words — against  the 
Bible  itself.  But  it  is  no  valid  objection.  Because  the  most  high  and  eternal  God 
cannot  make  himself  fully  known  to  man,  inasmuch  as  no  means  by  which  he  can 
communicate  can  do  other  than  partake  of  human  imperfection,  shall  he  therefore 
refuse  to  commune  with  us  at  all  ?  His  fatherly  pity  will  not  consent  to  this.  He 
"  spake  to  the  fathers  by  the  prophets,"  and  "  in  these  last  days  he  has  spoken  to  us 
by  his  Son."  And  what  words  they  are  in  which  our  Lord  has  addressed  us !  Who 
can  believe  them  without  believing  the  Father,  who  sent  as  Messenger  his  own 
honoured  and  beloved  Son  ?  He  is  indeed  "  the  Word,"  being,  in  his  own  faultless 
Person  and  sacred  ministry,  the  very  speech  of  the  Divine  mind,  appealing  to  humanity 
with  the  summons,  "  He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear."  His  words  were  true. 
Of  himself  he  could  speak  as  "  a  Man  who  telleth  you  the  truth."  The  unbeliever  may 
come  to  believe  his  words,  and  so  to  believe  in  himself;  the  Christian  believes  in  him, 
and  therefore  receives  his  utterances  with  an  unquestioning  faith.  On  the  highest 
.themes,  on  themes  of  the  deepest  and  most  imperishable  interest  for  man,  Christ  has 

spoken  ;  and  his  words  are  final,  never  to  be  questioned,  never  to  be  disproved.  His 
words  are  words  of  power.  As  he  himself  declared,  "  The  words  which  I  speak  unto 
you,  they  are  spirit,  and  they  are  life."  His  words  are  immortal.  "  Heaven  and  earth," 
said  he,  "  shall  pass  away,  but  my  words  shall  not  pass  away."  His  words  are  more 
than  human.  The  ofBcers  were  conscious  of  the  authority  of  his  teaching,  when  they 
returned  and  said,  "  Never  man  spake  like  this  Man  !  " 

III.  Christ's  love  is  the  love  of  God.  This  is  the  meaning  of  the  ministry  of 
Jesus  as  a  display  of  character  and  disposition,  as  a  constant  extension  to  men  of 
healing,  pardon,  grace,  and  help.  Our  Saviour  struck  the  key-note  of  his  ministry  in 
the  words  he  addressed  to  Nicodemus :  "  God  sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world  to  con- 
demn the  world,  but  that  the  world  through  him  might  be  saved."  The  worst  evils 
which  men  suffer  they  inflict  upon  themselves ;  the  greatest  blessings  which  they 
experience  are  given  them  by  God.  How  could  men  be  convinced  that  God  is  a 
Saviour?  The  best  answer  to  this  question  is  the  fact  that  they  have  been  so  convinced 
by  the  mission  and  the  ministry  of  Christ.    As  he  "  went  about  doing  good ;  "  as  "  he 


CH.  XII.  1—50.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  1C5 

healed  all  manner  of  sickness  and  disease  among  the  people ;  "  as  he  pronounced  to  the 
contrite  and  believing  sinner  the  gracious  words,  "  Be  of  good  cheer ;  thy  sins  bo 
forgiven  thee!" — men  felt,  as  they  had  never  felt  before,  that  God  was  visiting  and 
redeeming  his  people.  Human  sorrow  awakened  the  response  of  Divine  sympathy, 
and  human  sin  the  response  of  Divine  clemency  and  forgiveness.  It  was  not  the  timely 
but  casual  interix)sition  of  a  human  friend ;  it  was  the  one  typical  eternal  intervention 
of  a  God.  The  ministry  of  our  lledeemer  in  Judasa  and  in  Galilee  was  the  outward 
and  visible  sign  of  the  unchanging  pity  of  our  Father's  heart.  It  was  "  the  acceptable 
year  of  the  Lord,"  but  it  was  a  year  that  has  no  end.  In  Christ,  the  God  of  all  graco 
is  for  ever  addressing  mankind  in  the  language  of  an  unfailing  gospel,  and  is  saying, 
"  Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth."  "  Herein  is  love,  not 
that  we  loved  God,  but  that  God  loved  us,  and  sent  his  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  fot 
our  sins." 

IV.  Chbist's  salvation  is  the  salvation  of  God.  This  is  the  meaning  of 
Immanuel's  death  and  sacrifice.  What  it  is  wished  especially  to  draw  from  this  passage, 
as  elucidating  redemption  and  salvation,  is  this — that  in  the  cross  of  Christ  we  do  not 
so  much  behold  Christ  reconciling  us  unto  God,  as  God  in  Christ  reconciling  us  unto 
himself.  The  gospel  is  the  setting  forth  and  publication  in  time  of  the  great  truth 
and  reality  of  eternity — that  God  is  a  just  God  and  a  Saviour.  To  believe  in  Christ 
is  to  believe  in  God's  purposes  of  mercy ;  God's  method  of  mercy ;  God's  promist 
of  mercy.  What  follows  from  the  truths  now  stated?  How  do  they  practically 
affect  us  ? 

V.  The  acceptance  or  rejection  of  Christ  is  the  acceptance  or  rejection  of 
God.  These  words  were  uttered  at  the  close  of  our  Lord's  public  ministry  in  Jerusalem, 
probably  on  the  Wednesday  of  the  Passion  week.  On  the  whole,  Christ's  teaching  had 
met  with  unbelief  and  hostility.  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  had  been  rather  silenced 
than  convinced.  Many  of  the  chief  rulers,  indeed,  believed  on  Jesus,  yet  they  had  not 
the  courage  and  honesty  to  confess  him.  In  this  very  chapter,  whilst  we  read  that 
"  many  believed  "  on  Jesus,  we  are  informed  of  others  that  "  they  believed  not  on  him." 
It  is  clear  that  there  was  general  interest  in  Christ's  teachiog  and  claims;  but  that 
those  who  acknowledged  the  Prophet  of  Nazareth  as  the  Messiah  were  few  and  timid, 
whilst  his  opponents  were  bold  and  bitter  and  determined.  It  was  the  very  crisis  of 
our  Lord's  ministry.  His  "  hour  was  come."  The  cycle  of  his  public  teaching  and 
beneficence  was  complete.  He  had  now  only  to  lay  down  his  life,  and  thus  to  carry 
out  his  fore-announced  intentions,  and  to  finish  tlie  work  his  Father  had  given  him 
to  do.  And  these  words  and  those  which  follow  are  Christ's  final  testimony  to  the 
Jews.  He  sums  up  in  a  brief  compass  the  truth  concerning  himself,  and  then  the 
practical  bearing  of  that  truth  upon  his  hearers.  He  has  come  from  God.  He  has 
come,  with  Divine  authority,  as  the  world's  Light,  and  as  the  world's  Saviour.  He  has 
come  with  everlasting  life  in  his  hands,  as  Heaven's  choicest  gift.  Yet  he  sees  around 
him,  not  only  those  who  hear,  believe,  and  receive  him,  but  those  also  who  reject  him 
It  is  not  for  him  to  judge ;  for  he  has  come  to  save.  But  judgment  awaits  the  unbeliever 
And  what  is  the  witness  which  the  compassionate  Saviour  bears  as  his  last  solernn 
message  to  mankind  ?  How  does  he  bring  home  to  their  souls  the  awful  responsibility 
of  association  with  him,  of  enjoying  a  day  of  Divine  visitation?  He  does  this  in  Lhis 
sublime  statement,  in  which  he  identifies  himself  with  the  Father  from  whom  he 
came.  No  one  can  disbelieve  and  reject  him,  can  close  the  eye  to  his  glory,  without 
in  so  doing  rejecting  'God,  turning  away  from  the  sight  of  God,  and  stopping  the  ear 
against  the  voice  of  God.  This  was,  and  is,  a  truth  at  which  men  may  well  tremble. 
Here  we  are  brought  face  to  face  with  the  great  probation,  the  great  alternative,  of 
human  life  and  destiny.  Only  those  who  are  thoughtless  or  hardened  can  think  of 
this  truth  without  the  deepest  seriousness  and  solemnity.  It  may  justly  be  said  to 
men,  "  You  have  been  so  framed  by  the  Divine  Maker  of  all  that  you  must  either 
accept  or  reject  him.  In  either  case  it  must  be  your  act,  and  you  must  be  answerable 
for  it.  And  there  is  no  third  course  open  to  you ;  for  not  to  acknowledge,  honour,  and 
trust  the  Christ  of  God,  to  be  indifferent  to  him  and  to  his  salvation, — this  is  to  spurn 
the  most  sacred  privilege,  to  neglect  the  most  precious  opportunity  with  which  God 
himself  can  favour  you.  It  is  to  shut  the  eyes  to  the  light  of  heaven ;  it  is  to  dis- 
believe and  to  reject  the  eternal  God  himself." — T. 


166  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1—50. 

Vers.  3 — 8. —  The  immortal  box  of  ointment.     We  have  here — 

I.  The  offering  of  love.  "  Then  took  Mary,"  etc.  1.  This  offenng  of  love  is 
made  to  its  Object.  Jesus  was  the  Object  of  Mary's  supreme  love,  and  him  she  now 
anoints.  We  may  look  at  her  act  as :  (1)  An  expression  of  her  profound  personal 
esteem.  Esteem  for  his  character,  his  life,  and  his  Person.  (2)  An  expression  of  her 
profound  gratitude.  Gratitude  for  many  acts  of  kindness,  for  manj'  words  of  Divine 
wisdom,  comfort,  and  guidance,  and  especially  for  his  matchless  miracle  of  power  and 
friendship  in  the  restoration  to  life  of  a  dear  brother.  (3)  An  expression  of  her  pro- 
found homage  and  submission.  She  anoints  Jesus  as  the  Sovereign  of  lier  heart, 
the  King  of  her  soul,  the  Lord  of  her  life,  the  Messiah  of  the  nation,  and  the  Saviour  of 
men.  Inward  love  will  ever  find  an  outward  expression.  2.  T^iis  offering  of  hue  some- 
what corresponds  ivith  the  love  it  expresses.  Think  of  this  ointment,  the  offering  of 
Mary's  love.  (1)  Think  of  its  quality.  It  was  most  precious  and  genuine  ;  the  best 
that  could  be  found  even  in  the  East,  the  land  of  delightful  perfumes.  (2)  Think  of 
its  costliness.  It  was  very  costly.  According  to  Judas's  valuation  (and  who  knew 
better?)  it  was  worth  "three  hundred  pence  " — about  £10  of  our  money.  (3)  Think  of 
its  quantity.  "  A  pound."  A  pound  of  many  things  would  not  be  much,  but  a  pound 
of  this  genuine  and  costly  ointment  was  a  large  quantity.  But  it  was  not  too  genuine 
in  quality,  too  costly  in  value,  and  not  too  much  in  quantity,  to  satisfy  the  loving 
impulses  of  Mary's  heart.  Doubtless  there  was  a  tear  of  love  trembling  in  her  eye 
at  the  time,  because  the  offering  was  not  worthy  of  her  affections,  and  especially  not 
worthy  of  their  supreme  Object.  3.  This  offering  of  love  was  made  in  a  very  suitable 
and  interesting  manner.  (1)  It  was  deliberately  made.  Whether  the  ointment  was 
originally  bought  for  the  purpose  of  anointing  Jesus  or  for  private  use  cannot  be  decided. 
The  latter  supposition  adds  value  to  the  offering.  In  any  way,  it  was  either  deliberately 
bought,  or  preserved  and  appropriated  as  an  offering  of  love  to  Jesus.  It  was  not  an 
accident  or  an  impulse  of  the  moment.  (2)  It  was  most  heartily  made.  "  She  took  a 
pound,"  etc.,  or,  according  to  another  account,  "  she  brake  the  box."  Some  think  that 
all  was  not  used.  If  so,  it  is  strange  that  Judas  did  not  propose  to  sell  the  remainder. 
This  sujjposition  is  rather  against  the  narratives,  and  certainly  against  the  genius  of 
genuine  and  burning  love.  A  heart  broken  with  love  for  its  object  naturally  breaks 
the  box  over  his  head.  (3)  It  was  most  self -obliviously  and  gracefully  made.  "  She 
wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair."  Self-oblivious,  forgetful  of  the  laws  of  etiquette,  unmind- 
ful of  the  presence  of  those  around  her,  and  not  having  a  towel  at  hand,  not  one  at  least 
in  her  esteem  worthy  of  the  occasion,  she  so  wiped  those  feet,  at  which  she  so  often  sat, 
with  the  long  tresses  of  her  hair — an  act  of  tender  womanly  kindness,  unsurpassed 
in  the  richest  records  of  romance  and  the  finest  fancies  of  poetry.  Love  often  rises 
above  the  rules  of  social  etiquette,  and  dares  to  be  original  and  natural,  and  conse- 
quently most  pleasing  and  attractive.  What  a  picture  we  have  here  of  the  offering  of 
simple  and  ardent  love !  Never  feet  had  a  softer  towel,  and  never  a  towel  had  worthier 
feet  to  wipe  than  those  of  him  who  went  about  doing  good. 

II.  The  objection  of  avarice.  1.  It  came  from  an  unexpected  quarter.  "  Then 
saith  one  of  his  disciples,"  etc.  One  would  think  that  any  token  of  love  to  the  Master 
would  be  hailed  by  the  disciples  with  satisfaction  and  joy ;  but  it  was  not  so.  It  came 
from  one  of  them,  but  our  surprise  is  lessened  when  we  are  told  that  this  disciple  was 
no  other  than  the  betrayer.  2.  It  was  most  indignant.  (1)  It  commenced  within. 
The  soul  of  Judas  took  fire,  his  passions  were  all  ablaze,  and  this  was  to  some  extent 
contagious.  (2)  It  soon  found  outward  expression.  In  angry  looks,  in  disapproving 
gestures,  in  condemnatory  whispers,  and  at  last  it  thundered  forth  in  the  betrayer's 
cjuestion,  "  Why,"  etc.  ?  (3)  The  mouthjnece  qf  the  question  was  its  originator.  Judas 
was  the  originator  as  well  as  the  mouthpiece  of  this  foul  objection.  The  breaking  of  the 
box  broke  his  heart.  The  sweet  perfume  of  the  ointment  stank  in  his  nostrils,  and 
burnt  in  his  soul,  and  broke  out  in  burning  indignation.  The  other  disciples  were  but 
his  innocent  victims.  3.  It  was  most  plausible.  (1)  It  was  apparently  an  unprofitable 
act.  Christ  was  not  better  after  than  he  was  before  it  was  performed.  (2)  An  unpro- 
fitable act  at  a  great  expense.  Three  hundred  pence  were  wasted  to  no  purpose.  (3) 
There  was  a  worthy  cause  for  which  the  money  might  have  been  appropriated — the  ever 
worthy  and  crying  cause  of  the  oeedy  poor.  What  cravings  of  hunger  might  be  satis- 
fied with  what  was  spent  merely  to  please  a  woman's  whim !     What  a  glaring  and  an 


cii.  xii.  1—50.]     THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  1G7 

unpardonable  offence  was  the  whole  affair  !  The  objection  is  most  jilausible,  and  worthy 
of  a  benevolent  philanthropist.  We  are  not  surprised  that  it  moved  the  other  innocent 
disciples  into  indignation,  and  emboldened  the  traitor  to  make  it  with  confidence  of 
being  justified  in  the  eyes  of  his  Master.  4.  It  loas  vwst  false  and  selfish.  "This  he 
said,  not,"  etc.  The  objection  in  itself  is  natural,  but  as  coming  from  Judas  it  was  most 
selfish  and  insincere.  When  he  said  the  poor  he  really  meant  himself.  In  this  fair 
garb  of  philanthropy  lurked  the  vile  demon  of  sordid  gain  and  selfish  avarice.  It  is 
one  of  the  mysteries  of  iniquity  that  it  can  speak  the  language  of  holiness.  Avarice  can 
utter  the  sentiments  of  benevolence.  "  All  is  not  gold  that  glitters."  Judas  valued  the 
ointment  more  highly  than  he  valued  his  Master.  The  former  he  would  not  sell  under 
three  hundred  pence,  but  sold  the  latter  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver.  His  nature  was 
miserably  false  and  selfish.  This  act  of  love  ripened  and  revealed  his  character.  The 
loss  of  the  ointment  hurried  him  to  sell  his  Master.  Thus  we  have  the  stench  of  avarice 
in  the  same  room  as  the  perfume  of  love. 

III.  The  defence  of  Jesus.  •'  Then  said  Jesus,"  etc.  This  defence  is  addressed,  cot 
to  Judas  but  to  the  other  disciples.  Jesus  could  now  scarcely  hope  to  extinguish  the 
fire  which  was  raging  in  Judas's  soul,  but  could  stop  it  from  damaging  other  premises. 
In  liis  defence  :  1.  A  sound  advice  is  given.  "Let  her  alone."  There  is  implied  here  : 
(1)  The  goodness  of  the  deed.  This  is  expressed  by  another  evangelist.  Jesus  could  not 
tolerate  evil,  not  even  let  it  alone.  (2)  \{'\s  sympathy  with  the  performer.  Her  feelings 
were  hurt,  and  he  at  once  stood  between  innocence  and  the  foul  tongue  of  slandir, 
and  between  love  and  the  cold  touch  of  avarice.  (3)  The  proper  conduct  of  the  disciples, 
"  Let  her  alone."  When  we  cannot  understand  and  agree  with  our  brethren  in  their 
way  of  manifesting  their  love  to  the  Saviour,  our  duty  is  clearly  to  let  them  alone. 
Between  them  and  him  :  2.  Love's  offering  is  explained.  (1)  As  having  a  reference  to 
his  death  and  burial.  "Against  the  day  of  my  burying,"  etc.  How  far  the  death  of 
Christ  was  understood  and  believed  by  Mary  we  cannot  say.  However,  it  is  evident 
that  she  was  now  inspired  by  love  to  perform  on  him  an  act  which  he  looked  upon  as  a 
befitting  preparation  lor  his  burial.  (2)  As  having  a  symbolic  reference  to  his  resur- 
rection. The  symbolic  language  of  the  offering  rhymed  with  that  of  prophecy  con- 
cerning him,  "  that  his  soul  should  not  be  left  in  hell,"  etc.  (3)  As  having  a  symbolic 
reference  to  the  benefit  of  his  death  and  his  sovereignty  over  men.  He  was  anointed  as 
their  King.  She  brake  the  box  on  Jesus.  Jesus  brake  the  box  of  Divine  love  on 
Calvary.  "  The  house  was  filled,"  etc.  The  world  will  be  filled  with  the  odour  of  his 
sacrifice — the  infinite  sacrifice  of  Divine  love.  Mary  diil  what  the  nation  ought  to  do,  and 
what  the  world  has  b6en  gradually  doing  ever  since.  She  was  partly  unconscious  of  what 
she  did.  Love  to  Jesus  is  often  blind,  blinded  by  its  own  dazzle — especially  by  the 
dazzle  of  its  glorious  Object ;  but  its  instincts  and  its  intuitions  are  very  strong, 
correct,  deep,  and  far-reaching.  Jesus  can  see  in  the  offerings  of  love  more  than  the 
offerers  themselves.  They  may  often  ask,  "  When  saw  we  thee  an  hungered,"  etc.  ?  bat 
he  answers,  "  Inasmuch,"  etc.  (4)  As  being  made  to  the  proper  Object.  To  him,  and 
not  to  the  poor.  For :  (a)  In  anj'  act  of  kindness  to  him  the  poor  were  recognized. 
Who  was  poorer  than  he  ?  And  yet  he  was  the  poor  man's  Friend.  When  love  pours 
the  ointment  on  him,  it  shall  return  to  them  with  interest.  Whatever  is  done  to  the 
poor,  Jesus  counts  as  done  to  him ;  would  not  they  willingly  now  return  the  compli- 
ment? (i)  OpjMrtunities  to  serve  the  poor  were  many  and  permanent.  "The  poor 
ye  have  always,"  etc.  (c)  Opportunities  to  honour  Jesus  personally  were  few  and  brief. 
He  was  a  Pilgrim  in  the  land,  only  just  passed  by.  Any  act  of  personal  kindness  to 
him  must  be  done  at  once  or  never,  {d)  When  the  claims  of  the  poor  come  into  collision 
with  those  of  Jesus,  the  former  must  give  way.  W^hile  their  claims  are  fully  admitted, 
his  are  supreme.  They  are  to  be  ever  helped,  but  he  is  to  be  anointed  King  of  the 
heart  and  enthroned  in  the  affections.  The  claims  of  the  poor  and  those  of  Jesus  can 
never  come  into  collision  but  by  the  cunning  opposition  of  avarice,  or  the  thoughtless 
blunders  of  friendship.  (5)  As  being  made  in  time.  The  offerings  of  genuine  and 
ardent  love  are  never  after  the  time;  they  are  often  before,  as  in  this  case.  Mary 
performed  an  act  of  kindness  to  her  living  Saviour.  Many  mourn  over  the  graves 
of  those  they  worried  in  life ;  but  Mary  anointed  her  living  Lord.  She  was  deter- 
mined that  he  should  taste  the  sweets  of  human  kindness  and  smell  the  perfume  of 
human  love  and  homage  ere  he  passed  away,  and,  being  inspired  with  the  thought 


lea  THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDIXG  TO   ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xn.  1—50. 

that  this  might  be  the  last  opportunity,  she  poured  the  ointment  on  his  sacred  head 
and  feet. 

Lessons.  1.  No  genuine  offering  of  love  to  Christ  can  he  a  waste.  It  was  not  so  in 
this  case.  To  Mary  it  was  a  most  delightful  exercise ;  to  the  disciples  a  most  important 
lesson ;  to  Christ  a  most  gratifying  deed  ;  to  the  world  a  most  beneficial  teaching.  It 
was  only  waste  to  him  who  was  the  son  of  waste.  2.  Those  who  manifest  self-sacrific- 
ing love  to  Christ  must  ever  expect  opposition.  Opposition  even  from  quarters  they 
would  least  expect.  There  is  a  Judas  in  most  societies,  and  avarice  is  eternally  opposed 
to  benevolence,  and  selfishness  to  love.  3.  Any  objection  to  the  offerings  of  love,  however 
plausible,  should  ever  be  regarded  with  suspicion.  Avarice  can  often  argue  better  than 
benevolence.  Benevolence  is  often  too  timid  to  defend  itself,  but  is  bold  enough  to 
break  the  box  of  ointment.  Let  it  do  this,  and  Jesus  will  ultimately  and  successfully 
defend  it.  The  offerings  of  love  are  more  than  a  match  for  all  the  objections  of  avarice ; 
the  latter  petrify,  and  are  increasingly  obnoxious ;  while  the  former  are  increasingly 
odorous  and  sweet — they  fill  the  house  and  the  soul  of  Jesus  with  their  sweet  odour. 
Avarice  never  yet  found  an  object  worthy  of  its  generosity.  It  is  ever  shifting.  An 
ofi'eriijg  which  has  the  preponderating  appearance  of  love,  listen  to  no  objection  against 
it.  If  you  cannot  heartily  commend,  let  it  alone.  4.  We  can  ivell  afford  the  objection  of 
others  if  we  have  the  approval  of  Jesus.  What  need  had  Mary  to  care  after  Jesus  said,  "  Let 
her  alone,"  etc.  ?  5.  Those  who  are  in  responsible  positions  should  he  on  their  guard.  Office 
tests,  foiTus,  and  reveals  character.  The  "  bag  "  is  a  tree  of  life  or  death  to  all  who  have 
to  do  with  it.  How  many  can  trace  their  ruin  to  a  bag  ?  Judas  can  do  so.  He  began 
to  take  what  was  in  it ;  little  thinking  that  what  he  took  from  the  bag  was  small 
compared  with  what  the  bag  took  from  him — took  his  soul.  The  bag  was  the  greatest 
thief;  but  Judas  was  the  responsible  one.  6.  Bather  than  be  too  hard  upon  Judas,  let 
u.s  humbly  and  prayerfully  examine  ourselves.  We  are  also  men.  The  Ujost  courteous 
opponent  Judas  ever  met  was  Jesus.  Instead  of  meeting  his  selfish  objection  in  the 
scathing  language  it  justly  deserved,  he  met  it  with  peculiar  mildness.  Judas  has 
sufl'ered  most  from  himself  and  his  family.  The  celebrated  Judas  of  history  has  been  a 
scapegoat  for  many  modern  ones.  Their  denunciations  of  him  have  been  only  a  cover 
to  do  the  same,  and  something  even  worse. — B.  T. 

Vers.  9 — 11. — Jesus  and  his  enemies.     Note  here — 

I,  The  attraction  of  Jesus.  "Much  people  of  the  Jews,"  etc.  1.  He  was  attrac- 
tive in  his  ivork.  In  the  sick  he  had  healed,  the  blind  to  whom  he  had  given  sight, 
and  the  dead  he  had  restored  to  life,  especially  in  his  last  miracle  on  Lazarus.  In  this 
he  manifested :  (1)  His  complete  mastery  over  death.  Death  had  done  its  work  com- 
pletely ;  decomposition  and  corruption  had  set  in.  Lazarus  had  been  in  his  grave  for 
four  days.  The  mastery  of  Jesus  over  death  was  complete  in  the  miracle.  (2)  His 
comjjlete  mastery  over  life.  This  was  the  secret  of  his  mastery  over  death,  because  he 
possessed  all  the  resources  and  energies  of  life.  As  the  Prince  of  life  alone  he  could  be 
the  Master  of  death.  Death  will  only  yield  to  almighty  life.  (3)  His  unquestionable 
Divine  poiuer  and  mission.  If  this  would  not  prove  the  Divinity  of  his  Person  and 
mission,  no  act  of  power  ever  could.  It  had  this  effect  on  all  who  were  open  to  con- 
viction. The  supernatural  and  the  Divine  brought  to  counteract  the  forces  of  nature 
are  ever  attractive.  They  were  pre-eminently  so  in  this  instance.  2.  His  work  teas 
attractive  in  him.  Lazarus  restored  to  life  was  his  immediate  and  undeniable  work, 
and  Lazarus  was  attractive,  and  the  people  came,  "  not  fur  Jesus'  sake  only,  but  that 
they  might  see  Lazarus  alio,"  etc.  Lazarus  was  attractive  :  (1)  As  the  subject  of  the  most 
wonderful  changes.  From  life  to  death,  and  from  death  back  to  life  again  ;  and  all  the 
changes  had  taken  place  in  a  short  period  of  time.  He  had  only  just  returned  from  the 
land  of  death.  A  most  wonderful  phenomenon  !  (2)  As  the  subject  of  supposed  strange 
experiences  of  life  and  death  and  restoration.  His  experience,  perhaps,  could  not  be 
related.  All  to  him  was  like  a  pleasant  dream  of  flitting  beauty — broken  music 
and  delightful  sensations  which  could  scarcely  be  reproduced  in  human  language  but 
in  very  general  and  indefinite  terms.  He  was  only  a  babe  four  days  old  in  the  spirit- 
life.  The  fir.st  thing,  probably,  he  could  distinctly  remember  was  to  hear  the  voice  of 
Jesus  say,  "  Lazarus,  come  forth  I  "  Many  questions  were  doubtless  put  to  him  on  the 
Bubject  of  his  strange  experiences,  but  nothing  is  recorded  only  as,  having  experienced 


CH.  xii.  1—50.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.   JOHN.  169 

such  dispensations,  he  attracted  many.  (3)  As  the  living  monument  of  the  most 
xvonder/ul  powtr — the  power  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  They  came  to  see  Lazarus  also,  but 
he  was  attractive  on  account  of  what  Jesus  had  done  to  him.  He  had  many  monu- 
ments, but  this  was  his  masterpiece,  and  from  it  every  reflective  and  earnest  mind  would 
turn  with  reverence  and  awe  to  the  great  Artist.  3.  He  was  very  attractive  at  this 
time.  (1)  He  attracted  very  many  people.  "Much  people  of  the  Jews,"  etc.  They 
came  to  know  where  he  was.  The  miracle  of  Bethany  had  stirred  up  Jerusalem.  He 
could  not  be  hid.  His  fame  now  blazed  with  pecular  brilliancy.  (2)  He  attracted 
many  in  spite  of  difficulties.  There  was  much  popular  prejudice  and  unbelief.  He  had 
the  bitterest  opposition  of  tlie  leading  spirits  of  the  nation  ;  wealth,  learning,  power,  and 
authority  in  Church  and  state  were  against  him.  Every  obstacle  to  the  flow  of  the 
populace  to  him  was  placed  in  their  way,  but  in  spite  of  all,  Bethany  mightily  attracted 
Jerusalem  in  those  days.  (3)  He  attracted  many  to  faith.  "Many  of  the  Jews 
believed  on  him."  To  attract  attention,  curiosity,  general  interest,  and  personal  pre- 
sence and  attendance  was  but  little  to  him,  after  all.  Many  came  to  Jesus,  but  believed 
not  on  him ;  they  admired  and  even  believed  the  work,  but  not  on  the  Worker ;  but  he 
attracted  many  to  real  faith — faith  which  was  spiritual  and  lasting. 

n.  The  oppositiox  of  his  foes.  "  The  chief  priests,"  etc.  1.  Hieir  opposition  was 
really  to  Jesus.  (1)  They  opposed  Jesus  in  Lazarus.  The  Master  in  the  disciple ; 
the  great  Operator  in  his  work.  They  had  nothing  personally  against  Lazarus ;  but 
thought  that  they  could  not  so  effectively  strike  Jesus  as  through  him.  He  became 
the  target  of  their  hatred.  This  is  not  the  first  time,  and  certainly  not  the  last,  Jesus 
is  persecuted  in  his  followers,  and  his  followers  persecuted  on  his  account,  (2)  They 
opposed  Lazarus  because  he  was  a  loss  to  them.  Because  on  his  account  many  of  the 
Jews  went  away — left  them.  The  miracle  of  which  Laz;irus  was  the  living  monument 
attracted  many  from  them.  Their  ranks  were  quickly  thinned,  and  their  reputation  on 
the  wane.  This  enraged  their  anger  against  Lazarus.  (3)  They  opposed  Lazarus 
hecause  he  was  a  gain  to  Jesus.  Many  on  his  accoimt  left  them  and  believed  on  Jesus. 
This,  after  all,  was  the  sting  of  his  offence.  They  could  bear  their  own  loss  better  than 
his  gain  ;  their  own  ebb  than  his  flow.  They  would  rather  backsliding  adherents  should 
take  any  direction  than  this.  This  was  a  mortal  offence.  In  connection  with  Jesus 
Lazarus  had  become  intolerable.  2.  Their  opposition  was  most  wicked  and  cruel.  (1) 
It  involved  murder.  The  taking  away  of  life.  This  was  the  bitter  end.  They  could 
go  no  further.  They  had  no  right  to  this.  Life  is  sacred.  (2)  It  involved  wilful 
murder.  "  They  consulted  how,"'  etc.  Anyhow,  only  let  Lazarus  be  put  to  death.  It 
was  not  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  the  outburst  of  passion,  but  the  deliberate  and 
united  act  of  the  wiU.  "  They  consulted,"  etc.  (3)  It  was  the  wilful  murder  of  the 
innocent.  Jesus  was  innocent ;  but  if  to  perform  miracles  and  attract  the  people  con- 
stituted real  guilt,  he  was  guilty.  But  what  had  Lazarus  done  ?  "Was  it  an  oflence  to 
be  raised  from  the  dead  and  breathe  the  old  air,  mix  with  old  acquaintances,  and  enjoy 
the  old  life  once  more  ?  True,  he  was  a  most  genuine  and  dear  friend  of  Jesus  ;  but  a 
most  quiet  and  undemonstrative  one,  much  beloved  by  his  nation  in  life  and  mourned 
in  death.  In  a  sense  he  was  the  passive  monument  of  a  most  benevolent  and  Divine 
power.  And  what  could  he  help  that  his  miraculous  restoration  engendered  faith  in 
Jesus  ?  Blind  and  cruel  bigotry  could  scarcely  select  a  more  innocent  victim,  nor  con- 
template a  more  wicked  deed.  3.  Their  opposition  was  increasingly  wicked  and  cruel. 
(1)  The  death  of  Jesus  was  already  determined.  His  life  was  already  doomed  as  far  as 
the  Jewish  authorities  were  concerned.  There  was  a  reward  already  oflered  for  his 
capture.  (2)  The  death  of  Lazarus  was  now  contemplated.  Lazarus  was  the  first  con- 
templated martyr  for  Jesus  on  record.  We  have  no  proof  that  they  carried  out  their 
purpose ;  probably  not.  They  had  Jesus,  and  this  satisfied  them  for  the  time,  and 
Lazarus  escaped.  (3)  One  sin  leads  to  another.  Sin  generates  and  multiplies  very  fast. 
The  determination  to  murder  Jesus  led  to  the  determination  to  murder  Lazarus.  (4) 
The  capacity  to  do  the  greater  involves  the  capacity  to  do  the  less.  If  they  can  put 
Jesus  to  death,  they  can  easily  put  Lazarus.  The  violent  death  of  Jesus  made  the 
violent  death  of  his  follower  a  comparatively  easy  matter.  4.  ITieir  opposition  teas 
most  foolish.  Reason  was  off  its  throne.  For  :  (1)  The  death  of  Lazarus  could  not 
undo  the  miracle  and  its  results.  The  miracle  by  this  time  was  an  established  and  an 
admitted  fact.      It  had  in  a  sense  gone  from  Jesus  and  Lazarus  and  was  a  public 


170  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1—50. 

property,  and,  whatever  would  become  of  them,  the  miracle  would  still  remain.  It 
was  well  known  to  these  authorities,  and  there  is  no  attempt  to  deny  it,  but  a  most 
foolish  attempt  to  destroy  it.  (2)  The  death  of  Lazarus  could  not  prevent  the  pei-- 
formance  of  another  miracle.  It  is  foolish  to  attempt  to  dry  the  stream  while  the 
fountain  is  still  springing.  It  was  foolish  to  put  Lazarus  to  death  whilst  Christ 
was  still  alive.  They  could  not  send  his  spirit  so  far  to  the  invisible  world  that 
his  voice  could  not  reach  and  recall  it.  They  could  not  hope  to  mangle  his  body  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  chemistry  of  his  Divine  power  could  not  reunite  it.  He 
could  cause  Lazarus  to  appear  before  them  and  scare  them,  till  they  would  be  only 
too  glad  to  let  him  alone.  (3)  Lazarus  was  not  the  only  monument  of  Chrisfs  Divine 
•power.  He  had  hosts  of  them  throughout  the  whole  country.  The  destruction  of  all 
these  monuments  would  involve  such  a  massacre  as  would  be  beyond  their  power  and 
authority  to  perpetrate.  Their  opposition  was  foolish.  5.  Their  opposition  was  piti- 
ably futile.  (1)  Physical  death  cannot  destroy  Divine  life  and  energy.  (2)  Physical 
death  cannot  destroy  Divine  purposes.  They  flow  on  like  a  mighty  river,  increasing  in 
magnitude  and  force,  and  sweeping  every  opposition  before  them.  The  futile  devices  of 
priests  and  stratagems  of  Pharisees  are  seen  carried  away  on  its  crested  and  sweeping 
flood.  (3)  Physical  death  cannot  destroy  spiritual  principles,  but  rather  increase  and 
intensify  them.  Faith,  hope,  and  love  can  thrive  in  chains,  feed  on  flames,  and  leap 
with  life,  even  in  death.  If  Lazarus  were  put  to  death  and  fell  a  martyr  to  these 
priests  and  never  again  return,  thousands  would  leap  to  life  from  his  grave  and  feed 
upon  his  ashes.  The  futility  of  physical  opposition  to  truth  was  aptly  expressed  by 
the  Pharisees,  when  some  of  that  sect  said,  "  Perceive  ye  not,"  etc.  ?  6.  Their  opposi- 
tion came  from  an  unexpected  quarter.  "  The  chief  priests."  (1)  They  were  in  the 
best  position  to  examine  the  genuineness  of  the  miracle  and  understand  its  meaning. 
As  a  class  they  were  educated  and  highly  privileged.  They  were  the  leaders  of  religious 
thought,  and  one  would  naturally  expect  that  they  had  sufiicient  philosophical  insight 
and  integrity,  apart  from  their  religious  position,  to  inquire  into  such  a  strange  pheno- 
menon and  accept  its  plain  and  inevitable  teaching.  (2)  They  should  be  the  foremost 
to  accepjt  the  claims  of  Jesus,  see  in  him  the  promised  Messiah,  the  fulfilment  of  pro- 
phecy, and  the  substance  of  all  sacrifice — the  Lamb  of  God.  (3)  What  ought  to  breed 
faith  bred  in  them  murder.  The  reason  which  led  others  to  believe  in  Jesus,  led  them 
to  hate  and  oppose  him.  The  miracle  of  life  revived  in  them  the  vilest  passions  for  death. 
What  stronger  proofs  of  Christ's  Divinity  and  Divine  commission  could  they  wish  or 
have  ?  How  could  faith  be  satisfied  better  than  by  an  outward  sign  ?  And  yet  the 
reason  for  faith  they  want  to  destroy,  and  the  light  of  faith  they  want  to  extinguish ; 
the  monument  of  faith  they  want  to  overthrow,  and  the  object  of  faith  they  want  to 
murder.     What  moral  depravity  and  blindness  does  this  reveal ! 

Lessons.  1.  The  leaders  of  the  people  have  often  been  the  bitterest  opponents  of  truth 
and  progress.  They  have  opposed  every  true  reform,  and  instead  of  leading  the  people 
to  the  light,  they  have  stood  between  the  people  and  it,  and  have  attempted  to  extin- 
guish it.  2.  If  the  leaders  of  the  people  are  so  opposed  to  truth,  what  can  be  expected  of 
the  people  themselves.  3.  When  they  will  not  lead  the  people,  the  people  should  lead  them 
and  help  themselves.  4.  All  people,  learned  and  unlearned,  rich  and  poor,  have  a  true 
Leader  in  Jesus. — B.  T. 

Vers.  27 — 30. — Through  trouble  to  triumph.  I.  Jestjs  in  trouble.  He  was  not  a 
stranger  to  trouble,  but  this  was  a  special  one.  1.  Trouble  arising  from  a  vivid  reali- 
zation of  his  approaching  death  and  sufferings.  They  already  cast  their  awful  shadows 
upon  bis  pure  soul.  The  unparalleled  tragedy  of  his  death,  with  all  its  sinfulness  on 
the  part  of  his  foes,  and  all  its  cruelties,  agonies,  and  shame,  was  now  acted  in  his  soul, 
and  it  caused  him  to  shudder.  He  was  far  from  being  a  coward,  but  quite  so  far  from 
being  a  heartless  Stoic.  He  was  courageous,  but  human  ;  most  heroic,  but  still  most 
sensitive.  2.  Trouble  arising  from  the  immediate  effect  of  his  death  on  others.  The 
Gentiles  were  already  knocking  at  his  door  for  admission ;  but  the  opening  of  the  door 
involved  his  death  and  the  rejection  of  that  people  whom  be  came  to  save.  The  more 
remote  joy  of  his  death  was  hushed  in  its  immediate  effects  upon  his  own  nation. 
This  judgment  which  his  death  involved  troubled  him.  3.  Trouble  which  affected  his 
whole  nature,     "  Now  is  my  soul  troubled,"  etc.     The  soul  here  represents  his  whole 


CH.  XII.  1—50.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  171 

human  nature,  of  which  it  is  the  highest  and  most  important  part,  and  most  capable 
of  refined  and  spiritual  sufferings,  and  even  his  flesh  quivered  at  the  prospect  of  such 
treatment  at  the  hands  of  those  from  whom  he  expected  and  deserved  kindness. 
There  is  a  close  connection  between  the  soul  and  the  body — sympathy  between  them. 
Sufl'ering  is  contagious. 

II.  Jesus  in  prayer.  1.  It  was  a  prayer  in  trouble,  and  trouble  sent  him  naturally 
to  his  Father  for  succour.  Inward  and  outward  trouble  naturally  drives  the  devoted 
soul  to  God.  It  had  this  effect  on  Jesus  now.  And  who  could  approach  Gotl  with  such 
confidence  and  certainty  of  success  as  he  ?  He  had  not  brought  the  trouble  upon  him- 
self, but  bore  it  for  others  in  accordance  with  the  eternal  will.  2.  It  tvas  a  prai/er  in 
which  he  found  it  difficult  to  express  himself.  "What  shall  I  say?"  This  difficulty 
arose  :  (1)  From  the  troubled  state  of  his  soul.  When  a  man  is  in  great  trouble,  accurate 
expression  to  God  or  man  is  difficult.  It  will  be  inaccurate,  or  he  must  pause  and  ask, 
"What  shall  I  say?"  (2)  From  a  severe  conflict  between  the  flesh  and  the  spirit. 
Jesus  was  thoroughly  human,  and  was  now  young  and  in  the  bloom  of  life,  and  also 
innocent  and  pure.  In  him  the  claims  of  life  and  the  terrors  of  death  would  be  natur- 
ally great.  There  was  a  severe  conflict  between  the  weakness  of  the  flesh  and  the 
readiness  of  the  spirit ;  and  the  natural  prayer  of  the  former  would  be,  "  Father,  save  me 
from  this  hour,"  etc.  (3)  From  the  conflict  between  the  possibility  of  escape,  and  the  law 
of  obedience  in  his  heart.  The  possibility  and  advantages  of  escape  were  now  doubtless 
presented  to  his  mind — one  of  the  last  temptations  of  the  prince  of  this  world.  The 
temptation  in  the  wilderness  was  not  the  only  one  he  encountered.  It  was  only  the 
introduction.  He  was  tempted  through  life.  His  own  power  and  superiority  were 
used  as  instruments  of  temptation.  The  possibility  and  present  advantages  of  escape  were 
presented  to  him  to  the  last;  and,  if  such  a  consideration  triumphed,  his  natural  prayer 
would  be,  "  Father,  save  me,"  etc.  (4)  The  ruling  principles  of  his  soul  immediately 
triumphed.  The  question,  "  Shall  I  say.  Father,  save  me  from  this  hour  ? "  The 
loyalty  of  his  soul  immediately  answered,  "  No,  I  shall  not  say  that,  because  for  this 
cause  came  I  to  this  hour."  Such  a  prayer  would  be  a  contradiction  to  his  whole  spirit 
and  history  before  and  after  the  incarnation  ;  would  be  against  the  very  purpose  of  his 
coming,  which  was  well  known  to  him  ;  would  be  a  victory  for  the  enemy.  But  his 
loyalty  triumphed,  and  the  prince  of  this  world  was  cast  out.  3.  It  is  a  prayer,  the 
burden  of  which  is  his  Father's  glory.  "  Glorify  thyself."  This  implies :  (1)  An  intense 
desire  that  his  Father  should  be  glorified.  This  is  the  prayer  of  his  soul  and  the  soul  of 
his  prayer,  and  the  affectionate  cry  of  his  agonies,  that  the  Divine  power,  wisdom, 
goodness,  justice  mercy,  and  love,  should  be  crowned,  and  the  reputation  of  the  Divine 
name  should  be  advanced.  (2)  An  intense  desire  that  his  Father  should  be  glorified  in 
him — in  his  life  and  death ;  that  he  should  be  the  medium  of  his  glorification  ;  that  in 
his  incarnate  life  and  death  his  Father's  glory  should  be  increased  here  and  everywhere. 
(3)  A  self-sacrificing  submission  to  his  Father'^s  will.  He  is  entirely  lost  in  the  Divine 
will.  His  prayer  is  not,  "  Father,  save  me,"  but  "  Glorify  thyself."  In  what  is  coming 
never  mind  me ;  take  care  of  thy  Name.  He  would  not  be  saved  at  any  risk  to  the 
Divine  Name.  He  offers  himself  a  willing  Sacrifice  on  the  altar  of  his  Father's  glory. 
Selfishness  is  conquered,  and  love  is  all  ablaze.  (4)  The  highest  note  of  devotion. 
"  Glorify  thy  Name."  This,  as  uttered  by  our  Lord,  is  the  highest  note  of  human 
devotion,  the  climax  of  human  worship,  and  the  sweetest  music  of  self-sacrifice. 

III.  The  prayer  of  Jesus  answered.  1.  The  answer  is  full  and  direct.  "  I 
have  both,"  etc.  We  have  here  the  glorification  of  the  Divine  Name  in  Jesus.  (1)  In 
relation  to  the  past.  "I  have,"  etc.  His  past  life  and  work  had  been  in  the  highest 
degree  acceptable  and  efficient,  and  satisfactory  to  the  Divine  Being,  and  served  the 
highest  interests  of  the  Divine  nature.  (2)  In  relation  to  the  future.  "  And  will,"  etc. 
Jesus's  past  is  only  an  earnest  of  even  a  brighter  future.  In  him  the  Divine  Name  will 
be  ever  glorious,  the  Divine  glory  will  ever  shine,  and  the  Divine  attributes  blaze  with 
special  and  increasing  brilliancy.  In  him  the  Divine  nature  will  reach  its  highest  and 
brigiitest  manifestations.  2.  The  ansiver  was  immediate.  "  There  came  a  voice,"  etc. 
There  was  no  delay.  The  prayer  went  up  in  agony,  and  immediately  came  back  in 
glory.  Jesus  was  near  heaven  when  on  earth,  and  heaven  was  near  him,  and  ever  ready 
to  respond.  Heaven  is  ever  near  and  responsive  to  the  prayers  of  earnest  faith.  3.  The 
answir  was  audible.     "  A  voice,"  etc.     The  urayer  went  up  in  a  voice,  and  in  a  voice 


172  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [cH.  xii.  1—50. 

the  answer  returned.  This  was  the  third  time  Heaven  spoke  audibly  respecting  Christ — 
at  his  baptism,  transfiguration,  and  now  at  his  Passion.  (1)  All  heard  it.  "  The 
people  who  stood  by  and  heard."  It  was  loud  enough  for  all  to  hear.  This  is  like 
Heaven ;  when  it  speaks,  it  speaks  in  clear  and  mighty  tones.  When  the  material 
heaven  speaks,  it  otten  speaks  in  storms  and  thunders.  (2)  A  few  only  understood  it. 
To  the  majority  it  was  a  mere  sound  like  thunder.  To  some  it  suggested  the  broken 
articulations  of  an  angel,  whilst  to  the  disciples,  and  perhaps  many  others,  it  was  the 
very  voice  of  God.  John  fully  understood  it,  and  copied  its  Divine  meaning,  and 
handed  it  down  to  us.  Only  those  who  have  ears  to  hear  can  hear  and  understand 
what  the  Spirit  saith.  John  had  a  good  ear  for  the  Divine  voice.  What  seems  to  us 
only  thunder  may  be  the  immediate  voice  of  God.  4.  The  answer  was  audible  for  the 
sake  of  others.  Jesus  required  no  voice  from  Heaven.  He  understood  the  language 
and  thoughts  of  Heaven  intuitively.  Christ  was  not  dependent  upon  the  human  voice 
as  a  medium  of  revelation.  He  knew  what  was  in  man ;  he  was  conscious  of  what  was 
in  God.  God  spoke  in  him ;  but  man  requires  a  voice,  and  Heaven  supplied  it  now. 
(1)  As  a  public  testimony  to  the  life  and  death  of  Christ.  (2)  As  a  test  and  confir- 
mation of  faith.  (3)  As  a  Divine  indication  of  the  special  importance  of  the  hour  which 
included  the  Passion  of  Christ.  Its  importance  to  earth,  to  heaven,  to  the  Gentiles,  to 
Jesus,  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  universe. — B.  T. 

Ver.  32. — The  saving  influence  of  Christ.     Notice  it — 

I.  In  some  of  its  characteristic  features.     1.  It  is  the  influence  of  the  greatest 
Person.    "  And  I,"  etc.    To  know  something  about  influence,  let  us  ask  who  influences  ? 

(1)  The  Son  of  God.  The  eternal  Word,  who  was  in  the  beginning  with  God,  and  is 
God.  Thus  the  source  of  the  influence  is  Divine,  infinite,  and  exhaustless.  (2)  The 
Son  of  God  in  human  nature.  The  eternal  Word  manifested  in  the  flesh,  assumed  the 
nature  he  came  to  save,  and  in  that  nature  taught  men  by  precept  and  example,  and 
manifested  before  them  the  most  powerful  and  fascinating  attributes  of  the  Divine  and 
human,  in  a  beautiful  combination,  and  led  them  on  to  their  hizhest  destiny.  (3) 
The  Son  of  God  in  personal  contact  with  the  human  race,  with  a  full  knowledge  of,  and 
an  intense  sympathy  with  their  spiritual  wants,  inspired  with  the  purpose  of  salvation, 
and  a  passionate  desire  to  advance  their  spiritual  welfare.  Thus  the  fallen  human 
nature  is  brought  again  within  the  moral  attraction  of  the  Divine.  2.  The  influence  of 
the  greatest  Person,  having  made  the  greatest  sacrifice.  "  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up."  The 
incarnate  Word  laid  down  his  life  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin.  This  sacrifice  is  infiaite,  perfect, 
and  matchless.  (1)  It  is  the  manifestation  of  the  greatest  love.  Divine  love  for  the 
salvation  and  happiness  of  the  fallen  human  family.  The  tongues  of  men  and  angels 
together  could  not  set  forth  the  greatness  of  the  Divine  love  so  eloquently  as  the  Divine 
sacrifice  ofl'ered  on  Calvary.  If  iD  be  asked  how  great  is  God's  love  towards  fallen  man, 
the  most  expressive  answer  is  in  the  words  of  the  evangelist,  "  God  so  loved,"  etc.  (2) 
It  removes  all  difficidties  to  reconciliation  with  God.  In  it  all  Divine  claims  are  satis- 
fied, and  human  enmity  slain,  and  the  mightiest  hindrances  to  Divine  attraction  are 
removed.  (3)  It  furnishes  the  most  powerful  motives  to  reconciliation.  In  the  light  of 
this  sacrifice  sin  appears  most  hateful,  its  consequences  most  disastrous,  while  virtue 
appears  most  charming,  and  God  most  attractive.  As  an  instrument  it  is  calculated  in 
the  highest  degree  to  arouse  the  conscience  in  condemnation  of  sin,  to  melt  the  heart, 
to  bend  the  will,  and  to  attract  the  whole  nature  from  sin  to  holiness,  from  the  king- 
dom of  darkness  to  that  of  light.  The  supreme  and  all-conquering  motive  furnished  by 
it  is  God's  love.  (4)  It  pjrocures  the  most  powerful  helps  to  reconciliation.  The  Holy 
Spirit,  with  all  his  influences,  gifts,  and  blessings.  All  that  man  requires  in  order  to 
return  to  God  is  furnished  through  Christ  and  the  sacrifice  of  his  blood.  3.  The 
influence  of  the  greatest  person  in  the  most  advantageous  position.  The  lifting  up  from 
the  earth  refers  to  the  consequent  exaltation  as  well  as  to  the  crucifixion.  (1)  A  posi- 
tion of  the  most  complete  triumph,  a  triumph  achieved  under  the  most  disadvantageous 
circumstances,  on  a  cross,  achieved  over  the  mightiest  foes  of  God  and  man,  and 
achieved  on  behalf  of  God  and  man.     Man  now  has  only  a  conquered  foe  to  encounter. 

(2)  A  position  of  the  highest  honour  and  gloi'y.  Glory  won  through  shame,  life  pro- 
cured by  death,  the  glory  of  victory  and  self-sacrifice.  If  he  achieved  so  much  on 
a  cross,  what  can  he  not  do  under  a  crown  ?     (3)  A  position  of  the  greatest  authority 


ca.  XII.  1—50.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  173 


and  power.  Authority  and  power  native  and  acquired.  "  All  power  is  ^ivcn  me,"  etc. 
All  the  realm  of  spiritual  forces,  good  and  bad,  is  under  his  control.  4.  Hie  influence 
of  the  greatest  Person  exercised  in  the  most  efficient  tvay.  "  I  will  draw,"  etc.  Man  is 
to  be  drawn,  not  driven.  The  saving  influence  of  Christ  is  voluntary,  not  compulsory ; 
it  is  moral  and  spiritual,  influences  man  through  his  mental  and  sjjiritual  nature,  and 
binds  the  heart  and  will  with  the  cords  of  love,  and  gently  draws  them  God  wards. 

II.  In  its  glorious  tricmph.  This  we  see  if  we  consider :  1.  The  objects  of  its 
attraction.  In  order  to  estimate  the  drawing  power  of  any  influence,  let  us  consider 
who  are  drawn,  and  from  what.  (1)  The  greatest  sinners  sunk  in  the  deepest  sin.  (2) 
Inspired  with  the  deadliest  enmity  against  God  and  virtue.  (3)  Backed  up  by  the 
mightiest  spiritual  opponents  of  God  and  virtue.  But  in  spite  of  all,  '*  I  will  draw," 
etc.  2.  T7ie  completeness  of  the  drawing.  "  Unto  me,"  etc.  (1)  Vnto  faith  in  him. 
(2)  \inio  his  character  and  likeness.  (3)  JJnUi  his  position  and  society.  The  drawing 
will  be  most  complete;  hence  the  glory  of  the  influence — his  triumph.  3.  The  extensive- 
ness  of  the  attraction.  "All  men,"  etc.  Jews  and  Gentiles?  More  than  these.  We 
shall  not,  in  the  presence  of  the  cross  of  our  Lord,  venture  to  limit  this  phrase,  but  let 
it  tell  its  simple  but  grand  tale  of  the  glorious  triumph  of  saving  grace  through  Christ. 
(1)  This  extensive  idea  is  in  perfect  harmony  with  human  need.  All  have  gone  astray 
from  God,  and  require  to  be  drawn  to  him.  The  greater  the  want,  the  greater  the 
mercy.  (2)  It  is  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  Divine  loill.  "  Who  willeth  that  no 
man  should  perish,  but  that  all  should  turn,"  etc.  (3)  It  is  in  perfect  harmony  with 
the  infinitude  of  the  sacrifice.  Is  it  not  naturally  adapted  to  draw,  and  does  it  not 
deserve  to  be  universally  successful  ?  (4)  It  is  in  perfect  harmony  with  our  higher 
notion  of  the  supreme  Being  as  a  God  of  infinite  love.  (5)  It  is  in  perfect  harmony 
with  many  other  expressions  of  God's  revealed  will.  (6)  It  is  in  perfect  harmony  with 
our  highest  notions  of  the  ultimate  glory  of  God.  4.  The  certainty  of  the  attraction. 
This  lies:  (1)  In  the  Divine  purpose.  (2)  In  the  Divine  provision.  (3)  In  the  Divine 
pi-omise.  Jesus  has  not  promised  to  do  more  than  he  has  purposed,  is  willing,  and 
fully  able  to  do. 

Lessons.  1.  What  the  foes  of  Jesus  thought  would  punish  him,  was  the  very  thing  to 
advance  his  interests.  They  said,  "  Crucify  him,  and  his  influence  will  be  at  an  end." 
He  said,  "  Crucify  me,  and  I  will  draw,"  etc.  2.  Time  and  eternity  are  on  the  side  of 
Christ,  and  also  the  superior  power  of  Divine  principles.  Truth  is  more  powerful  than 
error,  good  than  evil,  and  the  attractions  of  Jesus  mightier  than  the  evil  one.  Let  Christ 
have  time,  and  his  promise  will  be  fulfilled,  and  Divine  love  triumphant.  3.  It  is 
better  for  the  sinner  to  yield  now  than  to  battle  tvith  Divine  love.  It  would  be  far  better 
for  the  prodigal  to  return  soon  after  leaving  his  father's  house,  than  after  experiencing 
the  keenest  pangs  of  hunger.     Return  he  did  at  last. — B.  T. 

Vers,  44 — 50. — Chrises  farewell  sermon  to  the  public.  Notice — 
I.  The  mission  of  Christ  in  relation  to  faith.  1.  Faith  in  the  Son  involve 
faith  in  the  Father.  "  He  that  believeth  on  me,  believeth  not  on  me  [only]."  (1) 
Christ  reveals  the  Father  as  the  supreme  Object  of  faith.  The  Son  as  yet  was  a 
Revealer  of  the  Father  as  the  supreme  Object  of  faith.  (2)  His  mission  naturally  and 
directly  led  faith  to  the  Father.  (3)  Faith  in  him  was  as  yet  a  stepping-stone  to  faith 
in  the  Father.  The  introduction — the  first  resting-place  of  faith  on  her  upward  flight 
to  the  Supreme.  There  would  be  a  time  when  Christ  would  be  revealed  as  the  special 
Object  of  faith  ;  but  now  the  Father  is  revealed  as  such,  and  the  Revealer  keeps  in  the 
background.  (4)  Yet  faith  in  Christ  involves /at/A,  in  the  Father.  No  one  can  believe  in 
Christ  without  believing  in  the  Father.  There  is  such  an  essential  and  official  conuocti<in 
between  the  Sender  and  the  Sent  that  faith  in  one  involves  faith  in  the  other.  Whea 
faith  embraces  the  Son  it  finds  the  Father.  2.  A  spiritual  vision  of  Christ  involves 
z  spiritu/d  vision  of  the  Father.  "He  that  seeth  me,"  etc.  (1)  Christ  is  the  express 
Image  of  his  Person,  (2)  The  express  Reflection  of  his  character  and  attributes.  (3) 
The  express  Pevelation  of  his  will  and  purposes.  3.  Faith  in  Christ  alone  made  full 
faith  in  the  Father  possible.  (1)  Knowledge  is  essential  to  faith.  We  must  know  God 
to  some  extent  before  we  can  exercise  an  intelligent  faith  in  him.  Indeed,  appropriated 
knowledge  is  faith.  "  This  is  life,"  etc.  (2)  Christ  &\ono  fully  revealed  God  to  man- 
kind, and  furnished  them  with  knowledge  concerning  him.    "  I  am  come  a  Light  into  the 


174  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xn.  1—50. 

world."  (3)  Faith  in  Christ,  as  the  Light,  alone  can  result  in  faith  in  the  Object  which 
it  reveals.  "  That  whosoever  believeth  on  me,"  etc.  The  enjoyment  of  light  can  alone 
save  us  from  darkness,  and  bring  us  face  to  face  with  the  objects  around  us.  The  enjoy- 
ment of  Christ  by  faith  alone  can  bring  us  to  enjoy  the  Father. 

II.  The  mission  of  Christ  in  relation  to  unbelief.  1.  Unbelief  develops  itself 
in  two  ways.  (1)  In  attentive  hearing  hut  non-observance.  (Ver.  47.)  (2)  Entire 
rejection,  (Ver.  48.)  2.  Both  these  classes  incur  judgment.  (1)  Not  directly  by  Christ. 
"  I  judge  him  not."  (2)  The  primary  purpose  of  Chrisfs  mission  was  not  judgment. 
(3)  Its  primary  purpose  was  salvation.  3.  The  unbeliever'' s  judge  is  Chrisfs  message. 
"  The  Word  that  I  spake,"  etc.  (1)  Judgment  is  the  secondary  result  of  Christ's  Word, 
Its  primary  and  natural  result  is  eternal  life.  Man  turns  it  into  judgment  by  rejection. 
When  it  fails  to  save  on  account  of  unbelief  it  judges  and  condemns.  (2)  The  judgment 
of  the  Word  is  partly  present.  "  He  hath,"  etc.  Now  the  unbeliever  is  condemned  by 
his  own  reason  and  conscience,  and  in  the  light  of  the  Word  he  is  self-condemned. 
(3)  It  is  7nore  suitable  that  the  Word  should  judge  now  than  if  Christ  were  to  do  so.  He 
could  not  directly  judge  and  save  at  the  same  time.  But  his  Word  must  condemn 
when  it  fails  to  benefit.  (4)  TUhe  final  a7id  full  judgment  of  the  Word  will  be  in  the 
future.  "  At  the  last  day,"  etc.  Then  the  judgment  by  the  Word  will  be  published, 
and  reach  its  finality.  The  Word,  like  Christ,  is  unchangeable.  The  rejected  Word 
will  judge.  It  will  be  the  same  at  the  last  day  as  now,  and  will  deliver  its  final 
verdict. 

III.  The  mission  of  Christ  in  relation  to  himself  and  the  Father.  1.  Ilis 
mission  was  purely  Divine.  (1)  It  was  not  self-derived.  "  I  have  not  spoken  of 
myself,"  etc.  This  in  his  case  would  be  an  impossibility,  for  he  and  the  Father  are 
one.  (2)  It  was  not  a  mixture  of  the  human  and  the  Divine.  (3)  It  was  purely  the 
will  of  the  Father.  2.  His  mission  was  minutely  defined.  (1)  It  was  embodied  in  a 
Divine  command.  (Ver.  49.)  (2)  This  command  embraced  the  minutest  details  of  his 
mission.  "  What  I  should  say  and  speak,"  etc.  (3)  This  command  was  ever  present  to 
him  in  his  inward  consciousness,  written  as  a  laiu  in  his  heart.  It  was  the  inspiration 
of  every  thought  and  the  burden  of  every  word.  It  was,  in  fact,  a  part  of  himself. 
3.  His  mission  was  fully  understood  by  him.  "  And  I  know,"  etc.  (1)  Understood  in 
its  natural  results.  "  Life  everlasting."  (2)  Understood  in  its  awful  importance.  The 
fate  of  the  human  family  hung  on  his  message.  (3)  Understood  most  absolutely.  "I 
know."  It  is  not  "  I  think  or  believe."  4.  His  mission  was  most  faithfully  discharged. 
(1)  Without  any  additions.  (2)  Without  any  deductions.  (3)  With  the  most  devoted 
fidelity.  With  regard  to  its  substance  and  spirit,  it  was  discharged  with  the  greatest 
care.  There  was  no  partiality  for  favours,  no  evasions  on  account  of  frowns,  no 
pandering  to  taste,  no  fishing  for  praise ;  there  was  no  attempt  to  please  any  one  but  his 
Father. 

IV.  The  mission  of  Christ  in  relation  to  its  last  public  notes.  1.  There 
was  intense  earnestness.  "  He  cried,"  and  why  ?  {V)  There  ^fi&&  great  danger .  Judgment 
was  at  hand.  (2)  There  was  a  slight  possibility  to  avert  it.  There  was  a  little  inter- 
vening time.  It  was  brief,  but  must  be  used,  and  his  message  must  be  published.  (3) 
It  was  his  last  opportunity.  His  farewell  sermon  to  the  public.  2.  A  sjKcial  effort  is 
made.  "  He  cried."  (1)  He  was  intensely  desirous  to  gain  hearing  and  attention.  (2) 
He  was  intensely  desirous  to  he  understood.  (3)  He  was  intensely  desirous  to  be  believe/. 
Hence  he  did  what  was  unusual  for  him — "  he  cried  ;  "  and  the  ministry  to  this  day  i.s 
the  echo  of  that  cry  of  Jesus. — B.  T. 

Vers.  1 — 8. — A  good  work  wrought  in  season.  When  Jesus  lay,  a  helpless  Infant,  in 
the  manger  at  Bethlehem,  there  came  strangers  from  the  East  and  poured  rich  offerings 
at  his  feet — gold  and  frankincense  and  myrrh ;  and  now  that  he  was  about  to  leave  the 
world,  an  unexpected  act  of  homage  was  done  to  him,  not  indeed  by  a  stranger,  but  by 
a  gentle  and  unobtrusive  disciple.  The  occasion  was  this.  Our  Lord,  weary  with  his 
journey  from  the  country  bej'ond  Jordan,  his  last  long  earthly  journey,  was  resting  the 
last  sabbath  of  his  earthly  life  at  his  favourite  Bethany.  There  they  made  him  a 
supper,  and  the  disciples  were  present,  and  Martha  was  in  waiting,  and  Lazarus,  as 
might  be  expected,  was  a  noted  guest.  It  was  then  that  Marj'  took  her  pound  of 
ointment  of  spikenard,  very  costly — we  may  well  suppose  the  most  precious  thing  which  . 


CH.  xii.  1—50,]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  176 

she  possessed — and  poured  it  on  Jesus'  feet  as  he  reclined  at  the  banquet,  and  wiped 
his  feet  with  her  hair.  The  evangelist  takes  care  to  note  that  "  the  house  was  filled 
■with  the  odour  of  the  ointment,"  and  it  has  been  beautifully  said  that  "  the  Church, 
which  is  the  house  of  God,  still  smells  the  fragrance  of  that  woman's  spikenard ;  "  for 
how  wonderfully  have  the  words  of  Jesus,  which  we  ma}'  borrow  from  another  Gospel, 
been  fulfilled,  "  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Wheresoever  this  gospel  shall  be  preached 
throughout  the  whole  world,  this  also  that  she  hath  done  shall  be  told  for  a  memorial 
of  her  " !  And  how  does  the  consciousness  of  his  own  Divine  authority  burst  forth  in 
these  words  of  Jesus !  Who  else  was  ever  certain  that  by  a  simple  word  he  could 
make  an  action  memorable  till  the  end  of  time  ?     Consider^ 

I.  The  motives  of  IMary's  act  of  homage.  One  of  them  at  least  lies  on  the 
surface.  Jesus  had  not  been  in  Bethany  since  he  raised  Lazarus  from  the  dead ;  and 
when  Mary  saw  her  brother  sitting  at  tlie  same  table  with  him  who  turned  her  mourn- 
ing into  joy,  could  any  gift  be  too  great  or  precious  to  express  her  gratitude  ? 

•*  Her  eyes  are  homes  of  silent  prayer, 
Nor  other  thought  her  mind  admits : 
But  he  was  dead,  and  there  he  sits ; 
And  he  that  brought  him  back  is  there." 

This  was  enough ;  but  there  was  a  deeper  obligation  still.  It  was  not  in  vain  that 
Mary  herself  had  sat  at  Jesus'  feet  and  heard  his  Word.  She  knew  that  he  was  the 
Christ,  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  He  had  come  to  deliver  her  and  all  believers  from 
a  deeper  darkness  than  that  of  the  tomb,  and  a  death  more  terrible  than  the  death  of 
the  body.  Gentle  and  amiable  as  she  was,  she  could  not  receive  the  gift  of  eternal 
life  without  "  dying  unto  sin ;  "  and  who  can  doubt  that  it  was  with  a  contrite  and 
forgiven  heart  that  she  poured  her  precious  ointment  on  the  feet  of  Jesus?  This  gave 
the  alabaster  box  its  highest  value.  "  The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  spirit."  But 
once  more.  Had  Mary  the  impression  that  so  fitting  an  opportunity  of  testifying  her 
gratitude  to  the  Eedeemer  might  never  occur  again  ?  She  was  not  called,  like  his  dis- 
ciples, to  follow  him  from  place  to  place  as  he  went  about  preaching  the  kingdom,  and» 
the  visits  of  Jesus  to  Bethany  were  necessarily  few  in  number.  She  could  not,  indeed, 
have  foreseen  all  that  was  coming  so  soon — the  conspiracy,  the  betrayal,  the  cross  of 
agony  and  shame.  She  could  not  have  known  that  on  the  very  next  sabbath  her 
beloved  Master  would  be  lying  cold  and  still  in  Joseph's  sepulchre.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  Jesus  had  spoken  again  and  again  to  his  disciples  of  his  approaching  death  and 
departure  to  the  Father.  They  indeed  were  incredulous ;  but  some  report  of  his  words 
would  reach  Mary's  ears.  An  undefined  presentiment  that  her  Master  was  not  to  be 
long  upon  earth  may  well  have  arisen  in  her  mind,  and  all  the  more  eagerly  would  she 
seize  the  present  opportunity  of  doing  him  honour.     Hence  "  she  did  what  she  could." 

II.  The  general  murmur.  While  the  house  was  filled  with  the  odour  of  the 
ointment,  a  murmur  of  dissatisfaction  arose.  It  came  first  from  the  lips  of  the  traitor. 
"  Why  was  this  ointment  not  sold  for  three  hundred  pence  [about  £10],  and  given  to 
the  poor  ?  and  this  he  said,  not  that  he  cared  for  the  poor ;  but  because  he  was  a  thief," 
etc.  This  picture  of  the  son  of  perdition  is  almost  too  painful  to  dwell  upon.  His 
blindness  to  the  moral  loveliness  of  Mary's  action.  His  vexation  at  losing  an  imagined 
chance  of  plunder.  His  avarice,  his  jealousy ;  and,  worst  of  all,  his  mask  so  readily 
assumed  of  zeal  for  the  cause  of  the  poor !  So  ripe  was  he  for  Satan's  last  temptation, 
that  the  next  thing  we  read  of  him  is  his  stealing  away  to  the  priests  at  Jerusalem  to 
bargain  with  them  about  his  Master's  blood,  and  sell  his  own  soul.  "  When  lust  hath 
conceived,  it  bringeth  forth  sin :  and  sin,  when  it  is  finished,  bringeth  forth  death." 
But  while  Judas  stood  alone  in  his  covetousness  and  hypocrisy,  we  learn  from  the 
Gospel  of  Matthew  that  others  joined  him  in  his  censure  of  Mary  of  Bethany.  The 
disciples  said,  "  To  what  purpose  is  this  waste  ?  "  Their  common  thought  was,  "  This 
sacrifice  is  too  great,  too  costly  for  the  occasion.  The  spikenard  is  of  great  price. 
Surely  it  would  have  been  better  to  bestow  its  value  on  the  poor.  To  spend  it  on  an 
evanescent  fragrance  is  extravagance  and  waste."  Here  pause  for  a  moment.  Are  we 
certain  that,  had  we  ourselves  been  present,  we  might  not  have  joined  in  the  rising 
murmur?  At  all  events,  how  often  has  the  spirit  of  the  censure  broken  out  afresh? 
It  is  not  so  long  ago  since  the  Churches  of  our  own  couutry  awoke  to  the  duty  of 


176  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1— 50. 

preaching  Christ  to  the  heathen  world.  But  missions  are  costly  things,  and  often  they 
produce  but  little  visible  fruit  for  many  da3's.  They  seem  to  spend  their  fragrance  on 
the  desert  air.  And  how  long  and  loud  was  this  complaint  I — " '  To  what  purpose  is  this 
waste?'  Might  not  the  money  and  labour  of  Christian  people  be  better  bestowed? 
Are  there  not  poor  at  home  to  be  fed  and  clothed?  and  are  there  not  home-heathen  to 
be  taught  ?  Let  such  duties  as  these  be  exhausted  before  thinking  of  '  the  regions 
beyond.' "  No  !  Utility  is  one  standard  of  action ;  but  both  in  the  service  of  God  and 
man  it  is  far  from  being  the  only  standard. 

in.  The  vekdict  of  Jesus.  "  Let  her  alone :  against  the  day  of  my  burial  hath  she 
kept  this."  Instead  of  directly  rebuking  the  disciple,  he  contents  himself  with  vindi- 
cating her  whom  they  were  wounding  with  their  words.  But  there  is  more  in  his  words 
than  meets  the  ear.  "  Let  her  alone,"  he  seems  to  say  to  Judas,  "  for  there  is  nothing  in 
common  between  her  and  you,  between  a  child  of  light  and  a  child  of  darkness.  And  let 
her  alone,  ye  unthinking  disciples.  Allow  her  gratitude  to  flow  unchecked  in  the  channel 
which  it  has  worn  for  itself.  Why  trouble  ye  the  woman  at  such  a  moment  as  this  ? 
She  hath  done  what  she  could,  and  she  hath  done  more  than  any  of  you  are  aware  of, 
for  my  hour  is  near  at  hand.  If  ye  saw  her  do  this  on  the  day  of  my  burial,  would  ye 
say  to  her  then,  '  To  what  purpose  is  this  waste  ? '  Would  ye  think  then  of  balancing 
the  claims  of  common  charity  against  the  claims  of  unbounded  gratitude  ?  But  since 
she  has  come  beforehand  with  her  offering,  it  is  all  the  more  precious  in  my  sight.  She 
alone  has  grasped  the  thought  that  my  earthly  ministry  is  drawing  to  a  close.  The 
poor  ye  have  always  with  you  ;  she  alone  has  laid  it  to  heart  that  me  ye  have  not 
always."  Thus  Judas  was  silenced,  and  the  disciples  were  overawed,  and  Mary  was  com- 
forted, and  the  poor  were  not  forgotten.  What  lessons  are  taught  by  this  episode  in 
the  gospel  history  ?  In  its  outward  form  and  substance  the  act  of  Mary  can  never  be 
repeated.  It  stands  alone.  A  few  days  came  and  went,  and  never  again  was  Jesus 
to  be  indebted  to  the  sons  of  men  for  a  place  where  to  lay  his  head ;  never  again  were 
his  feet  to  be  wearied  with  the  hot  and  dusty  paths  of  this  world.  Henceforth  those 
who  knew  Christ  in  his  humiliation  were  to  know  him  so  no  more ;  and  we  need  not  say 
'  that  to  idolize  his  empty  sepulchre,  or  to  pray  towards  it  as  some  do,  or,  saddest  of  all, 
to  waste  the  blood  of  Christian  nations  in  fighting  for  its  possession,  is  at  best  to  seek 
the  living  among  the  dead.  "Hearts  on  high!"  was  the  watchword  of  the  ancient 
Church.  "Christ  being  raised  from  the  dead  dieth  no  more;  death  hath  no  more 
dominion  over  him."  1.  But  ask  yourselves — Have  you  anything  of  Mary's  spirit  in 
your  hearts — the  spirit  of  love  and  gratitude  to  the  Redeemer?  Where  that  spirit  exists  it 
will  tend  to  diffuse  itself  over  the  ordinary  duties  and  charities  of  life,  so  that  what  you 
do  you  will  "  do  heartily  as  to  the  Lord,  and  not  unto  man."  But  more  than  this.  It 
is  of  the  nature  of  love  to  be  ingenious  and  original  in  its  ways  of  expressing  itself, 
and  opportunities  will  sometimes  occur  of  honouring  Christ  in  ways  which  no  one 
could  prescribe  to  you — it  may  be  in  supporting  his  cause,  it  may  be  in  showing  kind- 
ness to  his  people;  and  these  you  will  think  it  a  privilege  to  embrace  simjly  for  his 
sake.  Nothing  was  further  from  Mary's  thoughts  than  the  fame  which  followed  her 
action  ;  any  such  calculation  of  consequences  would  have  spoiled  the  sacrifice.  And  so 
it  will  ever  be  with  the  good  works  that  spring  from  love  to  Christ.  The  impulse 
which  inspires  them  comes  from  within,  and  not  from  the  world  without.  Hence  they 
will  evermore  be  spontaneous  and  free,  and  yet  all  the  more,  in  the  apostle's  language, 
they  will  be  as  "  the  odour  of  a  sweet  smell,  a  sacrifice  acceptable  and  well-pleasing  to 
God."  2.  When  you  witness  any  act  of  self-sacrifice  in  a  great  or  good  cause,  beware 
of  the  spirit  of  jealousy  and  detraction.  Let  a  work  be  ever  so  good,  it  is  always  pos- 
sible to  find  fault  with  it  on  one  ground  or  another — to  call  generosity  extravagance,  and 
zeal  ostentation.  Ah  !  there  is  a  kind  of  criticism  which  sees  some  mote  in  the  most 
honest  eye,  some  vein  of  selfishness  in  the  kindest  heart,  which  is  quick  to  detect 
unworthy  motives,  and  "  vaunteth  itself "  in  its  own  acuteness  in  so  doing.  Verily 
this  wisdom  cometh  not  from  above,  and  yet  how  strangely  congenial  it  is  to  our  fallen 
nature  !  It  was  in  a  moment  of  hallowed  enthusiasm  that  Mary  poured  her  spikenard  on 
Jesus'  feet ;  but  even  Jesus'  disciples  murmured  till  the  Master  stamped  the  offering 
with  the  broad  seal  of  his  approbation,  and  called  it  "  a  good  work  "  !  3.  We  do  no  dis- 
honour to  the  affecting  words,  "  Me  ye  have  not  always,"  if  we  allow  them  to  suggest 
to  us  the  homely  counsel,  "  Be  kind  to  your  friends  while  you  have  them."     Are  there 


CH.  xir.  1— 50.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDINQ  TO  ST.  JOHX.  177 

not  some  who  have  nearer,  dearer  claims  on  you  than  all  others  ?  It  may  be  <in  acred 
parent,  a  brother  or  a  sister,  or  one  closer  to  you  still.  Providence  marks  out  th;a 
person  for  your  special  sympathy,  for  a  tenderness  to  which  the  rest  of  tlie  woild  "has 
no  claim.  Do  what  you  can  for  that  friend.  The  tie  may  any  day  bo  broken,  ai.d 
only  the  memory  of  it  remain.  See  that  no  negligence  or  impatience  on  your  part  may 
yet  tin^e  that  memory  with  self-reproach.  "  The  poor  ye  have  always  with  you,"  but 
no  kindness  to  the  outside  world  will  atone  for  the  neglect  of  personal  claims.  There 
are  those  who  will  not  be  with  you  always.  Christ  seems  to  say  to  you,  "  Iveniciuber 
them/'— G.  B. 

Vers.  24,  25. — Mors  janua  vttoe.  "  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  E.^cept  a  corn 
of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone,"  etc.  These  words  belong  to 
the  day  of  Christ's  triumphant  entry  into  Jerusalem — the  day  of  palms.  Amidst 
the  general  enthusiasm,  certain  Greeks,  who  had  come  up  to  worship  at  the  feast,  asked 
the  Apostle  Philip  to  obtain  for  them  a  private  interview  with  Jesus.  Philip  con- 
sulted with  Andrew,  and  the  two  together  laid  the  request  before  their  Master.  Our 
fjord  was  deeply  moved — his  reply  even  thrills  with  emotion ;  and  why  was  this  ? 
Here  were  representatives  of  the  great  Gentile  world  waiting  for  him,  seeking  after  him, 
ready,  it  would  appear,  to  enter  his  kingdom.  But  not  till  he  had  been  rejected  by  his 
own,  not  till  he  had  been  glorified  by  his  death  and  resurrection,  could  he  open  his  arms 
to  receive  them.  Hence  he  regarded  the  request  of  the  Greeks  as  a  sign  that  the 
crisis  of  his  course  was  at  hand;  not  that  he  needed  such  a  sign,  but  he  hailed  it  and 
welcomed  it  as  it  came,  even  while  his  "  soul  was  troubled  "  as  he  looked  through  the 
vista  which  opened  up  between  him  and  the  joy  set  before  him.  "  The  hour  is  come," 
etc.  (ver.  23).  For  Christ's  way  to  glory  was  through  death.  Yet  a  few  days,  and  his 
own  disciples  and  the  inquiring  Greeks,  and  all  who  loved  and  admired  him,  would  be 
appalled  by  the  dread  spectacle  on  Calvary.  How,  then,  was  our  Lord  to  speak  of  what 
was  coming  in  the  presence  of  the  people  who  surrounded  him  ?  How  should  he  fore- 
shadow the  glory  of  his  cross  and  the  everlasting  fruitfulness  of  his  precious  death  and 
burial  ?  He  chose  to  do  so  in  words  dark  indeed  and  mysterious  at  the  moment  they 
were  uttered,  but  which  would  cling  to  the  memories  of  those  who  loved  him,  and 
which  were  soon  to  be  explained  for  them  and  for  all  mankind. 

1.  Our  Lord's  first  saying  is  this,  that  his  death  and  resuruection  have  a  per- 
petual EMBLEM  IS  THE  KINGDOM  OF  NATURE.  "  Except  a  com  of  wheat  fall  into 
the  ground  and  die,"  etc.  This  language  is,  of  course,  popular  and  familiar  (for  it  takes 
no  notice  of  the  invisible  germ  in  such  a  seed  that  does  not  die).  But  plainly  a  grain 
of  wheat  must  cease  to  be  a  grain,  it  must  undergo  a  death-like  change,  a  death-like 
transformation,  before  it  springs  up  and  bears  its  appointed  fruit.  Suppose  one  such 
seed  carried  to  some  region  of  the  earth,  if  such  there  be,  where  wheat  is  still  unknown ; 
let  it  be  kept  and  treasured  up  as  a  precious  thing,  and  year  after  year  it  abides  alone, 
perfect  in  itself  but  fruitless  for  mankind.  But  let  the  same  seed  fall  into  the  ground — 
"  taste  cold  and  darkness  and  oblivion  there,"  and  ere  long  it  will  enter  on  a  higher 
life  and  bear  fruit  and  multiply  itself,  and  in  after  years  it  may  be  said  that  all  the 
harvests  of  the  land  sprang  from  that  single  seed.  With  the  words,  "  Verily,  verily  1  " 
with  a  twice-repeated  "Amen!"  our  Lord  applies  to  himself  this  mystery  of  nature. 
In  him  was  treasured  up  the  life  of  the  world — "  the  bread  of  God  that  cometh  down 
from  heaven."  But  only  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself  could  he  impart  this  life  to  others. 
Without  death  his  ministry  would  have  remained  unfulfilled  for  its  highest  ends.  His 
bright  and  beautiful  example  taken  by  itself  would  have  founded  no  kingdom.  Had 
he  abode  on  earth  on  some  mount  of  transfiguration,  and  then  been  translated  like 
Enoch,  so  that  he  should  not  see  death,  then,  like  a  golden  grain  of  wheat,  he  would  have 
remained  alone,  without  a  ransomed  Church  on  earth  or  a  triumphant  Church  in  heaven. 
But  such  was  not  the  object  of  his  mission.  His  heart  was  set  on  bearing  much  fruit, 
and  even  now  he  foresaw  the  harvest.  Looking  down  the  stream  of  time  and  abroad 
on  the  great  world,  he  saw  the  Churches  of  the  Gentiles,  each  with  its  comi^any  of 
believers  springing  into  life  through  his  death  and  resurrection,  and  spreading  in  wider 
and  still  wider  circles  in  the  regions  beyond.  In  crowded  cities  and  in  quiet  villages, 
in  far-ofif  lands  and  in  the  islands  of  the  sea,  they  should  be  found.  And  as  in  nature 
the  fruit  ever  resembles  the  seed,  so  it  is  in  the  kingdom  of  grace.  Christ's  spiritual 
JOHN. — n.  N 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN       ,ch.  xii.  1—50. 


offspring  must  needs  bear  his  image  and  likeness.  This  was  the  Ujirvest  that  filled  our 
Lord's  tield  of  vision — a  great  multitude,  which  no  man  can  number,  each  one  of  them 
washed  by  his  blood  and.  sanctified  by  his  Spirit.  This  was  the  joy  that  he  set  bt  fore 
him  when  he  endured  the  cross  and  despised  the  shame.  Dyiiig,  he  should  rise  again, 
and  bear  much  fruit. 

II.  Our  Lord's  second  saying  is  this,  that  his  death  and  resurrection  have 
A  PERPETUAL  LESSON  IN  THE  KINGDOM  OP  GRACE.  (Ver.  25.)  "  He  that  loveth  his 
life  shall  lose  it ;  but  he  that  hateth  his  life,"  etc.  Now,  no  doubt  when  we  read  these 
words,  we  naturally  think  first  of  all  of  the  noble  army  of  martyrs,  each  of  whom 
added  his  dying  "  Amen !  "  to  them.  We  cannot  forget  that  in  many  ages  and  in 
many  lands  certain  of  Christ's  disciples  have  been  called  literally  to  drink  his  cup  and 
to  be  baptized  with  his  baptism,  sealing  with  their  own  blood  their  testimony  to  his  cause. 
This  they  did  on  the  faith  of  his  promise,  believing  that  where  Christ  is  there  shall  also 
his  servants  be.  And  we  may  well  remember,  too,  how  fruitful  their  example  has  been. 
The  blood  of  the  martyrs  has  been  called,  from  early  times,  the  seed  of  the  Church. 
Not  in  vain  did  they  lay  down  their  lives.  "  Fear  not,  brother  Ridley,"  said  Latimer,  on 
the  way  to  the  stake ;  "  we  shall  this  day  light  a  candle  in  England  which  will  never  be 
put  out."  But  this  sharp  paradox  is  not  merely  a  watchword  for  the  forlorn  hope  of  the 
army  of  the  faith.  In  one  form  or  another  it  was  repeatedly  on  Jesus'  lips,  addressed 
too,  as  it  is  here,  to  all  his  disciples.  Its  meaning  is  this — "  The  life  that  is  hoarded  up 
for  selfish  ends  must  needs  be  a  lost  and  barren  one ;  and  it  is  only  hating  such  a  life 
that  we  can  bring  forth  fruit  for  God  and  eternity."  But  even  thus  explained  this  is 
a  hard  saying.  For  what  is  the  kind  of  life  which  Christ's  disciples  are  forbidden  to 
love  ?  Surely  our  Lord  does  more  than  condemn  a  life  of  vicious  indulgence  and  wild 
extravagance,  or  of  grasping  greed  and  oppression.  It  needs  no  paradox  to  impress  on 
us  that  such  a  career  is  self-ruined  and  thrown  away.  No !  he  is  speaking  more  widely 
and  sweepingly  of  a  life  of  self-seeking  and  self-pleasing — such  a  life,  in  fact,  as  is 
natural  to  us  all.  We  need  no  one  to  teach  us  how  to  lead  it.  The  spirit  of  the 
present  world  fosters  it  and  feeds  it,  and  even  natural  conscience  offers  all  too  feeble 
a  protest  against  it.  The  self-centred  enjoyment  of  an  earthly  portion  seems  to  the 
multitude  the  one  thing  needful,  and  their  posterity  approve  their  sayings.  You  all 
know  the  parable  which  describes  this  favourite  type  of  happiness  and  success — the  busy 
prosperous  worldling  who  heaped  up  treasure  for  himself,  and  was  not  rich  towards 
God ;  and  many  of  you  may  remember  Tennyson's  poem  founded  on  the  parable — 

"  I  built  my  soul  a  lordly  pleasure-house, 
Wherein  at  ease  for  aye  to  dwell ; 
I  said,  '  O  soul,  make  merry  and  carouse, 
Deal  soul,  for  all  is  well.'  " 

Ah  !  such  a  life  may  be  stained  by  no  crimes ;  it  may  be  enriched  by  intellectual  culture 
and  adorned  with  the  spoils  of  art,  but  yet,  weighed  in  the  balances  of  Heaven,  it  is  found 
wanting.  He  that  loveth  such  a  life  as  this  is  losing  it;  and  when  it  is  all  spent  and  gone 
an  awful  voice  will  say  to  him  who  made  it  his  portion  and  idol,  "  1'hou  fool ! "  But 
this  is  not  the  life  of  Christ's  disciples.  In  coming  to  him  they  renounce  it  at  the  first ; 
in  following  him  they  learn  to  mortify  it  day  by  day.  They  must  hate  it  as  a  soldier 
would  hat'3  the  life  purchased  by  cowardice  before  the  enemy,  or  as  a  patriot  would 
liate  the  life  bought  by  treason  to  his  country;  and  lest  they  should  forget  this,  our  Lord 
jjuts  it  more  sternly  before  them  in  those  words  of  his.  And  where  shall  we  find  the 
motive — the  deep  secret  of  this  "  great  renunciation  "  ?  I  reply — In  the  death  and 
resurrection  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  For  while  that  accepted  sacrifice  of  his  stands 
sublimely  alone  as  an  atonement  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  it  has  at  the  same  time 
a  wondrous  transforming  influence  on  all  who  come  to  him  by  faith.  The  "  mind  of 
Christ "  is  given  to  them  by  God's  Holy  Spirit.  The  love  of  Christ  constrains  them. 
In  view  of  him  who  died  for  their  sins,  their  old  self-seeking  life  loses  its  attraction; 
in  view  of  him  who  rose  again  and  lives  for  evermore,  they  see  before  them  what  is  far 
better — a  life  which  has  God  for  its  Centre,  and  love  for  its  ruling  principle,  and  eternity 
for  its  boundless  horizon.  Ah  !  this  is  the  true  life  of  man,  the  chief  end  of  his 
creation  ;  and  while  it  was  partly  revealed  under  the  old  covenant,  when  there  was  a 
cloud  on  the  mercy-seat  and  a  veil  on  the  holy  of  holies,  we  may  say  with  the  highest 


CH.  XII.  1—50.]     THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN  179 

truth  that  it  was  manifested  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  brought  to  light  in  the  gospel.    "  The 
life  was  manifested,  and  we  have  seen  it." 

Application'.  Now,  this  great  lesson  of  Christ's  appearance  among  us  is  one  which 
Christians  are  never  done  with  in  this  world.  1.  Betvare  of  forgetting  it  in  the  day  of 
prosperity.  When  projects  succeed,  and  riches  increase,  "  and  men  are  praisinj;  thee 
because  thou  doest  well  unto  thyself,"  remember  that  your  true  life  consists  not  in  the 
abundance  of  the  things  that  you  possess,  but  in  receiving  Christ's  fulness  and  beiiiLr 
inspired  by  his  Spirit.  How  shall  you  be  preserved  from  abusing  the  kindness  of  Provi- 
dence, and  from  wasting  and  spoiling  God's  common  gifts  and  mercies?  Where  shall 
you  find  a  perpetual  motive  to  being  rich  in  good  works,  patient  in  service,  unwearied 
in  well-doing  ?  Think  of  your  Master  and  of  what  he  has  done  for  you.  No  donbt 
you  are  softened  into  gratitude  and  love  when  you  meet  with  others  at  his  table,  and 
take  into  your  hands  the  memorials  of  his  body  and  blood.  But  these  emotions,  if  they 
are  true,  will  ripen  into  deep  prinqiples  within  you.  Think  what  an  example  he  has  left, 
that  you  should  follow  in  his  steps.  He  was  certainly  no  ascetic  like  John  the  Baptist, 
dwelling  in  a  lone  wilderness  estranged  from  social  life  and  the  companionship  of 
friends.  But  "even  Christ  pleased  not  himself."  Wherever  he  went  some  blessing 
fell.  The  aim  he  kept  in  view  was  not  his  own  ease  nor  his  own  glory,  but  the  will  of 
him  that  sent  him.  Oh !  put  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  if  you  would  spend  and  bo 
spent  in  the  service  of  God  and  man.  2.  Rememher  this  lesson  in  the  day  of  sifting 
trial.  You  are  by  no  means  called  to  invent  crosses  for  yourselves,  or  perversely  over- 
step God's  providential  jjath  in  quest  of  them.  But  there  are  times  in  the  life  of  every 
disciple  when  the  plain  path  of  obedience  is  hard.  Christ  may  call  you  to  forego  for 
his  sake  some  friendship,  some  advantageous  opening,  and  you  may  think  this  a  cruel 
sacrifice.  His  voice  may  summon  you  to  leave  your  quiet  nest  of  coveted  repose,  and 
spend  time  and  sympathy  on  ungratel'ul  people  and  amidst  uncongenial  scenes.  Unbe- 
lief whispers  that  you  will  only  labour  in  vain,  and  spend  your  strength  for  nought. 
Why  impoverish  your  life  for  such  uncertain  returns?  Why  scatter  precious  seed  in 
such  unpromising  soil  ?  Yet  think  again  what  a  world  it  was  to  which  he  came,  and 
how  poor  you  would  be  without  him  ;  and  listen  to  his'  own  words,  "  IF  any  man  serve 
me,  let  him  follow  me,  and  where  I  am  there  also  shall  my  servant  be." — G.  B. 

Ver.  3. — A  sister's  expression  of  gratitude.  What  a  remarkable  company  was  here 
gathered  together!  1.  Jesus,  within  about  a  week  of  his  death,  and  distinctly  appre- 
hending what  was  before  him.  2.  His  host,  Simon  the  leper,  not  mentioned  here,  but 
mentioned  by  Matthew  and  Mark — a  man  who,  in  all  probability,  had  his  own  occasion 
of  gratitude  to  Jesus.  3.  Lazarus,  just  brought  back  from  the  grave,  and  in  company 
with  Jesus,  who  was  going  down  to  it.  4.  Martha  and  Mary.  5.  The  disciples.  So 
the  company  was  neither  a  small  nor  a  commonplace  one,  and  in  its  midst  there  was 
done  a  deed  which  Jesus  said  should  be  told  as  a  memorial  of  the  doer  wherever  the 
gospel  was  preached. 

I.  Mary  had  the  very  strongest  reason  for  doing  something.  No  doubt  Mary 
had  done  all  she  could  in  the  way  of  words.  But  just  because  words  are  so  easy  and 
inadequate,  the  real  grateful  heart  wants  to  do  something  in  addition.  Araunah  offered 
David  a  place  for  an  altar,  and  oxen  for  burnt  offerings ;  but  the  king  replied  in  a  way 
that  was  kingly  and  right :  "  I  will  not  offer  burnt  ofierings  unto  the  Lord  my  God  of 
that  which  doth  cost  me  nothing."  And  so  Mary  seems  to  have  said,  "  I  will  not  offer 
to  my  Master  and  Benefactor  thank  off"erings  which  cost  me  nothing."  The  occasion, 
the  raising  of  a  brother  from  the  dead,  certainly  was  not  beyond  the  deed.  And  we 
too  have  occasion  for  something  great  in  the  way  of  thank  offering  to  Jesus.  Doing 
nothing,  or  next  to  nothing,  for  Jesus,  we  give  a  pretty  clear  proof  that  Jesus  has  not 
been  allowed  to  do  his  great  work  for  us.  Mary  had  yet  a'richer  thank  off"ering  to 
make  for  a  greater  service.  Jesus  had  to  bring  back  Mary  herself  from  another  death, 
even  her  own  death  in  trespasses  and  sins,  and  in  due  time  she  would  learn  to  present 
her  own  self  a  living  sacrifice,  a  reasonable  service. 

II.  The  fault  found  with  Mary's  thanksgiving.  Judas,  it  is  very  plain,  looked 
upon  Mary's  act  as  one  that  had  robbed  him  of  a  fine  chance  of  thievish  gain.  But  at 
this  time  the  disciples  had  not  found  him  out.  We  read  in  Matthew,  that  the  other 
disciples  had  indignation,  and  said,  "  To  what  purpose  is  this  waste  ? "    Judas  was 


180  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHX.     [en.  xii.  1— CO. 

doubtless  the  leader,  and  the  others  readily  chimed  in.  As  it  has  been  said,  "  Censure 
infects  like  a  plague."  Nor  must  we  look  only  at  the  positive  fault-finding.  If  no 
fault  had  been  found,  still  there  would  have  been  lack  of  appreciation.  The  absence  of 
blame  is  not  the  presence  of  praise.  It  was  peculiarly  a  woman's  way  of  showing 
gratitude.  It  took  a  Being  like  Jesus,  who  understands  all  the  movemenls  of  the  heart, 
in  woman  as  in  man,  to  appreciate  the  gift  and  act  of  grateful  Mary.  Even  Martha 
would  hardly  understand  Mary,  though  it  was  not  an  occasion  for  her  to  say  anything. 
III.  Mary  finds  a  mighty  Defendek  in  Jesus.  "  The  Lord  God  is  a  Sun  and 
Shield."  Jesus  had  risen, a  true  Sun  of  quenchless  light, on  the  dark,  dark  night  of  Mary's 
sorrow — a  night  that  seemed  without  a  single  star ;  and  now  he  comes  as  a  Shield,  to 
shelter  her  from  the  darts  of  an  avaricious  foe.  Mary  did  her  best,  according  to  know- 
ledge and  opportunity.  Jesus  cared  very  little  for  the  fragrant  spikenard  in  itself ; ' 
the  perfume  from  a  thousand  gardens  is  his.  The  fragrance  was  not  in  the  gift,  but  in 
the  giving.  And  who  can  tell  but  what  Mary  was  really  helping  the  poor  ?  If  she 
spent  three  hundred  pence  and  more  with  the  growers  and  makers  of  spikenard,  that 
would  help  to  prevent  them  getting  poor.  It  is  better  to  do  this  than  help  the  poor 
when  they  are  poor.  But  Mary  was  also  doing  more  than  she  knew.  The  deep  impulse 
of  love  was  also  an  impulse  from  above.  Jesus  indicates  how  we  are  to  show  our  grati- 
tude, Judas  helped  him  to  the  hint.  We  can  do  nothing  for  Jesus  according  to  the 
flesh.  Gratitude  to  Jesus  is  now  to  be  service  to  men.  The  One  that  could  be  anointed 
went  from  the  earth  long  ago ;  but  the  One  that  can  be  served  and  pleased  in  a 
thousand  ways  is  here  still. — Y. 

Vers.  12 — 15. —  The  triumphal  entry.  I.  What  preceded  this  triumphal  entry. 
All  the  Galilaean  and  other  ministries  outside  of  Jerusalem  must  have  contributed  to 
this  enthusiastic  demonstration.  It  is  often  taken  as  an  illustration  of  popular  fickle- 
ness that  the  multitude  said  "  Hosanna  !"  one  day,  and  the  next  daj',  "Crucify  him  !  " 
But  it  is  very  doubtful  if  the  component  elements  of  the  multitude  were  the  same. 
Those  who  cried  "  Hosanna !  "  were  people  who  had  seen  Jesus  do  wonderful  works  in 
their  own  cities  and  villages.  Some  of  them,  doubtless,  had  known  in  their  own  persons 
his  healing  power.  More  still  would  have  occasion  to  be  thankful  and  happy  for  mercies 
vouchsafed  to  their  relatives.  Those  whom  Jesus  blessed  directly  and  indirectly  during 
his  ministry  of  flesh  and  blood  must  have  been  indeed  a  multitude.  To  them  the 
kingdom  of  God  had  indeed  come  in  power,  and  they  had  the  best  right  to  expect  still 
greater  and  deeper  manifestations  when  things  were  ripe  for  them. 

II.  The  expectations  of  the  people.  They  had  been  blessed  individually.  Now 
they  wanted  to  be  blessed  as  a  people,  nationally,  collectively.  Praise  and  prayer 
would  be  combined  in  their  "  Hosanna ! "  They  would  welcome  Jesus  as  already  a  royal 
Victor,  and  at  the  same  time  signify  their  belief  that  he  had  greater  victories  yet  in 
store. 

III.  Jesus  accepting  the  honour.  Jesus  was  now  doing  what  he  had  declined  to 
do  in  ch.  vii.  6.  His  time  had  fully  come — the  time  of  crisis  and  publicity.  The  time 
had  come  for  Jesus  to  take  to  him  his  great  power  and  reign.  Therefore,  though  he 
knew  well  how  deluded  the  people  were  as  to  the  true  nature  of  his  mission,  yet  he 
accepted  their  homage  and  jubilation  as  directed  toward  the  right  Person,  and  offered  at 
the  right  time.  Not,  of  course,  that  Jesus  cared  for  this  exhibition  in  itself.  His  true 
joy  and  satisfaction  were  clearly  from  purer  sources  than  the  applause  of  the  multi- 
tudes. But  this  triumphal  procession  was  symbolical  of  that  glad,  triumphant  attitude 
which  the  true  people  of  Jesus  are  ever  able  to  maintain.  The  kingdom  of  God  in 
Christ  is  ever  coming ;  and  the  multitudes  who  watch  and  acclaim  its  growth  are  ever 
swelling  in  numbers,  and  uttering  louder  and  heartier  shouts  of  welcome.  What  Jesus 
has  done,  truly  measured,  may  well  make  us  confident  of  his  resources  for  the  mighty 
work  that  has  yet  to  be  done. — Y. 

Ver.  24. — The  fruitfulness  of  the  dying  Jesus.  These  words  come  very  abruptly  into 
the  narrative.  But  looking  carefully  into  all  the  circumstances,  the  fitness  of  the  words 
is  soon  seen.  If  these  Greeks  had  come  earlier,  and  come  into  Galilee  in  the  thick  of 
the  Gtililffian  ministry,  Jesus  would  have  said,  "  Let  them  come  and  welcome.  They 
shall  see  the  works  of  the  Christ  in  great  abundance."    But  they  have  come  just  too 


en.  XII.  1—50.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  181 

late.  Jesus  has  done  his  last  great  work  in  the  body  according  to  the  flesh — he  has 
raised  Lazarus  from  the  dead.  These  Greeks  have  come  a  little  too  late  for  one  set  of 
experiences,  and  a  little  too  soon  for  another.  Any  day  up  to  the  time  of  sowing  the 
seed  you  may  see  it ;  but  when  sown,  you  must  wait  to  see  the  seed  in  the  glory  of  the 
fruit  that  comes  from  it. 

L  Seasons  when  the  words  abe  specially  suggestive.  1.  Sowing-time.  2. 
licaping-time.  There  might  be  an  ecclesiastical  calendar  according  to  the  order  of 
nature.  Jesus  would  have  us  think  specially  of  his  death  at  the  sowing-time,  when 
the  corns  of  wheat  are  being  scattered  abroad  over  so  much  of  the  surface  of  God's 
earth.  What  an  immense  quantity  of  grain  finds  its  way  into  the  soil  the  wide  world 
over !  And  every  one  sowing,  and  every  one  who  sees  the  sowing,  is  invited  to  consider 
that  most  wondrous  of  all  seed-corns  laid  away  in  the  soil  when  Jesus  breathed  his 
last  natural  breath.  And  as  to  natural  emblems  and  reminders  of  the  resurrection, 
there  is  a  long  time  in  which  to  study  them.  The  moment  we  see  the  delicate  blades 
timidly  peeping  above  the  surface,  then  the  word  comes  to  our  hearts  that  Jesus  also 
rose  from  the  dead ;  and  then  at  last,  when,  instead  of  the  seed  that  was  sown,  we 
behold  the  stalk  with  its  hundredfold,  why,  we  are  helped  to  feel  what  a  difference  there 
is  between  Jesus  in  the  days  of  his  flesh  and  Jesus  according  to  his  resurrection  from 
the  dead. 

n.  We  must  look  as  closely  as  possible  at  the  words.  The  more  closely,  the 
more  encouraging  and  inspiring  they  will  be.  Put  a  com  of  wheat  away  in  a  drawer. 
Leave  it  for  twelve  months,  and  then  look.  It  is  there  still,  abiding  alone.  But  put 
that  com  of  wheat  into  a  flower-pot.  Let  it  grow  till  it  is  ripe,  and  then  you  have  a 
great  company  of  grains  of  wheat  exactly  similar  to  the  one  you  sowed.  This  indicates 
just  what  Jesus  wants  as  the  greatest  result  of  his  presence  among  men.  He  wanted 
to  see  countless  multitudes  with  a  spirit  and  a  character  like  his  own — holy  as  he  was 
holy,  loving  as  he  was  loving,  and  becoming  fit  for  the  glory  to  which  he  himself  was 
going.  During  the  days  of  his  flesh,  he  remained  like  the  unsown  corn  of  wheat,  alone. 
He  produced  nothing  like  himself.  People  would  not  say  of  his  disciples  when  they 
met  them,  "  What  good,  holy,  lovable  men  these  are ! "  How  could  anybody  say  that 
of  them,  seeing  that  not  long  before  their  Master's  death  they  were  wrangling  which 
should  be  the  greatest?  But  what  a  difference  when  Jesus  has  died  and  risen  again! 
Jesus  no  longer  abides  alone.  He  is  truly  the  Firstborn  among  many  brethren.  If  we 
be  true  Christians  at  all,  we  are  more  like  Christ  than  we  are  to  those  of  our  fellow- 
men  who  are  not  Christians.  Jesus  sees  great  differences  where  we  see  great  resem- 
blances, and  vice  versa.  It  is  demanded  of  all  the  children  of  the  heavenly  Father  that 
they  should  be  fruitful,  and  to  this  end  they  are  to  be  as  branches  in  the  vine.  And  he 
who  is  peculiarly  the  Son  of  the  Father  sets  the  example  that  makes  our  fniitfulness 
possible.  The  risen  Saviour  himself  brings  forth  much  fruit.  A  handful  of  corn  has 
been  sown  in  the  earth  on  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  the  fruit  thereof  shakes  like 
Lebanon.  There  is  a  double  resurrection.  Not  only  did  Jesus  rise  again  in  his  own 
proper  personality ;  he  has  also  risen  again  in  that  great  multitude  concerning  every  one 
of  whom  this  is  true,  "  I  live ;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me."  There  is  no  way  of 
making  Christians  except  through  the  Spirit  of  the  living  Christ  working  in  them.  A 
stalk  of  wheat  cannot  be  got  save  by  sowing  the  seed  from  which  it  is  to  spring.  And 
60,  too,  Jesus  himself  must  be  the  principle  in  us  of  a  new,  a  holy,  and  an  eternal 
life.— Y. 

Ver.  28. —  The  Father  glorifying  his  Name.  I.  The  desire  of  Jesus  fob  uis 
Father's  glory.  Jesus  did  not  seek  that  the  eyes  of  men  should  be  fixed  in  admira- 
tion on  him.  With  powers  such  as  never  belonged  to  any  other  being  of  flesh  ami 
blood,  he  never  used  them  for  his  own  advancement  among  men.  The  pleasures  of 
human  ambition  and  human  fame  were  far  from  his  heart.  I<o  one  truly  glorifies  Jesus 
unless  he  glorifies  the  Father  of  Jesus.  Jesus  was  glad  to  find  men  drawn  to  him  in 
ever-increasing  numbers;  he  would  be  glad  to  find  such  as  these  Greeks  who  had 
just  been  inquiring  for  him  ;  but  all  the  time  he  felt  how  there  was  another  Name  and 
another  power  to  which  human  attention  needed  to  be  increasingly  directed.  The  name 
of  Jesus  had  been  already  made  glorious  after  a  fashion ;  men  had  made  it  glorious. 
They  talked  about  Jesus  ;  no  name  would  be  better  known  through  the  land  than  his ; 


182  THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xii.  1—50. 

but  all  the  time  Jesus  felt  that  he  was  getting  the  fame  which  was  only  his  in  part.  It 
was  right  and  serviceable  that  men  should  talk  of  him  ;  but  that  talk  would  only  lead 
into  delusion  and  disappointment  unless  they  could  talk  of  his  Father  also, 

II.  The  efforts  of  Jesus  to  glorify  his  Father.  How  he  kept  the  Name  of  his 
Father  before  his  disciples !  He  talked  of  the  Father  as  of  One  with  whom  he  was  in 
constant  and  most  familiar  connection.  But  men  could  not  see  the  Father  as  they 
could  see  Jesus,  and  hence  the  Father-Name  remained  but  a  name.  And  thus  we 
have  this  strange  fact  to  notice,  that  whereas  Jesus  came  to  reveal  the  Father,  he  rather 
seemed  at  first  to  hide  him.  The  fact  was  that  Jesus  hid  the  revelation  of  the  Father 
for  awhile  in  himself,  just  as  the  revelation  of  the  full-developed  plaut  is  hidden  in 
the  seed.  Jesus  had  to  speak  of  things  which  his  audience  understood  not  as  3'et ; 
but  those  same  things  would  by-and-by  be  unveiled,  and  not  only  unveiled,  but  the 
brightest  light  of  heaven  would  be  cast  upon  them. 

III.  The  Father  glorifying  his  Name.  The  hour  was  impending  when  'Jesus 
would  appear  to  the  natural  man  utterly  weak,  shorn  of  his  habitual  strengtii  and 
resources,  just  as  Samson  was  when  he  lost  his  locks.  Many  a  one  would  be  puzzled 
to  reconcile  the  Jesus,  so  mighty  in  doing  wonderful  works  in  Galilee,  with  the  Jesus 
seemingly  so  helpless  in  the  hands  of  his  enemies  at  Jerusalem.  But  eclipse  is  not  the 
same  thing  as  destruction.  Jesus  went  into  obscurity  for  a  little  while  that  the  glory 
of  the  Father  might  more  distinctly  appear.  When  Jesus  breathed  his  last,  the  Father 
got  the  opportunity,  to  be  fully  used,  of  glorifying  his  Name.  And  then  the  Clmrch 
entered  fully  upon  its  privilege,  and  was  permitted  to  behold  the  Father  glorifying 
himself  in  the  Son,  and  the  Son  correspondently  glorified  in  the  Father. — Y. 

Ver.  32. — The  all-attracting  Jesus.  I.  The  aims  and  hopes  of  Jesus  different 
FROM  those  to  WHOM  HE  SPOKE.  Those  who  questioned  and  criticized  him  cared  for 
no  country  but  their  own.  Not  that  they  were  ignorant  of  other  countries,  for  they 
went  to  live  in  them,  but  they  still  kept  communion  and  close  touch  with  Jerusalem. 
The  Jew  liked  to  make  money  out  of  the  Gentile,  and  so  he  would  go  and  live  in  the 
Gentile  city,  but  it  never  seemed  to  strike  him  that  the  God  of  the  Jew  was  God  also 
of  the  Gentile,  and  that  the  Christ  for  whom  the  Jew  waited  was  needed  by  the  Gentile 
just  as  much.  But  Jesus,  being  himself  the  Christ,  longed  inexpressibly  for  the  hour 
when  he  should  begin  to  draw  all  men  to  himself.  Even  in  the  days  of  his  flesh  he 
began  to  draw  the  Gentiles.  For  even  as  Jews  went  to  dwell  in  Gentile  lands,  so 
Gentiles  came  to  dwell  in  the  Jewish  land  ;  and  when  Jesus  .went  about  doing  good, 
humanity  in  all  its  pressing  need  overleaped  the  bounds  of  nationality,  and  came  to  him 
for  help. 

II.  OuE  aims  and  HOPES  ARE  ALSO  DIFFERENT.  Most  part  of  men  certainly  do  not 
care  to  be  drawn  to  Jesus.  Jesus  is  interested  in  everybody,  while  our  deep,  underlying 
desire  is  to  get  as  many  people  as  possible  interested  in  us.  AVe  are  mightily  grieved 
if  other  people  do  not  think  almost  as  much  about  us  as  we  do  about  ourselves.  But 
it  is  not  quite  so  much  a  matter  of  course  to  be  interested  in  other  people.  And  to  be 
interested  in  Jesus,  to  set  ourselves  in  real  sober  earnest  to  find  out  all  we  can  about 
him,  may  strike  us  as  an  eminently  unpractical  thing. 

III.  Look  at  this  drawing  power  in  the  exercise  of  it.  1.  The  purpose  of 
Jesus  is  clear.  He  made  that  abundantly  plain  while  he  lived  under  the  conditions 
of  ordinary  humanity.  The  times  of  retirement  and  avoidance  of  men  were  only 
exceptional.  The  miracles  of  Jesus  were  advertisements  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word. 
His  wondrous  works  were  things  that  people  talked  about,  and  were  meant  to  have  this 
eifect.  2.  The  motive  also  is  clear.  All  were  to  be  drawn,  because  of  the  need  of  all. 
We  all  need  Jesus,  just  as  every  growing  plant  in  the  field  needs  the  sunshine  and  the 
rain.  As  none  can  live  the  natural  life  without  air  and  food,  so  none  can  live  the  higher 
life  without  Jesus.  We  can  never  be  what  we  were  meant  to  be,  until  Jesus  the  Christ 
is  using  us  for  himself.  We  are  like  unlighted  candles,  and  Jesus  alone  can  light  us. 
The  glory  of  a  candle  is  in  its  burning,  and  the  glory  of  a  human  being  is  in  his  shining 
Christianity.  We  ourselves  feel  the  paramount  claim  of  need  upon  us,  and  shall  Jesus 
not  feel  it?  3.  The  means  must  be  noticed.  Drawing,  not  driving.  The  only 
effectual  compulsion  is  that  of  love-  We  mu^t  be  drawn  because  we  cannot  help  it. 
So  long  as  we  prefer  self-indulgence,  ease,  mere  drifting,  we  shall  not  be  drawn.     We 


CH.  xii.  1—50.]     THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDIXG  TO  ST.  JOHN.  183 

must  come  withia  the  circle  of  which  Jesus  is  the  Centre.     Thea  shall  we  over  teud 
more  and  more  toward  that  Centre. — Y. 

Ver.  35. — A  warning  to  the  traveller.  I.  A  hint  that  he  is  making  no  progress. 
We  ai*  in  this  life  like  travellers,  who  have  so  much  of  their  journey  to  do  in  so  many- 
hours.  There  is  ample  time  if  only  they  will  keep  steadily  on,  remembering  that  the 
sun  does  not  stop,  waiting  on  their  convenience  and  their  indolence.  While  these  Jews 
were  disputing,  doubting,  and  deferring,  their  opportunities  were  slipping  away.  They 
talked  as  if  their  decision  aftected  Jesus  rather  than  themselves,  as  if  the  validitj-  of 
his  position  depended  on  their  assent,  whereas  it  was  the  validity  of  their  own  position 
that  came  in  question.  Jesus  was  the  Christ ;  he  needed  not  to  discuss  that  point 
among  men,  save  as  discussion  made  it  clearer  to  them.  And  if  men  in  their  perversity 
chose  to  deny  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ,  assuredly  they  would  get  no  other.  We  have 
to  come  to  Jesus  at  last.  We  may  thinlc  we  have  light  among  us,  but  if  that  light  be 
darkness,  then  how  great  will  that  darkness  be.  We  may  be  moving,  but  mere  move- 
ment is  not  progress.  Year  after  year  tinds  no  advance;  we  are  older,  that  is  all ;  but 
nothing  nearer  to  the  reward  and  crown  of  all  true  work. 

H.  What  must  happen  where  the  light  of  Jesus  is  truly  used.  That  light 
is  not  merely  to  exhibit  what  would  otherwise  be  dark  and  hidden.  .  Liglit  comes 
that  we  may  use  our  eyes,  but  use  of  eyes  leads  to  use  of  hands  and  also  use  of  feet. 
The  word  of  Jesus  here  must  be  compared  with  his  similar  word  in  ch.  ix.,  where  he 
says,  "  The  night  cometh,  when  no  man  can  work."  The  light  of  Jesus  is  given  to  us 
that  we  may  make  safe  and  speedy  progress  in  all  the  activities  of  life.  Thus  we  make 
the  very  best  that  can  be  made  out  of  life's  short  opportunities. — Y. 

Vers.  42,  43. — Believing  yet  not  confessing.  Here  we  have  one  of  the  mighty 
hindranceSj^ne  that  explains  a  very  great  deal  indeed,  to  the  full  acceptance  of  Jesus 
as  Lord  aiM  Christ.  Between  the  bold  believers  and  the  open  unbelievers  there  is 
a  very  large  class,  which  cannot  but  believe,  yet  will  by  no  means  avow  its  belief. 
Human  beings  are  not  so  stupid  and  insensible  in  the  presence  of  Jesus  as  they  often 
seem  to  be.  None  can  see  better  the  fallacies  and  follies  of  unbelief,  but  they  lack  the 
courage  and  self-denial  which  turn  belief  into  a  full  and  profitable  act.  Such  were  many 
of  the  chief  rulers  of  Jerusalem  after  the  resurrection  of  Lazarus. 

L  What  they  did.  They  believed,  but  did  not  confess.  If  they  confessed  not, 
how  did  John  know  their  belief?  We  find  the  answer  in  a  very  common  experience  ; 
people  will  say  things  in  private  which  you  never  can  get  them  to  utter  in  public.  The 
now  numerous  companions  of  Jesus  would  be  in  constant  communication  with  the  out- 
side world.  Thus  they  knew  how  there  was  really  a  great  deal  of  secret  admission  that 
Jesus  was  the  Christ.  And  this  is  just  what  we  might  expect.  If  Jesus  did  these 
things  he  is  reported  to  have  done,  with  ample  means  for  knowing  it  by  multitudes  of 
people,  then  certainly  many  must  have  been  convinced,  whatever  they  did  with  tlieir 
convictions.  We  are  never  to  estimate  the  lodgment  Jesus  has  in  the  minds  of  men 
just  by  the  number  who  confess  him.  Many  feel  in  their  hearts  that  Jesus  is  right. 
They  know  that  if  only  they  were  brave  and  resolute,  and  counted  truth  as  dear  a 
treasure  as  human  heart  can  hold,  then  they  would  come  out  and  be  on  his  side.  Those 
who  know  they  ought  to  be  Christians,  and  yet  are  not,  must  be  very  many  indeed, 

II.  Why  they  did  it.  John  goes  into  the  whole  matter,  right  down  to  the  bottom 
of  it.  There  is  the  reason  people  themselves  would  be  ready  to  give,  and  there  is  also 
the  real  reason  deep  underneath  the  surface.  People  would  be  quite  willing  to  admit 
that  they  dare  not  risk  being  put  out  of  the  synagogue.  To  express  it  in  modern 
language,  they  would  be  excommunicated.  They  would  be  shut  out  from  certain 
religious  privileges.  The  doorkeepers  of  the  temple  would  have  orders  to  turn  them 
away.  The  Pharisees  knew  what  they  were  doing  when  they  sent  out  word  that  if  any 
man  confessed  Jesus  to  be  the  Christ,  he  should  be  put  out  of  the  synagogue.  Though 
they  could  not  stop  people  from  believing,  they  might  stop  them  from  confessing. 
Nothing  considerable  has  ever  been  done  for  Jesus  without  stirring  up  a  nest  of  hornets. 
But  John  knows  there  is  a  deeper  reason  than  the  fear  of  excommunication.  Our 
attitude  to  Jesus  is  determined  as  much  by  what  we  love  as  by  what  we  fear.  Those 
who  believed  and  did  confess  were  drawn  to  Jesus  by  an  irresistible  affection.     Th# 


18:1 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xiii.  1—38. 


same  excommunication  hung  over  them,  but  it  did  not  deter.  The  disciples  might 
not  yet  have  come  to  the  perfect  love  that  casts  out  fear;  but  they  knew  this  much — 
that  faithful  fellowship  with  Jesus  was  a  pearl  of  great  price,  worthy  to  be  kept,  though 
in  the  keeping  all  visible  possessions  and  temporal  interests  had  to  be  surrendered. 
Love,  not  fear,  must  rule  in  our  hearts,  if  we  are  to  keep  faithful  to  Jesus.  Jesus  him- 
self was  always  above  the  threatenings  of  men,  and  he  must  lift  his  followers  to''  the 
same  elevation.  When  we  really  love  Jesus,  nothing  can  separate  him  from  our  love. 
Threats  operating  powerfully  upon  the  man  of  this  world  never  move  the  Christian. 

III.  The  results  of  this  smothered  .confession.  Some  present  gain,  but  an 
incomparable  future  loss.  The  evil  day  has  only  been  put  off,  to  be  more  evil  than  ever. 
What  most  who  hear  the  gospel  need  is  courage  and  decision.  And  those  who  do 
confess  had  better  look  into  things,  and  make  sure  that  their  confession  is  grounded  in 
reality.  It  must  not  be  a  mere  external  and  temporary  consequence  from  the  gregarious 
imture  of  mankind.  We  never  can  know  the  abiding  gain  without  being  ready  for  the 
passing  loss. — Y. 


EXPOSITION. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

IV.  The  Final  Manifestations  in  Word 
AND  Action  of  the  Logos  Incarnate, 
expressing  itself  absolutely  and  to 
the  Uttermost  as  Love.  (Ch.  xiii. — 
xxi.) 
In  two  divisions — 

A.  The  inner  glorification  of  the  Christ  in 
the  'presence  of  those  ivho  received  and  be- 
lieved on  him. 

*^*  The  Logos  incarnate  as  life,  light, 
love,  and  sacrifice,  lavishing  all  his  grace 
upon  his  own  (ch.  xiii. — xvii.). 

B.  The  outer  glorification  of  the  Christ 
in  his  Passion  and  resurrection. 

*^*  The  fully  manifested  love  laying 
down  life  that  he  might  take  it  again,  antl 
lift  these  disciples  into  vital  union  with 
the  risen  life  (ch.  xviii. — xxi.). 

A.  The  Inner  Glorification  op  Perfect 
Love. 

Vers.  *l — 17. — L  Lore  in  humiliation. 

Ver.  1. — Now  before  the  Feast  of  the  Pass- 
over; a  phrase  far  more  applicable  to  the 
13-14th  of  Nisan  than  to  the  14 -15th, 
even  though  the  Lord  was  desiring  then  to 
eat  the  Passovc-r  with  a  great  desire  before 
he  suffered ;  therefore  "  before "  tlie  Pas- 
sion, which  would  coincide  witli  it.  This 
supplies  a  chronological  note,  which  is  not 
exhausted  by  the  mysterious  and  pathetic 
act  which  is  described,  but  embraces  the 
entire  communion  of  soul  with  his  disciples, 
and  with  tiic  Father  ia  their  presence,  de- 
tailed in  ch.  xiii. — xvii.  Commentators  have 
diifered  greatly  as  to  the  reference  of  this 
phrase — whether  to  the  elSws,  as  Kling  and 
Luthardt,  or  to  the  ayairTiaas,  as  Wieseler 
and  Tholuck ;  both  these  interpretations 
limit  the  meaning  of  the  passage.  Christ's 
tuowledjre  that  his  hour  was  come  was  not 


kept  from  him  till  that  moment,  nor  was 
his  love  to  his  own  disciples  limited  or 
qualified  by  the  advent  of  the  Passover. 
It  is  far  better,  with  Westcott,  Godet,  Meyer, 
and  Lange,  to  take  the  phrase,  irph  Sk  rris 
ioprrji,  with  the  principal  verb,  i]ydTn]ffiv. 
This  becomes  more  obvious  if  els  rtKos  be 
taken,  as  it  generally  is  taken,  in  Greek,  to 
mean  "  unto  the  uttermost,"  "  absolutely," 
"  perfectly."  Godet  and  Liick^add  to  the 
idea  of  dyairaai  here  the  manifestation.,  or 
proof,  of  the  intensity  and  tenderness  of  the 
Divine  love.  Meyer  doubts  this  signification 
of  d^airooi.  The  whole  of  the  intervening 
sentence  is  in  apposition  with  the  subject 
of  the  sentence.  The  evangelist  was  eye- 
witness of  tlje  manner  and  look  of  his  Lord, 
and  ventured  to  say  what  was  passing  in 
his  mind.  He  was  justified  by  what  fol- 
lowed, and  threw  back  into  the  spirit  of 
this  strange  and  solemn  action  the  account 
which  the  Lord  afterwards  gave  of  himself. 
Throughout  the  whole  passage  we  detect 
the  extraordinary  blending  of  Divine  and 
human  of  which  John  was  the  witness. 
Jesus  knowing  (as  he  did  know)  that  the 
hour  was '  come — an  hour  for  whfch  he  had 
been  long  waiting,  and  to  which  frequent 
reference  has  been  made.  The  crisis  has 
arrived,  the  breach  with  the  authorities  was 
final,  the  disciples  themselves  were  trem- 
bling in  doubt,  the  great  law  had  been  ut- 
tered, the  glorification  of  the  Son  of  man 
must  now  be  accomj^lished  by  departure 
rather  than  by  longer  ministry,  by  death 
rather  than  by  universal  acclaim — that — 'Ivu 
here  notes  the  Divine  purpose,  or  what  is 
not  infrequently  introduced  by  'iva,  "  the 
contemplated  result "  (see  Canon  Evans  on 

1  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  R.T.,  and  West- 
cott and  Hort  read  liKBev,  with  N,  A,  B,  K, 
L,  M,  in  place  of  e\r)\veev  of  T.K.  and  later 
uncials. 


en.  XIII.  1—38.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


185 


"  the  use  of  7va  in  the  New  Testament,"  Ex- 
positor, vol.  iii.  2iid  scries) — he,  Jesus,  the  Son 
of  man,  should  depart  out  of  this  world  (this 
is  one  themo  of  tlic  following  discourse,  one 
of  its  key-notes,  ch.  xiv.  12  ;  xvi.  28  ;  xvii. 
11,  and  many  other  passages)  unto  the 
Father.  If  so,  dcatli  was  not  an  ending  of 
life,  but  a  departure  to  the  Father — a  coming 
into  closer  and  more  intimate  relations  and 
communion  with  the  Father  than  was  pos- 
sible, even  for  him,  in  this  sinful  and  evil 
world.  Frequently  the  demonstrative  pro- 
noun is  used  to  designate  this  transitory, 
perilous,  sad  state  of  being.  Further,  Jesus 
having  loved  his  own,  his  very  own,  whom 
the  Father  had  given  him,  who  were  and 
would  continue  in  the  world,  and  have 
tribulation  there  (see  ch.  xv.  18 — 20 ;  xvi. 
1 — i,  33  ;  xvii.  11,  14,  18),  and  all  the  more 
80  because  of  his  departure  and  the  cessa- 
tion of  his  earthly  manifestation  and 
ministry.  Here  the  sentence  ends  with 
the  climacteric  expression,  He  loved  them 
utterly  ;  i.e.  he  manifested,  and  that  before 
the  Paschal  Lamb  should  be  slain  for  them, 
his  absolute,  extreme,  unutterable  love. 
Archdeacon  Watkins  has  made  an  interest- 
ing suggestion,  that  els  t«'Aos  represents,  in 
Greek,  the  Hebrew  idiom  of  the  repetition 
of  the  action  of  the  verb ;  whereas  the 
LXX.  often  presents  this  Hebraism  in 
literal  Greek,  as  Gen.  xx.  17,  yet  in  Amos 
ix.  8  a  similar  reduplication  is  Grecized  by 
the  phrase  eis  TeKos;  and  that  What  St. 
John,  a  Hebrew  writing  in  Greek,  meant 
by  the  use  of  it  was  simply, "  He  loved  them 
with  a  fulness  of  love."  This  usage  is  con- 
firmed by  1  Thess.  ii.  16,  by  later  Greek 
and  by  classical  usage.  It  probably  means 
in  Luke  xviii.  5  "at  last,"  but  not  neces- 
sarily so  even  there.  Margin  of  Revised 
Version  gives  "  to  the  uttermost." 

Yer.  2. — A  supper  having  commenced ;  or, 
being  then  in  progress  ' — without  doubt  the 
meal  in  which  our  Lord  terminated  the  Old 
Testament  dispensation  and  introduced  the 
New,  and  which  John  discriminates,  there- 
fore, from  the  Passover  proper  referred  to  in 
ver.  1.  The  evangelist  now  reverts  to  the 
diabolic  design  which   had    been  injected 

'  T.R.  here  reads,  with  A,  D,  A,  1,  33,  and 
all  the  ancient  versions,  Bdnvou  ytvoufvov ; 
but,  on  the  authority  of  X,  B,  L,  X,  Origen, 
and  Nonnus,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Meyer, 
Westcott  and  Hort,  and  Revised  Version 
read  yivofiivov.  Godet  docs  not  accept  the 
reading,  thinking  that  it  is  a  correction, 
intended  to  put  the  washing  at  the  begin- 
ning rather  than  at  the  end  of  the  feast. 
Liicke,  on  the  same  internal  grounds,  justi- 
fies the  translation,  *'  during  the  meal," 
"  when  the  supper  took  place"  (gesckah  odtr 
tear). 


into  the  heart  of  Judas.  The  devil  having 
already  oast  into  the  heart  (of  Judas)  that 
he— Meyer's  suggestion  that  the  devil  put 
this  design  into  his  own  heart,  docs  not 
lighten  the  construction,  and  encumbers  the 
passage  with  ideas  which  are  foreign  to  the 
Bible — (even)  Jadas,  (the  son)  of  Simon, 
the  Isoariot,  should  betray  him.'  The  idea 
came  from  the  devil,  but  the  purpose  of  the 
devil  was  not  irrevocable.  The  evangelist 
looked  through  his  tears  of  love  to  the 
traitor's  face  as  he  sat  at  meat,  and  felt  how 
the  very  excess  and  uttermost  and  hyperbole 
of  love  was  reached  and  scaled  by  the  con- 
tact between  the  treachery  of  the  one  and 
tlie  Divine  humiliation  of  the  other.  The 
contrast  between  these  two  mental  states  is 
one  of  the  most  striking  antitheses  in  the 
Gospel.  But  how  should  John  know  that 
Judas  had  already  plotted  the  betrayal  of 
his  Master?  Hengstonberg  makes  the  wise 
suggestion  that  the  fourth  evangelist  was 
acquainted  with  the  synoptic  tradition  of 
the  priority  of  Judas's  bargain  with  the 
chief  priests  (Matt.  xxvi.  1-1 — 16  ;  Mark  xiv. 
10,  11;  Lukexxii.  3—6). 

Ver.  3. — ^  Knowing — a  significant  hint  of 
the  complex  wonder  of  the  Lord's  Person. 
John  felt  at  this  moment  that  the  conscious- 
ness of  Jesus  was  receding  into  the  eternal 
self-consciousness  of  the  Logos  when  he 
thus  ventures  to  speak — that  the  Father — 
in  the  great  act  of  his  generation — gave  ^  all 
things  into  his  hands,  and  that  he  came  forth 
(a.%h)  from  God,  and  was  going  back  (oT,aivay) 
to  God,  in  the  glory  of  his  incarnation  and  the 
mystery  of  his  death  and  resurrection.  The 
whole  of  the  incarnate  ministry  of  Jesus  was 
a  separation,  to  some  extent,  from  God,  just 
as  the  close  of  it,  in  the  death  and  resur- 
rection, was  a  return  to  the  glory  which  he 
had  with  the  Father  before  all  worlds.  AVe 
must  admit  the  extraordinary  quality  of 
the  evangelist's  assertion.     He  here  throws 

'  T.R.,  with  A,  D,  r,  A,  and  Syriac  Ver- 
sions, here  transposes  the  sentence,  thus  ; 
'lov5a  ^i/xwvos  'icTKapiwrov  'Iva  avrhv  TtapaStf), 
"  of  Judas  son  of  Simon  the  Iscariot  to 
betray  him."  The  text  of  Tischendorf, 
R.T.,  and  all  modern  editors  rests  on  N,  B, 
L,  M,  X,  Vulgate,  and  numerous  quotations 
from  Origen. 

*  Griesbach,  Lachmann,  and  others  sus- 
tain the  reading  6  'Itia-ovs,  on  the  autho- 
rity of  A,  r.  A,  A,  n,  and  numerous  vei  sions. 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  TregcUes,  and  R.T. 
omit  it,  with  N,  B,  D,  L,  X,  with  Vulgate 
and  iEthiopic. 

'  The  Revised  Version  translates  "had 
given,"  though  reading  iSooKfv,  with  Tischen- 
dorf (8th  edit.).  Westcott  and  Hort,  T.R., 
and   Lachmann,  with  A,  D,  X,  etc.,  read 


186 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiii.  1—38. 


back  into  the  majestic  manner  of  the  Christ 
the  hints  which  the  subsequent  discourse 
of  our  Lord  must  have  given  him  of  the 
Divine  greatness  which  flashed  at  times 
from  his  sacred  Person,  and  conferred  a 
boundless  significance  on  the  subsequent 
act  of  humiliation.  Christ  gave  the  highest 
proof  of  his  Divine  self-consciousness  in  this 
display  of  his  condescending  love,  this 
voluntary  abasement  to  the  lowest  place  in 
the  household  of  faith.  The  use  of  flSibs 
twice  over  (vers.  1  and  3)  is  contrasted 
with  the  yyciffT)  of  ver.  7.  The  vast  con- 
fessions here  made  are  declared  to  be 
matters  of  absolute  intuitive  knowledge, 
not  the  results  of  long  experience.  Christ 
did  nut  "  come  to  know ;  "  he  "  knew  "  all 
these  facts  about  himself.  It  must  not  be 
supposed  that  this  was  a  theological  idea 
wliich  came  into  the  writer's  mind  after- 
wards. St.  Paul,  in  the  Epistle  to  tlie  Philip- 
piaus  (ii.  6 — 8),  had  adequately  grasped  the 
same  thought  long  before  St.  John  penned 
this  Gospel  (cf.  2  Cor.  viii.  9). 

Vers.  4,  5  — Commentators  differ  as  to  the 
motive  which  induced  our  Lord  to  perform 
this  menial  act,  to  adopt  the  gesture,  gird- 
ing, and  duties  of  the  SovKos,  to  divest  Mm- 
self  of  his  IfxaTia  or  upper  garments,  and 
to  appear  and  veritably  to  act  as  a  slave. 
Strauss  regards  it  as  a  mythical  representa- 
tion of  one  of  our  Lord's  discourses  on 
humility.  Lange,  with  much  pertinence, 
believes  it  to  correspond  to  the  pain  which  he 
manifested,  at  the  very  last  Supper,  with  the 
unseemly  contest  for  pre-eminence  among 
the  apostles  (cf.  Luke  xxii.  27,  "  Whether  is 
greater,  he  that  sitteth  at  meat,  or  he  that 
serveth  ?  ...  I  am  among  you  as  he  that 
serveth  ").  Others,  like  Meyer,  see  no  such 
reference,  and  require  the  presence  of  no 
such  motive.  It  is  remarkable  that  at  such 
a  season  this  dispute  could  have  arisen  at 
all.  Having  undoubtedly  broken  out  on 
more  than  one  occasion,  our  Lord  chose  tbe 
midst  of  this  feast,  when  we  learn  from  other 
souices  there  was  such  an  outbreak,  for  this 
emphatic  revelation  of  the  royalty  of  service. 
Wiinsche  ('  Erl.,'  p.  550)  says  that  both 
"  before  "  and  "  alter  "  the  Passover  festival 
it  was  customary,  in  order  to  demonstrate 
the  equality  and  liberty  of  the  guests,  to 
practise  mutual  interchanges  of  the  ordinary 
menial  service  of /<a?id- washing  ('Pesachin,' 
fol.  108).  In  this  verse  every  sentence  is 
a  distinct  picture.  He  riseth  from  the 
supper,  and  layeth  down  his  upper  garments, 
and  when  he  had  taken  a  towel,  he  girded 
himself  (Edersheim  and  Wiinsche  both  give 
proof  that  the  Talmud  repeatedly  Grecizes 
the  word  here  rendered  "  towel,"  Xivnov, 
"linen  cloth,"  by  the  word  lentith  or  akn- 
tith)  after  the  fashion  of  the  humblest  slave  ; 
then  he  poureth  water  into  the  washing- 


basin  (ptwTTjpa),  the  article  of  furniture  in 
the  room  ("Nihil  ministerii  omittit,"  says 
Grotius.  Thus  he  discharges  every  part  of 
the  duty,  while  the  disciples  wonder  at  the 
new  revelation).  And  he  began  to  wash  the 
feet  of  the  disciples,  and  to  wipe  them  with 
the  towel  wherewith  he  was  girded.  West- 
cott  refers  to  the  rabbinic  commentators  on 
Ezek.  xvi.  9,  "Among  men,  the  slave 
washes  his  master,  but  with  God  it  is  not 
so."  So  then  the  inversion  of  all  human 
social  relations  forced  on  John's  mind  the 
deep  truth  that  we  are  here  face  to  face 
witli  the  Divine — with  the  Divine-human. 
John  here  strains  his  words  to  give  some 
conception  of  what  passed  in  his  own  mind 
when  he  saw  our  Lord's  face,  and  wit- 
nessed this  great  revelation  of  his  character. 
Though  this  evangelist  did  not  record  the 
"Transfiguration,"  there  were  moments  in 
Christ's  history  which  produced  a  still  pro- 
founder  impression  upon  him,  and  in  which 
he  veritably  saw  the  glory  of  the  Only 
Begotten  of  God  in  his  Master's  form.  On 
this  occasion  the  highest  conception  of 
his  Divine  Personality,  origin,  and  destiny, 
was  blended  with  the  deepest  descent  of  the 
Lord's  entire  humanity  to  the  level  of  weak- 
ness, pollution,  and  sin.  The  greatest 
manifestation  of  God  was  in  the  revelation 
of  tlie  exceeding  limits,  the  infinite  depth, 
which  love  could  compass.  We  may  see  a 
little  further  on  what  were  the  special  steps 
our  Lord  took  to  give  this  sense  of  love  "  to 
the  uttermost "  on  the  part  of  him  to  whom 
all  the  universe  had  been  entrusted,  who  had 
come  from,  and  was  going  back  to,  the  Father. 
Ver.  6. — It  cannot  be  determined  with 
whom  oiir  Lord  commenced  tlie  feet- wash- 
ing. Some  of  the  older  expositors  have  said 
it  was  with  Judas.  The  ovv  might  denote 
that  several  of  the  disciples,  in  awestruck 
wonder,  had  submitted  without  a  word,  and 
then  (o5i/  resumptive)  he  cometh  to  Simon 
Peter.  But  the  great  bulk  of  ancient  and 
modern  expositors  suppose  that  Peter  was 
the  first  to  whom  this  great  grace  was 
offered.  At  all  events,  in  his  impulsive 
manner  always  rushing  forwards,  and  ready 
to  give  his  Master  advice,  and  to  be  the 
mouthpiece  of  otherwise  unuttered  feelings, 
Peter  was  the  first  to  exclaim,  (and ')  he ' 
saith  unto  him,  and  with  strong  emphasis 
on  the  2i/  and  the  /xov,  Dost  thou  wash  my 
feet  1  The  protest  was  natural.  It  corre- 
sponds with  many  another  scene  in  Peter's 
life ;  as  when  he  said,  "  Depart  from  me  ; 
for  I  am  a  sinful  man,"'  or  cried,  "  That  be 
far  from  thee,"  and  later  on  in  this  chapter, 
"  Why  cannot  I  foUow  thee  now  ?  "  or,  "  I 
have  never  eaten  anything  common  or  un- 

'  T.E.  and  La«hmann  read  Kai,  with  N,  A, 
and  other  authorities.   They  also  add  iKiii/os. 


CH,  xiii.  1—38.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


187 


clean."  This  trait  in  Peter's  character  is 
wonderfully  accurate,  and  corresponds  with 
the  portraiture  of  the  same  man  in  the  sy- 
noptic narrative  (see  Introduction,  p.  cxv.). 
There  is  here  an  analogous  blending  of  re- 
verence and  self-will,  of  outwardness  and 
forwardness — a  new  illustration  of  one  who 
would  distinguish  himself  by  the  greatness 
of  his  humility. 

Vers.  7,  S. — Jesns  answered  and  said  to 
him,  That  which  I  am  doing  thou  knowest 
not  now — thou  hast  not  absolute  knowledge 
of,  thou  hast  not  seen  through  as  yet ;  but 
after  these  things,  afterwards  when  I  shall 
have  completed  my  present  undertaking, 
thou  (yvuxTT))  shalt  come  by  clear  proof  and 
full  discovery  and  intimate  acquaintance  to 
understand.  This  is  sometimes  referred  to 
the  subsequent  illumination  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  or  even  to  the  higher  life  of  the 
future  world  (Luthardt),  but  the  above 
interpretation  is  more  consonant  with  the 
contest.  The  ixfra  ravra  may  (as  Westcott 
suggests)  point  to  the  whole  manifestation 
of  love  as  it  should  complete  itself  on  the 
cross,  and  become  illumined  by  the  Resur- 
rection and  by  the  gift  of  the  Spirit,  when  the 
same  mind  should  be  put  into  Peter  that 
was  in  Christ  Jesus ;  consequently  we  may 
reasonably  apply  this  great  word  to  many 
•  of  our  earthly  experiences.  God's  ways, 
}  Christ's  government  of  his  Church,  and  the 
mystery  of  our  lot,  are  often  so  puzzling 
that  we  cannot  be  said  to  know  them  ob- 
jectively or  absolutely.  We  know  (yivd- 
<rKOfj.ev)  but  in  part,  and  see  (^KfTrofxtv)  by 
means  of  a  mirror  (1  Cor.  xiii.  12) ;  but 
eventually  in  the  fulness  of  the  Divine 
manifestation  we  shall  know  (iirtyvw(T6ij.e0a) 
completely,  subjectively,  in  the  depths  of 
our  personal  consciousness.  Peter  saith  to 
him,  with  more  empliasis  than  before,  with 
an  intensity  of  double  negative  and  els  rhv 
aiwva,  Thou  shalt  not  ever  wash  my  feet — 
"  not  while  eternity  lasts."  "  A  praiseworthy 
modesty,"  says  Calvin,  "were  it  not  that 
with  God  obedience  is  better  than  worship." 
This  vehement,  Peter-like  burst  showed  that 
even  yet  he  had  not  learned  his  profound 
dependence  upon  liis  Lord.  Exul^eiant 
utterance  of  a  love  which  in  its  superlative 
enthusiasm  was  in  danger  of  severing  the 
relation  between  his  Lord  and  himself, 
elicited  from  Christ  a  reply  which  went  far 
beneaih  this  purely  symbolic  washing,  and 
gave  even  to  k  a  moral  significance  which 
it  had  not  possessed  before.  Jesus  answered, 
If  I  wash  thee  (not  thy  feet)  not,  thou  hast 
no  part  with  me — no  fitpos/  no  portion,  no 

'  Discriminate  tj  fj-epis  from  t6  fiepos,  the 
former  used  in  the  LXX.  (see  also  Luke  xi. 
36  ;  xii.  46  ;  Matt.  xxiv.  51 ;  see  also  Josh, 
xxii.  24,  25;  2  Sam.  xx.  1 ;  1  Kings  xii.  16). 


sliare,  no  communion,  no  common  inheri- 
tance with  me  in  the  honours  and  blessings 
of  the  kingdom.  This  may  bo  understood 
in  two  ways :  either,  "  If  I  do  not  by  my 
grace  cleanse  you  from  your  defilement, 
wash  you  in  a  deeper  sense,  in  a  more 
abundant  and  eflfectual  manner  than  by 
giving  you  this  practical  lesson,  there  is 
utter  misunderstanding  of  my  relation  to 
you — you  have  no  part  nor  share  with  me." 
And  this  ver.  11  seems  to  favour.  Heng- 
stenbcrg  strongly  defends  this  view  as  a 
reference  by  Christ  to  his  power  on  earth 
to  forgive  sins,  and  confer  the  pure  and 
now  nature  (cf.  Ps.  11.  4,  9 — 11);  and  this 
doubtless  lies  in  the  solemn  tone  of  the 
Lord.  A  refusal  to  accept  the  Divine 
cleansing  is  the  only  ground  of  exclusion 
from  the  benefits  of  the  bloodshedding. 
Still  another  more  obvious  meaning  arises, 
"If  you  refuse  this  manifestation  of  humble 
love  from  me,  if  you  put  your  own  pride 
Ijetween  yourself  and  me,  if  you  disdain 
this  act  of  self-surrender,  claiming  to  under- 
stand me  and  our  mutual  relations  better 
than  I,  you  have  no  part  with  me.  This  is 
a  symbol  of  my  love  to  you,  and  of  what  is 
to  be  your  love  to  one  another  (ver.  15);  if 
you  refuse  to  accept  it  from  me,  you  will 
then  have  no  part  with  me  in  the  mani- 
festation of  tlie  spirit  of  self-sacrificing 
love  which  I  have  come  to  inaugurate." 
Peter  must  learn  the  beauty  and  glory  of 
service  for  the  sake  of  others ;  and  if  he 
were  unable  to  understand  and  accept  this 
act  of  love,  he  must  separate  himself  from 
all  share  in  the  Master's  work.  This  truth 
dawned  upon  him,  but  only  in  part,  and  it 
led  to  the  extraordinary  revulsion  of  feeling 
which  followed. 

Ver.  9. — Simon  Peter  makes  another  im- 
petuous and  characteristic  outburst,  and 
another  of  his  almost  glorious  mistakes. 
Once  more  he  will  go  before  and  give 
advice  to  his  Master.  The  very  same  Peter 
who  drew  the  sword  in  Gethsemane  and 
then  fled,  who  went  to  the  high  priest's 
palace  and  then  denied  his  Lord ;  the  very 
same  Peter  who  rushed  into  the  water  and 
tiien  cried,  "  Lord,  save  me,  I  perish,"  who 
cried,  even  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration, 
"  Let  us  build  three  tabernacles ;  "  and  whon 
our  Lord  spoke  of  his  cross  said,  '•  This  shall 
not  be  done  unto  thee ; " — the  same  Simon 
Peter  now  said  to  him,  "  If  it  comes  to  the 
primal  experience  of  being  washed  by  (hee 
in  thine  unutterable  love,  if  tliere  bo  any 
question  of  part  and  share  with  thee  in  thy 
work,  I  will  (cf.  ver.  37)  go  with  thee  to 
prison  and  to  death,  then,  blessed  Lord,  not 
my  feet  only,  bat  also  my  hands  and  my  head ; 
i.e.  all  my  uncovered  body ;  seeing  that  my 
power  of  thinking  and  all  my  capacity  for 
service  alike  need  cleansing."     Peter   not 


188 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [en.  xin.  1—38. 


unreasonably  felt  the  weakness  and  corrup- 
tion of  his  nature,  and  cried  out,  as  we  all 
ai-e  often  disposed  to  do,  for  renewal  and 
sanctification  of  every  faculty  and  energy  of 
his  being.  In  this  he  showed  a  lack  of 
realization  of  the  new  world  into  which 
grace  had  brought  him,  and  once  more 
needed  correction.  Chrysostom  says,  "In 
his  deprecation  he  was  vehement,  in  his 
yielding  more  vehement,  but  both  came 
from  his  love."  But  even  here  we  see  the 
same  eagerness  to  go  beyond  the  Lord,  and 
dictate  the  course  to  be  pursued. 

Ver.  10. — Jesus  saith  to  him.  Christ's 
answer  here  undoubtedly  shows  that  he 
is  speaking  of  something  far  more  impor- 
tant than  the  foot-washing.  He  goes  back 
to  the  spiritual  meaning  which  Peter  attri- 
buted to  his  words.  He  that  has  been 
bathed  (\e\ovixevos)  is  indeed  washed  from 
head  to  foot,  hath  no  farther  need  than 
to  wash  his  feet,'  but  is  altogether  clean. 
By  personal  communion  with  the  Lord  and 
belief  in  him,  by  the  word  which  he  had 
spoken  to  Lis  disciples,  they  were  (KaOapoi) 
clean  (ch.  xv.  3).  They  had  been  washed 
from  the  defilement  of  their  old  nature, 
they  had  undergone  a  thorough  moral  and 
spiritual  change,  by  moral  union  with 
Clirist.  They  were  reconciled  and  cleansed  ; 
they  therefore  did  not  need  a  fundamental 
change  to  be  wrought  daily  in  head,  hands, 
and  life.  Just  as  a  man  who  had  thoroughly 
bathed  only  requires  the  removal  of  the 
soil  contracted  in  the  daily  walk ;  so  a 
regenerated  and  forgiven  man  is  clean,  and, 
like  Peter,  should  not  need,  being  KaOapos, 
more  than  the  foot-cleansing  which  Christ 
in  Divine  condescension  had  then  granted. 
It  was  inevitable  that  some  of  the  Fathers 
(Augustine,  Theodore)* and  many  modern 
expositors  (Hengstenberg,  Godet,  and 
Wordsworth)  should  see  here  a  reference  to 
baptism,  and  speak  of  Peter's  having  over- 
looked the  grace  of  his  baptism.  When  it 
is  remembered,  however,  that  nothing  but 
John's  "baptism  unto  repentance"  had 
been  administered  to  the  disciples,  and  that 
this  cleansing  is,  in  ch.  xv.  3,  distinctly 
referred  to  the  word  of  Christ,  it  is  a  very 
unnecessary  trifling  with  the  text  to  find  in 
this  \t\ovfxevos  baptism  or  any  sacramental 
or  symbolic  act.  Lampe  and  Cocceius,  in 
rendering    \e\ovfjifvos,   substitute  for  bap- 

'  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  on  the  authority 
of  N,  omits  the  words  el  /u»;  and  rovs  irSSas, 
and  thus  alters  the  meaning  of  the  whole 
passage.  Lachmann,  Tregellea,  Westcott 
and  Hort,  K.T.,  and  others  retain  these 
words  in  the  text,  on  the  ground  that  N  gives 
a  correction  to  harmonize  the  saying  with 
Kadaphs  '6\os,  and  from  not  drawing  distinc- 
tion between  \i\ovixfvos  and  vi^pacrda:. 


tism,  the  regeneration  of  the  Spirit,  and 
treat  the  washing  of  the  feet  as  equivalent 
to  the  daily  forgiveness  of  sins  of  infirmity. 
Archdeacon  Farrar,  '  Early  Days  of  Chris- 
tianity,' vol.  i.  p.  126,  suggests  that  this 
intensely  interesting  scene  may  account  for 
Simon  Peter's  picturesque  expression  (1  Pet. 
V.  5,  tyKOfi^waaffde),  wherein  he  enjoins  on 
Christians  to  "  tie  on  humility  like  a  dress 
fastened  with  knots ; "  and  also  for  the 
apostle's  "  insight  into  the  true  meaning  of 
baptism,  as  being,  not  the  putting  away  the 
filth  of  the  flesh,  but  the  answer  of  a  good 
conscience  towards  God."  And  ye  are  clean ; 
and  therefore  these  words  and  this  principle 
apply  to  you.  Dr.  Westcott  finds  in  this 
phrase  a  reference  to  the  purity  of  the 
visible  Church,  notwithstanding,  i.e.,  the  pre- 
sence of  Judas  in  the  group ;  but  the  excep- 
tion itself  which  follows  shows  that  the 
Lord  did  not  regard  Judas  as  \e\ovfifuos  or 
KaOapos.  The  suggestion  of  the  passage  is 
precisely  contrary  to  that  so  often  drawn. 
But  not  all.  This  reference  to  Judas  may 
have  been  one  more  warning  to  the  man  who 
was  plotting  against  his  Master's  life. 

Ver.  11.— For  he  knew  who  was  betraying 
him ;  therefore  he  said,  Ye  are  not  all  clean. 
That  Christ  should  have  been  ignorant  of 
the  devices  of  Judas,  or  of  his  true  character, 
is  repeatedly  denied  by  all  the  evangelists. 
John  certainly  calls  attention  to  the  Lord's 
knowledge  of  the  secret  of  Judas,  and  justi- 
fies thus  his  Divine  prerogative.  That 
Strauss,  Hilgenfeld,  and  others  should  see 
here  an  innuendo  against  Peter,  and  the 
charge  against  Peter  of  advocating  a  kind 
of  Ebionitic  daily  ablution  of  the  whole 
body,  is  wilful  and  uncalled  for. 

Vers.  12 — 17. — The  Lord  gives  other 
practical  instructions  based  on  his  own 
humble  self-obliterating  discharge  of  a  duty 
which  it  was  obvious  that,  in  their  desire  to 
be  great,  they  had  one  and  all  abstained 
from  doing  even  for  their  Lord.  Out  of  it , 
he  draws  the  great  lesson  of  mutual  love 
and  brotherly  regard. 

Ver.  12. — So  when  he  had  washed  their  feet 
— the  interruption  of  Peter  had  brought  forth 
the  wonderful  and  weighty  replies,  and  then, 
in  awfulness  and  great  amazement,  the  pro- 
cess went  on.  John  and  Judas  as  well  as  Peter 
submitted.  Matthew  and  Thomas,  Philip 
and  Nathanael,  and  the  rest  yielded  and 
received  the  deep,  ineffaceable  impression — 
and  taken  his  garments  he  was  no  longer  in 
the  form  of  a  slave,  but  of  their  Teacher  and 
Lord — and  again  reclined '  at  their  head,  he 

*  K.T.,  Westcott  and  Hort,  Tischendorf 
(8th  edit.),  etc.,  read  dvfireae  in  place  of 
dvanfawv,  with  N*,  B,  C*. 


CH.  xin.  1— 38.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN". 


189 


said  onto  them,  Know  ye  what  I  have  done 
unto  you  1  They  must  consider  the  mean- 
ing of  it  all.  There  was  no  affectation  of 
humility  about  it.  The  purpose  of  the 
Lord  was  distinctly  practical  and  ethical. 
8o  when  he  ceased  liis  manifestation  in  the 
likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and  was  set  down 
on  the  right  hand  of  God,  he  sent  his  Spirit 
to  teach  them  all  things.  Bloulton  calls 
attention  to  the  trinal  arrangement.  Three 
particulars  precede  the  great  utterance  that 
follows  (cf.  vers.  1 — 3 ;  cf.  also  ch.  xvi.  6 ; 
xvi.  8,  etc. ;  xvii.  22,  23),  as  well  os  the 
three  topics  of  the  intercessor)'  prayer ;  also 
the  three  words  from  the  cross  (ch.  xix.  27 — 
30)  and  three  appearances  to  the  di.-ciplcs 
(ch.  xxi.  14).  This  may  be  compared  with 
the  use  of  three  throughout  the  Apocalypse. 

Ver.  13. — Ye  name  me  the  Teacher  and 
the  Lord.  "  Rabbi  and  Mara,"  the  names 
of  reverence  which  disciples  of  the  Hebrew 
teachers  were  accustomed  to  offer  to  their 
masters.  ^uvfTu  means  to  name,  and  the 
two  nominatives  are  used  appellatively,  not 
as  vocatives.  Tholuck  regards  them  as 
vocatives.  Scholars  dared  not  address  their 
teachers  without  some  marks  of  respect. 
At5a(r«oA.os  is  John's  equivalent  for  '3n,  my 
Master  (see  ch.  i.  29 ;  xx.  16).  And  ye  say 
well ;  for  so  I  am.  At  this  supreme  moment 
he  does  not  repudiate  this  high  function, 
nor  abate  any  of  his  lofty  claims.  He  was 
most  obviously  the  highest  in  his  con- 
descending love.  He  had  given  no  more 
amazing  proof  of  the  originality  and  supre- 
macy of  his  nature  than  this  inversion  oF 
all  ordinary  relations.  So  I  am  —  more, 
indeed,  than  "  the  Teacher,"  "  the  Saviour," 
more  than  "  the  Master,"  as  Peter  said  on 
a  memorable  occasion,  "  God  was  with 
him,"  and  he  was  Immanuel — "  God  with 
us."  and  "  Lord  of  all "  (Acts  x.  37,  38). 

Vers.  14,  15.— If  I  then,  the  Lord  and  the 
Teacher,  have  washed  your  feet;  ye  ought 
also  to  wash  one  another's  feet :  for  I  have 
given  '  you  an  example,  that  ye  should  do  as 
I  have  done  to  you.  Kadds,  "  as,"  "  like  as," 
was  used  by  our  Lord  ratlier  than  o,  "  that 
which."  The  inrdStiy/xa^  shows  that  he  had 
set  before  his  disciples  a  parallel,  an  example, 

'  Ae'ScDKo,  perfect,  on  the  authority  of 
N,  A,  K,  M,  n,  1,  33,  and  many  cursives, 
is  preferred  by  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  and 
R.T. ;  but  Tregelles,  Lachmann,  Westcott 
and  Hort,  preserve  the  aorist  iSuKa,  with  B 
and  six  other  uncials  and  several  Fathers. 
The  aorist  has  the  power  of  the  perfect  in 
this  place. 

^  'Tir6SetyfMa  is  found  in  Polybius,  as  well 
as  in  the  New  Testament.  The  older 
classical  word  is  irapiStiyixa,  an  example, 
pattern,  memorial,  specimen,  and  is  used  by 
Sophocles  in  this  sense. 


a  symbolic  type  of  the  service  they  were  to 
render  to  one  another,  and  was  not  establish- 
ing a  custom  or  exact  ordinance.  The 
washing  of  the  feet  was  an  Oriental  custom 
of  great  antiquity  as  a  mark  of  hospitality 
(Gen.  xviii.  4  ;  xix.  2;  Abigail,  1  Sam.  xxv. 
41  ;  see  also  Luke  vii.  38,  44).  In  1  Tim. 
V.  10  there  is  trace  of  such  a  custom  of 
Christian  hospitality.  Considering  the  ease 
with  whicli  the  Church  has  established  a 
ceremonial  from  an  isolated  text,  it  is 
remarkable  that  no  more  literal  use  has 
been  made  of  this  injunction.  However, 
Maundy  Thursdaij,  a  name  derived  from  Dies 
mandati,  was  celebrated  as  the  day  on 
which  this  great  command,  or  that  contained 
in  ver.  34,  was  given  —  Mandatum  novum 
do  vobis — and  the  feet  of  the  newly  baptized 
were  washed.  The  endeavour  to  make 
Augustine  the  authority  for  this  religious 
practice  is  doubtful ;  but  the  Council  of 
Toledo  (A.D.  694)  mentions  this  particular 
day  as  that  on  which  it  was  appropriate. 
In  the  early  Gallican  Church  there  was 
such  a  ritual,  and  the  forms  of  pedilavium 
observed  are  to  be  read  in  early  Gothic  and 
Gallican  missals.  Bernard  of  Clairvaux 
tried  to  convert  the  ceremony  into  a  sacra- 
ment, but  without  success.  And  it  would 
seem  that  some  effort  was  made  to  introduce 
it  i'lto  Spain.  "In  1530,  Wolsey  washed, 
wiped,  and  kissed  the  feet  of  fifty-nine  poor 
men  at  Peterborough.  The  practice  was 
Continued  by  English  sovertigns  till  the 
reign  of  James  II.  "  (Westcott).  No  traces 
of  it  are  to  be  found  in  the  Ambrosian  ritual, 
but  the  preservation  of  the  custom  is  found 
now  in  the  Russian  imperial  palace,  in  the 
ceremonies  of  the  holy  week  at  Rome,  and  in 
the  palaces  of  Vienna,  Madrid,Munich.  The 
practice  was  for  a  time  retained  by  the  Uniteil 
Brethren  and  Mennonites,and  the  Tuukers  of 
Philadelphia  (see  'Dictionary  of  Christian 
Antiquities,'  vol.  i.  arts.  "  Baptism,"  §§  34, 
67,  and  "  Maundy  Thursday ;  "  Herzog., 
'  Eucyc.,'  art.  "Fusswaschung,"  by  H.  Merz  ; 
and  Schaff's  '  Herzog.,'  art.  "  Tunkers  "). 
The  Church  has  for  the  most  part  looked 
below  the  mere  form  to  the  real  substance  of 
the  Lord's  teaching,  and  only  tlius  can  we 
appreciate  it  adequately.  The  very  injunc- 
tion would  be  an  inadequate,  burdensome  one 
where  the  feet  are  covered,  and  would  become 
impossible  and  valueless  in  the  Northern  and 
Western  world.  The  service  demanded  is 
the  self-forgetting  ministry  of  love,  which 
places  the  interests  of  self  behind  and  below 
those  of  others.  Nothing  is  more  theoreti- 
cally easy  and  acceptable  than  this  principle, 
but  nothing  more  diflScult  of  accomplish- 
ment. This  sentence  of  our  Lord  is  a  noblo 
illustration  of  the  method  in  wliich  a  great 
principle  is  made  by  him  the  basis  of  a 
small   duty  (cf.  Paul's   vindication  of  Lis 


190 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCOKDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiii.  1— 38. 


own  truthfulness  and  freedom  from  ^Aa- 
(ppia,  2  Cor.  i.  17—20 ;  he  based  it  on  God's 
own  faithfulness  to  promise). 

Ver.  16. — The  Verily,  verily  reveals  the 
solemnity  with  which  our  Lord  touched  the 
frequently  quoted  aphorism  (Matt.  x.  24 ; 
Luke  vi.  40 ;  and  again  ch.  xv.  20).  The 
servant — the  slave — is  not  greater  than  his 
lord ;  you  have  already  called  me  Lord,  and 
so  I  am;  neither  is  (one  that  is  sent)  an 
apostle  greater  than  he  that  sent  him  on  his 
great  mission.  Therefore  if  I,  your  Lord 
and  Teacher,  have  set  forth  this  principle  of 
self-abnegating  service,  a  fortiori  should  ye 
in  love  serve  one  another,  the  greatest  should 
render  even  menial  service  to  the  humblest ; 
he  that  would  be  first  to  him  that  is  the  last, 
and  each  to  all.  This  is  one  of  the  essential 
marks,  and  ever  will  be,  of  the  mind  that  was 
in  Christ  Jesus  (comp.  Matt.  x.  23,  24,  where 
an  analogous  phrase  justifies  the  disciples 
in  expecting  and  fleeing  from  persecution — 
a  step  in  which  they  would  simply  be  follow- 
ing their  Lord's  example ;  cf.  a  very  different 
use  of  the  proverb  in  Luke  vi.  40,  where  it 
is  used  to  warn  a  blind  man  from  assuming 
the  oflSce  of  a  guide,  and  the  resemblance  of 
the  character,  etc.,  between  the  Teacher  and 
disciple). 

Ver.  17. — If  ye  know  these  things,  blessed 
are  ye  if  ye  do  them.  Knowing  and  doing 
are  often  perilously  divorced  (cf.  Matt.  vii. 
21,  etc. ;  Luke  vi.  46 ;  xii.  47 ;  and  Jas.  i.  25). 
The  sublime  principle  by  itself  may  be 
something,  but  if  it  be  never  put  into  practice, 
the  last  gi-eat  beatitude  is  forfeited.  Mere 
admiration  of  an  ethical  or  a  Christian 
principle  degenerating  into  a  heartless  and 
fruitless  ceremony  is  hardening  to  the  heart 
and  deadening  to  the  conscience.  The  same 
truths  had  been  taught  independently  of 
parable  and  symbol,  in  Matt,  xxiii.  8 — 12 ; 
XX.  28. 

Vers.  18— 30.— 2.  The  exclusion  of  the 
faithless  disciple.  This  paragraph  draws 
the  circle  of  his  cleansed  ones,  of  those  who 
accept  him  as  IMaster  and  Lord  in  the  fullest 
sense,  more  closely  about  him.  But  the 
proceeding  is  tragic  in  the  extreme ;  one  of 
the  twelve  chosen  as  apostles  is  a  traitor  in 
disguise.  The  foot-washing  has  been  an 
awful  insufficiency  in  his  case.  He  must 
depart  before  the  greatest  depth  of  the 
Master's  love  and  truth  can  be  revealed. 

Ver.  18. — I  speak  not  concerning  you  all. 

There  is  one  who,  though  he  knows  these 
things,  will  not  do  them,  is  now  indisposed 
to  see  any  Divineness  in  the  act  and  spirit 
of  love  which  I  am  laying  down  as  a 
fundamental  law  of  my  kingdom.    I  know 


whom  *  (or,  the  individuals  whom)  I  chose  for 
apostles — (in  ch.  vi.  the  same  statement  is 
made  with  less  definiteness,  "  Have  I  not 
chosen  you  twelve,  and  one  of  you,"  etc.  ?) 
Judas  among  them — but.  It  is  difficult  to 
follow  this  construction,  and  to  decide  on 
the  antithesis  to  this  disjunctive.  (1)  We 
may  add,  this  has  happened  (^rovroyfyovev) — 
i.e.  this  choice  has  been  overruled,  and  so 
in  its  issues  corresponded  with  the  Divine 
purpose  ('/va) — so  that  the  Scripture  might  be 
fulfilled,  Ee  that  eateth  my  bread,''  or,  bread 
with  me,  hath  lifted  his  heel  against  me ;  (2) 
we  may  take  the  'iva  irKrtpwdfi  as  a  paren- 
thesis, and  link  the  oAA.'  with  the  quotation, 
"  He  that  eateth,"  etc. ;  or  (3)  we  may, 
with  Meyer,  suppose  that  t^eXe^dnriv  avrovs, 
"  I  chose  them,''  is  mentally  involved  here  : 
"  I  chose  them,  and  Judas  among  them  ('iva), 
in  order  that  the  Scripture,"  etc.  This  con- 
nection would  suggest  a  destiny  and  purpose 
which  Christ  knowingly  corresponded  with, 
harmonizing  his  plan  with  the  Divine  and 
prophetic  programme.  Emphasis  must  be 
laid  upon  the  iKXeyiadai.  It  refers  to 
Christ's  choice  of  apostles,  not  to  the  eternal 
election  to  salvation.  This  interpretation 
corresponds  more  closely  with  tlie  text, 
though  it  savours  of  a  fatalism  foreign  to 
the  Scripture.  There  is,  however,  a  true 
sense  in  which  the  evil-disposed  man  is  so 
placed  that,  if  he  will  sin,  he  must  sin 
along  certain  well-defined  lines.  The  forty- 
first  psalm,  from  which  the  quotation  is 
made,  is  not  strictly  Messianic ;  it  is  de- 
scriptive of  the  ideal  Sutferer,  the  holy  but 
outraged  mnri,  whose  melancholy  condition 
is  sure  to  be  'Characterized  by  treachery 
among  hih  familiar  friends.  Christ  implies 
that,  if  he  were  to  fulfil  this  portraiture,  then 
this  bitter  dreg  would  be  put  into  his  cup ; 
and  so  he  humanly  made  this  choice,  i.e.  he 
took  steps  which  in  their  tenderness  of  love 
might  have  saved  Judas  from  the  worst,  but 
which  were  really  part  of  a  Divine  plan 
which  would  vindicate  his  own  foresight 
and  the  method  of  Divine  government.  A 
full  understanding  of  the  formula  in  Matthew 
and  John,  'Ivari  ypaipii  ir\iipa)dr},  will  save  us 
from  putting  into  these  words  a  hopeless 
fatalism.  Notice  that  the  LXX.  reads  this 
passage   differently,  and  is  not  so  closely 

'  T.R.  and  E.T.  both  read  ot>s,  with  A,  D, 
r,  A,  and  other  uncials  and  Latin  versions  ; 
but  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Westcott  and 
Hort,  Tregelles,  and  Alford  read  rivas, 
with  N,  B,  C,  L,  M,  and  33,  with  Origen, 
laying  greater  emphasis  on  the  individuality 
in  each  case. 

-  Mov,  with  B,  C,  L,  is  read  by  Westcott 
and  Hort,  R.T. ;  liut  fi^r  efiov  is  preferred  by 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  with  N,  A,  D,  the 
Vulgate,  etc. 


CH.  XIII.  1—38.]    THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


191 


allied  to  the  Hebrew  :  "  He  that  eateth  my 
loaves  hnth  magnified  against  me  his  sur- 
reptitious despite,  his  tricky  antngonism." 
Great  beauty  is  given  to  the  passage  by  the 
E.T.  fjiov  instead  of  juer'  f/xov,  for  it  suggests 
the  idea  that  Christ  was  the  real  Host  of 
the  twelve,  the  Father  and  Provider  of  his 
family.  Christ  must  be  regarded  as  the 
Father  and  Host  of  the  entire  group  of  guests, 
and  the  treacherous  treatment  of  a  host 
throughout  the  East  is  regarded  as  a  sign 
of  peculiar  obduracy. 

Ver.  19. — I  tell  you  from  henceforth — air' 
Upri  of  Matt.  xxvi.  64  corresponds  with  Luke 
xxii.  69,  airb  tov  vvv  ;  the  word  also  implies 
that  our  Lord  would  again  recur  to  the 
Bubject.  This  is  the  true  meaning  of  otto/jti 
in  the  New  Testament  (ch.  i.  52;  xiv.  7; 
Matt,  xxiii.  39 — before  it  come  to  pass,  that  ye 
may  believe  when  it  is  come  to  pass,  that  I  am ; 
i.e.  I  am  what  I  have  said,  none  the  less,  but 
all  the  more,  the  Sou  of  God  (cf.  Isa.  xliii. 
11—13;  ch.  viii.  24,  28,  58).  It  is  more 
than  the  words  will  bear  to  make  the  eyu 
flfii  the  equivalent  of  a  Divine  claim  to 
equality  with  Jehovah;  but  "all  tiiat  I 
have  said  of  myself,  and  all  you  have 
admitted  to  be  true."  It  is  not  a  promise 
of  continual  prevision  of  events,  but  a  start- 
ling proof  that  in  this  case  our  Lord  had 
completely  fathomed  the  mind  of  Judas,  aud 
was  communicative  of  what  he  saw  there  to 
the  rest  of  the  disciples,  so  that  when  the 
tragedy  should  be  consummated,  this  pecu- 
liarity, instead  of  shaking  their  faith  iu  him, 
will  prove  that  he  was  taken  by  no  surprise, 
and  througliout  his  great  career  was  what 
he  said  he  was. 

Ver.  20. — The  connection  of  the  solemn 
utterance  that  follows  is  not  easy  to  seize. 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  who  receiveth 
whomsoever  I  shall  send  receiveth  me ;  and 
he  that  receiveth  me  receiveth  him  that  sent 
me.  In  the  earlier  utterance  of  an  analo- 
gous saying  (Matt.  x.  40),  5exf'<''^a«  is  used 
instead  of  Kan^avftv.  The  tdi'  rlva  irefixj/w 
suggests  that  those  who  may  receive  his 
coiumission  need  not,  and  will  not,  be  con- 
fined to  the  twelve  apostles,  although  in- 
cluding them.  The  words  reveal  a  claim 
to  issue  such  ajmmissions,  and  to  confer 
upon  his  apostolic  and  other  representatives 
something  of  his  own  dignity  and  glory,  viz. 
the  glory  of  sacrifice  for  others,  the  dignity 
of  service.  He  may  have  intended :  (1)  To 
comfort  those  who  are  bewildered  by  the 
thought  of  the  treachery  within  their  en- 
closure, and  to  assure  them  that  such  conduct 
on  the  part  of  an  apostle  must  not  be  allowed 
to  lower  their  estimate  of  apostolic  duty. 
Certaiu  ecclesiastical  interpreters  find  here 
that  the  unworthiness  even  of  Judas  did 
Dfit  destroy  the  Divine  character  of  his  testi- 
mouy,  aud  that  the  immoral  character  of  the 


minister  now  does  not  annul  the  commission 
he  has  received.  This  dogma  is  essentially 
hostile  to  the  teaching  of  the  New  Teslameut 
(Matt.  vii.  17—21).  (2)  The  royal  power  of 
the  dying  Christ;  and  (3)  the  bold  identifi- 
cation of  his  own  claims  with  those  of  his 
Fatlier.  Few  more  wonderful  sayings  were 
uttered  by  Jesus,  if  we  ponder  the  connection 
iu  which  they  stand ;  but  let  it  be  observed 
that  we  do  not  owe  to  the  Fourth  Gospel  the 
matter  of  this  saying.  It  must  have  been 
familiar  to  the  readers  of  John  from  the 
solemn  records  of  the  Gospel  of  Matthew. 

Vers.  21 — 30  correspond  with  the  scene 
which  Matthew  describes  (xxvi.  21,  etc.)  as 
occurring  during  the  Pasciial  meal,  and 
preceding  the  departure  of  Judas  before  the 
Supper  was  instituted — "as  they  did  eat." 
The  6  eaOiwv  fier^  inov  in  Mark  xiv.  18  corre- 
sponils  aud  finds  its  explanation  in  the 
scene  described  by  John,  as  also  his  quotation 
from  Ps.  xli.  It  does  not  follow,  because  tlie 
synoptics  omit  the  "feet-washing,"  that 
they  were  ignorant  of  it;  Jolm's  purpose 
was  to  record  that  wliich  they  had  omitted. 
On  the  other  hand,  John  does  give  some  very 
significant  indications  of  the  same  general 
current  of  inner  life  in  the  mind  of  Jesus 
and  of  the  twelve.  Matthew  (xxvi.  14 — 16) 
shows  that  at  tiiis  very  moment  Judas  had 
so  far  given  way  to  his  avarice,  impatience, 
disappointment,  and  innate  pride  and  selfish- 
ness, as  to  be  simply  seeking  his  oppor- 
tunity to  betray  his  Master  in  the  absence 
of  the  multitude.  He  had  his  price ;  he  was 
meditating  treachery.  Granting  the  mixture 
of  motive  which  may  have  agituted  him,  we 
condemn  the  pleading  of  numerous  modem 
writers,  who  almost  extenuate  his  malice  and 
represent  him  as  victim  of  the  violent  vulgar 
passion  of  the  multitude  for  a  triumphant 
secular  Messiah.  Every  touch  or  stroke  in 
the  evangelic  narrative  shows  how  utterly 
impervious  to  goodness  the  traitor  really 
was ;  and  John  gives  us  a  further  hiut,  in 
addition  to  that  supplied  by  the  synoptists, 
as  to  the  very  commencement  of  the  agony, 
the  details  of  which  they  prolong  into  the 
night.  Jesus  was  troubled  in  the  spirit  (cf. 
notes  on  ch.  xi.  38).  This  is  one  of  the 
strongest  expressions  used  of  the  sorrows  of 
Christ ;  the  rapdxv  even  was  deeper  down  in 
his  nature  tiian  what  is  expressed  by  ad-n/io- 
;/(7y,  \vtre7a6ai  of  Matthew.  The  distress 
penetrated  from  "  body  "  to  "  soul,"  and  then 
to  inmost  "spirit."  The  Lord  was  terribly 
perturbed,  not  merely  with  approaching 
agony  aggravated  by  treachery  and  deser- 
tion, but  by  the  contrast  between  his  love 
and  the  issue,  between  an  apostle  aud  hie 
doom.  And  he  testified,  and  said.  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you.  A  close  specification 
of  coming  events  takes  the  place  of  the  more 
vague  utterances  of  vers.  17 — 19.     One  of 


192 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xin.  1—38. 


you  shall  betray  me.  The  synoptic  account 
introduces  the  vivid  scene  of  humble  and 
heart-rending  inquiry,  "  Lord,  is  it  I  ? "  to 
which  the  reply  was  made,  "  The  one  that 
dippeth  his  hand  in  the  dish  with  me  shall 
betray  me,"  followed  by  a  still  more  awful 
warning,  and  imprecation  calling  the  self- 
consciously guilty  man  to  hesitate,  to  pause 
for  his  own  sake  (Matt.  xxvi.  24).  And, 
further,  we  learn  that  Judas  received  the 
answer,  uiheard  by  his  fellow-disciples, 
that  it  was  he  who  was  in  this  imminent 
danger.  This  scene,  however,  was  so 
impressive  to  the  majority  that  the  sy- 
noptic tradition  failed  to  record  a  briefer 
side-scene,  of  which  John  was  the  prin- 
cipal witness,  and  which  he  here  de- 
scribes. The  disciples  (therefore) '  were 
gazing  on  one  another,  being  in  perplexity 
concerning  whom  he  spake.  They  were 
looking  on  in  mute  or  whispering  amaze- 
ment and  tribulation  upon  one  another, 
being  in  sore  bewilderment  (inopovneyot), 
but  as  yet  they  did  not  suspect  Judas. 
There  was  lying,  says  our  text,  reclining  at 
the  table,  in  the  bosom  (eV  r^  /coAir^j) — inl  to 
(TTridos,  "  against  the  breast/' — one  of  his 
disciples  whom  Jesus  loved.  Observe,  this 
sacred  designation  occurs  in  ch.  xix.  26; 
XX.  2;  xxi.  7,  20.  In  ch.  xx.  2  it  is  "the 
other  disciple  whom  Jesus  f<pi\fi,  amahat, 
imi^lying  that  the  love  of  Jesus  was  not 
confined  to  John,  but  embraced  Peter  al»o ; 
whereas  here  we  have  ov  riyaTta,  the  higher 
love  of  respect  and  aflFection,  diligebat.  We 
can  have  no  doubt,  from  the  enumeration  of 
the  group  in  ch.  xxi.  2,  etc.,  that  it  is  one 
of  Zebedee's  sons.  Now  one  of  these,  James, 
as  we  learn  from  the  narrative  of  Acts  xii., 
soon  passed  away.  The  author  of  the 
Fourth  Gospel  does  undoubtedly  mean  to 
refer  to  John,  and  to  represent  the  disciple 
tv  riydira  6  'iriaovs  as  no  other  than  himself. 
The  attitude  so  carefully  described  had  been 
adopted  by  the  Jews  at  table.  It  shows 
that  John  was  seated,  or  was  reclining,  next 
to  Jesus  on  his  right,  and  therefore  could, 
more  easily  than  his  next  companion  on  the 
left,  have  sought  and  received  an  answer  from 
the  Lord.  Whether  this  was  Peter  or  Judas 
does  not  appear  certain.  Edersheim  has 
represented  Peter's  place  as  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  horseshoe  table.  Words  from 
that  distance  could  have  been  overheard  by 
all.  At  the  celebration  of  the  Passover, 
the  guests  were  accustomed  originally  to 
stand ;  but  after  the  Captivity  the  custom 
fell  into  desuetude. 

'  Lachmann  and  others  maintain  ovv,  with 
N*,  A,  D,  and  many  other  uncials;  but 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.)  and  R.T.  reject  it, 
with  X',  B,  C,  and  some  uncials  seldom 
elsewhere  agreeing  with  them. 


Ver.  24. — Simon  Peter  therefore  beckoned 
to  this  (disciple),  and  saith  to  him.  Whore- 
fore  he  must  have  been  far  enough  off  to 
beckon,  and  near  enough  to  speak.  Westcott 
imagines  that  Peter  was  on  the  left  side,  in 
the  place  of  real  honour  (?),  though  not  in 
such  proximity  as,  unobserved,  to  ask  the 
question.  Edersheim  also  speaks  of  the  left 
side  as  the  place  of  honour,  but  assigns  no 
adequate  reason  for  such  a  violation  of  uni- 
versal usage  and  metaphor.  The  n  itural 
impetuosity  of  Peter  would  have  induced 
him,  if  he  had  been  so  near,  to  have  asked 
the  question  himself.  It  is  more  probable 
that  Judas  himself  was  there,  judging  from 
the  language  of  Matt.  xxvi.  23,  and  from 
the  act  which  follows.  Either  with  T.R.,  He 
spake  to  him,  to  ask  who  it  might  be ;  '  or, 
saith.  Tell  (us)  who  it  is  concerning  whom 
he  speaks ;  as  though  Peter  had  rushed  to 
the  conclusion  that  John  knew.  This  is 
singularly  like  Peter,  and  John  may  tacitly 
have  been  supposed  to  be  better  acquainted 
than  the  rest  with  the  mind  of  Jesus. 

Ver.  25. — ^  He,  leaning  back  as  he  was 
against  the  breast  of  Jesus,  saith  unto  him, 
Lord,  who  is  iti  Meyer  explains,  "He, 
raising  himself  from  the  /crfATroj  of  Jesus  to 
his  breast,  nearer  to  his  ear,  draws  close  to 
him,  and  asks  in  a  whisper."  This  turns  on 
the  special  rendering  given  by  Meyer  and 
others  to  koXitos,  as  meaning  the  fold  of  the 
garment  above  the  girdle,  as  in  Luke  vi.  38 ; 
but  the  fundamental  meaning  of  k6\-kos  is 
bosom,  womb,  embrace,  ayd  this  secondary 
meaning  need  not  be  pressed  (cf.  ch.  i.  18 ; 
Luke  xvi.  22,  23). 

Ver.  26. — Jesus  (then)  answered — "then," 
ovv,  is  introduced  by  the  modern  editors,  as 
well  as  ^a^^w  for  )8at^ar — He  it  is  for  whom  I 
shall  dip  the  sop  (or,  morsel),  and  give  it  him ; 
so  {koX  (fx^i^as  is  exchanged,  on  very  strong 
authority,  into  ^ai\ias  oZv,  and  iiriSdo'a!  into 
Suaw)  when  he  had  dipped  the  sop,  he  taketh 
and  giveth  it  to  Judas  the  son  of  Simon,  the 
Iscariot.  The  rpufiiov  was  the  morsel  of  meat 
or  bread  dipped  into  the  charoseth,  a  mead 

■  T.R.,  with  A,  D,  r.  A,  and  many  other 
uncials,  Syriac  Versions,  Armenian,  etc., 
read,  irvdeadai  rts  &v  etrj ;  while  Tischendorf 
(8th  edit.),  Westcott  and  Hort,  Meyer, 
Liicke,  Tregelles,  and  R.T.,  read,  elire  tij 
fffTiy  irepl  oO  \eyfi,  with  B,  C,  L,  33.  N 
gives  a  blending  of  the  two  readings. 

*  T.R.  and  Lachmann  read,  (imrfawv  Se, 
with  A,  E,  F,  and  many  other  authorities ; 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.)  reads  oSv,  with 
X,  D,  L,  M,  X,  numerous  cursives,  Latin, 
Vulgate.  The  ovtws,  introduced  by  Tischen- 
dorf (8th  edit.)  and  R.T.,  is  omitted  by  K. 
The  avairfffdiv  of  R.T.  and  Westcott  and  Hort, 
but  not  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  rests  on 
N=,  B,  C*,  K,  L. 


CH.  xiii.  1—38.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST,  JOHN. 


193 


of  wine  and  fruit  used  at  the  Paschal  meal. 
The  usaf^o  is  illustrated  by  the  LXX.  ver- 
sion of  liuth  ii.  14  and  Job  xxxi.  17.  In  the 
New  Testament  ti/wniCa)  is  used  for  distri- 
bution of  food,  Rom.  xii.  20 ;  1  Cor.  xiii.  3. 
The  act  of  Jesus  was  almost  contemporaneous 
with  the  "Thou  sayoet  it"  of  the  synoptists 
It  was  twofold  in  meaning,  explaining  to 
John  what  he  wished  to  know  for  Peter's 
sake,  and  giving  Judas  one  more  gracious 
chance  to  repent  and  believe  in  the  Divinity 
of  love  rather  than  that  of  display,  power, 
and  pomp.  Judas  had  been  dipping  his 
hand  into  the  same  dish  with  his  Master, 
eating  his  bread.  Instead  of  resenting  such 
efirontery  the  blessed  Lord  gave  him  iu 
pity  the  last  opportunity  to  escape.  He 
puts  the  morsel  sopped  in  the  acid  wine, 
the  bread  of  fellowship,  into  his  very  lips, 
and  the  miscreant  received  it.  The  name 
of  Judas,  and  of  his  father,  and  of  the  place 
cursed  by  being  his  birthplace,  are  once 
more  introduced  at  length  (cf.  ch.  vi.  71). 

Ver.  27. — And  after  the  sop ;  not  with  it. 
By  no  magical  or  demoniacal  rite  was  the 
man  rendered  the  flave  of  Satan ;  post  hoc 
is  not  propter  hoc.  After  tlie  sop,  after  this 
last  final  proof  of  the  unutterable  friendship 
and  love  of  the  Divine  Lord — rhre,  then, 
"at  that  moment,"  as  though  goodness  was 
turned  into  wrath,  and  the  conflict  with  evil 
closed,  the  incarnated  fiend  resolved  that  he 
would  wait  no  longer.  Then  Satan  (the  only 
place  in  the  Fourth  Gospel  where  Satan  is 
mentioned)  entered  into  him.  How  could 
this  be  known?  The  evangelist  clearly  saw 
what  he  thus  described— he  saw  the  malign 
aud  unrelenting  expression  on  Judas's  face ; 
he  suspected  that  some  devilish  plot  was 
])atched,£ome  hideous  purpose  finally  formed. 
It  is  the  evangelist's  way  of  saying  what  he 
personally  saw  and  afterwards  concluded. 
Up  to  that  moment  of  supreme  forbearance, 
the  character  was  not  irretrievably  damned, 
but  now  he  had  sinned  against  knowledge 
aud  love,  and  even  Jesus  gives  him  up. 
"  It  were  better  for  him  that  he  had  never 
been  born."  There  is  no  more  awful  or 
tragic  touch  in  the  whole  narrative,  nor  any 
more  symbolic  of  the  curse  which  the 
corrupt  heart  can  make  and  bring  down 
upon  itself  out  of  the  greatest  blessing. 
There  is  no  advantage  in  trying  to  deter- 
mine the  amount  of  figurative  sense  con- 
veyed by  the  expression,  "  Satan  entered." 
The  ethical  state  consequent  either  upon 
the  sop  or  the  devil  is  clear  enough.  The 
moment  when  it  was  induced  is  signalized 
in  this  tragedy.  The  vehement  eflfort  which 
the  traitor  must  have  made  to  resist  all 
gracious  influences  opened  the  way  for  the 
powers  of  htll  and  darkness  to  take  posses- 
sion of  him.  He  strengthened  himself  to 
do  evil.    Jesos  therefore  said  to  Mm,  That 

JOHN. — II. 


thon  doost,  do  quickly.  Questions  have  been 
raised  as  to  the  sentence — whether  it  was 
a  solemn  command  or  a  permission  at  onco 
to  carry  out  the  purpose  that  was  in  his 
heart  (as  Grotius,  Kuinoel,  and  others  sup- 
pose) ;  but  Meyer  here  is  more  penetrativo 
(so  Moulton)  :  "  Jesus  (as  a  man)  actually 
wishes  to  surmount  as  soon  as  possible  the 
last  crisis  of  his  fate  now  determined  for 
him."  Jameson  ('  Profound  Problems  in 
Theology  and  Philosophy ')  urges  that  it  was 
the  prolongation  of  the  struggle  which  was 
the  bitterest  element  in  Christ's  sufferings. 
The  decision  at  whicli  ho  had  arrived 
brooked  no  longer  delay.  As  if  he  had  said, 
"If  you  have  any  manhood  in  you,  and 
you  are  not  altogether  incarnate  daemon, 
make  haste,  let  me  remain  no  longer  in  sus- 
pense ;  carry  out  the  purpose  now  and  at 
once."  Ambrose,  Liicke,  Tholuck,  suggest 
that  he  meant  to  separate  Judas  from  the 
eleven,  and  be  rid  of  his  presence.  His  re- 
moval from  the  group  is  undoubtedly  the' 
condition  of  our  Lord's  highest  revelations 
of  himself. 

Vers.  28,  29. — Now  not  one  (ot-Seis,  not 
even  John)  of  those  reclining  at  table  knew 
with  reference  to  what  matter  or  behoof 
he  said  this  to  him.  The  tovto  is  very 
emphatic,  and,  on  the  supposition  of  the 
authenticity  of  the  narrative,  John  expressly 
disclaims  the  knowledge.  It  is  arbitrary  for 
Keim  to  say  that  John  must  have  known. 
The  whole  of  this  "aside  "  was  the  work  of 
a  moment.  For  certain  of  them  were  sup- 
posing, because  Judas  held  the  purse — or,  box 
(see  note,  ch.  xii.  6) — Jesus  said  to  him,  Buy 
the  things  we  have  need  of  for  the  feast; 
or,  (he  spake)  in  order  that  he  should  give 
something  to  the  poor.  (See  Introduction, 
p.  xcii.,  for  an  explanation  of  this  passage, 
and  the  use  that  has  been  made  of  it  to  settle 
the  question  of  the  day  of  our  Lord's  death.) 
If  the  great  feast  of  the  Jews  was  to  be 
held  on  the  following  day,  and  this  was 
the  13-14th  of  Nisan,  this  advice  would  be 
perfectly  comprehensible,  whereas,  if  it  was 
the  14-15th  when  Jesus  and  also  all  tiie  Jews 
were  celebratilg  the  Passover,  the  purchase 
of  any  articles  would  have  been  contrary  to 
law  ;  and  on  both  grounds  the  conclusion  is 
drawn  that  this  was  the  evening  of  the 
13-14th,  and  that  the  Paschal  meal  had  cer- 
tainly been  anticipated  by  Jesus ;  but  this 
is  not  absolutely  conclusive,  because,  even 
though  this  were  the  Passover  meal,  it  is 
certain  that  further  sacrifices,  calleil  "  Pass- 
overs," were  consumed  on  the  great  day  of 
unleavened  bread  that  followed  the  Paschal 
meal,  and  it  is  not  perfectly  certain  what 
was  the  custom  of  the  Jews  with  reference 
to  purchase.  Talmudic  authorities  may  bo 
quoted  both  ways ;  and  a  largo  number 
of  distinguished  commentators  (Hpngsten- 

0 


194 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [en.  xiii.  1— 38. 


berg,  Tholuck,  Lange,  M'Clellan)  take  the 
latter  \iew,  harmonizing  John  with  the 
synoptists ;  but  considering  all  the  other 
difficulties  that  arise,  Meyer,  Godet,  and 
Westcott  take  the  former  view.  The  sup- 
position of  a  gift  to  the  poor  from  the  little 
stock  is  very  suggestive  of  the  almsgiving 
spirit  that  had  pervaded  all  the  habits  of 
disciples  taught  by  Christ  (of.  ch.  xii.  .5 ; 
Gal.  ii.  10).  Hengstenberg  urges  that  the 
night  of  the  Passover  was  that  above  all 
others  on  which  the  poor  needed  help  to 
rejoice  before  the  Lord. 

Ver.  30. — He  then  having  received  the 
sop  went  out  straightway :  and  it  was  night. 
There  is  no  advantage  to  be  secured  by 
omitting  the  ovv,  and  connecting  the  ^f  5^ 
rul  with  the  ore  (_<tvv')  e|7)A0e,  nor  is  it  pre- 
ferred by  the  later  editors.  The  immediate 
departure  of  Judas  when  he  had  taken  the 
sop  is  compatible  with  all  the  context — a 
•  horror  of  the  shadow  of  death  falls  on  the 
tragic  scene.  He  at  least  passes  out  into  the 
outer  darkness,  apt  symbol  of  his  soul  and 
of  his  deed.  Hengstenberg  imagines  the 
Lord's  Supper  to  have  followed  the  previous 
words,  aud  that  the  evBvs  must  be  inter- 
preted with  some  laxity,  leaving  time  for 
the  sacred  meal  to  have  been  instituted  and 
the  feolemn  song  to  have  been  sung.  It  is 
difficult  to  say  where  the  Eucharistic  service 
is  to  be  introduced,  and  every  possible  sug- 
gestion has  been  made.  The  statement  of 
Luke  xxii.  21,  22  makes  it  probable  that 
the  traitor  was  present  at  it.  And  all  the 
synoptists  make  the  indication  of  the  traitor 
follow  the  institution  of  the  Eucharist,  and 
two  of  them  place  it  on  the  very  way  to  the 
garden  of  Gethsemane.  Bengel,  in  harmony 
with  his  chronological  scheme,  supposes  that 
the  traitor  went  out  and  returned.  Accord- 
ing to  Keim,  the  Eucharistic  meal  may  be 
supposed  to  be  introduced  at  the  close  of 
ch.  xiv.  and  before  the  discourse  on  the 
vine ;  but  that  discourse  follows  a  summons 
of  Jesus  to  his  disciples  to  leave  the  upper 
chamber.  And  every  attempt  to  find  a 
place  for  it  in  the  nudst  of  ^he  valedictory 
discourse  is  unsatisfactory  (see  these  amply 
discussed  in  Godet,  Liicke,  Meyer).  Thus 
I'aulus,  etc.,  place  it  after  ver.  30.  Liicke  and 
]\Ieyer,  between  vers.  33  and  34 ;  but  Peter's 
question  looks  back  to  ver.  33,  allowing  no 
such  break.  Neander  and  Ebrard  place 
after  ver.  32.  Tholuck,  after  ver.  34.  Lange 
identifies  it  with  the  new  commandment ; 
and  Bengel  makes  the  discourse  down 
to  ch.  xiv.  31  precede  Christ's  journey  to 
Jerusalem  to  keep  the  Passover,  so  that 
no  clashing  takes  place.  I  think  that  the 
simplest  solution  of  the  difficulty  is  to  put 
it  at  tlie  commencetnent  of  the  feast,  and  in 
the  folds  as  it  were  of  the  sentence  in  ch. 
xiii.  2.  which  tells  us  that  Jesus  loved  his 


disciples  to  the  uttermost  (us  rh  reAos). 
The  endeavour  made  by  Strauss,  to  argue 
from  the  silence  of  the  fourth  evangelist 
that  he  knew  nothing  of  the  institution  of 
the  Eucharist,  is  a  great  exaggeration.  The 
synoptic  tradition  must,  ex  hypothen  of  tlie 
late  authorship  of  the  Gospel,  be  well  known 
to  the  author,  and  1  Cor.  xi.  33,  etc.,  wns 
ample  proof  of  its  historic  basis.  There 
was,  in  tlie  entire  representation  of  this 
Gospel,  an  intense  perception  of  the  inner 
meaning  of  the  Eucharist,  and  of  the  new 
covenant  and  commandment  based  on  the 
assumption  of  the  Passion  and  death  of  the 
incarnate  God;  so  that  instead  of  describing 
the  ceremonial,  he  expounds  its  ideas  (see 
Introduction,  pp.  cv.,  cvi.). 

Ver.    31— ch.    xvi.   33.-3.   The    Vale-    , 

DiCTORY  Discourses  of  the  Lord. 

Vers.  31^-33. — (1)  The  glorification  of  the 
Son  of  man,  and  of  the  Father  in  the  Son. 

With  ver.  31  the  solemn  valedictory  dis- 
course of  our  Lord  commences — a  veritable 
evangelium  in  evangelio,  and  by  the  aid  of 
which  we  come  more  closely  to  the  heart  of 
Jesus.  "  Here,"  as  Olshausen  says,  "  we  are 
entering  the  holy  of  holies  in  the  Passion- 
history."  We  have,  indeed,  come  through 
the  courts  of  the  temple,  we  have  left  the 
courts  of  the  Gentiles,  of  the  women,  of  the 
priests  behind  us,  and  have  been  waiting 
in  the  holy  place  of  sacrifice  and  incense 
and  ablution ;  now  we  follow  our  great 
High  Priest  to  the  veil  over  the  holiest  of 
all,  and  he  prepares  us  to  listen  to  the 
intercession  that  he  makes  before  the  un- 
veiled majesty  of  the  Father's  love.  The 
first  section,  extending  from  ch.  xiii.  31 — 
xiv.  31,  reports  a  series  of  questions  by 
Peter,  Thomas,  Philip,  Jude,  which  all  turn 
more  or  less  on  the  anticipated  separation 
which  he  teaclies  them  to  regard  as  a 
veritable  glorification  of  the  Son  of  man, 
and  also  as  a  higher  revelation  to  them  of 
the  nature  of  his  own  Person  and  of  those 
relations  between  "  the  Son "  and  "  the 
Father "  which  are  imaged  and  shadowed 
forth  in  those  between  "  the  Sou  of  man  " 
and  "  God,"  which  they  could  more  readily 
understand.  This  prepares  the  way  for 
the  discourse  and  prayer  which  followed,  in 
which  the  future  spiritual  union  between 
the  victorious  Lord  and  his  own  disciples, 
between  a  sanctified  humanity  and  the 
eternal  Godhead,  is  exhibited,  distinguished  J 
by  wonderful  blending  of  intuitive  insight      ^ 


CH.  xiii.  1— 38.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST,  JOHN. 


195 


and  8up>ernatural  revelation.  The  discourse 
is  consistent  with  the  stupendous  con- 
ception which  the  evangelist  had  formed 
of  the  Person  of  Christ.  Hilgenfeld  and 
others  regard  this  address  as  utterly  in- 
compatible with  the  valedictory  discourses 
of  Matt,  xxiv.,  XXV.,  and  Mark  xiii.  We 
have  already  seen  that  they  are  but  diflferent 
aspects  of  the  same  mysterious  and  wonder- 
ful Personage;  that  the  eynoptists  are  not 
silent  concerning  the  spiritual  presence  of 
Christ  in  and  with  his  disciples  till  the 
end  of  the  world ;  and,  on  the  other  hand, 
that  the  fourth  evangelist  is  perfectly  alive 
to  the  reality  of  his  kingdom  in  the  world 
and  to  the  true  nature  of  his  second  coming. 
(On  the  historical  character  of  this  discourse, 
see  Introduction,  pp.  cxxvi.,  cxxvii.) 

Vers.  31,  .S2. — (The  o3i/  is  not  omitted 
by  T.R.  or  "NVestcott  and  Hort.  It  stands 
on  great  authority.  The  different  punctua- 
tion of  Stephens,  vv^  ore  i^-ti\6e,  dispensed 
with  the  oSv ;  but  this  arrangement  is  not 
followed  by  modern  editors.)  When  there- 
fore he  (Judas)  was  gone  out,  and  the  Lord 
was  left  with  his  trembling  but  faithful 
eleven,  his  heart  yearned  over  them  with- 
out reserve  or  exception,  and  he  speaks  as 
though  his  Passion  had  begun,  and  even 
ended  too.  Jesus  saith.  Now  is  the  Son  of 
man  glorified,  and  Ood  is  glorified  in  him. 
The  aorist  fSo^d^Ori  suggests  more  than  "  is 
glorified."  Bengel  says,  "  Jesus  passionera 
ut  breve  iter  spectat  et  metam  potius  pro- 
spicit."  As  Son  of  man,  he  has  secured  the 
highest  glory  of  the  most  tender,  humiliating 
self- sacrifice,  has  cast  out  of  the  covenanted 
fellowship  the  hateful,  baneful  virus  of  a 
carnal  triumph.  To  his  eye  as  Son  of  man 
the  end  is  secured,  just  as  in  ch.  xvii.  10 
he  says,  "I  have  been  glorified  in  them."' 
The  thought  is  certainly  complete  without 
the  clause  appended  in  T.R.,  which  simply 
reiterates  the  last  clause,  in  order  to  make 
it  the  basis  of  a  further  thought :  God  will 
glorify  him  in  (himself^),  if  his  sufi"ering 
and  sacrificed  humanity  has  been  the  scene 

*  The  clause,  d  d  e^hs  fSo^dadrt  tv  air^, 
found  in  T.R.,  with  N%  A,  C^  r.  A,  several 
versions;  but  it  is  wanting  in  X,  B,  C*,  D, 
L,  X,  and  quotations  by  TertuUian  and 
Ambrose.  It  is  bracketed  by  Lachmann 
and  Tregelles ;  omitted  by  Tischendorf  (8th 
edit.),  R.T.,  and  Westcott  and  Hort. 

»  Tregelles,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  R.T., 
read  avrtf,  on  the  authority  of  N*=' '',  B,  H, 
A,  and  two  quotations  of  Origen;  but  Lach- 
mann  and  Alford,  with  N»,  A,  C,  D,  L,  X, 
and  many  other  uncials,  read  tavr^. 


and  material  of  a  glory  given  to  God, 
because  a  new  manifestation  of  the  Divine 
fulness  in  humanity  ;  that  is  the  reason  why 
his  very  humanity  will  be  lifted  up  into 
the  Divine  glory,  itself  becoming  one  with 
it,  exalted  far  above  these  heavens,  that  he 
might  fill  all  things.  Elsewhere  we  read 
that  "Christ  is  hidden  in  God"  (Col.  iii, 
3;  Acts  iii.  21).  All  his  earthly  siifTerings 
will  now  bo  seen  to  be  a  forth-streaming  of 
Divine  love,  the  fullest  revelation  of  the 
innermost  essence  of  God  (cf.  Isa.  xiii.  1). 
Godet  says,  "  When  God  has  been  glorified 
by  a  being,  he  draws  him  to  his  bosom  and 
envelops  him  in  his  glory."  This 'expres- 
sion scarcely  sustains  the  sublime  uniqueness 
of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  Son  of  man,  and 
the  glory  of  the  Son  of  man  in  God.  The 
words,  and  will  straightway  glorify  him 
show  how  imminent  was  the  glorification 
which  is  consummated  by  the  new  meaning 
put  into  death,  and  into  all  that  leads  to  it 
and  into  the  sacrifice  involved  in  it.  That 
"  straightway  glorify  him "  is  a  note  of 
triumph,  and  this  while  Judas  is  completing 
his  bargain  (cf.  the  irapa  ffol  with  if  tavTcji 
of  this  verse ;  cf.  ch.  xvii.  5). 

Ver.  33.— This  is  the  first  and  only 
time,  in  the  Gospels  that  the  tender  word, 
little  children,  is  used  by  the  Lord  (but 
compare  iraj5/a  of  ch.  xxi.  5,  and  the  re- 
peated adoption  bv  John  himself  in  1  John 
ii.  1,  12,  28;  iii.  7,  18;  iv.  4;  v.  21;  and 
TfKva  in  Mark  x.  24).  The  adoption  of  the 
gentle  love-word  is  appropriate  as  a  link  to 
the  new  commandment,  and  reveals  the 
love  of  departure,  the  tender  love  that  wells 
up  in  his  heart,  as  he  contemplates  the 
orphan-like  and  bereft  condition  of  his 
disciples.  A  little  while  am  I  still  with 
you.  Ye  shall  seek  me  in  the  way  pf  sym- 
pathetic love  and  vivid  realization  of  my 
spiritual  and  real  presence;  and  as  I  said 
unto  the  Jews  (a  term  that  Christ  used  in 
this  place  only  when  speaking  to  his  dis- 
ciples, though  he  had  made  use  of  it  to  the 
Samaritaness,  and  would  use  it  to  Caiaphas 
and  Pilate),  in  ch.  vii.  33,  34,  and  viii.  21 ; 
but  there  and  then  he  added,  "  Ye  will  not 
find  me,"  because  they  would  only  seek 
him  in  carnal  ideas  and  angry  disappoint- 
ment. Observe,  he  does  not  here  repeat 
this  consequence  of  the  search,  because 
ultimately  tlieso  disciples  would  not  only 
seek,  but  follow  and  find  ;  nevertheless,  he 
adds :  As  I  said  to  the  Jews,  Whither  I  go, 
you  are  not  able  to  come ;  so  at  this  time  I 
say  to  you.  There  are  two  words  used  for 
"  now  " — vvv  denotes  absolutely  the  present 
moment;  &pTi  (ch.  ix.  19,  25,  etc.)  denotes 
here  and  there,  a  period  distinct  from  past 
and  future,  and  yet  related  to  both.  The  time 
is  not  yet  come  for  you  to  enter  into  my 
glory;  you  cannot  yet  come,  you  have  to 


1?6 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiii.  1— 38. 


continue  my  earthly  miniBtry,  to  prolong 
the  testimony  which  I  have  given  concern- 
ing God,  and  wliich  God  has  given  concern- 
ing me.  The  time  will  come  when  "  I  will 
receive  you  unto  myself,  that  where  I  am, 
tliere  ye  may  be  also;"  but  now  he  prays, 
"  though  I  am  no  more  in  this  world,  these 
are  in  the  world,  .  .  .  holy  Father,  keep 
them  "  (ch.  xvii.  11). 

Vers.  34,  35. — (2)  The  demand  which  this 
glorification  would  make  on  the  mutual 
fidelity  and  affection  of  the  disciples. 

Ver.  34.— A  new  commandment  I  give 
unto  you  (with  the  purpose  and  scope)  that 
ye  love  one  another ;  even  as  (or,  seeing  that) 
I  loved  you,  that  ye  (also)  love  one  another. 
The  interpretation  of  this  verse  largely  de- 
pends on  the  meaning  given  to  the  KaOibs, 
if,  as  many  translate  it,  "  even  as  I  loved 
you ; "  or,  "  after  the  manner  and  type  of 
my  love  to  you ; "  then  an  amply  sufficient 
explanation  arises  of  the  novelty  of  the 
kvroKij.  So  new  a  type  of  love  is  given  that, 
as  the  Greek  expositors  generally  have 
urged,  there  is  a  deeper  intensity  in  the 
love  than  can  be  found  in  the  Mosaic  prin- 
ciple, "  Love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself."  In 
this  commandment,  which  embraces  the 
whole  law,  self-love  is  assumed,  and  is  made 
the  standard  for  the  love  of  neighbour. 
This  4vTo\ii,  on  the  other  hand,  would  be 
based  on  a  new  principle,  and  measured  by 
a  higher  standard,  and  even  mean  more 
than  love  of  self  altogether.  Christ's  love 
to  his  disciples  was  self-abandoning,  self- 
sacrificing  love.  This  view  of  the  passage  is 
urged  by  Liicke,  and  really  removes  all 
necessity  for  the  varied  translations  of  the 
Kaiv-fi,  such  as  "  illustrious "  (Hammond)  ; 
"last"  (Heumann);  "one  that  is  always 
new "  (Olshauseu) ;  "  renewed  command- 
ment," a  "  renewing  commandment  "  (Au- 
gustine and  Maldonatus);  "the  institution  of 
the  Eucharist "  (Lange).  But  it  is  doubt- 
ful whether  the  ideal  image  of  a  perfect  love 
constitutes  the  novelty,  and  whether  the 
double  'iva  and  the  transposition  of  the 
second  'Iva  be  found  in  the  simple  style  of 
John.  If,  however,  KaOws  rjydirriaa  be  taken 
as  "  seeing  that,"  or  "  since  I  loved  you " 
(see  ch.  xvii.  2),  Christ's  love  becomes  not 
so  much  the  manner  or  type,  as  the  motive, 
ground,  and  principle  of  love  to  one  another. 
As  if  he  had  said,  "  I  have  loved  each  of 
you  unto  death;  in  loving  one  another  you 
are  loving  me,  you  are  loving  an  object  of 
my  tender  love.  The  desire  of  mere  imita- 
tion, however  strong,  is  not  equal  to  tlie 
demand  I  make,  while  the  bestowment 
of  the  '  new '  principle  of  life  arising  from 
a  response  to  my  love  is."  For  the  first 
interpretation  speaks  John's  own  use  of 
the  idea  (1  John  iii.  16).  There  is  a  third 
interpretation,  which  makes  KaOi/s  ^ydirri<ra 


v/xas  a  sentence  parallel  with  the  S'Sunt. 
"  Even  as  up  to  this  moment,  and  up  to  my 
death,  and  to  the  uttermost,  I  have  loved 
you,  I  give,"  etc.,  "  in  order  that  ye  may 
love  one  another,  and,  inspired  by  me,  may 
imitate  my  love  one  towards  another" 
(Westcott).  This  is  an  endeavour  to  com- 
bine both  interpretations.  Alford  suggests 
that  the  "newness"  of  the  commandment 
consists  in  its  "  unicity,"  its  being  the  prime 
injunction  of  the  new  covenant,  and  tbe 
firstfruit  of  the  Spirit  (Gal.  v.  22;  I  Cor. 
xiii.).  Tholuck  sees  the  expression  of  self- 
renouncing  love — the  love  of  the  highest  to 
the  sinful,  the  love  which  is  more  blessed 
to  give  than  to  receive,  the  all-embracing 
love. 

Ver.  35. — By  (or,  w)  this  shall  all  men 
know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have 
love  one  toward  another.  Not  by  works  of 
majesty  and  power,  but  by  love  to  one  another. 
All  commentators  refer  to  the  well-known 
saying  of  St.  John  at  Ephesus,  as  recorded 
by  Jerome,  "  This  is  the  Lord's  command- 
ment. If  ye  love  one  another  it  is  enough  " 
(Tholuck  refers  to  Tertullian's  'Apol.,'  39; 
Minucius  Felix,  "They  love  before  they 
know  each  other;"  and  Lucian,  "Their 
Master  makes  them  believe  they  are 
brothers,"  '  De  Mort.  Pereg.').  Analogies  to' 
the  great  law  of  Christ  may  be  found  in  the 
Law  of  Moses,  in  Talmudical  writings,  in 
the  Confucian  'Analects,'  and  in  Stoical' 
maxims ;  but  this  ivroAri  in  its  fulness,  and 
as  sustained  by  this  motive,  or  inspired  by 
this  pattern,  and  lifted  to  this  standard,  is 
new  to  the  human  race :  and  it  is  the  power 
which  has  revolutionized  thought,  society, 
and  life.  So  long  as  this  great  power  pre- 
vailed, the  Church  made  astounding  pro- 
gress ;  when  the  so-called  disciples  of  Christ 
began  to  hate  and  kill  one  another  the 
progress  was  arrested.  But,  thank  God, 
the  "  new  commandment "  has  always  had 
marvellous  power  over  the  Church  of  Christ. 

Ver.  36— ch.  xiv.  4. — (3)  The  question  of 
Simon  Peter,  loith  the  terrible  response  and 
hitter  grief  of  the  entire  group,  followed  by 
the  consoling  promise. 

Ver.  36. — Here  follows  another  character- 
istic question  of  Simon  Peter,  who  said  to 
him,  Lord,  whither  goest  thoul  This  in- 
quiry points  backs  to  ver.  33,  where  Jesus 
warned  his  disciples  that  they  could  not 
{&pri)  now  follow  him.  Jesus  answered 
(him)  (the  "him"  is  omitted  by  B,  C,  L, 
Vulgate,  and  Coptic,  by  Westcott  and  Hort, 
and  R.T.),  Whither  I  go,  thou  canst  not 
follow  me  now  {vvv),  at  this  crisis ;  but  thou 
Shalt  follow  me  afterwards.  Peter  felt  that 
the  central  teaching  of  the  entire  conversa- 
tion turned  upon  the  Lord's  departure  and 
his  separation,  not  only  from  the  Jews  who 
misunderstood  him,  but  from  the  disciples 


en.  XIII.  1—38.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


101 


themselves.  He  wanted  something  more 
than  the  sacred  power  of  love  to  his  own 
brethren ;  he  yearned  after  more  utter 
identification  with  his  Master,  rather  than 
closer  interdependence  of  love  and  mutual 
ministries  among  the  shattered  group  of 
half-taught  disciples.  Whither  goest  thou  ? 
If  to  the  battle-field,  to  the  condemned  cell, 
to  the  martyr's  death,  I  will  go  with  thee. 
"  Not  noic"  is  the  reply,  but  "  afterwards," 
after  thou  hast  strengthened  thy  brethren 
(see  Luke  xxii.  32),  after  thou  hast  shep- 
herded my  lambs  and  my  sheep,  and  fed 
the  sheep  themselves  with  the  finest  pasture, 
then  thou  shalt  come  my  way.  It  is  very 
impressive  that,  in  the  beautiful  legend  that 
lias  been  commemorated  in  the  Church  of 
"  Domine,  quo  vadis?"  in  Rome,  Peter 
should  at  the  last  have  been  supposed  to 
put  his  personal  feelings  before  his  Master's 
will.  Fleeing  from  persecution  at  Rome,  he 
is  said  to  have  met  his  Lord  entering  the 
city,  and,  after  putting  this  question,  re- 
ceived the  reply,  "  Ibam  ad  urbem,  iterum 
crucifigi."  The  disciple,  after  his  wont, 
accepted  the  rebuke,  immediately  returned 
to  the  city,  and  "  then  another  bound  him, 
and  led  him  whither  he  would  not"  (ch. 
xxi.  18,  19). 

Ver.  37. — Peter  saith  unto  him,  Why 
cannot  I  follow  thee  even  now  1  I  will  lay 
down  my  life  for  thy  sake.  Compare  the 
language  of  Thomas  (ch.  xi.  IG),  "  Let 
us  go,  that  we  may  die  with  him."  Peter 
thought  himself  ready  to  die  for  his  Lord, 
before  his  Lord  had  died  for  him.  He  who 
had  seen  the  glory  of  the  Trausfiguratiem, 
and  the  majesty  of  Christ's  power,  and  the 
depth  of  an  uttermost  love,  was  rtady,  as 
he  thought,  for  any  sacrifice,  for  the  most 
complete  self-abandonment;  but  he  mis- 
calculated his  strength  of  will  and  the 
tenacity  of  his  purpose.  "  Quid  in  animo 
ejus  esset  cupiditatis  videbat,  quid  virium 
non  videbat "  (Augustine).  St.  Paul,  long 
before  St.  John  made  this  conversation 
known,  must  have  gathered  from  the  known 
teaching  of  Jesus  the  same  sublime  subtle 
truth,  that  it  is  possible  to  dare  a  martyr's 


deatli,  and   vet   to  be  without   true   love 
(1  Cor.  xiii.  l',  2,  3). 

Ver.  38. — With  infinite  pathos  and  pity 
Christ  took  up  the  words  of  Peter :  Jesus 
answereth,  WUt  thou  lay  down  thy  life  for 
my  sakel  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee, 
The  oook  shall  not  have  crowed,  till  thou 
hast  denied  me  thrice.*  In  Matt.  xxvi. 
31 — 35  and  Murk  xiv.  27 — 31  the  announce- 
ment of  Peter's  fate  is  made  on  the  way 
to  the  garden  of  Gethsemane ;  Luke's 
account  (xxii.  31,  etc.)  may  harmonize 
chronologically  with  this  statement  of  John ; 
but  from  all  we  know  of  Peter,  it  is  probable 
that,  after  his  long  silence  maintained 
during  the  discourse  of  ch.  xiv. — xvii.,  his 
love  may  have  been  so  quickened  and 
deepened  as  to  have  once  more  induced  the 
reiteration  of  his  fidelity  and  his  willingness 
to  die  for  and  with  his  Master,  only  to  receive 
again  a  more  explicit  warning  of  his  weak- 
ness. Towards  the  close  of  the  sixteenth 
chapter  of  this  Gospel,  the  Lord  warns  all 
his  disciples  of  their  inability  to  stand  the 
tremendous  test  to  which  they  would  soon 
be  exposed.  If  we  reject  the  "harmony," 
and  refuse  to  double  the  prediction,  we 
should  be  strongly  inclined,  with  Meyer  and 
Liicke,  to  accept  the  higher  credibility  of 
John's  chronology  than  that  of  Matthew  or 
Mark.  The  extraordinary  character  of  this 
prediction,  recorded  in  all  four  Gospels,  is  one 
of  the  most  vivid  proofs  of  our  Lord's  super- 
natural power,  and  in  its  detail  and  defi- 
nitenesd  places  him  among  those  who  claim 
attention  from  their  absolute  knowledge, 
a!id  not  their  vague  guess  of  the  future. 
Yet  there  was  no  fate  in  this  prediction ; 
for  Peter  is  afterwards  warned,  entreated, 
prayed  for  even,  by  Immanuel. 

'  'AiroKpiveTut  'Irjcrovs  is  preferred  by  Ti- 
schendorf  (8th  edit),  Westcott  and  Hort,  and 
R.T.,  on  the  authority  of  N,  A,  B,  C*.  L,  to 
aniKpiBi)  aiiTtj)  6  'ir/ffovs,  and  apv^crp  for 
airapvfiffr!.  ^tavriffdoi  T.R.  rests  on  C, D,  E,  H , 
L,  etc.;  '(pa>vr]crrion  N,  A,  B,  C,and  a  vast  num- 
ber of  other  authorities.  Tiic  latter  is  adopted 
by  R.T.,Tischendorf  (8tb  edit.),  Tregellca.otc. 


HOMILETICS. 

Vers.  1 — 3. — Farewell  token  of  Clirisfs  love  to  his  disciples.  We  are  now  to  trace 
the  development  of  faith  in  the  body  of  the  disciples,  responsive  to  the  supreme  mani- 
festations of  his  love  to  them  during  bis  earthly  ministry. 

L  Our  Lord's  kkowledge  of  his  approaching  death.  "  Jesus  knowing  that  his 
hour  was  come."  1.  This  knowledge  was  strictly  prophetic.  It  was  no  mere  forecast, 
grounded  on  a  calculation  of  the  extremeness  of  Jewish  hatred.  He  had  often  evaded 
arrest,  because  "  his  hour  was  not  yet  come."  2.  It  is  a  solemn  thing  to  know  the  hour  of 
our  death.  (1)  It  is  not  given  to  man  to  know  it.  The  uncertainty  respecting  it  enables 
man  to  follow  the  business  of  life  without  distraction.  (2)  Those  who  know  their  end 
is  at  hand  see  in  death  the  most  important  crisis  in  their  being,  ending  as  it  does  their 


198  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiii.  1— 38. 

relations  with  this  life,  and  ushering  the  soul  into  an  altogether  untried  mode  of  exist- 
ence. For  Jesus  and  for  his  saints  death  is  a  mere  transference  (/i€To)3fj)  from  one  scene 
to  another. 

II.  Our  Lord's  increasing  tenderness  to  the  disciples  in  view  of  the  final 
SEPARATION.  "  Having  loved  his  own  which  were  in  the  world,  he  loved  them  to  the 
uttermost."  1.  The  disciples,  in  spite  of  their  many  faults,  loere  the  objects  of  Chrisfs 
supreme  love.  Doubly  dear  because  they  were  "  his  own,"  as  given  him  by  the  Father. 
2.  His  love  was  redoubled  at  the  thought  of  his  approaching  separation  from  them.  (1) 
They  were  to  be  left  "  in  the  world,"  and  therefore  exposed  to  its  temptations  and 
trials.  "  In  the  world  ye  shall  have  tribulation."  (2)  They  needed,  therefore,  a  special 
manifestation  of  his  affection  to  support  them  in  their  isolation.  (3)  Jesus  forgets  his 
own  near  sufferings  in  the  thought  of  his  disciples'  bereavement.  This  fact  is  a  measure 
of  the  intensity  of  his  love  to  them.  (4)  The  treachery  of  Judas  Iscariot  was  already 
in  its  inceptive  stage.  "  The  devil  having  now  put  it  into  the  heart  of  Judas  Iscariot, 
Simon's  son,  to  betray  him."  (a)  The  devil  has  power  to  inject  evil  into  the  hearts  of 
men.  There  is  great  mystery  in  the  methods  of  his  operation,  but  the  facts  of  his 
influence  over  men  are  without  dispute  among  those  who  believe  in  Scripture.  (J) 
Yet  the  responsibility  of  Judas  for  his  wicked  act  was  in  no  degree  diminished  by  this 
temptation  of  Satan.  He  was  perfectly  free  to  resist  or  to  yield  to  the  tempter,  (c) 
The  fact  that  Jesus  washes  the  feet  of  Judas,  his  betrayer,  throws  a  vivid  light  upon 
this  last  token  of  Christ's  tenderness.  (5)  The  explanation  of  our  Lord's  act.  "  Jesus 
knowing  that  the  Father  had  put  all  things  into  his  hands,  and  that  he  was  come  from 
God,  and  goeth  to  God."  (a)  It  was  because  of  his  Messianic  greatness  that  he  now 
humbled  himself  to  fulfil  the  office  of  the  lowest.  The  sense  of  absolute  sovereignty  is 
all  the  more  impressive  from  the  thought  of  his  approaching  death.  He  "  was  crucified 
in  weakness."  The  thought  of  (b)  his  Divine  origin  and  (c)  his  Divine  destination  made 
his  act  all  the  more  impressive,  with  a  force  of  example  that  was  designed  to  act  irre- 
sistibly upon  the  minds  of  his  disciples  through  all  time. 

Vers.  4 — 11. — The  washing  of  the  disciples^  feet.  This  affecting  incident  occurred 
immediately  after  the  controversy  among  the  disciples  as  to  which  of  them  should  be 
accounted  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  (Luke  xxii.). 

I.  Jesus  takes  the  form  of  a  servant.  He  washed  the  feet  of  his  disciples, 
though  it  had  been  more  their  place  to  wash  the  feet  of  their  Master.  1.  His  humility 
led  him  to  stoop  to  tlie  most  menial  offices  in  the  day  of  his  humiliation.  2.  He  has  thus 
consecrated  the  most  menial  duties  and  offices  of  life  for  us,  that  we  should  not  in  our 
pride  decline  to  discharge  them.  3.  His  example  does  not  hind  us  to  do  his  very  act — 
for  the  custom  was  Oriental  in  its  origin  and  meaning — but  to  carry  the  spirit  of  his 
act  into  all  our  relations  with  brethren. 

II.  Peter's  refusal  to  accept  the  offered  service.  "Lord,  dost  thou  wash  my 
feet  ? "  The  question  originates :  1.  In  the  apostle's  humility  and  reverence,  for  he 
feels  that  it  is  an  inversion  of  all  proper  relations  for  Jesus  to  do  this  service  to  his 
disciples.  He  felt  himself  unworthy  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  love.  2.  In  the  apostle's 
ignorance.  He  does  not  understand  the  symbolic  meaning  of  the  act.  Therefore  our 
Lord  says,  "  What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now,  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter."  These 
words  imply  (1)  that  there  is  always  in  our  Lord's  acts  much  that  we  cannot  under- 
stand ;  (2)  that  our  want  of  understanding  does  not  neutralize  the  efficacy  of  our 
Lord's  act ;  (3)  that  the  want  of  understanding  specially  manifests  itself  in  these  acts 
of  our  Lord  which  affect  ourselves ;  (4)  that  our  want  of  knowledge  ought  not  to 
shake  our  faith  in  him  ;  (5)  that  there  will  come  a  time  of  revelation.  The  "  here- 
after "  may  be  soon  or  late,  but  it  will  surely  come. 

III.  Separation  from  Christ  is  involved  in  the  want  of  surrender  to  him. 
"  Jesus  answered  him.  If  I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part  with  me."  1.  There  was 
a  spirit  of  self-ivill  in  the  apostle's  words.  "  Thou  shalt  not  wash  my  feet."  Our  Lord's 
words  reprove  Peter's  opinionativeness.  2.  The  first  condition  of  true  discipleship  is 
self -surrender.  The  apostle  is  too  impulsive  to  await  the  further  knowledge  in  store 
for  him.  3.  Yet  observe  his  sudden  apprehension  of  our  Lord's  true  meaning.  "  Lord, 
not  my  feet  only,  but  my  hands  and  my  head."  The  revulsion  of  feeling  is  very  cha- 
racteristic of  the  apostle.     He  will  not  hold  back  any  part  of  himself  from  a  share  in 


CH.  XIII.  1—33.]    THE   GOSPEL   ACCOrvDING  TO  ST,  JOHN.  199 


Divine  blessing,  nor  decline  to  be  identified  with  his  Lord  to  the  fullest  extent.  4.  Our 
Lord's  interpretation  of  his  meaning.  "  He  that  is  washed  needeth  not  save  to  wash 
his  feet,  but  is  clean  every  whit."  (1)  The  apostle's  words  implied  that  he  was  wholly 
unclean — head,  hands,  ieet — and  every  believer  must  repeat  the  same  worcfe.  ('i) 
Christ  washes  all  who  have  an  interest  in  him.  (3)  All  who  have  an  interest  in  him 
may  be  regarded  as  "  clean  ; "  for  they  are  "  washed,  sanctified,  justified,  in  the  Namo 
of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God."  (4)  Yet  they  all  need  a  daily  wash- 
ing on  account  of  their  rejieated  acts  of  sin,  just  as  a  traveller  needs  to  wash  the  stains 
of  the  road  off  his  feet.  5.  Our  LonVs  insight  into  Judas,  "And  ye  are  clean,  but 
not  all.  For  he  knew  who  should  betray  him ;  therefore  said  he,  Ye  are  not  all  clean." 
(1)  Jesus  did  not  regard  Judas  as  a  justified  man.  (2)  He  shows  the  disciples  that  he 
is  not  the  dupe  of  the  traitor's  h_vpocrisy.  (3)  Our  Lord's  words  might  have  warned 
Judas  of  the  way  upon  which  he  was  bent  to  his  own  utter  undoing. 

Vers.  12 — 17. — The  explanation  of  the  washing  of  the  disciples'  ff.et.  I.  The  argu- 
ment BY  wnicH  OUR  Lord  enforces  the  lesson  of  his  act.  "  Know  ye  what  I  have 
done  unto  you?  Ye  call  me  ]\Laster  and  Lord :  and  ye  say  well ;  for  so  I  am."  The  titles 
the  disciples  gave  to  him  have  a  decisive  force.  1.  As  he  is  a  Teacher,  they  were  hound 
to  learn  in  his  school  with  all  docility  and  meekness  of  wisdom.  2.  As  a  Master,  they 
were  bound  to  give  him  subjection  in  all  matters  touching  the  conduct  of  life. 

IL  The  lessox  of  his  act.  "  If  I  then,  your  Lord  and  Master,  have  washed  your 
feet,  ye  ought  also  to  wash  one  another's  feet."  1.  There  ought  to  be  mutual  conde- 
scension and  mutual  service  among  brethren.  Our  Lord  utterly  opjiosed  the  idea  of 
hierarchical  pretensions  among  them.  Those  who  sought  the  highest  place  ought  to  do 
the  meanest  service.  2.  Christ's  example,  which  is  always  in  a  way  of  self-sacrifice, 
ought  to  be  regarded  as  possessing  an  authoritative  force.  "  For  I  have  given  you  an 
example,  that  ye  should  do  as  1  have  done  unto  you."  (1)  He  does  not  say  that  we 
should  do  the  very  thing  that  he  did,  but  do  as  he  did  ;  for  we  are  not  now  bound  to  wash 
one  another's  feet.  The  example  is  in  the  principle,  not  in  the  specific  act.  (2)  The 
Roman  Catholic  Church  practically  misrepresents  our  Lord's  act  by  a  literal  obedience 
to  our  Lord's  commands.  The  pope  washes  the  feet  of  twelve  poor  men  on  the  Thurs- 
day of  Passion  week,  (a)  But  why  should  it  be  done  only  once  in  a  year  ?  The  act 
is  to  be  constantly  imitated  by  true  disciples.  (6)  Why  should  it  be  done  only  by 
the  pope  ?  It  is  to  be  done  by  all  Christians  one  to  another.  The  act  is  to  be  a  token 
of  humility,  condescension,  love,  and  patience.  3.  The  thought  of  the  Lord's  dignity 
ought  to  incline  his  servants  to  a  ready  acceptance  of  his  example.  "The  servant  is  not 
greater  than  his  Lord."  4.  The  blessedness  of  doing  as  well  as  knowing.  "  If  ye  know 
these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  j'e  do  them."  (1)  Our  Lord  does  not  command  a  blind 
obedience  in  his  disciples.  They  ought  to  understand  the  principles  and  grounds  of  their 
action.  (2)  The  knowledge  of  God's  will  ought  never  to  be  divorced  from  the  sincere 
practice  of  it.  (3)  Our  happiness  depends  upon  the  degree  in  which  we  correlate  our 
knowledge  and  our  duty. 

Vers.  18 — 20. — The  exception  to  this  blessedness  of  the  disciples.  The  thought  of 
their  blessedness  recalls  the  fact  that  there  was  one  in  their  society  with  whom  know- 
ledge would  not  have  this  happy  issue. 

I.  The  treachery  of  Judas  was  as  yet  only  manifest  to  Christ.  "  I  speak 
not  of  you  all."  1.  Jesus  knew  the  thoughts  of  Judas's  heart.  There  was  no  surprise, 
therefore,  to  Jesus  in  the  treachery  that  was  preparing  the  way  for  his  death.  2.  Judas 
was  not  an  object  of  Christ's  saving  choice.  "I  know  those  whom  I  have  chosen." 
This  cannot  refer  to  discipleship— for  Judas  was  chosen  to  office  just  like  the  other 
apostles — but  to  grace  and  salvation.  3.  The  prophetic  confirmation  of  Christ's  words. 
"  That  the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled.  He  that  eateth  bread  with  me  hath  lifted  up  his 
heel  against  me."  Whether  the  reference  is  to  David  or  Jeremiah,  the  words  refer  to 
the  troubles  inflicted  on  the  righteous,  by  the  treachery  of  a  false  friend.  4.  Christ's 
foresight  of  Judas's  treachery  would  (1)  in  some  degree  relieve  as  well  as  anticipate  the 
bitterness  of  disappointment ;  (2)  lead  the  disciples  to  trust  in  him  the  more  implicitly. 
"  Now  I  tell  you  before  it  come  to  pass,  that,  when  it  is  come  to  pass,  ye  may  believe 
that  I  am  he."    If  he  had  not  made  this  declaration^  the  disciples  might  have  come  to 


200  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xm.  1—38. 

doubt  whether  his  choice  of  Judas  was  consisteat  with  his  being  the  Messiah.     It  is 
liere  traced  to  the  will  of  God. 

II.  The  encouragements  of  the  apostleship.  "  He  that  receiveth  whomsoever 
I  send  receiveth  me;  and  he  that  receiveth  me  receiveth  him  that  sent  me."  1.  The 
Master  s  greatness  is  reflected  in  the  mission  of  his  servants.  They  are  apostles  from 
Lini,  as  he  is  an  Apostle  from  the  Father.  2.  7'he  treachery  of  Judas,  though  it  might 
shake  their  confidence,  could  not  annul  the  dignity  of  their  apostolic  office. 

Vers.  21 — 30. — The  dismissal  of  Judas.  The  departure  of  the  traitor  was  necessary 
to  the  full  disclosure  of  all  that  our  Lord  had  in  store  for  his  beloved  disciples. 

I.  Mark  the  emotion  of  oub  Lord.  "  He  was  troubled  in  spirit."  1.  Not  on 
account  of  wounded  love.  2.  Nor  from  horror  at  the  conduct  of  Judas.  3.  Nor  from 
jpity  for  his  approaching  doom.  4.  But,  as  the  word  (irvevixoi)  signifies,  from  the  shock 
that  was  caused  by  the  thought  of  the  fearful  crime  about  to  be  committed  at  the  instiga- 
tion of  Satan. 

II.  Mark  our  Lord's  open  identification  op  the  traitor.  "  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  that  one  of  you  shall  betray  me."  The  statement  proved  the  omni- 
science of  Jesus.  Judas  had  as  yet  done  nothing  to  excite  suspicion  of  his  treachery. 
1.  Mark  the  astonishment  and  perplexity  of  the  disciples.  "  Then  the  disciples  looked 
one  on  another,  doubting  of  whom  he  spake."  (1)  They  doubted  their  own  hearts 
rather  than  the  ominous  sentence  of  their  Master.  There  is  a  remarkable  humility 
manifested  in  their  attitude,  as  each  asks,  "  Lord,  is  it  I  ?  "  (2)  They  never  suspected 
the  guilt  of  Judas.  None  of  them  said,  "  Lord,  is  it  Judas  ? "  The  fact  proves  the 
skilled  hypocrisy  of  the  traitor.  2.  The  anxiety  of  Peter  to  discover  the  traitor.  (1) 
He  takes  the  initiative,  with  his  usual  promptitude,  suggesting  that  John  should  ask 
the  Lord  "  who  it  was  of  whom  he  spake."  (2)  Jesus  does  not  name  the  traitor,  but 
silently  identifies  him  by  giving  him  the  sop.  (a)  This  act  was  one  more  appeal  to  the 
conscience  of  Judas,  (b)  Judas  received  the  sop,  as  if  to  mark  his  fellowship  with 
Jesus ;  but  it  only  gave  additional  point  to  the  ancient  prophecy,  "  Mine  own  familiar 
friend,  who  did  eat  of  my  bread,  hath  lifted  up  his  heel  against  me."  (c)  Judas  was  thus 
made  known  to  John  only.  3.  The  traitor  opening  his  heart  to  Satan.  "  And  after 
the  sop  Satan  entered  into  him."  (1)  What  a  mysterious  power  Satan  exercises  over 
the  hearts  of  s'miers !  Peter  says  to  Ananias,  "  Why  hath  Satan  filled  thy  heart  that 
thou  shouldest  lie  to  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  "  (2)  It  is  for  the  sinner  himself  to  determine 
whether  Satan  shall  have  entry  or  not.  Therefore  men  ought  to  "  resist  the  devil "  at 
his  first  solicitation.  4.  Our  Lord  dismisses  Judas  from  his  2^'>'^sence.  "  That  thou 
doest,  do  quickly."  (1)  The  resolution  had  been  already  formed,  and  Judas  does  not 
deprecate  the  issue  for  himself.  (2)  Jesus  needed  the  little  space  that  remained  of  his 
last  night  for  the  instruction  of  Lis  disciples  in  farewell  duties.  5.  The  perplexity  of 
the  discipjles  at  our  Lord's  command  to  Judas.  (1)  None  but  John,  and  probably 
Peter,  kuew  that  the  traitor  had  been  identified,  therefore  the  words  of  Jesus  were  of 
doubtful  meaning.  (2)  The  disciples  imagined  that  Judas  held  his  old  footing  as 
treasurer,  and  had  received  an  injunction  to  provide  either  for  the  poor  or  for  the 
observance  of  the  Passover.  It  is  remarkable  that  Judas  should  have  so  successfully 
concealed  his  real  character  and  designs  from  his  fellow-disciples.  6.  The  departure  of 
Judas.  "  He  then  having  received  the  sop  went  immediately  out :  and  it  was  night." 
(1)  Judas  bids  an  eternal  farewell  to  Jesus  on  the  old  footing  of  discipleship.  They 
never  meet  again  till  the  hour  of  our  Lord's  arrest.  (2)  The  night  into  which  Judas 
stepped  forth  was  but  a  faint  figure  of  the  deeper  night  of  a  soul  into  which  Satan  had 
entered. 

Yers.  31 — 38. — Separation  and  its  issue.  The  departure  of  Judas  sets  Jesus  free  to 
discourse  familiarly  with  his  disciples. 

I.  The  traitor's  departure  is  the  signal  for  the  Redeemer's  glorification. 
"  Now  is  the  Son  of  man  glorified,  and  God  is  glorified  in  him."  1.  Jesus  regards  his 
death,  now  so  near,  as  involving  his  glorification.  (1)  The  glorification  extended  over 
Christ's  whole  past  life.  It  lay  in  his  voluntary  self-abasement.  (2)  The  redemptive 
work  is  regarded  as  virtually  completed  (ch.  xvii.  4).  (3)  The  Father  is  glorified  by 
the  obedience  and  sufferings  of  his  Son.     The  sufferings  and  the  glory  were  closely 


CH.  xni.  1—38.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  201 

linked  together  (1  Pet.  i.  11).     (4)  The  Son  will  be  glorified  by  the  Father  in  heaven, 
as  he  himself  glorified  the  Father  on  earth. 

II.  The  approaching  separation  of  Jesus  from  his  disciples.  "  Little  children, 
yet  a  little  while  I  am  with  you.  Ye  shall  seek  me  :  and  as  I  said  unto  the  Jews, 
Whither  I  go,  ye  cannot  come ;  so  now  1  say  to  you."  1.  The  language  is  that  of  deep 
affection  and  solicitude.  He  sympathizes  with  the  disciples  in  their  coming  bereavement. 
They  are  soon  to  be  orphans.  2.  The  disciples  would  experience  a  longing  to  rejoin 
him  after  the  separation  which  was  now  at  hand.  3.  Tliey  were  not  yet  ready  to  follow 
him.  (1)  The  search  of  the  disciples  would  not  be  finally  in  vain.  "  I  will  receive  you 
unto  myself;  that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also"  (ch.  xiv.  3).  He  does  not  say 
to  his  disciples  what  he  said  to  the  Jews,  "  And  ye  shall  not  find  me."  (2)  They  had 
a  task  to  accomplish,  "  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you.  That  ye  love  one 
another."  (a)  The  period  of  his  absence  was  to  be  a  season  of  spiritual  growth.  Love 
to  one  another,  with  the  mutual  sacrifices  involved  in  it,  would  be  the  realization  of  his 
presence  among  them,  (b)  The  commandment  of  love  was  new  in  its  scope  and  motive, 
though  love  was  always  the  principle  of  the  Decalogue.  It  was  new,  (a)  as  it  was 
enjoined  after  a  new  model — "  even  as  I  have  loved  you  ;  "  (/3)  as  it  was  love  to 
brethren — to  "  the  new  creation  ; "  (y)  as  it  arose  out  of  a  new  necessity — "  By  this 
shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another."  This 
love  was  to  be  a  badge  of  discipleship.  The  world  would  thus  understand  the  true 
meaning  of  Christianity. 

III.  Peter's  anxiety  to  know  our  Lord's  destination,  and  his  eagerness  to 
DIE  WITH  HIM.  "  Lord,  whither  goest  thou?"  1.  The  question  marks  the  disciple's 
loving  regard  for  his  Master,  from  whom  he  would  not  be  separated  in  life  or  in  death. 
2.  Yet  it  suggests  that  his  mind  was  occupied  with  the  idea  of  his  Lord's  establishment 
of  a  temporal  kingdom.  Where  was  he  going  ?  Was  not  Jerusalem  to  be  the  centre 
of  the  coming  kingdom?  ?,  The  anstver  of  Jesus  declares  the  separation  to  be  inevitable, 
but  only  temporary.  "  Whither  I  go,  thou  canst  not  follow  me  now  ;  but  thou  shalt 
follow  me  afterwards."  (1)  The  death  of  Christ  was  necessary  to  Peter's  entrance  into 
heaven.  (2)  Peter,  besides,  had  an  apostolic  ministry  of  great  moment  to  fulfil.  4. 
Peter's  determination  to  follow  his  Master  to  death.  "Lord,  why  cannot  I  follow  thee 
now?  I  will  lay  down  my  life  for  thy  sake."  (1)  He  evidently  thought  that  Jesus 
was  about  to  die,  and  that  his  death  was  in  some  way  to  contribute  to  the  establishment 
of  his  kingdom.  (2)  He  thinks  that  he  can  lay  down  his  life  for  Christ  before  Christ 
lays  down  his  life  for  him.  He  came  afterwards  to  know  that  the  two  deaths  must 
follow  a  dift'erent  order  (ch.  xxi.  18,  19).  (3)  He  does  not  dream  that  his  faith  might 
fail  in  the  supreme  crisis  of  his  Lord's  trial.  5.  Our  Lord's  prediction  of  Peter's  fall. 
"  The  cock  shall  not  crow,  till  thou  hast  denied  me  thrice."  (1)  Our  Lord  does  not 
doubf  the  sincerity  of  his  disciple,  but  his  spiritual  strength  and  steadfastness.  The 
best  of  men  do  not  know  their  own  strength  till  it  is  tested  by  temptation.  (2)  Our 
Lord  rebukes  the  over-confidence  of  his  disciple.  None  are  so  near  a  fall  as  those  who 
are  so  confident  of  their  standing.  "  Let  him  that  thiuketh  he  standeth  take  heed  lest 
he  fall."  (3)  Our  Lord's  prediction  had  such  an  overwhelming  efl;ect  upon  Peter  that 
he  did  not  utter  another  word  during  all  the  following  discourse^. 


HOMILIES  BY  VARIOUS  AUTHORS. 

Ver.  1. —  Chrisfs  constancy  of  love.  If  there  is  any  time  when  a  man's  attention  is 
presumed  to  be  necessarily  and  properly  directed  to  himself,  that  time  is  the  time  when 
danger  is  present  and  when  death  approaches.  But  when  our  Saviour's  hour  was  come, 
when  the  shadow  of  the  cross  fell  athwart  his  path,  he  seems  to  have  been  signally 
unselfish  in  ail  his  actions,  and  disinterested  ia  his  very  thoughts.  Humiliation, 
suffering,  and  death  were  immediately  before  him  ;  but  it  is  beautiful,  instructive, 
encouraging  to  see  how  warmly  his  heart  beat  for  his  friends,  and  how  anxious  he  was 
to  use  the  closing  days  of  his  ministry  for  their  spiritual  profit.  These  words  reveal  to 
us  Christ's  constancy  of  love. 

I.  Its  objects.  Whom  did  he  love,  and  love  unto  the  end  ?  1.  They  were  "his 
own,"  i.e.  those  who  were  called  and  chosen  by  him,  who  were  loved  and  purchased  by 


202  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [oh.  xiu.  1—38. 


him.  His  own  possession  and  property,  his  own  spiritual  kin,  these  friends  of  Jesus 
were  attached  and  devoted  to  him,  conformed  to  his  character,  participators  in  his 
spirit.  2.  They  were  "  in  the  world."  This  expression  is  significant,  as  implying  that 
Ciirist's  disciples  were  the  objects  of  his  affection,  notwithstanding  that  they  were 
encompassed  by  life's  difficulties  and  temptations,  notwithstanding  that  in  their  character 
they  bore  traces  of  this  world's  influences  and  assaults.  3.  The  language  used  is 
applicable  to  others  beside  the  immediate  disciples  of  our  Lord.  He  felt  towards  others 
and  prayed  for  others  (ch.  xvii.)  as  he  felt  towards  the  twelve  and  prayed  for  them. 
All  are  "  his  own  "  who  truly  trust  and  love  and  obey  him  ;  and  all  his  own  have  an 
interest  in  his  purposes  of  pity  and  of  grace. 

II.  Its  wonder.  Marvellous  indeed  is  it  that  the  affection  of  Jesus  should  outlast 
the  many  trials  to  which  it  was  put  by  his  disciples,  to  which  it  has  been  put  by  all  of 
us.  There  was  very  much  in  his  followers  which  was  fitted  to  check,  to  kill,  the  love 
of  Jesus. 

*  Could  we  bear  from  one  another 
What  he  daily  bears  from  us  ? 
Yet  this  glorious  Friend  and  Brother 
Loves  us,  though  we  treat  him  thus  I 
;  Though  for  good  we  render  ill, 

He  accounts  us  brethren  still." 

"His  own"  were :  1.  Slow  to  understand  his  teaching.  2.  Slow  to  appreciate  his  nature 
and  his  mission.  3.  Unworthy  in  their  character  of  his  fellowship  and  his  Name.  4. 
Inconstant,  as  was  shown  by  their  afterwards  forsaking  him  in  the  depth  of  his  distress 
and  humiliation.  Amazing  was  the  love  which  endured  when  so  tried  !  Amazing  is 
the  love  which  we  and  all  Christ's  people  have  experienced  from  him,  notwithstanding 
our  unfaithfulness  and  coldness ! 

III.  Its  motive  akd  explanation.  1.  The  constancy  of  our  Saviour's  affection  is 
not  attributable  to  any  qualities  in  his  disciples,  which  could  deserve  and  retain  his 
interest  and  attachment.  So  far  as  we  are  concerned,  our  need,  our  dependence  upon 
him,  are  all  that  have  to  be  takes  into  account.  If  Jesus  were  not  faithful  to  us, 
where  would  be  our  strength,  our  safety,  our  hope  ?  2.  For  the  explanation  of  this  mar- 
vellous constancy  we  must  look  to  Christ's  own  character,  to  his  faithful,  unchanging 
nature,  free  from  every  caprice,  from  every  unkindness.  It  is  his  nature  to  love,  and  to 
love  without  fickleness  or  weariness. 

IV.  Its  proofs.  1.  In  the  lessons  he  taught.  Christ's  was  a  love  that  first  and 
chiefly  contemplated  the  highest  good  of  its  objects.  His  aim  has  ever  been  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  those  whom  he  befriends.  He  teaches  (1)  by  words ;  (2)  by  symbols,  as  in 
the  context,  where,  first  by  washing  the  disciples'  feet,  and  then  by  instituting  the 
Lord's  Supper,  he  evinces  his  affectionate  interest  in  his  disciples'  well-being  by 
imparting  to  them  pictorial  and  sacramental  lessons  which  were  intended  to  perpetuate 
to  all  generations  the  memory  and  the  blessing  of  his  unchanging  love.  2.  In  the 
sufferings  and  death  to  which  he  was  about  to  submit.  Only  constant,  unchanging 
friendship  could  account  for  our  Lord's  willingness  to  lay  down  his  life  for  his  own. 
And  no  one  who  studies  this  record  can  doubt  that  the  sacrifice  was  willing  and 
cheerful ;  that  our  Lord,  the  good  Shepherd,  "  laid  down  his  lite  for  the  sheep." 

V.  Its  duration.  "  To  the  end,"  says  John  the  evangelist,  who  had  good  reason  to 
know  the  Master  well.  To  the  approaching  end  of  his  own  earthly  ministry  and  life, 
and  to  the  end  of  his  disciples'  period  of  probation  and  of  education.  Christ's  love  is 
"  fHithful,  free,  and  knows  no  end."     It  is  not  only  mighty ;  it  is  immortal. — T. 

Ver.  3. — Chrisfs  consciousness  of  his  mission.  The  occasion  upon  which  our  Saviour 
is  said  by  his  friend  and  apostle  John  to  have  had  a  vivid  consciousness  of  his  mission  is 
deserving  of  attention.  It  was  just  before  his  Passion,  in  the  upper  room  where  he  was 
about,  by  act  and  language,  to  inculcate  great  lessons  upon  his  disciples,  and  whence 
he  was  to  take  his  way  to  Gethsemane  and  Calvary.  In  such  circumstances  the 
confidence  of  a  human  leader  might  well  have  wavered,  and  his  purposes  might  well 
have  faltered.  But  Jesus  could  look  forward  to  what  he  was  about  to  endure  with  a 
touching  equanimity,  because  he  knew  whence  he  had  come,  whither  he  was  going, 
what  was  the  nature  and  authority  of  his  mission. 


en.  xiii.  1—38.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  203 

I.  Curist's  consciousness  of  nis  origin.  Ho  was  aware :  1,  Of  his  Divine  nature. 
2.  Of  his  Divine  mission.     3.  Of  his  Divine  qualifications. 

II.  Christ's  consciousness  of  his  departure  and  destination.  He  knew  that 
he  was  not  going  into  annihihition,  into  oblivion  ;  that  ho  was  not  to  fail  in  his  work, 
though  he  was  to  die  in  its  execution.  1.  His  departure  was  to  secure  the  accomplish- 
ment of  God's  will.  2.  And  the  achievement  of  man's  redemption,  which  was  the 
special  pm-pose  of  the  Father.  3.  And  the  manifestation  of  the  Father's  acceptance. 
He  went  to  God  to  be  received  as  God's  beloved  Son ;  and  he  was  raised  from  the  dead, 
and  taken  to  heaven,  that  it  might  be  evident  to  all  the  world  that  the  Father  approved 
his  work. 

III.  Christ's  consciousness  of  his  universal  authority.  1.  In  tho  hour  of  his 
suffering  and  humiliation  he  knew  full  well  that  his  hands  were  all-comprehending 
and  all-powerful,  that  all  power  was  given  to  him  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  that  his  was 
a  supreme  and  universal  sway.  2.  He  knew,  too,  that  his  power  should  be  exercised  for 
the  salvation  of  his  people.  They  should  scatter  and  flee,  but  he  should  rally  them. 
He  was  to  be  their  High  Priest,  and  at  the  same  time  their  King. 

Application.  Learn :  1.  The  security  of  those  who  trust  in  One  so  wise  and  so 
mighty.  2.  The  strength  of  those  who  work  for  such  a  Master.  3.  The  hope  which 
is  before  those  who  seek  and  wait  for  his  salvation.  4.  The  encouragement  which  all 
who  need  his  countenance  and  help  are  at  liberty  to  take  from  him. — T. 

Ver.  13. — Mastership  and  subjection.  Equality  amongst  men  is  the  dream  of  fanatics. 
It  is  true  that  men  should  by  law  have  equal  rights.  But  the  Creator  has  not  bestowed 
equal  gifts  or  powers  of  body  or  of  mind,  and  no  human  laws  can  equalize  men's  con- 
dition, their  possessions,  or  their  enjoyments.  And  in  all  society  there  must  bo 
authority  and  subordination ;  some  must  rule,  and  some  obey.  So  is  it  in  the  spiritual 
kingdom  of  our  Lord. 

I.  The  claim  of  Christ.  1.  What  it  is.  (1)  Jesus  claims  to  be  the  authoritative 
Teacher,  the  Master  of  his  people  and  of  mankind.  He  reveals  and  communicates  the 
truth  of  God  to  men.  He  bids  us  learn  of  him.  (2)  He  claims  to  be  the  Lord  who 
rules.  His  authority  is  not  merely  over  men's  beliefs ;  it  is  over  their  actions.  He 
issues  laws,  and  requires  homage  and  obedience.  In  both  these  respects  Christ  is 
unrivalled  and  supreme.  "  One  is  your  Master."  2.  On  what  it  rests.  (1)  On  grounds 
of  native  right.  The  Deity  of  our  Lord's  Person,  the  Divinity  of  lys  attributes,  his 
appointment  by  the  Father,  give  him  a  right  to  teach  and  to  govern  his  people.  (2) 
On  grounds  of  moral  fitness.  His  wisdom  and  insight  are  such  that  none  is  so  qualified 
to  instruct ;  his  moral  authority  is  such  that  the  conscience  bows  before  him  as  before 
none  other.  (3)  Christ's  claim  rests  upon  tenderer  grounds — upon  his  love  toward  his 
people.  What  he  has  done  and  suffered  for  us  is  proof  of  his  disinterested  affection, 
and  gives  his  claim  to  our  devotion  an  efiicacy  quite  unique. 

II.  His  people's  acknowledgment  of  Christ's  claim.  1.  The  character  of  this 
acknowledgment.  It  is  sincere  and  practical ;  opposed  to  resistance  and  rebellion,  and 
equally  opposed  to  preti.'nce  and  hypocrisy.  The  repudiation  of  the  rebel,  tbe  enemy, 
and  the  pretence  and  dissimulation  of  the  hy^Mcrite,  are  alike  detestable  to  Christ. 
2.  The  methods  of  this  acknowledgment.  Practical  submission  to  Jesus  means  the 
studying  and  reception  of  his  doctrines,  and  obedience  to  his  commands.  Yet  there 
are  certain  definite  ways  in  which  we  may  recognize  Christ's  lordship,  e.g.  by  honour- 
ing his  holy  Name,  and  by  discountenancing  and  rebuking  profanity  ;  and  again  by 
devoutly  observing  his  ordinance,  concerning  which  he  said, "Do  this  in  remembrance 
of  me."  3.  The  advantages  of  this  acknowledpiient.  It  tends  (1)  to  the  improvement 
of  the  individual  Christian  character;  (2)  to  the  unity  of  the  Church,  which  needs  to 
think  less  of  human  leaders  and  more  of  the  Divine  Head;  and  (3)  to  the  illumination 
and  conversion  of  the  world.  On  these  accounts  they  "  say  well "  who  sincerely 
recognize  Christ's  just  demands  upon  them,  and  prove  their  sincerity  by  their  docility 
and  their  obedience. — T. 

Ver.  14. — Humility  and  mutual  service.     There  are  certain  virtues  which  are  dir 
tinctively  Christian.     Amongst  these  must  certainly  be  reckoned  humility.     Ch-' 
tianity  has  done  not  a  little  to  elevate  this  grace  of  character  to  a  higher  position  t 


204  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiii.  1—38. 

it  occupied  in  the  esteem  of  the  ancients.  The  Old  Testament,  in  some  passages,  extols 
lowliness  of  heart  as  acceptable  to  the  High  and  Lofty  One.  Yet  this  can  hardly  be 
deemed  a  characteristic  of  even  pious  Hebrews.  But  by  his  example  and  by  his  pre- 
cepts our  Saviour  has  done  much  to  encourage  and  develop  among  his  followers  in 
every  position  of  life  this  admirable  grace.  And  in  proportion  to  the  prevalence  of 
humility  is  the  disposition  to  render  mutual  services.  As  men  forget  themselves,  they 
remember  others;  as  they  relinquish  claims  upon  their  fellow-men,  they  recognize 
claims  upon  themselves  for  services  to  be  rendered. 

I.  The  hindrances  to  humility.  Christ  would  not  have  been  at  such  pains  to 
inculcate  this  lesson  unless  there  was  danger  of  its  remaining  unlearned.  The  fact 
that  he  upon  a  solemn  occasion,  a  crisis  in  his  ministry,  deigned  to  wash  his  disciples' 
feet,  with  no  end  in  view  except  the  inculcation  of  lowliness  and  self-forgetting  help- 
fulness, proves  that  in  his  view  there  was  urgent  need  for  such  instruction.  No  one 
who  knows  human  nature  can  doubt  that  the  lesson  is  hard  to  learn.  There  are  dis- 
positions deeply  rooted  in  man's  sinful  character  which  are  altogether  opposed  to  that 
humility  which  our  Lord  enjoins  upon  his  disciples.  Especially  is  pride,  or  a  high 
opinion  of  self,  an  obstacle  to  be  dealt  with.  There  is  also  selfishness,  or  the  disposi- 
tion to  concentrate  all  interest  and  all  effort  upon  personal  enjoyment  and  enrichment. 
On  the  other  hand,'  there  is  a  tendency  in  human  nature  to  disregard  others  in  propor- 
tion as  self  is  magnified.  The  proud  and  selfish  man  is  likely  to  be  indifferent  to  the 
welfare  of  his  neighbours,  to  be  indisposed  to  undertake  any  labour,  or  submit  to  any 
self-denial,  with  a  view  to  their  good.  This  spirit  may  degenerate  into  a  positive 
hatred  especially  of  any  who  may  have  been  injurious.  Such  basenesses  as  malice,  envy, 
and  jealousy  may  thus  enter  into  and  defile  the  soul. 

IL  The  nature  of  humility.  What  is  the  disposition  and  habit  of  mind  which 
our  Lord  thought  it  so  needful  to  impress  upon  his  disciples  as  essential  to  true 
discipleship  ?  What  is  the  example  which  he  set  them  for  their  imitation  ?  As  we 
examine  the  narrative  in  connection  with  our  Lord's  conversation,  we  find  that  the 
character  and  conduct  here  commended  have  two  aspects.  1.  With  regard  to  self,  the 
Christian  is  called  upon  to  cherish  meekness  and  lowliness.  If  our  Divine  Lord  did  not 
disdain  to  minister  to  his  friends,  if  he  did  not  deem  it  derogatory  to  act  as  a  servant, 
his  followers  may  well  lay  aside  those  sentiments  of  vanity  and  self-importance  which 
are  so  ruinous  to  a  noble  character.  If  men  would  but  think  of  their  own  infirmities 
and  imperfections,  of  their  dependence  upon  their  fellow-men,  and  above  all  of  their  obli- 
gations to  their  Creator  and  Redeemer,  it  would  not  be  so  hard  to  abase  self.  2.  With 
regard  to  others,  the  Christian  should  cultivate  the  habit  of  consideration  and  sympathy. 
What  beaiity  and  force  is  there  in  the  apostolic  admonition  to  look  upon  the  things  of 
others !  Some  are  "  all  eyes  "  for  their  own  interest,  but  very  blind  to  the  concerns  of 
their  neighbours.  Christianity  is  not  unreasonable.  Comte  bids  men  "live  for  others," 
as  if  regard  to  self  were  sinful.  But  Christ  bids  us  "  love  our  neighbour  as  ourself ;  " 
and  the  welfare  of  mankind  will  be  best  secured  by  compliance  with  this  twofold 
admonition. 

III.  The  practical  manifestations  of  humility.  Looking  at  these  in  the  light 
of  the  context,  we  may  say  that  true  Christ-like  lowliness  will  be  displayed  in :  1.  Ser- 
vices of  social  courtesy.  There  may,  indeed,  be  superficial  politeness  without  Christian 
humility.  But  the  danger  with  many  is  lest  there  should  be  a  foolish  and  proud  blunt- 
ness  of  manner  in  intercourse  with  others.  There  have  been  those  who  have  deemed 
it  a  duty  literally  to  copy  the  Lord's  example  by  washing  the  feet  of  the  poor  ;  sove- 
reigns, ministers  of  state,  and  popes  have  endeavoured  by  such  acts  to  atone  for  much 
pride  and  haughtiness.  The  form  of  Christian  courtesy  will  be  determined  by  the 
manners  and  customs  of  the  age.  Acts  which  are  natural  and  beautiful  in  one  country 
and  one  state  of  society  may  become  forced  and  grotesque  in  another.  It  is  the  spirit 
which  is  all-important;  this  will  reveal  itself  in  forms  suitable  and  appropriate  to  cir- 
cumstances. 2.  Services  of  mutual  help.  The  washing  of  the  feet  was  regarded  as 
necessary  to  comfort  and  propriety ;  it  was,  therefore,  a  real  service.  No  doubt  there  is 
■a  difference  of  magnitude  in  the  benefits  conferred  by  members  of  human  society  upon 
h.ne  another.  And  there  is  a  difference  of  kind.  But  every  day  brings  some  oppor- 
touiity  of  rendering  service  of  some  kind  or  other  to  those  with  whom  we  associate ; 
whs  Christian,  so  far  as  he  follows  his  Master,  will  take  advantage  of  such  opportunities. 


CH.  XIII.  1—38.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  205 


Pride,  indeed,  will  counsel  thus  :  "  Let  others  serve  you ;  it  is  beneath  your  dignity  to 
minister  to  them."  Humility  will  offer  very  different  advice  :  "Bear  ye  one  another's 
burdens,  and  so  fulfil  the  Law  of  Christ." 

IV.  TuE  MOTIVE  TO  HUMiMTY.  There  are  doubtless  many  motives ;  but  one  is  so 
supreme  as  to  leave  scarcely  any  room  for  any  other,  i.e.  in  the  Christian's  heart.  The 
example  of  the  Lord  Jesus  is  to  him  all-powerful,  all-persuasive.  This  is  so  when  we 
think:  1.  Of  Christ's  native  greatness,  and  of  his  voluntary  humiliation  in  his  incar- 
nation and  advent.  2.  Of  Christ's  whole  conduct  during  his  earthly  ministry,  which, 
as  recorded,"affords  so  many  instances  of  condescension,  compassion,  and  lovina-kinduess. 
He  took  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  he  lived  the  life  of  a  servai  t.  3.  Of  Christ's 
obedience  unto  the  death  of  the  cross,  in  which  he  "  tasted  death  for  every  man."  If 
the  Lord  of  glory  deigned  to  die  for  men,  it  is  scarcely  possible  for  any  disciple  of 
Christ  to  render  service  to  his  fellow-men  which  shall  fairly  express  the  devotion  to  the 
Master  and  the  consecration  to  his  service  which  he  has  a  right  to  expect.  It  is  in 
Christ  that  the  Christian  finds  the  motive  and  the  model  of  unselfishness,  humility 
and  benevolent  service. 

V.  The  reward  of  humility.  1.  Peace  of  conscience  is  one  hajipy  consequence  of 
this  disposition  and  habit.  Pride  is  the  cause  of  restlessness  and  of  wretchedness.  But 
the  meek  and  lowly  spirit  finds  true  and  lasting  rest.  2.  Honour  and  exaltation  by 
God  himself.  He  abases  the  proud ;  he  exalts  the  lowly  and  meek.  He  that  humbleth 
himself  shall  be  exalted.    Before  honour  is  humility. — T, 

Ver.  15. — The  supreme  example.  Imitation  is  a  principle  of  human  nature.  It  is 
natural,  and  therefore  the  means  by  which  a  great  part  of  our  knowledge  and  many  of 
our  habits  are  acquired.  It  is  universal,  prevailing  in  all  ranks  and  conditions  of 
society.  It  is  powerful,  moulding  character,  and  controlling  and  directing  life.  It  is 
ultimate,  not  to  be  explained,  but  to  be  accepted  upon  its  own  authority.  Upon  this 
principle  human  life  develops  itself;  upon  this  principle  education  for  the  most  part 
proceeds.  This  principle  is  manifested  in  religion ;  Christianity  makes  special  use  of 
ir,  and  Christ  is  the  Model  and  Exemplar  of  all  his  people. 

I.  The  characteristics  in  virtue  of  which  Christ  is  an  Example  to  men. 
1.  He  was  faultlessly  perfect.  Although  the  Bible  gives  us  many  examples  of  virtue 
and  pietj',  it  has  often  been  noticed  that  both  in  Old  and  New  Testament  Scripture 
human  character  is  represented  as  imperfect.  In  Christ  alone  no  sin  was  found.  His 
friends  can  find.no  words  warm  enough  to  praise  him ;  his  enemies  can  find  no  faults 
with  which  to  charge  him.  How  fitted,  then,  is  Jesus,  our  Redeemer,  to  be  also  our 
Model !  If  we  are  to  have  a  model  and  a  master,  let  us  choose  the  highest  and  the 
best.  Christ  always  towers  above  us,  and  above  all  his  rivals  and  all  his  followers.  2. 
His  example  is  singularly  comprehensive.  It  must  have  occurred  to  the  student  of 
Scripture  biography  that  human  exemplars  are  usually  quoted  as  illustrating  one  or 
a  few  excellences ;  Abraham  of  faith,  Job  of  patience,  Jacob  of  earnestness  iu  prayer, 
Moses  of  wisdom  and  meekness,  Joshua  of  courage,  David  of  devotion,  Daniel  of  fear- 
lessness, Peter  of  fervour;  Paul  of  zeal,  John  of  love.  In  Christ,  and  in  Christ  alone, 
all  goodness  is  conjoined.  It  is  sometimes  supposed  that  our  Saviour  exemplified  only 
the  softer  and  milder  virtues;  but  this  was  not  so,  although  for  wise  reasons  this  aspect 
of  his  character  is  dwelt  upon  most  fondly  by  the  evangelists.  There  was  in  him 
Divine  harmony  and  symmitry  of  character,  such  as  can  be  found  in  none  beside.  3. 
His  example  was  divinely  authoritative.  We  base  this  statement  upon  his  own 
language  :  "  Learn  of  me,"  "  Follow  me,"  etc.  And  upon  aix)stolic  teaching :  "  Walk 
even  as  Christ  walked,"  "  Christ  also  suffered  for  us,  leaving  us  an  example,"  etc. 

II.  The  respects  in  which  Christ  is  an  Example  to  men.  There  are  respects 
in  which  we  cannot  imitate  him.  For  example,  in  his  superhuman  knowledge  and 
power,  and  consequently  in  his  voluntary  humiliation.  1.  But  we  may  imitate  the 
Lord  Christ  in  his  consecration  to  his  Father's  will.  He  came  to  do  the  will  of  him 
who  sent  him,  and  he  pleased  not  himself.  This  same  principle  and  law  it  is  open  for 
us  to  adopt;  life  maybe  to  us  high  and  holy,  being  devoted  unto  God.  2.  In  his 
peisonal  purity.  Jesus  lived  in  a  sinful  world,  and  mi.xed  freely  with  sinful  men ;  yet 
he  was  unspotted  by  the  contact.  His  goodness  was  not  negative  only,  but  ixjsitive; 
every  virtue  was  perfected  in  his  life.     Can  ordinary  men,  in  the  busy  life  of  this 


206  THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.   JOHN.    [ch.  xin.  1— 3a 

workaday  world,  be  imitators  of  Christ?  There  are  abundant  illustrations  of  the  possi- 
bility ;  the  example  of  Jesus  is  one  which  it  is  practicable  to  follow.  3.  Especially  in 
his  humility  and  condescension.  This  is  the  virtue  to  which  in  this  passage  express 
allusion  is  made.  The  lesson  which  the  Lord  wished  to  convey  was  a  hard  oiie ;  accord- 
ingly he  taught  it,  not  simply  by  precept,  but  by  example.  A  literal  fulfilment  is  not 
expected,  but  the  spirit  of  Christ's  example  may  be  truly  shared.  4.  In  his  benevo- 
lence. In  the  Saviour  was  not  only  a  kindly  disposition,  but  a  habit  of  active  benefi- 
cence, a  readiness  to  forgive  injuries,  and  to  deal  patiently  and  forbearingly  with  the 
slow  of  heart  and  the  unsympathizing.  In  these  very  difficult  virtues  there  is  room 
for  Christ's  disciples  to  imitate  their  Lord. 

The  work  of  copying  the  perfect  model  is  to  be  a  progressive  work.  It  will  not 
be  completed  here ;  and  this  fact  points  on  to  the  future.  The  perfect  conformity  is  to 
be  attained  in  heaven,  where  we  shall  be  like  him ;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is. — T. 

Ver.  17. — The  blessedness  of  intelligent  obedience.  Our  Lord  Jesus  taught,  practised, 
and  commanded.  His  teaching  was  perfectly  true  and  wise ;  his  conduct  was  perfectly 
good  and  right ;  his  directions  were  perfectly  just  and  authoritative.  His  instructions 
were  sometimes  verbal,  sometimes  by  example,  and  sometimes  symbolical.  •  Christ 
taught  the  lesson  of  humility  not  only  by  words,  but  in  his  whole  demeanour  and 
conduct ;  nor  was  this  all,  for  he  illustrated  his  lesson,  now  by  setting  a  little  child  in 
the  midst  of  his  disciples  as  an  example,  and  again  by  washing  the  feet  of  his  apostles. 
Many  were  the  means  he  used  to  impress  this  and  other  lessons  of  moral  excellence 
upon  his  disciples.  But  he  always  insisted  that  true  discipleship  was  not  in  an  intel- 
lectual acquaintance  with  his  teaching,  but  in  a  cheerful  compliance  with  his  will.  As 
Lord  of  all,  he  sought  to  bring  the  whole  nature  under  his  control ;  and  as  their  Master 
and  Lord,  he  assured  them  with  authority  that  their  true  welfare  lay  in  their  not  only 
knowing,  but  in  their  doing,  his  commandments. 

I.  Knowledge.  Man  is  made  to  know.  It  is  his  privilege  and  prerogative  to 
exercise  his  understanding  and  reason.  Truth  is  within  man's  reach — not  all  truth, 
but  certainly  such  as  is  most  necessary  for  his  well-being.  Of  all  knowledge,  none  is  so 
valuable  as  the  knowledge  of  God  in  Christ.  The  highest  truth  is  presented  in  our 
Lord's  life,  his  deeds  and  words,  his  sufferings  and  glory.  He  is  the  one  great  Lesson 
for  mankind  to  study  and  to  learn.  The  twelve  had  abundant  means  of  knowing 
Christ,  of  becoming  acquainted  with  his  character  and  his  will.  But  through  our  pos- 
session of  the  New  Testament  we  have  sufiicient  opportunities  of  learning  Christ.  In 
order  that  our  knowledge  may  be  complete,  as  far  as  our  position  allows,  we  must  study 
the  Saviour  and  his  revelation  of  himself,  his  declaration  of  his  will,  with  reverence 
and  meekness,  with  faith  and  prayer. 

II.  Practice.  Our  nature  is  not  only  intellectual ;  it  is  also  active.  Our  life  is  not 
one  of  pure  contemplation  ;  it  is  eminently  practical.  Knowledge  without  correspond- 
ing conduct  is  vain,  is  even  worse  than  ignorance.  It  is  like  steam  which  is  generated 
in  the  boiler,  but  which  is  not  brought  to  bear  as  motive  power  upon  an  engine.  It  is 
like  the  blossom  which  in  itself  is  beautiful,  but  which  is  followed  by  no  fruit.  Those 
who  believe  that  there  is  a  revelation  should  receive  it.  Those  who  are  convinced  that 
Christ  is  the  Son  of  God  should  live  by  faith  in  him.  Those  who  are  persuaded  that 
Christ's  law  is  the  highest  standard  of  morality  should  obey  that  law  and  conform  to 
that  standard.  Those  who  believe  that  there  is  a  future  life,  and  that  they  are  account- 
able to  a  righteous  Judge,  should  prepare  for  judgment  and  for  immortHlity.  Know- 
ledge without  corresponding  conduct  is  seen  to  be  useless  in  every  department  of  life  ; 
how  reprehensible  must  it  be  in  religion  !  A  young  man  may  study  law  through  a 
long  series  of  years,  and  under  the  euperinttendence  of  able  practitioners ;  of  what  avail 
is  his  knowledge  if,  when  the  time  comes  for  him  to  act  for  himself,  he  cannot  draw 
a  deed  in  chambers,  or  construct  a  defence  for  a  client  in  court  ?  The  pupil  of  an 
engineer  may  have  a  good  knowledge  of  mathematics,  may  be  able  to  make  accurate 
drawings  of  other  men's  work  ;  but  is  his  theoretical  ability  of  service  to  him  in 
practice?  That  is  the  important  question  ;  for  no  one  will  employ  a  man  to  build  a 
bridge,  or  to  bore  a  tunnel,  unless  he  has  shown  himself  capable  of  carrying  out  such 
works.  A  cadet  may  pass  the  preliminary  examinations,  may  study  the  art  of  fortifi- 
cation, the  laws  of  projectiles,  the  tactics  adopted  by  famous  generals  in  historical 


CH.  xm.  1—38.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  207 


campaigns ;  but  all  this  is  preparatory  to  actual  warfare,  and  he  will  have  studied  to 
good  purpose  only^if,  when  the  time  comes,  when  some  unexpected  responsibility  falls 
upon  him,  he  is  able  to  lead  a  force  or  to  defend  a  city.  In  like  manner  young  people 
are  taught  the  Scripture^,  are  made  familiar  with  the  doctrines,  the  principles,  the  laws 
of  Christianity.  To  what  end  ?  Surely  with  the  intention  that  they  may  not  merely 
call  Jesus  Master  and  Lord,  but  that  they  may  do  the  things  which  he  bids. 

III.  Blessedness.  It  is  wrong  to  make  happiness  the  one  great  end  of  life.  Yet 
happiness  is  a  merciful  addition  to  life — an  ornament  and  a  recompense  appointed  by  a 
benevolent  Providence.  It  is  remarkable  how  often  the  Lord  Jesus  pronounceil  those 
happy  who  shared  his  character  and  obeyed  his  will.  The  pursuit  and  acquirement  of 
knowledge  are  attended  with  happiness;  but  the  truest  happiness  is  the  fruit  of 
obedience.  1.  This  appears  from  the  consideration  that  those  who  know  and  do  Christ's 
will  employ  all  their  powers  in  true  harmony.  The  capacity  for  knowledge  and  the 
faculty  for  action  in  such  a  case  work  together  towards  an  end,  and  such  co-operation 
he  who  made  our  nature  has  designed  to  be  productive  of  a  tranquil  joy.  "  This  man," 
says  James,  speaking  of  the  doer  of  the  work,  "  shall  be  happy  in  his  doing."  2.  They 
who  know  and  do  Christ's  will  are  happy,  because  they  have  a  good  conscience.  If  a 
man  feels  and  says,  "  I  know  that  I  ought  to  follow  such  a  line  of  conduct,  but  I  confess 
that  I  do  not  carry  out  my  convictions,"  how  can  he  have  peace?  The  conviction  and 
reproof  of  the  inward  monitor  will  not  let  him  rest.  On  the  other  hand,  when  there  is 
no  schism  between  knowledge  and  practice,  the  voice  of  conscience  speaks  approval, 
and  such  approbation  is  blessedness  indeed.  3.  Obedience  as  the  fruit  of  knowledge  is 
accepted  and  commended  by  the  Lord  Christ.  His  approving  smile  rests  upon  his  true 
and  loyal  disciple  and  servant,  who  takes  up  his  cross,  when  so  summoned,  and  follows 
his  Lord.  Hereafter  the  blessedness  shall  be  perfect,  for  Christ  shall  say  to  the  faithful 
servant,  "Enter  ihou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." — T. 

Yer.  21. — A  disciple  and  yet  a  traitor.  In  how  many  passages  of  the  gospel  narra- 
tive is  there  a  revelation  of  the  truly  human  heart  of  our  Lord  Jesus !  Again  and  again 
he  was  grieved,  troubled,  indignant ;  for  he  was  a  partaker  of  our  nature  and  of  ous 
sinless  feelings.  It  is  observable  that  most  instances  of  our  Lord's  deep  feeling  were 
occasions  upon  which  others  had,  by  their  conduct,  displeased  or  disappointed  him. 
He  was  bitterly  distressed  by  the  unbelief  and  unfaithfulness  of  those  whose  welfare  he 
sought.  No  wonder  that,  amidst  the  complication  of  sufferings  which  closed  around 
him  as  his  Passion  approached,  the  treachery  of  Judas  pained  his  tender  and  sensitive 
heart. 

I.  DisciPLESHiP  MAKES  TREACHERY  POSSIBLE.  It  was  sad  cnough  foF  Jesus  to  know 
that,  among  those  to  whom  he  ministered,  there  were  many  who  were  incredulous  as  to 
his  teaching  and  claims,  and  hostile  to  his  plans.  "  He  came  to  his  own,  and  his  own 
received  him  not."  But  it  was  sadder  that,  in  the  circle  of  his  chosen  and  trusted  com- 
panions, there  should  be  those  who,  whilst  professing  allegiance  and  attachment,  were 
in  heart  estranged  from  him,  and  were  ready,  when  opportunity  should  offer,  to  desert 
and  to  betray  him.  And  it  nmst  be  remembered  that,  although  there  were  enemies 
without,  traitors  could  only  arise  from  within.  An  open  foe  one  knows  how  to  treat ; 
one  may  evade  or  overcome.  But  a  secret  foe,  in  the  court,  in  the  camp,  in  the  house- 
hold, is  far  more  dangerous.  He  has,  by  reason  of  the  confidence  with  which  he  is 
treated,  opjxirtunities  of  injuring  a  leader,  a  cause,  which  no  other  can  use.  If  all  men 
were  cither  avowed  foes  or  sincere  friends  of  Christ,  there  would  be  no  danger,  for  there 
would  be  no  possibility  of  treachery.  Judas  knew  the  place  and  the  time  for  finding 
the  Master  unprotected ;  and  the  open  enemies  of  Jesus  made  use  of  the  knowledge 
of  his  professed  friend,  who  led  them  to  the  garden,  pointed  out  the  object  of  their 
hostility,  and  betrayed  the  Son  of  man  with  a  kiss. 

II.  DiSCIPLESUIP    MAKES    TREACHERY     DOUBLY    BLAMABLE.        For  :    1.    The    disciplc 

knows  the  Master,  and  accordingly  knows  his  exceUences  and  his  just  claim  to 
reverence  and  fidelity.  There  were  those  among  our  Lord's  enemies  who  wronged  him, 
not  knowing  what  they  did.  They  had  no  real  perception  of  his  goodness  and  the 
Divine  beauty  of  his  character.  Since  they  knew  nothing  against  Jesus,  they  were 
grievously  to  blame  for  the  part  they  took  against  him.  Still  they  did  not  sin  against 
clear,  full  daylight.     But  Judas  was  in  constant  association  with  his  Lord,  and  knew 


208  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiii.  1—38. 

liow  perfectly  Jesua  merited  tlie  warmest  attachment  and  devotion.  Yet  he  betrayed 
him  whom  he  should  have  honoured  and  defended  ;  and  on  this  account  his  guilt  was 
tireater.  It  may  be  said  of  many  who  have  been  trained  in  the  Ciiristian  Church,  who 
hrtve  enjoyed  many  opportunities  of  studying  Christ's  character,  and  who  yet  have 
•deserted  and  calumniated  their  Lord,  that  their  sin  is  without  cloak.  They  knew  how 
holy  and  how  compassionate  was  the  Saviour  against  whom  they  spoke  and  acted,  and 
theirs  is  the  greater  sin.  2.  The  disciple  has  been  graciously  treated  by  the  Master, 
and  this  fact  aggravates  the  guilt  of  him  who,  having  been  so  treated,  proves  traitor. 
Judas  was  admitted  to  the  Saviour's  intimacy,  was  even  promoted  to  an  office  of 
trust,  was  permitted  to  provide  for  Jesus'  wants,  and  to  administer  Jesus'  charity ; 
yet  he  betrayed  the  Lord  who  had  so  exalted  him.  How  many  are  there  who,  as 
disciples,  have  listened  to  Christ's  words,  eaten  at  his  table,  companied  with  his 
friends,  yet,  in  the  hour  of  temptation,  have  fallen,  and  have  betrayed  the  dear  Lord, 
whose  kindness  should  have  been  with  them  as  a  sacred  amulet  to  preserve  them  from 
defi-ction  ! 

Practical  lessons.  1.  Let  the  history  of  Judas  remind  us  of  human  infirmity  and 
liability  to  sin.  2.  Let  the  tempted  remember  that  Christ's  knowledge  of  his  people 
is  complete.  "Whilst  he  knows  the  hypocrisy  of  the  false,  he  knows  the  danger  of  the 
sincere  and  true  friend.  3.  Let  every  disciple  hold  fast  to  the  Saviour,  for  in  his 
fellowship  only  is  safety.  The  peril  lies  in  consorting  with  Christ's  foe?,  in  entering 
into  any  complicity  with  such,  in  even'  hearkening  to  their  plans.  Better  to  be  in  the 
garden  with  Christ,  than  in  the  council-house  with  Christ's  foes. — T. 

Ver.  23. — The  intimate  friend  of  Jesus.  In  mentioning  himself  in  this  indirect 
manner,  our  Lord's  beloved  disciple  displays  his  modesty,  and  at  the  same  time  gratifies 
his  attached  devotion  to  his  Master.  The  friendship  which  existed  between  Jesus  and 
John  has  been  productive  of  some  obvious  and  signal  advantages  to  the  Church  and  to 
mankind  at  large. 

I.  This  friendship  was  the  means  by  which  there  has  been  provided  for 
ys  a  memoir  of  Christ  distinguished  by  a  remarkable  congeniality  between 
THE  biographer  AND  HIS  DiviNE  SUBJECT.  If  the  first  three  Gospels  contain  the 
popular  tradition  concerning  Jesus,  the  Fourth  Gospel  records  the  impressions  received 
during  an  association  of  the  closest  character,  lasting  throughout  our  Lord's  public 
ministry.  It  is  to  this  fact  that  we  owe  the  record  of  conversations  and  discourses  not 
preserved  by  the  other  evangelists,  and  more  particularly  of  our  Lord's  wonderful  reve- 
lations, promises,  and  prayers  preceding  his  betrayal  and  crucifixion.  The  difference, 
which  cannot  but  be  noticed  by  every  reader  as  distinguishing  John's  Gospel  from  the 
others,  must  be  mainly  attributable  to  John's  peculiar  opportunities  of  knowing  Christ, 
and  to  that  congeniality  of  spirit  which  enabled  him  to  limn  a  portrait  of  his  Friend 
in  outlines  so  clear,  in  colours  so  true. 

II.  To   THIS   friendship   we   owe   DOCUMENTS   PECULIARLY   STEEPED    IN    THE   SPIRIT 

OF  Christ's  character  and  example.  No  one  can  study  John's  three  Epistles  and 
the  Book  of  Revelation  without  recognizing,  in  the  compositions  of  their  author,  the 
influence  of  the  Redeemer's  companionship  and  teaching.  Not  only  did  John  (the 
eagle  of  the  Christian  symbolists)  soar  into  the  heavenly,  the  spiritual  world,  and  dis- 
cern the  Deity  and  the  eternal  glory  of  his  Master ;  he  also,  by  association  with  him  in 
his  humanity  and  his  humiliation,  so  shared  his  spirit,  that  we  seem,  in  reading  some 
of  John's  words,  almost  to  be  reading  the  words  of  Jesus  himself.  Especially  is  this 
apparent  in  the  constant  inculcation  in  the  First  Epistle  of  the  incomparable  virtue  of 
Christian  love. 

III.  The  friendship  between  the  Master  and  his  disciple  affords  us  an 
insight  into  the  very  heart  of  Christ.  Our  Lord's  perfect  humanity  is  here 
brought  very  strikingly  before  us.  There  are  several  intimations  of  Christ's  capacity 
for  human  love  He  loved  the  young  ruler  who  appealed  to  him  for  spiritual  direction  ; 
he  loved  the  family  at  Bethany ;  and  he  loved  the  disciple  who  was  wont  to  recline 
upon  his  breast  at  their  social  meals.  John's  was  not  only  the  place  of  distinction  and 
honour;  it  was  the  place  of  affection.  We  delight  to  remark  our  Lord's  perfect  partici- 
pation in  our  human  nature,  with  its  sympathies,  its  tenderness,  its  personal  affections. 
Jesus  appreciated  the  noble,  ardent,  affectionate  nature  of  the  son  of  Zebedee ;  and  he 


CH.  XIII.  1—38.]    THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  200 

appreciated  still  more  the  growth  and  completeness  of  his  own  Divine  image  in  the 
character  of  John.  All  this  makes  our  Saviour  more  real  and  more  dear  to  his  admiring 
people. 

IV.  The  friendship  between  our  Lord  and  his  beloved  disciple  is  an  encour- 
agement TO  SEEK  A  CLOSE  AND  AFFECTIONATE  INTIMACY  WITH  THE  HeDEEMEU.      There 

is  nothing  on  Christ's  side  to  preclude  the  possibility  at  present  of  such  a  friendship  as 
that  recorded  to  have  existed  during  his  earthly  ministry.  The  conditions  of  hallowed 
felk)wship  with  Jesus  are  such  as  all  Christians  should  aspire  to  fulfil.  "Ye  are  my 
friends,"  said  our  Lord,  "  if  ye  do  whatsoever  things  I  command  you."  There  is  no 
caprice,  no  favouritism,  in  our  Lord's  intimacies.  The  reverent,  the  lowly,  the  obedient, 
are  encouraged  to  aspire  to  his  precious  friendship.  His  love  of  compassion  is  towards 
us  all ;  that  love  may  become  towards  any  disciple  who  does  his  will  and  seeks  his 
Spirit — a  love  of  complacency,  sympathy,  and  delight. — T. 

Vers.  34,  35. — Mutual  love.  Upon  our  Saviour's  departure  from  the  world,  he 
made  provision  for  the  perpetuity  of  his  work  upon  earth  and  among  men.  This  he 
did  by  constituting  a  society  of  living  persons,  who  were  to  be  united  together  by 
bonds  of  peculiar  strength.  The  ties  which  the  Lord  intended  to  knit  his  people 
together  were  three,  and  "  a  threefold  cord  is  not  quickly  broken."  Faith  in  Christ,  love 
to  one  another,  and  benevolent  efifort  for  the  world's  salvation, — these  were  the  three 
"notes"  of  Christian  discipleship,  the  three  elements  by  which  the  Church  was  to  be 
cemented  into  a  true  unity.  Of  these  the  Saviour,  in  this  passage,  lays  stress  upon  the 
second. 

I.  Mutual  love  is  the  commandment  op  Christ.  1.  Who  are  they  of  whom 
this  mutual  love  is  required?  The  admonition  here  is  not  to  general  philanthropy, 
but  to  affection  towards  brethren  in  the  spiritual  family.  Notwithstanding  social 
differences,  notwithstanding  diverse  tastes  and  habits,  Christians  are  bound  together 
by  ties  stronger  than  all  forces  which  disunite.  2.  What  kind  of  love  is  this  which 
the  Saviour  here  enjoins?  It  is  a  disposition  contrary  to  that  old  nature  which 
displays  itself  in  coldness,  suspicion,  malice,  and  envy.  It  is  a  disposition  which 
reveals  itself  in  good  will,  confidence,  and  mutual  helpfulness.  3.  Is  it  reasonable  for 
love  to  be  commanded'^  Must  not  love  ever  be  spontaneous  and  free?  The  answer 
to  this  question  is  that  Christian  love  may  be  cultivated  by  the  use  of  means  a])pointed 
by  Divine  wisdom.  4.  In  what  sense  is  this  a  new  commandment?  Not  absohuely  ; 
for  the  Old  Testament  enjoins  mutual  kindliness  and  benevolence.  But  it  is  new  as  a 
law  of  Christ  for  the  government  of  society  at  large,  new  in  its  range  and  scope,  new 
in  its  spiritual  sanction  and  its  Divine  prototype. 

II.  Mutual  love  is  motived  by  and  is  modelled  upon  Christ's  love  for  his 
people.  1.  The  motive.  It  is  observable  here,  as  elsewhere,  that  our  Lord  refers  all 
duty  and  virtue  to  himself.  To  the  Christian,  Jesus  is  the  Master  in  all  conduct,  the 
spiritual  Power  that  accounts  for  the  renewed  character  in  all  its  phases.  He  loved 
us  with  a  love  in  which  he  identifies  his  people  with  himself.  We  may  show  our 
devotion  to  him  by  loving  his  people  as  himself.  2.  The  model.  Christ  alone  is  the 
perfect  Example ;  he  loved  his  people  with  a  constant,  patient,  and  forbearing  love ;  with 
a  love  active,  practical,  and  self-sacrificing.  As  he  lovtd  us,  so  he  expects  us  to  lovo 
one  another. 

III.  Mutual  love  is  a  proof  op  Christian  discipleship.  This  is  the  test  which 
the  Master  himself  has  chosen.  1.  It  is  a  proof  to  the  Christian  himself.  "  We  know 
that  we  have  passed  out  of  death  into  life,  because  we  love  the  brethren."  2.  It  is  a  proof 
recognized  by  fi-llow-Christians.  Love  is  a  means  of  recognition;  it  is  the  language 
which  tells  that  we  have  met  a  fellow-countryman.  It  is  a  claim  for  sympathy,  a 
summons  to  responsive  kindness.  3.  It  is  an  argument  which  tends  to  convince  the 
woild.  The  exhibition  of  mutual  love  was,  as  is  evident  from  the  well-known  pa3.«age 
in  Tertullian,  early  recognized  as  distinguishing  Christians  from  tbe  unbelieving  world. 
It  was  felt  that  Christianity  was  a  new  and  beneficent  power  in  human  society. 
"  Your  Master  made  you  all  brethren!"  Such  was  the  exclamation  forced  from  the 
beholder.  Often  as  this  ideal  has  been  unrealized,  still  its  life  and  force  have  not 
departed,  and  Christianity  must  now  be  acknowledged  as  the  one  only  moral  power 
which  can  change  hatred  into  love,  and  warfare  into  amity. — T. 

JOHN. — u,  p 


210  THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO  ST.   JOHN.     [ch.  xiir.  1—38. 

Ver.  37. — Promptness  infoUoioivg  Jesus.  There  was  a  reason  why  Peter  could  not 
follow  Jesus  then.  He  could  not  lay  down  his  life  for  Christ  until  Christ  had  laid  down 
his  life  for  him.  Peter  did  sincerely  aspire  to  obedience  and  consecration.  But  much 
was  necessary  before  he  should  be  able  to  realize  his  aspirations.  He  must  needs  learn 
his  own  weakness,  and  prove  the  strength  and  grace  of  his  Lord.  When  these  lessons 
had  been  learned,  he  was  ready  enough  to  take  up  his  cross  and  to  follow  the  Master, 
even  unto  death. 

I.  This  question  reveals  a  just  conception  of  the  religious  life.  1.  It 
consists  in  personal  relation,  as  is  apparent  from  the  use  of  the  terms  "  I "  and  "  thee." 
In  order  to  a  right  course,  it  is  necessary  to  understand  and  to  feel  that  the  individual 
soul  has  to  be  brought  into  conscious  and  immediate  contact  with  Christ  Jesus.  The 
experience  of  the  Apostle  Paul  may  be  quoted  as  exemplifying  this :  "  He  loved  me,  and 
gave  himself  for  me."  If  Jesus  be  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Saviour  of  mankind,  as  a 
personal  and  living  Benefactor,  he  must  be  approached  in  spirit  and  by  faith  by  every 
one  who  would  know  his,power  and  feel  his  love.  2.  It  consists  in  following  Christ. 
We  must  confide  in  him,  admire  and  love  him,  in  order  that  we  may  follow  him.  By 
"following  him" — an  expression  frequent  in  the  New  Testament — is  to  be  understood 
imitating  his  example  and  doing  his  will.  Such  conduct  is  the  proof  of  the  reality  of 
the  personal  relationship  presumed.  It  is  not  a  simple  act,  but  a  constant  habit,  that 
is  intended  by  this  phrase.  To  follow  a  guide,  a  man  must  follow  him  in  every  stage 
of  the  journey,  until  the  end  is  reached.  So  is  it  with  the  Christian's  relation  to  bis 
Lord.  It  may  be  that  to  follow  Christ  will  involve  the  taking  np  of  his  cross,  sharing 
his  persecution,  perhaps  even  his  death.  This  Peter  learned  in  after-years.  But  the 
question  for  Christ's  disciple  is  not — Whither  will  this  resolve  lead  me?  but  rather — 
Am  I  in  the  way  of  obedience  ?  in  the  footsteps  of  my  Lord  ? 

II.  This  question  implies  the  immediate  claim  of  religion.  "Even  now" — 
such  is  the  language  of  Peter's  ardent  spirit.  The  summons  of  God  is  to  prompt, 
unhesitating  obedience :  "  Seek  ye  the  Lord  while  he  may  be  found."  The  possibility 
of  blfssing  is  assured  upon  compliance  with  the  requirement  of  iuimediate  application  : 
"  Now  is  the  accepted  time."  The  promise  is  to  those  who  give  heed  without  delay  : 
"  To-day  if  ye  will  hear  his  voice."  It  may  be  urged  upon  the  young  that  theirs  is 
the  period  of  life  in  which  it  is  wise  to  resolve  upon  the  path  of  earth's  pilgrimage. 
It  may  be  urged  upon  the  old  that  the  present  is  almost  the  only  time  left  for  them  to 
obey  the  voice  of  Heaven.  Some  for  the  first  time  hear  the  truth  with  conviction  of 
the  understanding,  with  emotion  of  the  heart;  let  such  take  advantage  of  this  new 
enlightenment  and  enthusiasm,  lest  the  unheeded  voice  of  conscience  be  hushed. 
Others  have  often  acknowledged  the  justice  of  the  Divine  claim,  but  have  hardened 
themselves  against  it  by  worldliness  and  sin ;  let  such  remember  that  now  may  be 
their  last  opportunity,  and  beware  lest  it  pass  away  and  leave  them  unblessed. 

III.  This  question  suggests  the  consideration  of  the  reasons  why  hearers 
OF  the  gospel  do  not  follow  Jesus  even  now.  Of  course  there  are  many  who 
have  no  disposition  to  seek  what  is  good ;  but  even  amongst  such  as  do  not  deny  the 
claims  of  Christ,  and  are  not  indifferent  to  those  clainjs,  there  are  to  be  found  some 
who  do  not  arise  and  undertake  the  Christian  pilgrimage.  This  may  be  explained  in 
one  of  two  ways.  1.  On  the  part  of  some  there  is  unwillingness  to  give  up  the 
.service  of  sin.  The  emoluments  or  the  pleasures  of  sin  may  have  a  stronger  attraction 
for  them  than  the  voice  of  Divine  love  counteracts.  Not  insensible  to  the  nobility  and 
bles-edness  of  a  religious  life,  they  yet  suffer  themselves  to  be  drawn  into  what  they 
know  is  an  inferior  path,  by  the  fascinations  of  carnal  joys,  of  sinful  society,  of  worldly 
interest.  There  may  be  in  their  minds  a  hope  that  at  some  future  time,  when  these . 
attractions  have  lost  much  of  their  power,  another  course  may  be  taken,  a  better  part 
be  chosen.  2.  On  the  part  of  others  there  is  a  habit  of  indecision  and  procrastination. 
A  want  of  depth  of  nature,  a  disinclination  for  serious  deliberation,  a  weak  suscepti- 
bility to  various  distractions,  or  a  habitual  fickleness,  prevent  some  from  following 
Christ,  in  following  whom  they  would  be  acting  in  conformity  with  their  highest  con- 
victions and  with  the  impulses  of  their  better  nature.  They  are  far  from  denying  the 
truth,  from  deliberately  rejecting  the  Saviour,  from  wilfully  despising  their  opportu- 
nities, from  ridiculing  the  offers  of  the  gospel ;  yet  they  are  so  foolish  as  to  put  off  a 
practical  acknowledgment  of  the  claims  of  Christ  until  "  a  more  convenient  season." 


en.  XIII.  1—38.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  211 

IV.  This  question  suggests  reasons  why  all  men  should  follow  Jesus  even 
NOW.  1.  They  may.  The  invitations  of  the  Word  of  God  are  many  and  plain  and 
persuasive.  What  words  were  more  frequent  and  emphatic  on  the  lips  of  Jesus  than 
such  as  these :  "  Come  unto  me !  "  "  Follow  me !  "  2.  They  can.  Christ  does  not  call 
men,  and  then  withhold  the  grace  which  is  needed  to  obey  the  call.  The  help  of  tlie 
Holy  Spirit  is  necessary,  and  that  help  is  graciously  bestowed.  3.  They  ought. 
Obedience  to  the  voice  which  speaks  from  heaven,  to  the  voice  which  speaks  within,  to 
duty,  to  conscience,  to  God,  requires  us  all  to  follow  Jesus  "  even  now." — T. 

Ver.  1. — Jesus  loving  to  the  end.     Notice — 

I.  The  special  knowledge  op  Christ.  This  was  the  knowledge  respecting  his 
death.  Its  speciality  lies,  not  in  his  knowing  the  fact  that  he  would  die,  but  in  certain 
circumstances  connected  with  it,  the  knowledge  of  which  was  calculated  to  pain  and 
discourage  him.  1.  He  kntio  the  time  of  his  death.  This  is  wisely  hid  from  us ;  but 
he  knew  the  hour  and  the  minute.  2.  He  knew  that  the  time  of  his  death  had  already 
come.  "Knew  that  his  hour  was  come,"  etc.  Comparatively  speaking,  he  was  already 
within  the  deadly  hour,  and  had  only  a  few  minutes  between  him  and  the  last  conflict. 

3.  He  knew  the  awfid  circumstances  of  his  death.  He  knew  that  it  would  be  by 
crucifixion,  with  all  its  physical  torture,  public  shame,  and  insult.  Earth  and  hell 
competed  in  making  his  death  as  painful  and  ignominious  as  possible,  and  his  physical 
sufferings  were  but  a  faint  shadow  of  his  mental  and  spiritual,  which  could  only  be 
known  to  and  fully  realized  by  himself.  He  acted  through  life  in  the  full  knowledge 
of  these,  which  would  naturally  paralyze  his  actions  and  dry  the  springs  of  his  energy. 

4.  But  in  his  knowledge  there  ivere  some  alleviating  features.  (1)  He  knew  that  his 
death  would  involve  his  escape  from  an  evil  and  hottile  icoild.  He  had  lived  in  it  now 
about  thirty-three  years.  He  had  spent  a  quiet  youth,  and  the  greatest  portion  of  his 
manhood  seemed  to  have  been  peaceful  and  happy;  but  the  last  three  years  he  had 
borne  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day,  and  experienced  the  most  hostile  opposition  of 
the  world  which  he  had  come  to  benefit.  He  knew  that  bis  death  would  involve  his 
escape  from  this,  which  in  itself  would  doubtless  be  a  relief.  (2)  He  knew  that  his  death 
would  be  only  a  change  of  state,  and  not  an  extinction  of  existence,  nor  a  cessation  of 
life.  He  speaks  of  it,  not  as  an  extinction  or  expulsion,  or  even  a  flight,  but  a 
departure.  The  commotion,  extinction,  and  hurry  were  only  outward ;  in  the  inner 
regions  there  was  only  a  quiet  walk  into  other  scenes.  (3)  He  knew  that  his  death 
would  involve  his  going  home.  We  can  well  imagine  this  world,  even  to  a  wicked 
man,  becoming  so  disagreeable  as  to  make  death  comparatively  sweet.  A  leap  is 
delightful,  even  in  the  dark;  but  Jesus  knew  absolutely  whither  he  was  going — that  he 
was  going  to  a  happy  and  to  a  loving  Father.  It  is  sweet  to  come  home  tiom  eveiy- 
where,  even  from  the  brightest  scenes  and  the  most  delightful  society ;  but  sweeter 
still  to  go  home  from  a  hostile  country  and  a  rough  voyage.  This  was  what  Jesus  was 
conscious  of  now.  To  him  death  was  a  felt  gain  and  a  royal  exchange — a  hostile  world 
for  a  happy  home,  the  most  cruel  treatment  for  the  bosom  of  an  indulgent  Father,  and 
the  wild  execrations  of  the  mad  throng  lor  the  sweet  music  of  golden  harps.  (4)  He 
knew  that  his  death  would  involve  the  greatest  benefit  to  the  tvorld.  Its  cruelty  could 
only  be  surpassed  by  the  invaluable  spiritual  blessings  which  shall  ever  flow  from  it. 

II.  The  special  love  of  Jesus.  "  Having  loved  his  own."  1.  The  special  objects 
of  his  love.  "  His  own."  The  world  was  his  own — it  was  made  by  him,  and  now  he 
had  become  its  tenant.  The  inhabitants  of  the  world  were  his  own — he  had  created 
them  in  his  image ;  and  what  sad  impressions  were  his  as  he  saw  on  every  hand  the 
Divine  image  marred  and  disregarded !  The  Jewish  nation  were  his  own,  but  they 
disowned  and  rejected  him.  But  his  disciples  were  specially  his  own.  (1)  By  special 
love.  All  material  objects,  the  earth,  ])lanets,  moon,  stars,  and  sun,  are  the  children  of 
his  power  and  wisdom.  But  his  disciples  were  the  children  of  his  care  and  mercy,  the 
produce  and  property  of  his  love.  (2)  By  his  Father's  gift.  They  were  given  to  him 
to  redeem,  save,  and  perfect.  (3)  By  purchase.  Thev  were  bought  with  a  ])rice ;  the 
price  was  paid — he  laid  down  his  life  for  them.  (4)  By  mutual  choice.  He  chose 
them,  and  they  voluntarily  chose  him.  They  were  his  willing  slaves.  He  had  loved 
them  so  much  as  to  bind  them  to  himself  and  engage  their  faith,  obedience,  and  service. 
(5)  They  were  his  absolutely  and  for  ever.    Nothing  could  separate  them  from  him. 


212  THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO  ST.  JOH^T.    [ch,  xni.  1—38. 

He  would  dispense  with  all  his  property  rather  than  this.  They  were  specially  his 
own  and  the  objects  of  his  special  love.  2.  Some  of  the  special  features  of  his  love. 
His  love  to  his  disciples  must  be  somewhat  distinguished  from  his  love  to  the  world. 
(1)  It  is  the  love  of  relationship.  He  was  their  Saviour,  and  they  the  saved.  He  was 
their  King,  and  they  his  loyal  subjects.  He  was  their  great  Benefactor,  and  they  his 
grateful  dependents.  They  were  his  brethren,  and  he  their  elder  Brother.  There  was 
a  family  feeling.  (2)  Love  of  complacency.  He  could  faintly  see  in  them  his  image 
and  that  of  his  Father.  He  could  hear  the  music  of  heaven  in  their  voices,  and  detect 
the  language  of  Paradise  in  their  conversation.  (3)  The  love  of  value.  The  esteem 
of  property  according  to  its  value.  These  disciples,  although  few  and  poor,  were  to  him 
iufinitely  valuable.  An  infinite  price  had  been  paid  for  them,  and  infinite  benefits 
would  result  from  the  purchase  in  relation  to  the  grand  purposes  of  his  love.  They 
were  his  jewels,  the  seed  with  which  to  sow  his  land,  the  handful  of  corn  on  the  tops 
of  the  mountains,  the  foundation-stones  of  the  Church,  the  twelve  gates  of  the  heavenly 
city,  and  the  furniture  with  which  Jesus  commenced  his  life  on  earth.  (4)  Love 
excited  by  trouble  and  opposition,.  "  His  own  which  were  in  the  world."  The  world 
was  hostile  to  and  hated  them,  and  the  more  they  were  hated  and  opposed  by  the  world 
the  more  they  were  loved  and  befriended  by  Jesus.  3.  TJie  perfection  of  his  love. 
"  Unto  the  end."  (1)  Perfect  in  nature.  Pure,  disinterested,  and  self-sacrificing.  (2) 
Perfect  in  degree.  It  was  human  in  manifestation,  but  Divine  in  quality  and  quantity. 
His  love,  as  indicated  by  the  sacrifice,  was  infinite  and  full  to  overflowing — an  ocean 
without  a  bottom  or  shore.  The  sacrifice  of  his  love  was  infinite,  its  care  most  tender 
and  watchful,  its  protection  most  powerful  and  safe,  and  its  supplies  most  benevolent 
and  free.  He  loved  them  to  the  uttermost.  (3)  Perfect  in  constancy  and  duration, 
"  Unto  the  end."  Many  circumstances  cause  human  love  to  flag,  (a)  Unworthiness 
in  its  objects.  But  this  had  no  efiect  upon  the  love  of  Jesus.  His  disciples  were  weak 
and  imperfect ;  one  of  them  denied  him,  and  all  left  him  in  the  hour  of  trial ;  but  he 
remained  faithful  to  them,  (h)  The  trouble  of  the  parties — of  the  lover  and  the  objects 
of  his  love.  But  this  had  no  disparaging  effects  upon  the  love  of  Jesus.  The  trouble 
of  his  disciples  increased  his  love  for  them,  and  it  was  intensified  by  his  own.  Indeed,  on 
account  of  his  love  for  them  he  was  crucified.  He  knew  beforehand  that  his  death  would 
be  most  cruel ;  still,  this  knowledge,  so  far  from  causing  his  love  to  flag,  made  it  most 
heroic,  and  to  blaze  with  increasing  brilliancy  through  the  gloom,  (c)  Separation  of 
the  parties.  With  human  love,  it  is  often  "  out  of  sight  out  of  mind."  But  separation 
brought  Jesus  nearer  to  his  disciples  than  before.  The  arms  of  his  love  embraced  them 
through  death,  and  he  carried  them  away  in  his  heart.  He  could  not  go  home  all  the 
way  without  sending  back  two  white-robed  messengers  to  direct  and  comfort  them. 
The  distance  between  heaven  and  earth  only  made  them  nearer.  4,  The  elevation  of 
one  of  the  parties.  The  chief  butler  of  Pharaoh  forgot  Joseph  after  being  restored  to 
royal  favour.  But  this  was  far  from  being  the  case  with  Jesus.  He  was  exalted  to  the 
highest  position  and  glory,  but  forgot  not  his  earthly  friends.  He  ascended,  in  fact,  to 
receive  gifts  for  them,  and,  faithful  to  his  promise  and  punctual  to  the  minute,  sent  back 
to  them  his  Holy  Spirit,  the  greatest  Gift  of  his  love,  and  the  Executor  of  his  purpose  in 
them.  Amidst  the  music  and  happiness  of  heaven  he  will  not  cease  to  love  his  friends 
till  t;heir  faith  is  complete  and  their  character  perfect. 

Lessons.  Contemplation  of  the  love  of  Christ  should  inspire  his  disciples  :  1.  With 
the  profoundest  gratitude  to  him.  2.  With  the  most  devoted  and  self-sacrificing  con- 
secration to  his  Person  and  service.  3.  With  the  most  humble  hut  implicit  confidence 
in  their  salvation  through  him.  Such  love  must  secure  every  needful  grace,  ultimate 
perfection  of  character,  and  full  and  eternal  felicity. — B.  T. 

Vers.  21 — 30. — Jesus  and  the  traitor.  I.  A  severe  teouble.  1.  The  trouble  of 
Jesus.  He  was  troubled  in  spirit.  This  was  no  ordinary  trouble,  but  it  was  unique 
in  its  circumstances,  cause,  and  painfolness.  He  was  troubled  in  the  highest  regions 
of  his  nature.  (1)  Because  he  was  about  to  be  betrayed.  The  betrayal  in  itself  was 
painful.  Its  personal  and  general  results  are  not  taken  into  account  here,  but  the  black 
deed  in  itself,  apart  from  the  perpetrator.  (2)  Because  he  was  about  to  be  betrayed  by 
one  of  his  disciples.  "  One  of  you  shall  betray  me."  It  is  not  a  foe  or  a  distant 
acquaintance,  but  one  of  his  nearest  and  dearest  friends.     "  One  of  you."    This  made 


CH.  xni.  1—38.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  2U 


the  edge  of  the  betrayal  all  the  keener,  and  its  poison  peculiarly  loathsome  and  deadly. 
(3)  Because  he  was  about  to  be  betrayed  by  one  whom  he  had  done  all  in  his  poiver  to 
reclaim.  He  had  given  him  warning  after  warning,  but  gave  it  in  such  a  general  way 
as  not  to  cause  suspicion  to  point  to  him  and  cause  him  to  lose  his  self-respect.  He 
was  not  exposed,  and  was  not  excluded  from  the  society — he  was  treated  with  the 
same  kindness  as  the  rest,  and  perhaps  with  more.  His  indignant  objection  to  the 
anointing  of  Jesus  was  not  explained,  but  left  to  pass  with  the  remark  which  was 
addressed  to  all  the  disciples,  "  Let  her  alone."  The  betraying  disciple's  feet  had  just 
been  washed  by  the  kindly  hand  of  the  Master.  All  that  affectionate  and  Divine  love 
could  do  to  avert  the  calamity  had  been  done,  but  to  no  effect.  (4)  Because  of  the 
awful  consequences  of  the  deed  to  the  betrayer  himself.  Keen  as  Jesus  felt  it  in  his  own 
soul,  as  severe  as  it  affected  him,  we  venture  to  say  that  he  felt  more,  after  all,  for  the 
traitor  himself.  He  who  could  weep  for  a  wicked  city^  could  not  contemplate  the  self- 
ruin  of  even  this  wicked  and  inexcusable  man  without  experiencing  groaning  which 
could  not  be  uttered.  He  could  not  bear  to  lose  anything,  and  the  loss  of  even  the 
"  son  of  perdition "  gave  him  a  most  severe  pang  of  anguish.  The  betrayal,  as  it 
affected  himself,  was  not  so  painful  to  him  as  its  terrible  effects  on  the  traitor  himself. 
(5)  All  this  plunged  him  in  the  greatest  trouble.  The  betrayal  wounded  his  very  spirit, 
and  the  betraying  kiss  was  to  him  more  agonizing  than  the  piercing  of  the  sharpest  nails 
or  that  of  the  most  pointed  spears.  It  was  the  trouble  of  a  wounded  spirit,  and  that 
spirit  was  pure  benevolence.  It  was  the  trouble  of  being  betrayed  by  a  professed  near 
friend — the  trouble  of  insulted,  checkered,  and  wounded  love ;  trouble  arising  from 
the  terrible  doom  of  an  old  disciple,  a  trusted  official,  the  treasurer  of  the  society. 
2.  The  trouble  of  the  disciples.  (Ver.  22.)  They  were  in  doubt,  perplexity,  and 
bewilderment.  In  fact,"  they  were  in  trouble  similar  to  that  of  Jesus,  only  theirs  was 
as  a  drop  compared  to  the  ocean.  (1)  Theirs  was  the  trouble  of  conscious  innocence. 
(2)  The  trouble  of  conscious  iveakness.     (3)  The  trouble  of  personal  sympathy. 

II.  An  awful  revelation.  The  personality  of  the  betrayer  was  revealed.  1.  This 
revelation  was  made  in  consequence  of  a  request.  (Vers.  24,  25.)  (1)  This  request 
was  direct.  "Lord,  who  is  it?"  Each  had  asked  before,  " Lord,  is  it  I?"  The 
charge  assumed  a  general  form,  and  the  inquiry  was  made  in  a  general  and  indirect 
way.     But  now  the  question  is  put  directly,  "  Who  is  it  ?  "     "  Who  is  the  betrayer  ?  " 

(2)  It  was  reasonable.  The  charge,  as  it  had  been  several  times  made,  was  general, 
and  it  might  apply  to  any  of  the  twelve — to  loving  John,  or  honest  Peter,  or  to  any  of 
the  group.  Now  they  could  stand  it  no  longer ;  they  request  a  definite  information  at. 
any  cost,  and  it  was  quite  reasonable.     This  is  admitted  by  the  revelation  of  Jesus. 

(3)  It  was  timely.  The  disciples  were  ready  for  it.  Jesus  was  ready.  The  awful 
secret  troubled  his  spirit,  and  struggled  for  publicity.  He  could  scarcely  keep  it  aoy 
longer.  The  betrayer  was  ready.  He  was  ripe  for  revelation,  and,  if  it  was  delayed 
much  longer,  he  would  have  revealed  himself  by  performing  the  terrible  deed.  2.  The 
revelation  was  made  by  a  sign.  "He  it  is  to  whom  I  shall  give  a  sop  when,"  etc. 
We  can  well  imagine  all  the  disciples,  save  one,  looking  at  their  Lord  with  bated  breath, 
and  watching  every  look  and  movement  of  his  with  beating  hearts;  but  there  was  one  there 
keeping  his  countenance  better  than  any  of  the  rest,  and  more  himself  than  one  of  them, 
and  amid  the  silent  but  stirring  excitement  Jesus  gave  the  sop  to  Judas,  the  son  of 
Simon,  etc.  (1)  The  traitor  was  revealed  in  a  most  considerate  and  tfnder  manner. 
By  a  sign,  and  privately.  Judas  could  not  know  that  anything  referred  to  him  unless 
his  guilty  conscience  made  him  suspicious,  (2)  He  was  revealed  by  an  act  of  kindness. 
"  It  is  he  to  whom  I  shall  give  the  sop,"  etc.  The  sign  was  an  act  of  kindness.  What 
was  a  revelation  of  a  foul  traitor  to  the  disciples  was  a  deed  of  love  to  the  traitor  him- 
self. One  would  think  that  he  would  be  pointed  out  in  a  voice  of  thunder  and  in  looks 
of  lightning.  This  would  be  manlike  ;  but  as  Jesus  was  God-like,  Jesus  was  kind  to 
Judas  to  the  last.  He  was  determined  to  the  utmost  to  block  up  his  course  with  kind- 
ness, and  that  no  act  of  his  could  furnish  him  with  the  faintest  shadow  of  excuse  for 
his  foul  deed.  This  was  the  last  kindness  of  Jesus  to  Judas,  but  would  not  be  the  la=;t 
if  he  had  the  least  chance.  (3)  The  participation  of  this  kindness  led  to  afmd  entrance. 
"After  the  sop  Satan  entered  into  him."  Jesus  only  could  see  this.  Ho  could  see 
that  dark  form  by  Judas's  side,  waiting  for  admission  ;  he  had  been  there  a  long  time 
fanning  the  temptation  and  ripening  the  dread  resolve  and  preparing  the  place.    The 


214  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xin.  1—38. 

hypocritical  participation  of  Jesus'  kindness  completed  the  necessary  preparations,  and 
he  entered  and  took  full  possession.  What  Jesus  did  to  stop  his  entrance  cleared  the 
way  for  him  to  enter.  Satan  entered,  and  Jesus  was  left  out,  and  the  last  sop  of  Ime 
was  introductory  to  the  final  possession  of  the  demon  of  hatred  and  avarice.  3.  TAe 
revelation  was  made  directly  and  publicly  to  the  betrayer.  "  What  thou  doest,"  etc., 
implies  :  (1)  The  present  actualify  of  the  deed.  It  was  inwardly  done,  therefore  actually- 
done  to  Jesus,  as  confirmed  thoughts  are  deeds  to  him.  It  was  too  late  to  repent,  he 
had  gone  too  far  to  retreat ;  the  demon  of  treachery  was  on  the  throne,  Satan  was  in  hi« 
soul,  and  his  soul  was  in  the  bag.  (2)  The  mysterious  utility  of  a  speedy  execution. 
'•'  Do  quickly."  Once  an  act  is  a  real  thought  and  resolve,  execution  is  an  advantage. 
It  was  better  for  Judas,  because  the  sooner  he  faced  the  inevitable  the  better.  Where 
there  is  a  spiritual  conception,  birth  cannot  be  too  soon ;  sin  is  better  out  than  in. 
There  is  a  ventilation,  and  any  remaining  good  has  a  better  chance  for  development. 
If  you  are  going  to  hell,  the  sooner  the  better  you  arrive.  Better  for  Jesus.  Delay  to  him 
was  painful  once  it  was  an  actuality.  Better  for  all  concerned.  To  a  certain  point  he 
retarded  a  wicked  deed,  but  when  that  point  was  reached  he  hastened  it.  (3)  The 
readiness  of  Jesus.  The  traitor  might  think  that  he  was  taken  unawares  and  uupre- 
jmred,  but  he  was  mistaken.  Jesus  was  ready,  far  readier  for  his  fate  than  Judas  was. 
.So  ready  was  he  for  it  that  he  advises  or  commands  speed.  "  Do  quickly."  He  hails 
it  with  confidence,  if  not  with  satisfaction.  The  guilty  deed  of  Judas  fitted  in  with  the 
eternal  purposes  of  God  and  the  mission  of  Jesus  better  than  he  would  think.  Jesus 
can  say  to  every  schemer  of  evil,  every  sinning  designer  of  harm,  "That  thou  doest, 
do  quickly."  He  is  ready  whenever  they  are.  There  is  no  evil  without  good ;  the 
good  will  not  come  till  the  evil  is  complete,  for  good  the  sooner  the  better..  4.  The 
relation  of  the  traitor  was  not  fully  understood  by  the  disciples. 

HI.  A  SAD  DEPARTURE.  (Ver.  30.)  1.  The  departure  of  un  old  disciple  from  the 
kindest  of  Masters  and  from  his  only  Saviour.  He  could  have  really  no  cause  for  this, 
the  reason  was  entirely  in  himself.  In  Jesus  he  had  every  reason  for  continued  attach- 
ment and  love,  but  he  went  out  immediately,  and  walked  with  feet  newly  washed  by 
the  hands  of  that  Master  he  was  now  deserting,  and  with  strength  invigorated  by  his 
kindness.  2.  It  was  the  departure  of  an  old  disciple  for  the  vilest  purpose — to  betray 
his  Master,  and  sell  him  to  his  foes  for  the  meanest  consideration.  3.  It  was  the 
departure  of  an  old  disciple,  never  to  return  again.  It  was  his  last  farewell  to  a  loving 
Saviour.  He  came  to  him  again,  not  as  a  disciple,  but  as  a  traitor.  He  was  leaving 
for  the  last  time,  not  to  buy  provisions  for  the  feast,  but  to  sell  his  Master  to  his 
enemies.  4.  It  was  the  speedy  departure  of  an  old  disciple  immediately.  Judas  was 
now  ready  for  the  deed;  the  command  of  Christ  was  timely,  and  it  was  echoed  in 
Judas's  soul.  He  was  ripe  fur  the  dark  deed.  The  presence  of  Jesus  was  now  painful 
to  him,  and  it  was  a  relief  to  depart.  Once  Satan  gets  full  control  of  the  reins,  he  is 
a  furious  driver ;  once  the  rapids  of  the  Niagara  are  reached,  the  velocity  is  increasingly 
swift,  and  the  terrible  falls  are  soon  reached.  5.  It  was  the  departure  of  an  old  disciple  for 
a  terrible  doom.  "  He  went  out."  And  whither  ?  The  answer  is  in  the  foul  controlling 
spirit  within;  once  that  spirit  had  full  possession  of  his  soul,  he  would  soon  lead  him 
to  his  own  place.  John  significantly  adds,  "  And  it  was  night."  Night  seems  to  be  in 
harmony  with  the  dark  deed.  When  it  reached  its  climax  on  Calvary,  the  day  was  so 
out  of  sympathy  with  it  that  it  turned  into  night.  But  it  was  now  night.  There  could 
scarcely  be  any  stars  in  the  sky,  as  they  had  fled  from  the  treacherous  act,  and  if  there 
were,  they  would  have  welcomed  a  cloud  as  a  veil.  But  the  darkest  night  was  within 
and  before  the  poor  traitor's  soul.  He  left  the  day,  and  the  last  ray  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  was  extinguished  before  the  entrance  of  the  prince  of  darkness.  And  with 
regard  to  his  dark  deed,  his  sad  condition,  his  precipitated  departure,  and  his  terrible 
doom,  volumes  could  not  say  more  than  the  incidental  but  significant  sentence  of  the 
evangelist,  "  And  it  was  night." 

Lessons.  1.  The  most  terrible  fall  is  a  fall  from  Christ,  and  the  saddest  departure 
is  the  departure  of  an  old  disciple  from  the  Saviour.  2.  This  is  a  terrible  possibility  as 
instanced  by  Judas,  Whatever  he  fell  from,  he  fell  from  being  a  disciple  to  be  a 
betrayer,  from  being  a  treasurer  of  the  Christian  society  to  be  the  traitor  of  his  Lord. 
-3.  The  higher  the  position  the  greater  is  the  danger  and  the  greater  is  the  responsibility. 
Only  an  apostle  could  fall  so  terribly  as  Judas.  4.  This  case  is  highly  calculated  to 
teach  the  prof essed  followers  of  Jesus  humility,  watchfulness,  and  godly  fear. — B.  T. 


en.  xni.  1—38.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  215 

Vers.  34,  35. — The  new  commandment.  I.  In  its  import.  1.  Tliat  the  disciples  of 
Christ  should  love  one  another.  "  That  ye  love  one  another."  (1)  Man  must  be  a 
disciple  of  Christ  ere  he  can  come  under  this  law  of  Christian  love.  He  must  be  a 
Christian  disciple  ere  he  can  exercise  Christian  love  towards  another,  and  ere  he  can 
lawfully  expect  it  from  another  towards  him.  This  command  was  <xiveu  by  Christ  to 
his  disciples,  and  as  such  they  were  expected  to  obey  it.  It  is  true  that  Christians  are 
to  love  mankind  generally,  and  even  their  enemies,  but  not  in  the  same  way  and  degree 
as  they  are  to  love  one  another  as  the  disciples  of  Christ.  What  is  commanded  here  is 
Christian  love.  (2)  This  love  is  to  be  mutual.  It  is  the  duty  of  all,  the  duty  of  each 
disciple  to  love  his  fellow-disciple,  and  the  equal  duty  ot  that  fellow-disciple  to  love  him. 
It  is  a  universal  duty  of  the  Christian  school  and  brotherhood,  and  there  is  no  exception. 
If  a  man  is  a  disciple  of  Christ,  this  command  is  binding  on  him.  2.  'fliat  the  disciples 
of  Christ  are  to  love  one  another  as  Christ  loved  them.  "  As  I  have  loved  you."  In 
order  to  know  the  full  import  of  this  conmiand,  we  must  know  what  Christ's  love  to  his 
disciples  was.  (1)  It  was  great  and  self-sacrificing.  To  know  the  fountain,  look  at  the 
stream.  To  know  the  love  of  Christ,  look  at  it  in  its  gift,  sacrifices,  and  miracles. 
The  gifts  of  his  love  were  princely,  the  exploits  of  his  love  were  miraculous,  ami  the 
sacrifice  of  his  love  was  infinite.  He  loved  his  disciples  more  than  himself.  "  He 
made  himself  of  no  reputation."  To  understand  and  imitate  the  love  of  Christ  to  some 
extent,  his  disciples'  love  must  be  sreat  and  self-sacrificing.  They  must  love  one 
another  more  than  themselves.  (2)  His  love  was  purely  unselfish.  He  loved  his 
disciples  while  poor  and  unworthy.  The  motives  of  his  love  were  derived  from  himself, 
and  not  from  them.  He  loved  them  in  their  weakness,  errors,  and  backslidings,  and 
his  love  was  strongest  when  they  least  deserved  it.  One  of  them  betrayed  him,  but  he 
loved  him  still.  Another  denied  him,  and  he  loved  him  all  the  more.  One  sternly 
and  stupidly  disbelieved  his  identity  and  resurrection,  and  he  suffered  him  to  put  his 
fingers  into  the  prints  of  the  nails.  What  but  love  the  most  unselfish  would  do  this? 
So  the  disciples  are  to  love  one  another.  We  are  to  help  the  weakest,  succour  the  most 
needy,  and  love  a  brother,  not  on  account  of  what  he  has,  but  what  he  is — a  fellow- 
disciple.  (3)  His  love  to  them  was  'practical ;  it  was  not  a  mere  profession  or  senti- 
ment, but  reality;  it  was  perfect  love.  Love  is  not  peifect  till  it  appears  in  action. 
It  is  but  seed  in  principle,  but  ripe  fruit  in  action.  Christ's  love  was  active.  It  walked 
in  his  feet,  spoke  in  his  tongue,  worked  in  his  hands.  The  hands  of  his  love  washed 
his  disciples'  feet,  the  feet  of  his  love  walked  about  doing  good,  the  eyes  of  his  love  wept 
tears  of  compassion  with  the  two  sisters  at  their  brother's  grave,  and  the  voice  of  his 
love  summoned  him  back  to  life.  The  care  of  his  love  asked,  "  Children,  have  ye  any 
meat?"  Every  impulse  of  his  kindly  heart  was  manifested  in  a  corresponding  deed 
or  word  of  kindness.  His  disciples'  love  to  one  another  should  be  practical.  Love, 
like  faith,  without  works  is  dead.  (4)  His  love  to  them  was  devoted  and  constant. 
(Ver.  1.)  Like  the  sun,  he  shone  upon  them  all,  but  with  more  constancy,  as  his  love 
was  never  under  a  cloud,  and  never  set,  but  shone  full-orbed  to  the  last,  and  shines 
still.     His  disciples'  love  should  be  devoted,  constant,  and  unchangeable. 

II.  In  its  importance  and  obligation.  It  is  important  and  obligatory  :  1.  As  it 
is  the  natural  law  of  spiritual  life  in  Christ.  This  is  love.  It  naturally  arises  from 
their  relationship  to  him  and  to  each  other.  This  relationship  is  the  nearest,  dearest,  and 
most  sacred  and  lasting,  and  from  each  of  these  considerations  love  is  the  essential  law, 
and  the  essential  law  is  specially  binding  and  important.  Not  to  observe  it  is  a  contra- 
diction of  our  real  relationship  to  Jesus  and  to  each  other.  It  is  a  universally  acknow- 
ledged law — the  higher  and  nearer  our  relationship,  the  greater  is  our  obligation  to  love 
and  succour  each  other.  If  so,  how  great  is  this  obligation  with  regard  to  the  disciples 
of  Christ!  2,  As  the  specially  expressed  will  of  Jesus.  Expressed  in  a  positive  form  and 
in  a  most  solemn  command,  given  at  a  most  solemn  hour,  on  the  eve  of  his  departure 
from  them,  under  the  shadow  of  death  and  the  stroke  of  enmity,  he  gave  the  command 
of  love,  and  his  express  will  is  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  law  of  spiritual  life  in  him, 
which  is  supreme  love  to  one  another.  The  voice  of  the  law  within  is  echoed  by  the 
voice  of  the  lawgiver  without,  "  That  ye  love  one  another."  3.  As  it  is  renewed  and 
revived  by  the  life  and  death  of  Christ.  On  this  account  it  is  properly  called  a  new  com- 
mandment. (1)  New  in  its  complete  expression.  The  first  and  the  old  edition  was  pub- 
lished on  Sinai  through  Moses,  but  the  new  was  published  by  Christ  on  his  way  to  Calvary. 


216  THE  GOSPEL  ACCOKDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xm.  1— 38- 

He  had  given  fragments  and  hints  of  it  before  to  his  disciples  during  his  ministry,  but 
the  full  edition  is  given  them  now  in  solemn  command.  (2)  New  in  its  perfect  example. 
The  old  example  was  self-love :  "  Love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself ; "  but  the  new  and 
l^erfect  example  is  the  love  of  Christ.  He  loved  them  more  than  himself.  This  example 
was  wrought  out  towards  them  ;  it  was  not  merely  within  their  observation,  but  within 
their  experience  and  consciousness.  They  were  the  immediate  objects  of  his  love. 
"  As  I  loved  you."  Not,  "  As  I  loved  the  world  at  large,  or  your  forefathers,  but  you 
personally  and  individually  ; "  and  he  gave  himself  as  a  Sacrifice  for  them,  as  a  match- 
less and  perfect  Example  of  self-sacrificing  and  unselfish  love.  (3)  New  in  its  inspiring 
motives — motives  arising  from  their  ultimate  relationship  to  Christ,  from  his  matchless 
love  towards  them,  and  their  indebtedness  to  him  in  consequence.  Christ  loved  them 
in  order  that  they  should  love  one  another.  In  order  to  teach  and  inspire  them  to  this, 
and  in  his  life  and  death,  he  threw  a  new  life  and  force  to  the  command  of  love,  that  it 
was  the  experience  of  his  followers  afterwards,  "The  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us." 
The  command  of  love  was  getting  old  and  withered  amid  the  thunders  and  lightnings 
of  Sinai  and  the  formality  of  the  former  dispensation,  but  it  assumed  a  new  life  and 
vigour  in  Gethsemane  and  on  Calvary.  What  can  inspire  love  so  well  as  love  itself .'' 
and  what  love  so  potent  and  inspiring  as  the  pure  and  self-sacrificing  love  of  Christ  to 
us  ?  This  makes  the  command  really  new  and  original  to  him,  and,  as  a  motive  power, 
is  exhaustless  and  irresistible.  4.  As  it  is  the  outward  sign  of  Christian  discipleship. 
"  By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another." 
(1)  By  this  we  can  be  and  knoiv  ourselves  that  we  are  his  disciples.  Brotherly  love  is 
set  forth  in  the  New  Testament  as  a  test  of  discipleship — of  love  to  God  and  transition 
from  death  to  life.  "  We  know  that  we  have  passed  from  death  unto  life,"  etc.  "  If 
a  man  say,  I  love  God,  and  hateth  his  brother,"  etc.  Thus  you  see  that  brotherly  love 
is  a  test-point,  and  on  it  depends  the  momentous  issues  whether  we  love  Christ,  and 
have  passed  from  death  into  life  or  not.  (2)  By  this  can  others  know  that  we  are  his 
disciples.  It  is  not  only  an  inward  proof  to  Christians  themselves  of  their  condition, 
but  also  an  outward  proof  to  others.  Difi"erent  classes  of  people  are  distinguished  by 
different  outward  marks.  The  soldiers  of  different  countries  and  their  various  regiments 
are  known  by  their  uniform.  The  public  schools  of  antiquity  had  their  public  signs 
by  which  they  were  known.  The  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  had  their  distinguishing 
phylacteries  and  ceremonies,  and  various  kingdoms  have  their  coats  of  arms.  But  Jesus 
of  Nazareth  chose  as  "  the  coat  of  arms  "  of  his  disciples  "  love  to  one  another."  "  By  this 
shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another."  Not  if 
ye  have  this  or  that  dress,  not  if  ye  have  wealth  or  learning,  not  if  ye  have  a  long  face, 
or  a  groaning  tone,  or  a  pious  whine  ;  but  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another.  A  man  may 
possess  many  good  qualities  without  being  a  disciple  of  Christ.  A  man  cannot  be  a 
disciple  of  Ctirist  without  studiously  respecting  the  laws  of  morality ;  but  a  man  may 
be  moral  in  the  popular  acceptation  of  the  term  without  being  a  disciple  of  Christ.. 
There  are  moral  infidels,  moral  atheists,  moral  worldlings,  and  even  the  devil  himself 
can  appear  very  decent  and  proper  and  assume  the  garb  of  an  angel  of  light.  He  can 
even  believe,  tremble,  and  profess  ;  but  he  cannot  love,  because  the  essence  of  his  nature 
is  malice,  envy,  hatred,  and  revenge.  Jesus  chose  as  the  sign  of  Christian  discipleship 
a  thing  which  the  devil  and  his  followers  can  never  do,  never  wish  to  do,  viz.  love. 
They  can  imitate  anything,  but  cannot  love.  If  we  wish  to  be  known  as  the  disciples  of 
Christ,  we  must  be  distinguished  by  that  which  distinguished  him,  viz.  love  for  others. 
If  we  wish  to  impress  others  that  we  are  under  his  tuition,  we  must  wear  the  badge  of 
our  Teacher  and  the  insignia  of  his  school.  "  By  this  shall  all  men  know,"  etc.  By  this 
they  have  been  known  in  every  age  and  country.  The  followers  of  the  Lamb,  as  set 
forth  in  the  Book  of  Revelation,  had  their  Father's  Name  written  on  their  foreheads  ; 
and  this  was  brotherly  love,  for  God's  Name  cannot  be  written  with  anything  but 
love,  for  God  is  love.  In  primitive  times  their  affection  for  each  other  was  so  intense 
and  conspicuous  that  the  persecuting  pagans  exclaimed  with  astonishment,  "  See  how 
these  Christians  love  one  another !  "  What  a  convenient  sign  of  Christian  discipleship 
is  this  in  every  age  and  under  every  circumstance  ?  When  Christians  were  most  cruelly 
hated  and  persecuted,  then  the  truth  of  their  religion  and  their  union  with  Christ  were 
Uiost  clearly  seen  by  others.  If  they  could  not  meet  to  worship,  to  commemorate  his 
love,  and  sing  his  praise,  they  could  love  him  and  love  one  another  ;  they  could  wave  this 


CH.  XIII.  1—38.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  217 

flag  from  the  blazing  faggots,  and  embrace  and  kiss  each  other  in  the  flames.  "  By  this 
shall  all  men  know,"  etc.  It  is  all-important,  not  merely  that  we  should  realize 
our  Christian  discipleship,  but  that  others  should  know  it,  that  they  may  be  taught  to 
respect  and  obey  our  laws ;  and  the  most  efficient  way  to  communicate  this  knowledge 
to  them  is  by  loving  each  other  as  he  loved  us.  Thus  the  most  charming  feature  of 
the  Master  will  be  ever  seen  in  his  disciples. — B.  T. 

Vers.  3 — 5. — A  last  act  of  love.  It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  act  of  Jesus  here 
was  a  purely  symbolic  act,  an  act  useless  in  itself.  Probably  Jesus  and  his  disciples  had 
been  walking  about  most  of  the  day,  and  the  washing  of  the  feet  would  be  very  grateful 
to  tired  and  sandalled  wayfarers.  Jesus  was  rendering  a  real  service,  however  sli'ght  a 
one.  Before  they  went  out  of  the  room,  Jesus  had  to  have  much  very  earnest  talk  with 
them,  and  it  was  just  as  well  for  them  to  be  comfortable  while  they  were  listening. 

I.  An  expression  of  love.  John  puts  this  first  in  the  narrative.  Those  whose  feet 
Jesus  washed  were  not  comparative  strangers.  Jesus  loved  them  simply  as  human 
beings,  knowing  sin,  suffering,  and  sorrow.  But  beyond  all  this  was  the  added  love 
coming  from  many  days  of  close  companionship.  And  now  the  very  last  dky  had  come. 
To-morrow  the  Shepherd  will  be  smitten,  and  the  sheep  scattered.  Soon,  very  soon, 
according  to  the  flesh,  he  would  cease  to  know  these  disciples.  They  were  to  stop  in 
the  world  and  do  his  work.  Years  of  toil,  anxiety,  and  suffering  were  yet  before  them. 
But  Jesus  was  going  to  the  Father.  A  few  more  hours,  and  he  would  suffer  his  last 
pain,  know  his  last  trial.  We  can  easily  imagine  how,  in  years  long  after,  and  in  lands 
far  distant,  when  some  of  these  apostles  had  finished  a  weary  day  of  walking  for  Christ's 
sake,  and  had  got  their  travel-stained  feet  washed,  their  thoughts  would  go  back  to 
that  last  night,  recollecting  how  the  Master  went  from  one  to  another  in  the  little 
company,  washing  their  feet,  and  looking  in  their  faces  with  his  own  unutterable  look 
of  affection  and  interest. 

II.  An  expression  of  steadfastness  in  love.  Jesus  was  just  on  the  point  of 
stepping  from  humiliation  to  glory,  just  about  to  cast  aside  the  veil  of  his  flesh,  and 
appear  in  all  his  heavenly  splendour ;  but  it  made  not  the  least  difference  in  his  gentle, 
unaffected  way  of  treating  his  disciples.  We  reckon  it  one  of  the  greatest  things  to  be 
said  in  praise  of  any  one  who  has  risen  in  the  world,  that  he  remains  just  the  same  sort 
of  man,  not  made  proud  by  being  lifted  up.  The  washing  was  a  kind  of  intimation  that 
Jesus  looked  on  himself  as  being  a  Minister  as  much  as  ever.  They  were  servants  to 
him,  but  he  was  Minister  to  them ;  they  did  his  work,  and  he  supplied  the  needs  that 
made  them  fit  for  the  work.  He  who  in  the  flesh  was  ever  at  the  beck  and  call  of  needy 
men  and  women,  is  at  their  beck  and  call  still.  His  power  to  help  is  greater,  but  his 
willingness  cannot  be  greater. 

III.  A    PBACTICAL   assertion    FROM     JeSUS    THAT    MEN     CANNOT    DO    WITHOUT    HIM. 

Not  only  does  he  minister,  but  he  must  minister.  Peter  thought  Jesus  was  not  doing 
a  fitting  act.  But  it  is  perilous  work  criticizing  what  Jesus  does.  How  should  we 
find  out,  all  at  once,  on  the  first  glance,  the  full  aim  of  any  act  of  his?  Jesus  knows 
what  he  can  do  for  us,  what  he  ought  to  do  for  us,  and  what  we,  in  all  humility  and 
obedience,  ought  to  accept  from  him.  If  Jesus  comes  not  to  minister,  what  need  is 
there  for  hira  to  come  at  all  ?  Jesus  must  cleanse  every  human  being  as  far  as  he  needs 
to  be  cleansed. 

IV.  The  great  exemplary  aim  in  this  act.  It  is  plain  that  Jesus  recollected 
what  disputin^s  the  disciples  had  among  themselves  as  to  which  should  be  greatest ; 
and  just  at  this  moment,  when  it  is  beginning  to  be  settled  conclusively  that  Jesus  is 
far  above  them,  he  tries  to  show  by  his  own  example  that  the  spirit  of  ministry  is  a 
part  of  real  greatness.  Distinction  does  not  make  happiness.  God  means  all  of  us  to 
be  as  happy  as  we  can  be.  Jesus  came  to  minister  to  us,  in  order  that  we  might 
miui.-.ter  to  others,  and  if  we  are  not  ministeriug  lovingly,  diligently,  joyfully,  then 
that  is  a  proof  that  the  ministry  of  Jesus  himself  has  not  yet  been  truly  accepted  by 
us. — Y. 

Ver.  13. — 27ie  Lordship  of  Jesus.  I.  Our  resemblance  to  the  disciples  in  using 
THE  name.  These  men  called  Jesus  "  Lord,"  and  were  known  as  his  helpers  and  agents. 
As  long  as  Jesus  remained  in  the  flesh  there  was  uo  difficulty  in  looking  upon  him  as 


218  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xiii.  1—38. 

Master.  All  their  doings  had  been  sufiBciently  easy,  consisting,  as  they  did,  for  the 
most  part,  of  outward  actions.  But  in  due  season  the  visible  Master  became  the  invisible, 
and  one  by  one  the  first  servants  also  died  away  and  went  into  the  invisible.  Thus 
generation  has  succeeded  generation,  ever  getting  further  and  further  from  those  first 
days  when  the  visible  Master  stood  among  his  servants,  appointing  their  tasks.  But 
we  have  not  yet  lost  the  habit  of  using  the  Master-name.  We  also  say,  "  Lord,"  and 
Jesus  might  well  ask  what  we  mean  by  using  the  name.  Is  it  to  be  a  mere  title  of 
honour,  with  the  recollections  of  power  and  duty  that  first  caused  it  to  be  given  emptied 
out  of  it  ?  Or  is  there  a  real  mastery  and  a  real  service  still  ?  We  cannot  say,  "  Lord, 
Lord !  "  too  often,  if  the  saying  helps  in  serving  and  in  bringing  others  to  serve. 

II.  It  may  be  we  resemble  the  disciples  in  using  the  Master-name  without  knowing 
from  a  deep  experience  what  it  is  truly  to  have  Jesus  for  Master.  Empty 
compliments  do  Jesus  no  good,  any  more  than  mere  names  of  abuse  do  him  harm. 
The  first  disciples  did  not  become  the  true  servants  of  Jesus  just  because  of  what  they 
did  for  him  in  the  days  of  his  flesh.  Only  when  Jesus  had  passed  through  all  those 
experiences  which  put  him  at  God's  right  hand  did  his  disciples  really  comprehend 
what  Jesus  wants  from  men,  and  what  men  can  do  and  are  bound  to  do  for  Jesus.  The 
Lordship  of  Jesus  is  a  spiritual  thing,  and  has  to  be  spiritually  discerneri.  This  is 
emphatically  a  matter  in  which  none  of  us  is  to  be  taken  on  his  bare  word.  We  are 
not  the  sei"vants  of  Jesus  because  we  say  we  are  or  think  we  are.  The  service  truly 
acceptable  to  him  does  not  lie  in  a  quantity  of  talking  or  even  of  doing.  With  Jesus, 
quality  goes  before  quantity,  and  where  there  is  quality,  quantity  never  fails.  Character 
and  inward  life, — these  constitute  the  richest  service  to  Jesus.  Jesus  expects  every  one 
of  us  to  do  much  for  him,  but  it  is  by  being  much.  Jesus  does  want  our  service,  our 
best,  fullest,  heartiest  service,  and  he  will  not  leave  us  in  any  doubt  as  to  whether  we 
are  doing  just  what  he  wants.  No  man  can  say  that  Jesus  is  the  Lord  but  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  where  the  Holy  Ghost  is  there  must  be  true  service. 

III.  The  service  is  one  conditioned  by  our  present  life.  We  are  here  in  the 
flesh.  Our  fellow-creatures  in  need  can  see  us,  but  they  cannot  see  Jesus.  We  are  to 
furnish  bodies  through  which  the  spiritual  Jesus  can  bless  mankind.  We  are  even 
to  do  greater  works  than  Jesus  did  in  the  days  of  his  flesh.  Preaching  the  gospel  of 
spiritual  salvation  and  renewal  to  sinners,  with  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  of  power, 
is  a  far  greater  work  than  the  resurrection  of  Lazarus.  This  makes  our  obligation,  our 
privilege,  and  our  abundant  opportunity.  As  long  as  there  are  sinners  in  the  world 
there  will  be  no  lack  of  opportunities  for  serving  the  Lord  Jesus.  We  have  each  to 
find  our  own  opportunity.  Doing  what  lies  nearest  us  is  our  wisdom.  Because  it  lies 
nearest  us  we  are  more  responsible  for  it  than  any  one  else.  We  serve  as  the  lighted 
lamp  serves,  and  it  is  not  expected  to  give  light  to  those  a  mile  away. — Y. 

Ver.  17. — The  happiness  of  Christian  activity,  I.  Once  more  Jesus  proves  his 
DESIRE  FOR  HUMAN  HAPPINESS.  This  is  amply  proved  by  his  putting  the  thought  of 
human  happiness  in  the  forefront  of  his  teaching  in  the  sermon  on  the  mount.  There 
he  evidently  made  it  his  business  to  show  men,  in  a  way  not  to  be  misunderstood,  that 
human  happiness  is  not  a  mere  subordinate  result  of  Christianity,  a  something  that 
may  be  present  or  absent.  Human  happiness  is  an  essential  part  of  Christianity.  If 
Christ  is  not  making  his  people  happy,  increasingly  and  exuberantly  happy,  there  is 
something  wrong  in  their  connection  with  him.  For  this  is  just  one  of  the  aims  of 
Jesus,  to  take  away  misery  and  dulness  and  ennui,  and  put  happiness  in  their  place. 

II.  There  is  no  happiness  in  mere  knowledge.  There  may  be  a  great  deal  of 
pleasure  in  the  acquiring  of  it,  but  it  is  quite  possible  that  so  much  time  may  have 
been  spent  in  acquiring  knowledge  that  other  things  may  have  been  neglected.  We 
may  very  easily  shut  ourselves  up  from  our  fellow-creatures,  and  lose  many  an  oppor- 
tunity of  doing  good  that  would  have  made  us  far  happier  than  any  pleasure  of  the 
mere  intellect. 

III.  We  must  take  care  that  we  do  really  understand  what  Jesus  wants 
us  to  do.  His  words  are  not  as  maps  of  the  country  through  which  we  have  to  travel ; 
they  are  rather  finger-posts  showing  the  direction.  Each  finger-post  sends  you  on  to 
another.  The  words  of  Jesus  are  meant  to  secure  within  us  a  certain  inward  spirit ;  if 
that  be  secured,  the  proper  outward  actions  will  follow  as  a  natural  consequence.     We 


CH.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


219 


have  not  yet  comprohended  one  very  important  warning  to  Christian  disciples  unless 
we  have  been  made  to  feel,  from  reading  the  Gospels,  how  easy  it  is  to  misunderstand 
Jesus.  His  most  important  words,  his  most  significant  deeds,  were  to  be  meditated 
over,  seen  in  their  position  as  parts  of  the  living  whole  of  truth. 

IV".  There  is  no  happiness  in  mere  doing.  To  leave  the  right  thing  undone,  and 
to  do  the  wrong  thing,  equally  lead  to  misery.  Increase  of  activity,  unless  the  risht 
principles  and  methods  underlie  it,  only  means  increase  of  mischief  and  misery.  We 
must  not  be  deceived  by  mere  external  activity.  There  may  be  a  great  deal  of  real 
doing — doing  such  as  Jesus  counts  doing,  where  there  is  little  to  show  men.  The 
right  spirit  must  pervade  and  suffuse  the  doing,  aud  it  can  only  pervade  and  suffuse 
•what  is  right  in  itself. — Y. 


EXPOSITION. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Ver.  1. — It  is  not  necessary  to  follow 
Codex  D  and  some  of  the  versions,  and 
hero  introduce  into  the  text  koI  trTrej/  toIs 
fiadr]raiS  avTov.  It  is  enough  that  the 
awful  warning  to  Peter,  wliich  followed  the 
auuouucemeut  of  the  treachery  of  Judas  and 
his  departure,  the  solemnity  of  the  Lord,  and 
the  clear  announcement  of  his  approaching 
death,  had  fallen  like  a  thunderbolt  into 
their  company.  Judas  held  the  bag,  and 
was  their  treasurer,  their  inlaKowos  (see 
Hatch's  'Bampt.  Lect.'),  and  a  referee  on 
all  practical  subjects  and  details.  He  had 
turned  against  the  Lord;  and  .now  their 
spokesman,  their  rock  of  strength,  their 
most  prominent  and  their  boldest  brother, 
the  senior  of  the  group,  and  with  one  ex- 
ception the  disciple  most  beloved  and  trusted 
by  the  Ma:5ter,  was  actually  warned  against 
the  most  deadly  sin — nay,  more,  a  course  of 
conduct  is  predicted  of  him  enough  to 
scatter  them  all  to  the  four  winds.  Is  it 
possible  to  exaggerate  the  consternation 
and  distraction,  the  shrieks  of  fear,  the 
bitter  sobs  of  reckless  grief,  that  convulsed 
the  upper  chamber?  In  the  agony  of 
despair,  and  amid  the  awful  pause  that 
followed  the  outburst  of  their  confusion  and 
iZTief,  words  fell  upon  their  ears  which 
Luther  described  as  "the  best  and  most 
consoling  strmons  that  the  Lord  Christ 
delivered  on  earth,"  "a  treasure  and  jewel 
not  to  bo  purchasL'd  with  the  world's 
goodd."  Hengstenberg  has  argued  at  length 
that  the  opening  words  of  the  chapter  do 
not  point  to  this  scene  of  deep  dejection, 
but  to  the  conversation  recorded  in  Luke 
xxii.  .So — 38,  where  our  Lord  warned  his 
disciples  of  the  career  of  anxiety  and 
dependence  and  struggle  through  which 
they  would  have  to  pass.  They  must  be 
ready  even  to  part  with  their  ganueut  to 
procure  a  sword,  i.e.  they  must  be  prepared 
to  defend  tiiemselves  against  many  enemies. 
"With  his  characteristic  impetuosity  Peter 
says,  "  Here  are  two  swords ; "  and  Jesus 
said,  "It  is  enough."     He  could  not  have 


meant  that  two  swords  were  a  match  for  the 

weapons  of  the  high  priests,  or  the  power 
of  the  Roman  empire,  but  that  the  disciple 
had  once  again  misunderstooii  the  figurative 
teaching  of  Christ,  and,  like  a  child  (as  he 
was),  had,  in  the  intensity  of  his  present 
feeling,  lost  all  apperceptiou  of  the  future. 
True,  the  language  of  Luke  xxii.  .35 — .S8 
suggests  an  answer  to  the  question,  "  Why 
cannot  I  follow  thee  now?"  But  these 
words  in  ch.  xiv.  more  certainly  contem- 
plate that  query,  coupled  with  the  other 
occasions  that  had  arisen  for  bitter  tribula- 
tion. To  the  faithful  ones,  to  Peter's  own 
nobler  nature,  and  to  them  all  alike  in  view 
of  their  unparalleled  grief  and  dismay  at 
the  immediate  prospect  of  his  departure,  he 
says,  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled— the 
one  heart  of  you  all ;  fur,  after  all,  it  is  one 
heart,  and  for  the  moment  it  was  in  utter- 
most exacerbation  and  distress.  He  repeated 
the  words  at  the  close  of  the  first  part  of 
the  discourse  (ver.  27),  after  he  had  uttered 
his  words  of  consolation.  The  "  trouble  " 
from  wliich  that  one  heart  of  tlieirs  is 
breaking  is  not  the  mere  sentimental  sorrow 
of  parting  with  a  friend,  but  the  perplexity 
arising  from  distracting  cares  aud  onriicting 
passions.  The  work  of  love  and  sarrifice 
means  trouble  that  nothing  but  supematur^d 
aid  and  Divine  strength  can  touch.  The 
heartache  of  those  who  are  wakened  up  to 
any  due  sen.-e  of  the  cturnal  is  one  that 
nothing  but  the  hand  that  moves  all  tilings 
can  soothe  or  remedy.  P'aitli  in  the  absolute 
goodness  of  God  can  alone  sustain  the  minil 
in  these  deep  places  of  fear,  and  under  tho 
shadow  of  death.  But  he  gives  a  reason 
for  their  consolation.  This  is,  Believe  in  God, 
i.e.  the  eternal  God  in  all  his  revelations 
of  himself  in  the  past — in  God  the  Father, 
Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,  who  has  most  com- 
pletely been  unveiled  to  you  now  in  the 
word  and  light  and  life  that  have  been  given 
to  you  in  me.  Your  faith  in  God  will  be 
equal  to  your  emergencies,  anil,  if  you  live  up 
to  such  faith,  you  will  bear  all  that  befalls 
you  (cf  Mark  xi.  22).  But,  he  adds,  us  I 
have  been  in  tho  bosom  of  God  and  havo 


220 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiv.  1—31. 


declared  him  to  you,  believe  also  in  me,  as 

Ills  highest  and  most  complete  Revelation. 
He  claimed  from  them  thus  the  same  kind 
of  sentiment,  as  by  right  of  creation  and 
infinite  perfection  God  Almighty  had  de- 
manded from  them.  There  are  three  other 
ways  in  which  this  ambiguous  sentence 
may  be  translated,  according  as  both  the 
ino-T€ueT€  are  taken  either  as  indicatives 
or  imperatives,  but  the  above  method  is 
approved  by  the  great  majority  of  inter- 
preters from  the  early  Fathers  to  Meyer 
and  Godet.  The  Vulgate  and  Authorized 
Version  and  Revised  Version  make  the 
second  only  of  the  ■nicrTevere  imperative,  and 
consequently  read,  "  Ye  believe  in  God,  be- 
lieve also  in  me,"  which,  in  the  revelation 
they  had  just  given  of  their  wretchedness 
and  lack  of  adequate  courage  and  faithful- 
ness, was  almost  more  than  the  Lord,  in  the 
deep  and  comprehensive  sense  in  which  he 
was  using  the  word  "God,"  would  have 
attributed  to  them.  The  different  order  of 
the  words  in  the  Greek,  bringing  the  two 
clauses,  "in  God"  and  "in  me,"  together, 
gives  potency  to  the  argument  of  the  verse, 
which  is  that  of  the  entire  Gospel. 

Ver.  2. — In  my  Father's  house  are  many 
mansions;  or,  abiding-places,  homes  of  rest 
and  peace  and  sojourn.  "My  Father"  is 
the  grandest  name  of  all — the  Divine  father- 
hood, as  conceived  in  the  consciousness  of 
Jesus  and  revealed  to  them.  Had  not  he 
who  dwelt  for  ever  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Father  come  forth,  as  he  alone  could,  to 
reveal  "the  Father"  and  what  the  Fatlier 
had  been  to  him  in  the  eternities?  "My 
Father's  house"  is  the  dwelling-place  in 
which  devout  believing  souls  would  abide 
for  ever  (Ps.  xxiii.  6;  xc.  1),  In  the  vast 
home  filled  by  my  Father's  glory  and  lighted 
by  his  smile  of  reco;^'nition  and  reconciliation, 
in  the  high  and  holy  place  (Isa.  Ixiii.  15; 
Deut.  xxvi.  15),  are  "many  mansions"  pre- 
pared from  the  foimdation  of  the  world 
(Matt.  XXV.  34).  Heaven  is  a  large  place ; 
its  possibilities  transcend  your  imagination 
and  exceed  your  charity.  Thoma  quotes  all 
the  grand  hopes  which  Paul's  Epistles  and 
that  to  the  Hebrews  contain,  that  Jesus  made 
heaven  and  home  by  his  presence  there 
(Phil.  i.  23 ;  1  Thess.  iv.  14, 17),  and  he  sup- 
poses that  the  Johannist  put  these  words 
into  the  lips  of  Jesus.  One  conclusion  forced 
upon  the  reader,  so  far  as  this  passage  is 
concerned,  is  that  there  is  no  reason  why 
this  Gospel  may  not  have  been  written  long 
before  the  close  of  the  first  century.  If  it 
were  not  so ;  i.e.  if  there  were  any  doubt 
about  it,  if  the  revelations  already  made  do 
not  avail  to  prove  as  much  as  this,  if  you 
have  been  cherishing  nothing  better  than 
vain  illusions  on  this  subject,  I  would  have 
told  you,  for  I  came  forth  from  God,  and 


know  these  many  mansions  well.  I  would 
have  told  you,  for  all  things  that  I  have 
heard  from  the  Father  (up  to  this  time 
possible  for  you  to  rteceive)  I  have  made 
known  to  you.  Here  surely  is  a  colon,  if 
not  a  period.  Many  interpreters,  by  reason 
of  the  oTi,'  which  Lachmann,  Tischeudorf, 
Westcott,  and  Meyer  believe  to  be  the  cor- 
rect reading,  link  the  following  sentence  in 
different  ways  to  the  preceding;  e.g.  some 
say  oTi  is  equivalent  to  "  that,"  and  read,  "  I 
would  have  told  you  that  I  go,"  etc. ;  but 
against  this  is  the  simple  statement  of  ver.  3, 
where  Jesus  proceeds  to  say  that  he  is  going 
to  prepare,  etc.  Otfiers,  translating  on  "  for," 
differ  as  to  whether  the  departure  of  Jesus 
and  his  preparation  of  a  place  for  his  dis- 
ciples refers  to  the  first  or  second  part  of 
the  sentence.  Surely  the  f'ri,  "  because  "  or 
"for,"  opens  out  a  new  thought  based  on 
the  whole  of  that  sentence :  "  Because, 
seeing  if  it  were  not  so,  I  would  have  told 
you,"  because  our  relations  are  so  close  as 
to  have  involved  on  your  part  this  claim  on 
my  frankness,  for  I  am  going  to  prepare  a 
place — to  make  ready  one  of  these  many 
mansions — for  yon.  Over  and  above  the 
vague  mystery  of  the  Father's  house,  my 
departure  is  that  of  your  "  Forerunner,"  and 
my  presence  will  make  a  new  restiug-placo 
— it  will  localize  your  home.  As  you  have 
made  ready  this  guest-chamber  for  me,  I 
am  going  to  make  ready  a  presence-chamber 
for  you  in  the  heavenly  Jerusalem.  Lange 
objects  to  this  view  of  Liicke,  Calvin,  and 
Tholuck,  that  it  involves  a  diffusion  of 
knowledge  and  revelation  among  the  dis- 
ciples, of  which  there  is  no  proof.  This 
does  not  seem  bettered  by  another  rendering 
preferred  by  him,  viz.  "If  it  were  not  so, 
would  I  have  told  you  I  go  to  prepare  a 
place  for  you?"  But  then  this  mode  of 
interpretation  implies  a  previous  definite 
instruction  as  to  the  part  he  himself  was 
going  to  take  in  the  furnishing  of  the 
heavenly  mansion.  Of  that  most  certainly 
there  is  no  proof. 

Ver.  3. — And  if  I  go  and  if  I  prepare  a 
place  for  you — a  simple  condition,  soon  to 
be  realized  by  the  event — I  come  again ;  I 
am  ever  coming,  as  I  am  now  about  to  ex- 
plain to  you,  (1)  in  my  resurrection  (ch. 
xvi.  16,  17);  (2)  in  the  bestowment  of  the 
Comforter  (vers.  17,  25,  26 ;  ch.  xvi.  7,  etc.) ; 
(3)  in  the  intimate  relations  which,  through 
the  power  of  the  Spirit  (vers.  18,  23),  shall 
prevail  between  us.  I  am  coming  to  you, 
in  my  glory  and  power,  and  in  my  victory 
in  you  as  well  as  for  you  over  death  and 
Hades,  to  receive  you  unto  myself;  that 
where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also.    The  full 

'  "On  is  inserted  by  modern  editors,  with 
j{.  A,  B,  C*,  D,  and  many  others. 


CH.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING   TO   ST.   JOHN. 


.'21 


perspective  of  the  Lord's  approach  to  faith- 
ful soula  is  given  in  tlic  extrnonlinarv 
pregnancy  of  the  "  I  am  coming."  Not  until 
he  comes  in  all  his  glory  will  tiie  words  bo 
perfectly  fulfilled  ;  but  the  early  Cliurcli,  on 
the  basis  of  communion  with  Christ  himself 
in  the  power  of  his  Spirit,  expected  that 
Christ  had  come  and  taken  to  himself  one 
by  one  those  who  died  in  the  faith  (1  Thess. 
iv.  14).  Thus  Stephen  expected  the  Lord  to 
receive  his  spirit  (Acts  vii.  59);  and  the 
dying  thief  was  to  be  icith  him,  in  Paradise ; 
and  Paul  knew  that  to  be  from  home,  so  far 
as  body  is  concerned,  was  to  be  "  at  home  or 
present  with  the  Lord  "  (2  Cor.  v.  8).  "  To 
be  with  Christ"  was  "far  better"  than  to 
labour  on  in  the  flesh  (Phil.  i.  23).  The 
highest  thought  of  peace  and  love  was  to 
the  apostles  union  and  presence  with  Christ. 
Our  Lord  asserts  here  that  by  his  very  near- 
ness to  them  he  will  make  their  heaven  for 
them.  How  soon  this  wonderful  idea  spread 
among  men !  Within  twenty  years,  Thessa- 
lonians  were  comforted  about  their  pious 
dead,  with  the  thought  that  they  slept  in 
Jesus,  and  would  together  with  them  be 
"  for  ever  with  the  Lord." 

Ver.  4. — Instead  of  "Whither  I  go  ye 
know,  and  the  way  ye  know,"  R.T.  reads. 
Ye  know  the  way  whither  I  am  going.' 
Some  valuable  manuscripts  and  versions, 
also  the  bulk  of  the  cursives,  Cyril  and 
Chrysostom,  sustain  the  T.R. ;  nor  have 
Hengstenberg  or  Godet  departed  from  it. 
The  construction  of  the  amended  reading  is 
harsh  and  awkward,  but  considering  the 
point-blank  contradiction  which  Thomas 
gives  to  the  words  in  ver.  5,  the  truncated 
reading  is  probably  the  true  one.  Great 
emphasis  is  laid  upon  the  iyw.  They  ought 
to  have  known,  if  they  did  not  know,  after 
his  telling  them  so  frequently  of  the  way  he 
was  taking  through  suffering,  self-sacriiice, 
and  aloneness,  by  spiritual  processes  rather 
than  secular  triumphs,  by  giving  his  life  a 
ransom  for  many,  by  laying  it  down  that  he 
might  take  it  again.  He  assumes,  lie  even 
assures  them,  that  whithersoever  he  may  bo 
going,  and  however  vague  may  be  his  goal 
in  their  ideas,  they  at  least  must  comprehend 
the  way  by  which  he  intended  to  reach  it.  • 
Peter  in  any  case  ought  to  have  been  clear 
about  it ;  more  than  once  had  he  been 
rebuked  for  such  worldly  conceptions  as 
beclouded  his  surer  judgment. 

Vers.  5 — 7. — (4)  The  question  of  Thomas, 

'  The  otSaTf  Kol  rrjy  SSdv  otSart  of  T.R.  and 
3riesbach  is  found  in  A,  C,  D,  N,  r.  A,  and 
'he  majority  of  cursives ;  but  Tischendorf 
'8th  odit.),  Tregelles,  Meyer,  Wcstcott  and 
Hort,  and  K.T.,  with  X,  B,  C*.  L,  Q,  X,  33, 
157,  and  some   versions,   read,  ofSare   ttiu 


eliciting  from  Christ  that  he  was  going  to  the 
Father,  and  that  his  death  loas  their  "tray" 
as  ivdl  as  his  oicn  way  thither. 

Ver.  5.— Thomas— true  to  the  character 
elsewhere  attributed  to  him  in  this  Gospel, 
of  anxious,  intellectual  striving  after  trutii 
and  reality,  with  a  certain  despondency  and 
morbid  fear  of  issues  which  he  could  not 
grasp,  and  yet  with  a  great  love  to  his  Master 
— saith  to  him.  We  know  not  whither  thou 
goest;  i.e.  we  are  still  in  vague  perplexity. 
"Whither?  oh,  whither?"  Art  thou  going 
to  the  dispersed  among  the  Gentiles? 
Art  thou  going  to  restore  the  kingdom  to 
Israel?  Thou  art  to  be  "lifted  up;"  but 
how  and  where  art  thou  to  be  lifted  up? 
Thou  art  going— that  is  all  we  know,  and 
this  ignorance  of  ours  makes  us  doubt  "  the 
way."  '  How  do  we  know  the  way  1  Is  not 
a  knowledge  of  the  goal  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  bring  into  proper  light  for  us  the 
way,  the  strange  mysterious  way,  thou  art 
taking  ?  There  often  seems  in  the  language 
of  scepticism  much  common  sense,  and  in 
the  dry  light  of  science  a  straigiitforward 
honesty;  and  in  reading  the  memorable 
reply  of  our  Lord  many  have  felt  a  lack  of 
directness  and  recognition  of  the  difficulty 
of  Thomas.     But  is  it  really  so  ? 

■^ers.  6,  7. — Jesus  saith  to  him,  I  am  the 
Way,  and  the  Truth,  and  the  Life  :  no  one 
Cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me.  If  ye 
had  learned  to  know  me,  ye  would  have  - 
known  (absolutely)  my  Father  also:  from 
henceforward  ye  know  (by  personal  experi- 
ence) him,  and  (or,  perha|>s,  even)  ye  have 
seen  him.  The  whole  sentence  must  be  taken 
together.  The  whither  of  Clirist  is  obvious 
enough,  and  throws  consequent  illumination 
upon  the  way  thither.  *  "  The  Father's 
house  "  is  the  whither  no  one  cometh  unto  the 
Father  (but)  except  through  me.     Christ  ex- 

■  The  /cai  before  ttcSs  of  T.R.  is  omitted 
by  R.T.,  on  the  authority  of  B,  C,  L.  T.R., 
with  (N),  A,  C-,  L,  and  numerous  versions, 
reads,  Suvd/xeOa  rriv  oSbv  et^eVai.  R.T.,  Ti- 
schendorf (8th  edit.),  with  B,  C*,  U,  quota- 
tions from  Cyril,  TertuUiun*  etc.,  read 
ol5d/iev. 

*  In  order  to  avoid  the  supposed  inference 
that  the  disciples  had  not  known  Christ, 
N  and  D  read  iyvuKan  for  iyvwKurf.  an<l 
yu<jj(Ti(Tde  for  tyvSiKfire.  Tregelles,  West- 
cott  and  Hort,  and  R.T.,  witli  B,  C,  L,  Q, 
here  read  &v  T/Sftre,  and  Tischendorf  (8th 
edit.)  reads,  Ei  iyi^wKare  ^/ue  Ka\  t6v  Tlartpa 
fjiov  yvdfffffBf,  "  If  ye  have  learned  to  know 
me"^ — simple  supposition,  not  resolved  in 
the  negative — "  yo  shall  come  to  know  my 
Father  also."  Luthardt.  Godet,  Meyer,  and 
Alford  follow  the  received  text :  "  If  yo  have 
learned  to  know  me,  ye  would  have  learned 
to  know  my  Father  also." 


222 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiv.  1—31. 


plicitly  says  (] )  that  the  entire  goal  of  this 
■wondrouB  way  of  his  is  the  Father  himself. 
From  the  Father  he  came,  to  tlie  Father  he 
was  moving,  not  for  his  own  sake  only,  but 
also  as  King  Messiah  for  all  his  subjects. 
He  suggests  (2)  that  mankind  generally,  as 
■well  as  his  disciples,  are  anxious  to  find  their 
way  to  the  Father's  house,  to  the  Father's 
heart,  i.e.  to  resting  and  rejoicing  in  God,  and 
satisfaction  in  their  entire  conception  of  him 
and  relation  to  him.  (3)  He  declares  posi- 
tively that  this  idea  of  God  as  Father,  this 
approach  to  God  for  every  man,  is  through 
him — through  what  he  is  and  what  he  is  doing 
and  has  so  often  described,  for  them.  True, 
he  had  said,  in  ch.  vi.  37,  44,  that  the  Father 
gave  to  him  and  drew  towards  him  those 
who  came  to  him.  A  fatherly  monition  and 
inward  working  of  grace  opened  men's  eyes 
in  Christ  to  the  mystery  of  true  human  son- 
ship  of  the  eternal  Father.  The  statement 
of  this  verse  supplements  the  former  utter- 
ance. They  may  best  understand  the  way 
he  is  taking  when  they  grasp  the  fact  that 
he  is  going  to  the  Father  to  prepare  a  place 
for  them,  and  so  he  becomes  "  the  AVay,  the 
Truth,  the  Life,"  for  all  who  are  coming 
after  him,  "  following  him  afterwards  "  to 
the  Father.  Grotius  sums  up  this  great 
saying  by  regarding  Christ  as  "  the  Exeto- 
plum.  Doctor,  et  Dator  vitae  eternae ; "  Luther 
speaks  of  it  as  referring  to  the  past,  present, 
and  future ;  Calvin,  as  "  the  Principium, 
Medium,  et  Finis  ; "  and  Augustine  "  vera 
vitse  Via ;  "  but  each  term  means  more  than 
this.  The  tcay  of  approach  to  God  is  con- 
stituted by  his  simply  being  the  incarnate 
Logos,  by  his  revealing  the  mind  and 
nature  of  God,  by  his  laying  down  his  life 
for  the  sheep  that  he  might  take  it  again. 
In  doing  this  he  supplies  the  method  and 
motive  of  holy  living.  It  is  not  eiasy  to 
say  why  our  Lord  should  have  added  "the 
Truth  and  the  Life."  Maldonatus  exclaimed, 
"  Si  Christus  minus  fuisset  in  respoudendo 
liberalis,  minus  nobis  in  hujus  loci  interpre- 
tatione  laborandum  esset."  The  two  further 
terms  used  by  himself  are  probably  intro- 
duced to  throw  light  upon  the  way  to  the 
Father.  Thus  there  are  numerous  assur- 
ances that  he  is  the  Truth  itself,  that  is,  the 
adequate  and  sufficient  expression  of  Divine 
thought.  "  All  the  promises  of  God  are  yea 
[i.e.  are  uttered]  and  Amen  [i.e.  confirmed] 
in  him."  He  is  the  absolute  Truth  (1) 
about  God's  nature;  (2)  the  perfect  Expo- 
nent of  God's  idea  of  humanity ;  (3)  the 
Light  of  the  world ;  (4)  the  Expression  of 
the  reality  touching  the  relations  between 
moral  beings  and  God — all  the  relations, 
not  only  those  of  saints  and  holy  angels, 
but  those  of  rebels  and  sinners,  whose  des- 
tiny he  has  taken  upon  himself.  He  is 
the  Way  because  he  is  the  whole  Truth 


about  God  and  man  and  concerning'  the 
way  to  the  Father.  More  than  this,  and 
because  of  this,  he  adds,  "  I  am  the  Life  " — 
"  the  life  eternal,"  the  Possessor,  Author, 
Captain,  Giver,  and  Prince  of  life — the 
life  in  the  heart  of  man  that  can  never 
die ;  the  occasion,  germ,  condition,  and 
force  of  the  new  life.  It  were  impossible  to 
imagine  higher  claim.  But  he  leaves  his 
hearers  without  any  doubt  as  to  his  personal 
and  conscious  identification  of  himself  with 
the  Father.  Hitherto  he  had  not  so  clearly 
unveiled  himself  as  in  that  which  he  has 
here  said  and  is  now  doing.  Hence  his  nearest 
and  dearest  only  partially  knew  him.  If 
they  had  seen  all  they  might  have  seen, 
they  would  have  seen  the  Father  also.  Then, 
as  though  he  would  close  all  aperture  to 
doubt  about  the  glory  involved  in  his  liu- 
miliation,  and  the  way  in  which  his  human 
life  had  revealed  the  Father,  he  says  airdpri 
— henceforward  this  must  be  a  fact  of  your 
consciousness,  that  you  do  learn  and  come 
to  hnow  him  by  personal  experience  (yivd- 
(TKiTe) ;  and  as  a  matter  of  fact  ye  have  seen 
him  (iaipaKar^).  Possibly  in  the  airdpTt,  in- 
volving the  notion  of  a  period  rather  than 
a  moment,  the  Lord  was  including  the  full 
revelation  of  the  glory  of  self-sacrificial  love 
given  alike  in  his  death  and  resurrection. 
And  the  important  thought  is  suggested  that 
neither  the  knowledge  of  God  can  ever  be 
complete,  nor  the  vision  either.  Is  Thomas 
answered  or  no  ?  He  is  silent,  and  perhaps 
is  pondering  the  words,  which  will  lead  him, 
before  long,  notwithstanding  his  doubts,  to 
make  the  grandest  confession  contained  in 
the  entire  Gospel,  the  answer  of  convinced 
though  once  sceptical  humanity  to  the 
question,  "  Whom  say  ye  that  I  am  ?  "  The 
other  apostles  feel  that  Christ's  words  have 
met  the  mystic  vague  fear  of  Tliomas,  and 
that  "  henceforward  "  they  all  belong  with 
Christ  to  the  Father's  house.  They  would 
go  to  the  Father,  and  at  the  right  time 
dwell  in  the  place  prepared  for  them ;  but 
how  can  they  be  said  to  know  and  have  seen 
the  Father  already — to  have  passed  iutj  tlie 
light  or  received  the  beatific  vision  ? 

Vers.  8— 21.— (5)  The  question  of  Philip, 
vcifh  the  reply. 

Vers.  8 — 11. — (a)  Jesus  the  full  Revelation 
of  the  Father. 

Ver.  8. — Philip  has  been  introduced  in 
ch.  i,  44 — 46 ;  vi.  7  ;  xii.  21,  etc.  (see  notes), 
as  one  early  acquainted  with  the  sons  of 
Zebedee,  with  Andrevr  and  Nathanael.  He 
is  described  as  convinced  of  the  Messianic 
character  of  Jesus,  and  able,  by  what  he 
had  seen  and  heard,  to  overcome  all  pre- 
judices. Philip,  with  practical  mind,  took 
part  in  the  conversations  and  preparations 
for  our  Lord's  great  miracle  on  the  loaves. 
Philip  was  thought  of  as  a  suitable  person 


CH.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


223 


to  introduce  the  Greeks  to  Jesus:  and 
every  hiut  we  obtain  nbuut  him  is  graphic 
and  valuable.  *  Philip  saith  to  him,  Lord, 
show  as  the  Father,  and  it  sufficeth  ua. 
Tliis  query  is  a  very  natural  one.  Tliough 
under  ordinary  circumstances  men  cannot 
with  mortal  eyes  look  on  God,  yet  one 
of  the  high  purports  of  the  Christian  reve- 
lation is  to  make  it  possible  that  men  may 
look  and  live.  Thoophanies  of  Jeliovah 
are  not  infrequent.  The  favoured  prophets, 
Jacob,  Moses,  Joshua,  Elijah,  Isaiah,  Ezc- 
kiel,'  and  others  had  been  favoured  with 
visions  of  Divine  majesty,  and  it  was  not 
unreasonable  that  the  practical  I'hilip,  who 
believed  in  the  invincible  assent  which  per- 
sonal experience  would  give,  who  not  only 
had  seen  in  Jesus  the  Messiah  of  their  pro- 
phecies, but  had  said  to  Nathanael,  "  Come 
and  see"  and  be  as  satisfied  as  I  am,  should 
now  think  that  some  gorgeous  vision  of  the 
Father's  face  was  possibly  within  their  reach 
and  within  Christ's  power  to  confer — a  vision 
which  would  for  ever  scatter  their  doubts  and 
enforce  certitude  with  plausibility.  B.  Weiss 
suggests  that  some  whisper  of  the  Transfigu- 
ration-glory had  escaped  from  the  favoured 
three,  leading  the  other  disciples  to  desire 
a  corresponding  theophany.  As  Luther 
says,  "  His  faitii  flutters  up  into  the  clouds." 
A  dazzling  spectacle  would  satisfy  and  suf- 
fice for  all  needs.  To  see  and  know  the 
Father,  to  have  irresistible  evidence  that 
the  Eternal  Power  is  one  who  has  begotten 
us  from  himself,  and  both  knows  and  loves 
us,  is  the  highest  and  most  sacred  yearn- 
ing of  the  human  heart.  The  desire  is  im- 
planted by  God  himself.  Philip,  with  his 
fellow-disciples,  had  not  yet  learned  the 
sacred  truth  that  they  had  already  had  the 
opportunity  of  seeing  in  the  life  of  the  God- 
Man  the  most  explicit  manifestation  of  the 
Father.  A  dazzling  phenomenon,  outside 
of  Christ,  might  have  given  to  the  disciples 
a  new  impression  of  awe  and  fear  like  that 
which  fell  on  Moses  and  the  elders  of  Israel, 
on  Isaiah  and  Elijah ;  yet  a  far  more  com- 
prehensive revelation  of  Divine  perfection, 
inspiring  the  spirit  of  obedience,  reverence, 
trust,  and  love,  devotion,  and  self-sacrifice, 
had  already  been  made  to  them,  but  their 
eyes  were  holden.  They  were  not  satisfied, 
or  Pliilip  would  not  have  said  koI  apKeT  rjfuv. 
Ycr.  !•. — Clirist's  reply  is,  Have  I  been  so 
long  a  period  (xp'^^'ov)  with  you,  and  hast 
thou  not  come  to  know  (iyvuKas)  me,  Philip  T 
(Compare  the  aori.'it  S(7^ov,  stiggcsting  one 
great  complete  sufficing  act,  with  the  per- 
fect forms,  tyvuKas  /xe,  iaipaxws,  id-paxf,  im- 

'  Gen.  xxviii.  12,  etc.;  xxxii.  24;  Exod. 
iii.  ;  xxxiii ;  xxxiv. ;  Numb.  xvi.  42  ;  Josh. 
V.  i:^;  Judg.  vi.  22;  1  Kings  xix. ;  Isa.  vi. ; 
Ezek.  i.  and  x. 


plying  a  process  continuing  from  the  past 
into  the  present)  The  revelation  of  the 
Father,  rather  than  an  unveiling  of  tlie  ab- 
solute God  whom  no  man  hath  ever  yet 
seen  (see  ch.  i.  18),  had  been  constantly 
going  on  before  their  eyes.  Our  Lord  first 
of  all  appeals  to  that  fact;  and  yet  fact, 
reality  as  it  was,  the  disciples  had  failecl 
oven  to  know  him,  inasmuch  as  tliey  iiad  not 
seen  in  him  the  Father.  Ho  thus  confirms 
the  statement  of  ver.  7.  "  There  is  an  evi- 
dent pathos  in  this  personal  appeal.  The 
only  partial  parallels  in  St.  John  are  eh.  xx. 
16  (Mary);  xxi.  15  (Simon,  etc.)"  (VVest- 
cott).  There  is  no  right  understanding  of 
Jesus  Christ  until  the  Father  is  actually 
seen  in  him.  He  is  not  known  in  his  hu- 
manity until  the  Divine  Personality  flashes 
through  him  on  the  eyes  of  faith.  We  do 
not  know  any  man  until  we  know  the  best 
of  him.  How  far  more  true  is  it  of  God  and 
of  the  Father-God  revealed  in  the  Christ  ? 
He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father. 
The  "  seeing  "  here  must  be  adequate,  com- 
prehensive vision.  How '  sayest  thou — em- 
phatic—Show us  the  Father  ?  Philip,  by  the 
hints  already  given  of  him,  might  have 
discarded  the  Jewish  and  crude  idea  of  a 
physical  theophany.  "  How  sayest  thou  ?  " 
reveals  that  sense*  of  failure  which  Christ 
experienced  when  he  sought  to  realize  in  the 
poor  material  of  our  human  nature  his  own 
ideal. 

"Ver.  10. — Believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in 
the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  me?  Philip 
had  heard  in  an  inverted  order  these  very 
words  (see  ch.  x.  3S).  He  might  have 
grasped  tlieir  meaning ;  two  aspects  of  the 
same  Divine  truth  or  reality — the  recipro- 
cal fellowship  between  the  Father  and  the 
Son,  between  the  Father  and  the  Effulgence 
of  the  Father's  glory  who  is  now  the  God- 
Man.  I  am  in  the  Fati;er,  I  the  God-Man 
am  in  the  Father,  as  the  Logos  has  ever 
been  in  him  and  proceeding  from  him.  I, 
who  was  for  over  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father 
in  heaven  though  on  earth,  am  in  the  Father 
now,  as  the  sun  dwells  in  its  own  effluent 
light ;  and  the  Father  is  in  me,  seeing  I  am 
the  Image  of  his  substance,  the  Agent  of  his 
purpose,  the  Speaker  of  his  wonis,  tne  Doer  of 
his  wx)rks.  The  words  QrifiaTa)  which  I  speak 
(A67a),  K.T.)  unto  you — those  words  wliich 
are  "spirit  and  life"  (ch.  vi.  03),  those 
"  words  of  eternal  life,"  according  to  Peter's 
grand  confessicm  (ch.  vi.  68,  69) — I  do  not 
utter  (AaAoJ)  from  myself;  i.e.  they  are  the 
words  of  the  Father,  and  also  the  proof 
that  I  am  in  the  Father,  but  the  Father 
worketh  always  and  ever  more  in  and 
through  the  Son,  these  works  which  may 

'  The  Kai  of  T.R.  is  omitted  by  R.T.,  and 
others,  with  N,  B,  Q,  etc. 


224 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [cu.  xiv.  1—31. 


seem  to  be  mine  as  the  Son  of  man,  but  are 
the  operation  of  the  Father  himself,  he  who 
abides  in  the  Son.  And  the  Father  abiding 
in  me,  doeth'  his  works.  These  works  of  mine 
(ep7o)  are  all  signs  (o-ij/ufla)  of  my  relation  to 
the  Father.  They  are  indications  to  Philip 
of  the  nature,  and  quality,  and  character,  and 
feeling  towards  him  of  the  Father  himself. 

Ver.  11. — Believe  me  when  I  say  that  I 
am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  me,  on 
the  ground  of  my  simple  aflSrmation.  My 
words  are  spirit  and  life,  and  carry  their 
own  evidence  with  them.  Christ  is  not  here 
antithetically  contrasting  (as  Lange  sug- 
gests) words  and  works,  as  though  the  words 
were  his,  and  the  works  the  Father's ;  but 
he  is  appealing  to  their  spiritual  intuition  of 
truth  which  is  legible  by  its  own  light  as 
eternal  and  Divine,  and  then  reminding  them 
that  they  may  fail  in  transcendental  vision 
and  fall  back  on  reason  and  its  processes, 
which  will  come  neftrer  to  their  understand- 
ing— Or  else  (el  Se  m'?)!  if  it  be  after  all  that 
you  cannot  take  my  words  as  the  Father's 
words,  as  the  utterance  of  the  Divine  thought, 
believe  me — believe  that  I  am  in  the  Father, 
etc.— by  reason  of  the  very  works  which 
are  the  witness  of  the  Father's  power, 
holiness,  and  love.  In  this  last  appeal  he 
turns  from  Philip  to  the  whole  group  of  the 
apostles.  Miracles  are,  if  not  primary  evi- 
dence, secondary  and  convincing  evidence, 
where  the  eye  has  been  blinded  by  the  mists 
of  doubt,  and  the  vision  of  the  Father  con- 
fused and  withheld  by  lack  of  inward  purity. 
Moreover,  by  Christ's  ipya  are  meant,  not 
merely  the  supernatural  portents,  but  all 
the  work  of  his  life,  all  the  healing  of  souls, 
all  the  conversion  of  souls,  all  the  indubi- 
table issues  of  his  approach  to  the  heart  of 
man.  The  great  epyov  is  salvation  from  sin, 
the  gift  of  righteousness,  and  the  life  wliere 
before  there  was  moral  death  (see  notes,  vers. 
19,20;  ch.  X.  37,  3S). 

Vers.  12 — 15. — (h)  The  greater  worTts,  and 
their  conditions  and  issues.  He  offers  a 
fresh  ground  of  consolation,  based  on  the 
double  consideration,  first  of  his  departure 
from  them  and  abiding  presence  with  them, 
and  then  on  the  reflex  elfect  on  their  own 
faith  and  on  the  world  of  their  consciousness 
of  union  with  him.  He  throws  the  arms  of 
his  love  round  about,  not  only  the  eleven 
disciples,  but  all  believers  on  him,  and  in  a 

'  This  alteration  of  the  text,  on  the 
authority  of  N,  B,  D,  is  accepted  by  Tischen- 
dorf  (8th  edit.),  Meyer,  R.T.  and  Tregelles, 
it  being  supposed  that  in  avrhs  Troie?  to.  epya 
of  the  T.R.  the  abroi  had  been  added  in 
explanation,  and  displaced  the  aiirov  in  some 
early  manuscripts. 


sense  draws  them  up  into  his  own  Divinity. 
With  these  words  must  be4Compared  the 
closely  parallel  words  addressed  to  them  (as 
preserved  by  Matt.  xxi.  22,  23)  a  few  days 
before.  This  was  a  saying  at  once  explain- 
ing the  reference  to  the  "  greater  works " 
and  also  to  the  power  of  prayer  (see 
Hengstenberg's  masterly  treatment  of  this 
passage). 

Ver.  12. — Verily,  verily — with  a  fresh 
emphasis  he  turns  now.  not  from  Philip  to 
the  eleven,  but  from  the  eleven  to  all  who 
will  believe  on  him  through  their  word — I  say 
unto  you,  He  that  believeth  on  me — observe 
here  a  nominative  absolute,  which  gives 
great  empliasis  to  the  universality  of  the  re- 
ference; the  form  is  slightly  varied,  els  ejue, 
in  place  of  /uoi,  ver.  11, — believeth,  trusteth 
on  me,  confides  in  me,  by  reason  of  believing 
me — he  also  shall  do  .the  works  that  I  do 
(see  for  similar  emphasis  procured  by  the 
word  KaKf'tvos,  ch.  vi.  57 ;  ix.  37 ;  xii.  48). 
The  disciples  might  naturally  have  reasoned 
on  this  wise :  "  Our  Master  is  the  incarnate 
Word,  the  very  Hand  and  Grace  of  the 
Father;  but  he  is  going  to  the  invisible 
Father,  and  will  be  lo.st  in  light.  His  series 
of  proofs  will  be  at  an  end ;  we  shall  only 
have  the  memory  of  them.  The  glory  of 
God  is  great,  but,  like  a  gorgeous  sunset,  its 
flames  will  die  away  into  the  night."  To 
rectify  such  fear  for  all  the  ages  of  the 
Church,  he  adds,  "  The  very  works  of  heal- 
ing and  helping  men,  even  of  raising  the 
dead,  and  preaching  glad  tidings  to  the 
poor  and  needy, — these  will  be  pi  oofs  of  the 
union  of  the  believer  in  all  time  with  me  and 
with  my  Father."  In  the  case  of  such  be- 
liever, as  well  as  in  my  case,  the  works  may 
increase  the  faith  of  others.  They  are  not 
indispensable,  but  comforting  and  reassuring, 
and  they  show  that  every  believer  is  near 
to  the  heart  of  the  Father  and  wields  the 
power  of  God.  But  the  full  force  of  this 
somewhat  perplexing  sentence  is  heightened 
and  to  some  extent  explained  by  the  addi- 
tion :  And  greater  works  than  these  he 
shall  do ;  because  I  am  going  to  the  '  Father. 
Greater  works  than  any  wrought  by  the 
Lord  in  the  days  of  his  humiliation  are 
predicted  of  Messiah.  He  is  to  be  the  "  Light 
of  the  Gentiles  "  (Isa.  xlii.  6 ;  cf.  Ps.  Ixxii. 
8,  11 ;  ex.).  He  is  to  rule  the  world,  to 
cover  the  earth  with  the  glory  of  God. 
How  he  was  to  do  this  was  hidden  from  the 
disciples,  but  it  would  soon  appear  that  they 
were  the  instruments,  in  his  loving  hands, 

'  The  nov  is  here  omitted,  with  N,  A,  B, 
D,  L,  numerous  cursives  and  versions,  by 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Tregelles,  E.T.,  and 
.  Westcott  and  Hort. 


cii.  XIV.  1— 31.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


for  world-victories.  Xay,  morn  llian  that, 
Jesus  (ch.  iv.  30 — 3S)  had  told  theso  dis- 
ciples that  tliej_jiuglit  reap  what  ho  had 
sowft,  These  rather  than  other  and  more 
surprising  prodigies  of  supernatural  energy 
(as  oven  Bengel  supposed  was  his  meaning, 
pointing  to  the  healing  energy  of  Peter's 
shadow. etc.)  were  the  greater  works  to  which 
he  probably  (ch.  v.  20)  referred,  though  ho 
gives  a  reason  which  would  check  all  pre- 
sumption :  Because  lavi  going  to  the  Father. 
The  contrast,  then,  is  between  the  humilia- 
tion and  exaltation  of  Christ,  between  works 
wrought  in  his  flesh  and  those  that  would 
be  done  by  him  when  at  the  right  hand  of 
power.  "Without  him,  separated  from  him, 
independently  of  his  continued  and  aug- 
mented energy  working  througli  them,  they 
would  do  nothing  (ch.  xv.  5;  comp.  here 
Matt.  xxi.  21,  22).  In  the  last  passage,  in 
answer  to  believing  prayer,  tlie  disciples  were 
told  that  they  would  do  greater  things  than 
wither  up  the  tig  tree,  or  remove  the  moun- 
tain into  the  sea.  Probably  (see  Hcugsten- 
berg)  these  terms,  "  fig  tree,"  "  mountain," 
"sea,"  were  used  in  their  prophetico-syra- 
bolic  sense,  and  were  not  hyperbolic  pro- 
mises, but  definite  proplieciiS.of  the  over- 
throw of  the  trewisli  state,  and  the  fail  of 
the  Ebman  power  under  the  word  of  those 
who  believed  .onjiim.  These  vast  privileges 
aiTdrTuncticms  are  here  attributed  to  "be- 
lievers," not  merely  to  the  apostles,  or  princes 
in  his  kingdom.  This  extraordinary  pro- 
mise is  no  disparagement  of  his  supreme 
authority,  but  will  be  proof  that  ho  sitteth 
on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high. 

Ver.  18. — The  great  word  that  follows 
may  hang  closely  on  the  "  because "  of 
ver.  12.  Wliether  that  be  so  or  not,  the 
power  of  their  hands  to  perform  these  greater 
works  is  in  answer  to  prayer  presented  to 
himself,  and  their  succcs.s  is  nothing  less 
tiian  his  own  activity.  And  whatsoever  ye 
ask  in  my  Name,  that  will  I  do  (see  Luther). 
Here  for  the  first  time  our  Lord  uses  these 
words.  Frequently  (eh.  v.  43;  x.  25)  he 
had  spoken  of  the  Father's  Name,  and  in 
Matt,  xviii.  20  ds  rh  ffiw  vvof^a  occurs ;  but 
now  he  suggests  a  new  and  vitalizing  condi- 
tion of  prayer.  Luthardt  has  suggested  that 
the  believer,  being  "in  Christ,"  prays  to  the 
Father,  who  is  alto  in  Christ.  But  the  eV  is 
used  here  in  two  entirely  distinct  senses. 
Others  have  said,  taking  "Name"  as  the 
compendium  of  all  his  perfections,  that 
asking  "  in  his  Name  "  meant  in  full  recog- 
nition of  his  Person  and  his  relation  to 
them  and  to  the  Father.  The  Name  of  the 
Son  reveals  the  Father,  and  by  assuming 
this  most  excellent  Name,  and  having  its 
fulness  of  meaning  avouched  by  the  Resur- 
rection and  Ascension,  the  Father  was  truly 
manifested.  Others,  again,  urge  that  Christ's 
JOHN. — II. 


"Name"  is  equivalent  to  "himself;"  and 
"in  my  Name"  means  "in  the  full  con- 
sciousness that  he  is  the  element  in  which 
prayerful  activity  lives  and  moves  "  (Meyer). 
Surely  this  passage  is  the  true  justificrttiou 
of  prayer  to  Christ  himself,  as  identically  ono 
with  the  Father  (sec  Rev.  vii.  17)  "This 
tiling  /  will  do"  is  strongly  in  favour  of 
this  interpretation.  That  the  Father  may  be 
glorified  in  the  Son.  The  end  of  this  prayer- 
offering  and  tiio  Lord's  response  is  that  the 
Father  may  be  glorified;  the  Father  who 
has  such  ii  Son  is  thereby  glorified  in  the 
grateful  love  of  his  children,  and  in  the  Son 
himself,  who  is  seen  thus  to  be  the  link  be- 
tween him  and  his  other  children. 

Ver.  1 4. — If  ye  shall  ask  me '  anything  in 
my  Name,  etc.,  is,  omitting  the  iVa  clause  of 
tlie  former  utterance,  a  solemn  repetition  of 
the  promise.  The  only  conditicm  being  "  iu 
my  Name."  "Our  Lord  Clirist  foresaw 
that  this  article  would  go  hard  with  liumau 
reason,  and  that  it  would  be  much  assailed 
by  the  devil."  "  What  ye  ask,"  says  he,  "  I 
will  do.  I  am  God,  who  may  do  and  give 
all  things."  The  peculiarity  of  the  R.T. 
lays,  indeed,  special  emphasis  on  Christ's 
own  power  and  willingness  to  receive  and 
answer  praj'er. 

Ver.  15. — If  ye  love  me,  keep  -  my  com- 
mandments. This  great  saying  is  enlarged 
on  in  the  subsequent  section — the  relation 
of  love  to  obedience,  obedience  producing 
love,  and  love  suggesting  obedience  and  sup- 
plying it  with  motive.  Tas  fVToKas  ras  €>«$, 
"  the  commandments  which  are  peculiarly 
mine"  (see  Wcstcott  on  ch.  xv.  9),  "as  either 
aiopted  and  reuttered  by  me,  or  as  origi- 
nating in  my  new  relation  to  you."  "  Guard 
them  as  a  sacred  deposit,  obey  them  as  the 
only  reasonable  response  you  can  make  to 
authoritative  command."  It  is  somewhat 
startling  to  find  the  great  prom'se  that 
follows  conditionati'd  by  loving  obedience, 
seeing  that  love  and  obedience  in  any  sin- 
ful man,  love  to  Christ  itself,  are  elsewhere 
made  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  But  we 
here  couie  across  that  which  often  perplexes 
the  student,  viz.  the  contrast  between  the 

'  The  /xe  here  stands  on  the  authority  of 
X,  B,  E,  H,  lUlic,  Vulgate,  Syriac,  and  a 
large  number  of  cursives.  It  is  introduced 
by  R.T.  and  Tischeudorf  (8th  edit.).  Tre- 
gelles,  Alford,  and  Lange  omit  it,  with  T.R. 
The  introduction  of  it  may  be  easier  to 
account  for  than  the  omission.  The  Revisers 
notice  the  omission  in  the  margin. 

^  Tregellcs,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  and 
R.T.  read  ttj^ijo-stc,  "ye  will  keep,"  with 
(N),  B,  L,  54,  73,  N  reading  rrjpriar]Te.  The 
T.R.,  Lachmann,  etc.,  read  Tnpf)(TaTt,  with  A, 
D,  Q,  A,  and  so  large  an  amount  of  authority 
that  we  hesitate  to  adopt  the  revised  text. 

Q 


226 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.   JOHN,     [ch.  xiv.  1— 31. 


general  idea  of  the  constant  and  continuous 
work  of  grace  in  human  hearts,  and  the 
s]ieeial  manift  station  in  personal  glory  and 
Divine  activity  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on 
Pentecost. 

Vers.  10— 21.— (e)  The  greatest  Gift— the 
other  Adcocate. 

\evs.  10, 17. — Consequent  on  this  obedient 
love,  conditioLiattd  by  it,  is  the  Lord's 
jissuranc^' :  And  I  will  ask  the  Father — 
hp'jnav  is  used  of  an  asking  wliich  is  based 
on  close  and  intimate  fellowship ;  it  is  the 
word  wiiicii  implies  the  presentation  of 
wisli  or  a  detire  from  an  equal  to  an  equal, 
while  aiTf'iv  represents  the  prayer  or  seek- 
ing which  rises  Irom  an  inferior  to  a 
superior  (see  note,  ch.  xvi.  26,  and  other 
usage  of  the  same  wortls,  ch.  xvii.  9,  15,  20) 
— and  he  will  give — make  a  Divine  and  free 
inanifestation  of  himself  by  his  Spirit,  give 
to  you  as  your  inalienable  possession  — 
another  Paraclete,  that  he  may  be  '  with 
you  for  evermore.  Great  deference  is  due 
io  the  Greek  expositors,  beginning  with 
Chrysostom,  who  translate  this  word  •'  Com- 
furter,"  and  who  point  back  to  the  LXX. 
7ra/)aKaAf(T6  (Isa.  xl.  1),  and  because  irapa- 
KAricris  very  often,  if  not  always,  means 
"  conscilation  :  "  but  the  word  is  passive  in 
.form,  and  denotes  "one  called  in,"  or 
"  called  to  the  side  of  another,"  for  the 
purpose  of  helping  him  in  any  way,  but 
especially  in  le;<al  proceedings  and  criminal 
charges,  so  that  the  word  "  Advocate," 
Pleader  for  us  and  in  us,  is  the  translation 
that  most  generally  is  accepted  by  almost 
all  moJern  expositors.  "Another  "  implies 
that  Christ  had  already  stood  in  this  posi- 
tion while  present  with  them,  helping  with 
tender  care  their  first  efforts  to  stand  or 
serve.  John  (1  Epist.  ii.  1)  distinctly  says, 
"  We  have  now  a  Paraclete  with  the  Father, 
Jesus  Christ  the  Righteous,"  etc.  And 
in  this  place  (ver.  17)  the  coming  of  the 
Paraclete  was  his  own  true  return  to  his 
disciples.  The  following  is  the  substance 
of  Westcott's  "  additional  note "  on  this 
word  :  "  The  two  renderings  of  Paraclete  as 
'  Comforter'  in  the  Gospel,  and  'Advocate'  in 
the  Epistle,  are  found  in  the  English  versions, 
with  exception  of  Rhenish,  from  Wickliffe 
to  Authorized  Version  and  Revised  Version. 
Ill  the  ancient  versions,  with  the  exception 
of  Thebaic,  the  original  word  Faracletus 
is  preserved.  Its  passive  form  by  all  analo- 
^'lus  words  will  not  justify  here  an  active 
or  transitive  sense,  but  means  '  one  called 
to  the  side  of  another'  with  the  secondary 
sense  of  hel[)ing,  consoling,  counselling,  or 
aiding  him.  The  classical  use  is  'advo- 
cate,' so  used  in  Demosthenes,  not  found 

*  tJ  is  the  true  text,  X,  B,  L,  Q,  Italic, 
Coptic,  Syriac,  R.T.,  etc. 


in  LXX.  Philo  uses  it  in  the  same  sense, 
and  the  rabbinic  writers  adopt  the  Greek 
word  D'9p"i2j  in  opposition  to  '  accuser.' 
Tlie  apostolic  Fathers  use  the  word  in 
this  sense,  but  the  patristic  writers,  Origen, 
Cyril,  Gregory  of  Nyssa,  use  it  for  '  Com- 
forter.' In  1  John  ii.  1  no  other  word  is 
satisfactory  but  '  Advocate,'  and  the  sug- 
gestion is  that  the  only  meaning  here  that 
is  adequate  is  that  of  one  who  pleads, 
convinces,  convicts  in  a  great  controversy, 
who  strengthens  on  the  one  hand,  and  de- 
fends on  the  other.  Christ,  as  the  Advocate, 
plearls  the  believer's  cause  with  the  Father 
against  tlie  accuser  (I  John  ii.  1 ;  Rom.  viii. 
26;  Rev.  xii.  10).  The  Holy  Spirit,  as  the 
Advocate,  pleads  the  cause  of  the  believer 
against  the  world  (ch.  xvi.  8),  and  pleads 
Christ's  cause  with  the  believer  (ch.  xiv. 
26 ;  XV.  20 ;  xvi.  14)."  Archdeacon  Watkins 
Ins  presented  a  large  portion  of  the  Tal- 
mudic  evidence  to  the  same  effect.  Thus 
from  the  '  Pirke  Aboth,'  iv.  11,  "He  that 
keepeth  one  commandment  obtains  for 
himself  one  p''ra]dit,  but  he  who  com- 
miiteth  one  sin  obtains  for  himself  one 
kattegor  (^Kar-hyopos)."  The  word  was  in- 
cor[)orated  into  the  Syrian  language,  as 
seen  in  the  Peshito  Syriac  translation,  both 
of  the  Guspel  and  the  First  Epistle  of  John. 
The  Advocate  who  is  to  be  with  the  dis- 
ciples for  ever,  arguing  down  opposition  V 
and  silencing  cavil,  is  the  Spirit  of  truth. 
The  abundant  proof  of  this  great  function 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  wanting.  There 
is  Christ's  promise  (Matt.  x.  19,  20 ;  Mark 
xiii.  9—11).  Then  in  Acts  iv.  8  and.  13, 
whatever  Christ  had  been  to  the  twelve, 
that  would  the  other  Advocate,  Mediator  of 
Divine  grace,  be  to  the  whole  Church  when 
the  Lord's  earthly  manifestation  should 
terminate.  The  genitive  after  "  Spirit "  some- 
times denotes  its  great  characteristic  (cf. 
Rom.  i.  4,  "  the  Spirit  of  holiness ; "  Rom. 
viii.  15,  "  Spirit  of  bondage  "  and  "  of  adop- 
tion ; "  but  in  the  same  context  we  have 
"  Spirit  of  God,"  "  the  Spirit ;  "  Eph.  i. 
17,  "  Spirit  of  wisdom  and  revelation ;  cf. 
also  Rom.  viii.  9,  "  Spirit  of  Christ ; "  1  Pet. 
iv.  14,  "  the  Spirit  of  glory  ") ;  and  the  idea 
is  that  this  other  Advocate,  even  the  Spirit 
of  truth,  shall  reveal  truth  to  the  disciples, 
convince  them  of  trutii,  as  Christ  had  done. 
Whom  the  world  cannot  receive.  There  are 
antipathies  between  "  the  world  "  (as  con- 
ceived by  St.  John)  and  "truth,"  which 
will  render  the  world  strangely  unsuscep- 
tible of  Divine  teaching.  Still,  since  the 
wliole  process  of  conviction  is  the  distinct 
effect  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  the  world  (see 
ch.  xvi.),  the  Kafinv  must  not  mean  that  the 
world  cannot  accept  its  convincing  power, 
but  cannot  exert  its  power  of  convincing. 
Through  apostles,  who  are  his  organs  and 


CH.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


227 


representatives,  the  world  will  be  convinced, 
iiud  not  apart  tVom  them.  Because  it  seeth 
him  not  (dewpfl)  — doc8  not  behold  him  in  liis 
external  revelations— and  knoweth  him  not 
by  personal  experience,  "  is  not  learning  to 
know  him  "  as  these  disciples  even  hitherto 
have  been  able  to  do  in  Christ.  The  world 
has  proved  by  its  rejection  of  Christ  that  it 
cannot  behold  the  Divine  energy  in  him, 
nor  perceive  by  any  inward  experience  his 
natnre  or  the  real  natnre  of  God ;  but  ye, 
said  Christ,  are  now  learning  to  know  him ; 
for  he  abideth  with  you.  He  has  begun  his 
abiding  presence  with  you,  and  shall  be  in 
yau;  and  this  state  of  things  will  con- 
tinue to  the  end  of  time.  "  The  future 
shows  that  the  whole  matter  belongs  to  the 
domain  of  futurity  "  (Hengstenberg).  The 
world  cannot  "  receive,"  beciiuse  it  is  depen- 
dent on  visible  things,  and  it  cannot  know 
because  it  cannot  behold.  You  have  no 
need  to  behold,  and  can  and  do  know  by 
another  process.  The  passage  is  very  diffi- 
cult, because,  if  the  world  cauuot  receive  the 
Spirit  by  reason  of  its  own  unspirituality 
and  ignorance,  how  is  the  threefold  con- 
viction to  be  realized  ?  May  Ka^eii'  be  re- 
garded in  the  sense  of  KaraKdufiaveiv,  "  to 
seize  hold  of"?  Rost  and  Palm  give  the 
following  instances  of  this  use  of  Xafx^avelv 
in  Homer:  'Od.,'  vi.  81;  viii.  116;  'II.,'  v. 
273;  Herod.,  iv.  130,  etc.  (cf.  eh.  xix.  1; 
Rev.  viii.  5).  If  so,  the  whole  of  this 
passage  would  read,  "He  will  give  you 
another  Helper  or  Advocate,  that  he  may  be 
with  you  for  ever,  even  the  Spirit  of  truth 
whom  the  world  cannot  seize  (or  take  from 
you),  because  it  beholdeth  him  not,  neither 
knoweth  him ;  but  ye  are  learning  to  know 
him,  because  he,  according  to  the  eternal 
laws  of  his  being,  dwelleth  with  you,  and 
will  be  in  you,  and  be  altogether  beyond 
the  malice  of  the  world." 

Ver.  18. — I  will  not  leave  you  behind  as 
orphans,  bereft  of  my  paternal  guardianship. 
Though  the  disciples  were  his  brethren, 
yet,  as  we  have  seen,  he  calls  them  (eh.  xiii. 
33)  TfKvla  his  ".little  children;"  and  (Heb. 
ii.  11)  the  apostles  reckoned  him  as  Arthur 
(in  '  Guinevere ')  does  when  he  speaks  of 
"our  fair  Father  Christ."  His  departure 
might  be  the  signal  for  the  most  utter  sense 
of  desertion,  exposure,  and  peril ;  and  even 
the  promise  of  another  Advocatus  would 
hardly  console  them  before  the  time  would 
arrive  when  he  would  receive  them  unto 
himself;  but,  says  he,  I  am  coming  to  you. 
Much  unnecessary  comment  has  here  arisen 
as  to  whether  this  coming  was  the  last 
triumphant  irapovrria  of  which  he  si)eak8  in 
part  in  ver.  3, — this  wouM  be  incompatible 
with  the  assurances  that  then  the  world 
would  and  will  see  him  :  "Every  eye  shall " 
then  be  prophetic  and  "  see  him,"  and  "  be- 


fore him  shall  be  gathered  all  nations ; "  or 
whether  this  coming  bo  simply  liis  resur- 
rection with  liis  transitory  appearances  in  the 
flesh  ;  for  b^th  of  these  representations  woiil  I 
fail  of  the  full  consolation  which  would  tonni- 
nate  their  orphanhood.  Surely  he  spe;iks  of 
his  own  spiritual  coming  in  the  bestownu-nt  >  f 
the  othir  Advocate,  who, by  being  with  tliom 
and  in  them,  would  prove  to  them,  notwith- 
standing his  own  apparent  dopaiture,  that 
he  had  come  again  in  his  glorious  fulness  of 
love.  In  the  thought  of  the  early  Church 
the  Lord  was  the  Spirit :  the  glorified  I^ord, 
the  Christ,  who  had  "  all  powt  r  in  heaven 
and  earth,"  was  manifested,  was  veritably 
present,  in  all  the  work  of  the  Spirit  of  Gnil 
iu  his  Church.  The  Spirit  was  not  only  the 
Unity  of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  the  one 
Self-consciousness  of  both,  but  the  ono  Con- 
sciousness of  the  Son  of  God  and  Son  of 
man,  tho  uniting  Energy  which  rejiresents 
the  one  Personality  of  the  Christ,  the 
Spirit-power  which  blends  all  the  members 
of  the  mystical  body  with  tho  Head. 
Throughout  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  we  see 
that  all  the  great  operations  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  are  but  the  energies  of  the  living, 
reigning  Lord. 

Ver.  19. — Yet  a  little  while — a  few  hours 
only — and  the  world — which  cannot  take  from 
you  (or  even  appreciate  or  receive)  the  Holy 
Spirit — beholdeth  me  no  more.  Their  power 
of  beholding  me  will  be  gone  by  their  own 
act,  they  will  have  cursed  and  driven  me 
away  with  the  hellish  cry,  "  Crucify  him !  " 
they  will  have  slain  and  buried  me  out  of 
their  sight ;  but,  notwithstanding  this,  you, 
by  my  coming  to  you  in  the  power  of  the 
Spirit,  will  veritably  behold  me.  Even  more 
than  this,  'because  I  live  though  I  die,  ye 
shall  live  also,  in  your  intense  spiritual  apper- 
ception of  my  continuity  of  life,  of  which 
you  will  have  ocular  and  spiritual  guarantee. 
Jesus  here  passed  over  the  concrete  fact  of 
the  Resurrection,  to  return  to  it  afterwards 
We  know  that  tho  resurrection  of  his  body 
and  his  victory  over  death  became  (1)  the 
condition  of  his  sending  the  Spirit,  (2) 
the  proof  of  his  being  the  living  One  whom 
death  could  not  hold,  and  (3)  the  ground  of 
the  higher  appreciation  of  the  relation  they 
sustained  to  him.  But  he  fixed  their  atten- 
tion on  his  continuous  life  (in  spite  of 
death),  and  their  consequent  life  under  the 
shadow  of  his  Divine  protection,  without 
specifically  mentioning  the  Resurrection,  of 
which  lie  had  (in  synoptic  narrative)  given 
them  explicit  but  misapprehended  pro- 
phecies. This  version  seems  to  bo  prefer- 
able to  making  the  last  clause  8ti,  etc.,  a 
reason  of  tho  deoipilri  fie — a  view  advocated 
as  possible  by  Meyer  and  Luthardt ;  or  than 
the  view  which  limits  the  '6ti  (u  to  tho 
QiuipuTf  :   "  Ye  see  me  because  I  live,  and 


228 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.     [en.  xiv.  1—31. 


as  a  consequence  of  this  vision  ye  shall 
live  also." 

Ver.  20. — In  that  day  of  glorious  recom- 
munion  with  you,  begun  in  the  Resurrection- 
surprises,  which  will  aid  your  faith  and 
triumphantly  establish  the  mysteries  and 
marvels  of  Pentecost,  you  shall  know  wliat 
you  now  most  imperfectly  apprehend  by 
faith,  that  I  am  in  my  Father,  as  One  lifted 
up  into  God,  and  that  I  act  entirely  with 
and  for  and  as  my  Father,  fulfilling  all 
that  I  have  told  you  of  my  personal  rela- 
tionship with  him ;  and  then,  he  adds,  you 
shall  Jiiiow  that  as  I  am  in  my  Father,  you 
(are)  in  me,  living  in  and  by  my  power,  and 
continuously  drawing  life  from  me ;  and 
what  is  still  more,  I  in  you ;  i.e.  as  the 
Father  has  acted  in  and  through  my  will, 
and  I  have  spoken  his  words  and  done  his 
works,  so  I  will  energize  in  you.  Your 
"  greater  works "  will  prove  my  "  greater 
power."  Your  own  consciousness  of  my 
presence,  and  of  continuous  communion 
with  me,  will  reveal  to  you,  as  you  never 
knew  before,  that  I  am  in  my  Father,  and 
also  that  I  am  in  you.  So  the  apparent 
paradox  presents  itself,  that  in  order  to 
know  the  Father,  to  see  the  Father,  we 
must  commune  with  the  humanity  of  Jesus ; 
but  in  order  to  realize  and  come  into  con- 
tact with  tliat  humanity,  we  have  to  grasp 
that  it  is  lifted  up  into  God.  Because  he  is 
in  the  Father  he  is  able  to  be  with  and 
in  us. 

Ver.  21. — Then  for  a  moment  he  turns 
from  the  eleven,  and  stretches  out  his 
searching  gaze  and  far-sweeping  love  to 
every  one  who  hath  my  commandments  as 
a  sure  possession  and  lofty  privilege  and 
sufficient  standard,  and  keepeth  them,  thus 
proving  that  he  it  is  that  loveth  me;  re- 
turning thus  back  to  ver.  15,  where  he  said 
that  love  would  induce  and  ought  to  com- 
pel to  obedience ;  and  he  adds  another  and 
wonderful  benediction :  He  will  be  loved 
by  my  Father,  in  a  sense  more  intense  than 
that  in  which  God  is  said  to  love  the  world 
(ch.  iii.  16).  God  the  Father  loves  those  who 
love  the  Son,  i.e.  love  the  object  of  his  own 
superlative  affection.  But  who  can  this 
wondrous  Being  be  who  adds,  as  a  climax  of 
privilege  and  honour,  as  though  it  were  more 
even  than  the  love  of  the  Father,  I  will  love 
him,  and  will  manifest  myself  in  him  (not 
aTroKa\v\pai  or  (pavepdffai),  not  merely  "  dis- 
close an  undiscovered  presence"  or  make 
evident  a  hidden  glory,  but  I  will  take 
special  means  to  disclose  my  Person  and 
nature  and  goodness  to  him?  Christ  will 
do  this  to  those  who  have  and  keep  his  com- 
mandments of  self-forgetting  love  and  per- 
fect consecration.  This  remarkable  word, 
i/xpavlffoi,  implies  that  the  scene  and  place 
of  the  higher  manifestation  will  be  "in" 


(h)  the  consciousness  of  the  soul.  "The 
kingdom  of  God  is  within  men." 

Vers.  22 — 31. — (6)  The  question  of  Judas, 
and  the  conditions  of  our  Lord's  self-mani- 
festation, followed  hy  appeals,  promises,  and 
the  gift  of  peace. 

Ver.  22. — This  reference  to  ''  manifesta- 
tion "  once  more  occasioned  another  anxious 
inquiry.  Thomas  had  not  known  whither 
the  Lord  was  going,  and  was  ignorant  of  the 
true  meaning  of  that  way  of  depjarture  from 
them ;  and  the  Lord  had  told  him  that  he 
was  going  to  the  Father,  and  that  he  him- 
self was  the  Way  for  them  to  find  their  access 
to  the  Father's  heart.  Philip  had  longed 
for  some  vision  of  the  Father  which  would 
suffice  for  the  "  whither  "  and  "  way,"  and 
was  surprised  to  find  that  he  had  had 
already,  in  the  Saviour's  own  Person,  a 
sufficient  revelation  of  the  Father ;  but  that 
he  and  others  had  not  known  him  nor  his 
Father;  and  now  Jesus  promises  a  fuller 
manifestation  of  himself,  and  therefore  of 
the  Father.  Here  Judas,  not  Iscariot  (the 
Lebbxus,  or  Tliaddxus,  of  Mark  iii.  18  and 
Matt.  X.  3 ;  the  Judas  brother  of  James  of 
Luke  vi.  16  and  Acts  i.  13— all  the  several 
cognomina  intended  to  keep  this  apostle's 
name  entirely  distinct  from  that  of  the 
traitor),  saith  to  him,  What  has  come  to 
pass  that  thou  art  about  to  manifest  thyself 
unto  us,  and  not  to  manifest  thyself  to  the 
world  ?  Hast  thou  altered  thy  plan  ?  Is 
the  world  to  be  left  unvisited  by  thy  glory  ? 
This  question,  in  some  form  or  other,  is 
constantly  pressed  upon  the  Lord.  This 
seeking  for  a  sign,  this  eager  desire  for 
a  great  display  of  power,  or  judgment,  or 
glory,  this  restoration  of  the  kingdom  to 
Israel,  was  the  cry  of  the  Jewish  heart. 
Christ's  sublime  reply  to  it  is  given  in  the 
restatement  of  the  spiritual  law  of  the 
kingdom  and  glory  of  God.  Once  more  he 
goes  back  to  the  law  of  love,  issuing  in 
obedience. 

Ver.  23. — Jesus  answered  and  said  to 
him,  If  a  man,  let  him  be  whosoever  he 
may,  love  me — there  is  the  germ  and  root 
of  all — he  will  keep  my  Word  {Koyov ').  In 
ver.  21  we  see  the  complementary  state- 
ment, "  He  that  has  and  keeps  my  com- 
mandments loves  me  ; "  here,  "  He  that  loves 
me  keeps  my  Word."  In  ver.  21  obedience 
proves  inward  love,  and  may  indicate  to  the 
world  the  fact  of  the  Father's  love  and  my 
own  response.  Here  our  Lord  is  laying 
down  the  principle  of  relation — the  law  of 
close    intimacy,  the    conditions  of    higlier 


'  Here  x6yovs  must  have  been  read  by 
Tyudule,  Craumer,  and  the  Authorized 
Version ;  but  T.R.,  R.T.,  Lachmann,  Tre- 
gelles,  Westcott  and  Hort,  Tischendorf  (8th 
edit.),  etc.,  read  K&yov. 


CH.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


L'29 


knowledge.  The  keeping  of  the  Word  is  a 
certiiin  consequence  of  holy  love.  And  my 
Father  will  love  him.  So  far  Christ  has 
only  reiterated  the  great  statement  of  ver. 
21,  but  instead  of  saying,  "  I  will  love  him, 
and  manifest  myself,"  he  added,  We  will 
come — the  Father  and  I— to  him,  and  take 
up  our  abode,'  make  for  ourselves  a  resting- 
place  in  his  dwelling  (Trap'  avrcv) ;  of.  tlio 
analogous  and  wonderful  parallel  in  Rev. 
iii.  20.  Tliere  is  a  clear  utterance  of  Divine 
self-consciousness.  It  is  worthy  of  note 
tliat  such  an  expression  as  this  sounds  a 
profounder  depth  of  that  consciousness 
than  any  phrase  (xSyos)  already  delivered. 
Apart  from  the  stupendous  corroborative 
facts  elsewhere  on  record,  this  seems,  to 
mere  human  experience,  either  awfully  true 
or  infinitely  blasphemous.  The  Father  and 
I  will  come  together  in  the  power  of  the 
Spirit,  and  ice  will  dwell  within  the  loving 
and  obedient  soul.  This  phrase  suggests 
the  mystical  union  of  the  Divine  Personality 
with  that  of  those  who  have  entered  into 
spiritual  relation  with  Christ  through  love 
and  obedience. 

Ver.  24. — We  have  three  statements  about 
love  and  obedience :  (1)  Love  involves 
obedience  (vers.  15,  23),  or  obedience  natu- 
rally is  included  in  love ;  (2)  obedience 
(liaving  and  keeping  commandments)  is  the 
great  proof  of  love  (ver.  21);  and  (3)  (ver. 
24)  "  he  that  loveth  not,"  i.e.  the  absence  or 
negation  of  love  seems  necessarily  to  forbid 
or  discountenance  obedience — the  language 
differs  slightly.  He  that  loveth  me  not 
keepeth  not  my  words — i.e.  the  various  utter- 
ances into  which  my  one  Word  may  be  sub- 
divided in  detail — and  the  \6yos,  the  one 
all-revealing  Word,  out  of  which  all  the 
\6yoi  proceed,  is  not  mine(a9  self-originated), 
bnt  is  the  Father's  that  sent  me.  With- 
out love  to  Christ  the  world  has  none  of  the 
conditions  on  which  the  self-manifestation  of 
Christ  really  depends. 

Vers.  25,  26. — These  things  (in  antithesis 
to  the  "  all  things  "  of  which  he  is  about 
to  speak),  namely,  the  great  consolations  and 
instructions  ju»t  delivered — not  the  whole 
course  of  liis  ministerial  prophetic  teaching 
— have  I  uttered,  and  these  tilings  I  am  still 
continuing  to  address  to  yon,  while  remain- 
ing with  you ;  but  the  Paraclete  (Advocate), 
of  whom  I  have  spoken  as  the  "Spirit  of 
trutli,"  and  whom  I  now  more  fully  define  as 
the  Holy  Spirit  (this  is  the  only  place  in  this 
Gospel  where  tins  full  and  elsewhere  often- 
used  designation  occurs),  whom  the  Father 
will  send — in  answer  to  my  prayer  (ver.  !('>), 
and  as  he  has  already  sent  me — in  my  Name. 

'  UoirjffoiJitda  is  preferred  by  modem 
editors,  with  N,  B,  L,  and  numerous  cur- 
sives, to  TToiTJdofiei/  of  T.Ii. 


This  sliows  that,  while  the  disciples  are  to 
approach  the  Father  "  in  the  Name,"  in  the 
fulness  of  perfection  involved  in  the  filial 
Name  of  Jesus,  so  the  Father  sends  the 
Paraclete  in  the  same  Name,  in  the  full 
recognition  of  Christ  as  the  Sphere  of  all 
his  gracious  work.  Meyer  emphasizes  by 
it  the  Name  of  Jesus ;  "  in  my  Name,"  say 
Grotius,  Liicke;  "at  my  intercession"  or 
"  in  my  stead  "  (Tholuck,  Ewald) ;  "  as  my 
Representative  "  (Watkins).  But  the  gieat 
Name  of  Jesus  is  "the  Son"  (Heb.  i.  1 — 5). 
In  the  Souship  which  he  realized  and  dis- 
played, the  Father  himself  was  manifested. 
The  Spirit  is  sent  from  the  Father  fully 
to  reveal  the  Son,  while  tlie  substance  of 
the  teaching  and  meaning  of  the  life  of  our 
Lord,  in  his  Divine  training  of  souls  re- 
vealed the  Father.  He  (^eKelvos,  a  masculine 
and  emphatic  pronoun,  which  gives  per- 
sonal quality  and  dignity  to  the  Spirit,  and 
points  to  all  that  is  here  predicated  of  his 
agency)  shall  teach  you  all  things  that  you 
need  to  know  over  and  above  what  I  have  said 
(\f\d\-nKa),  and  he  will  assist  you  to  know 
more  than  you  do  now.  He  shall  remind 
you  of  the  all  things  which  I  have  said  to 
you.  The  teaching  of  Christ,  according  to 
St.  John's  own  statement,  was  vastly  more 
extensive  than  all  that  liad  been  recorded, 
tlie  impression  produced  far  deeper  than 
anything  that  could  be  measured ;  yet  even 
this  would  have  been  evaporated  into  vague 
sentiment,  if  the  veritable  things,  the  mar- 
vellous and  incomparable  wisdom,  uttered  by 
the  Lord  had  not,  by  the  special  teaching 
of  the  Spirit,  been  recommunicated  to  the 
apostles  by  extraordinary  refreshment  of 
memory.  The  supernatural  energy  of  the 
memory  of  the  apostles,  and  their  profound 
insight,  is  the  basis  of  the  New  Testament, 
and  the  fulfilment  of  this  promise.  This 
sacred  training  will  not  teach  specifically 
new  truths,  because  the  germinant  form  of 
all  spiritual  truth  had  been  communicated 
by  Christ ;  nor  would  the  instruction  create 
a  fundamental  deposit  of  tradition  as  yet 
unrevealed ;  nor  is  it  to  be  such  an  intensi- 
fication or  addition  to  things  already  said 
as  to  contradict  the  teaching  of  the  Lord ; 
but  the  Holy  Spirit  will  bring  to  the  remem- 
brance of  the  apostles  all  that  the  living 
Logos  had  spoken.  Hence  the  mystic,  the 
traditionist,  and  the  rationalist  cannot  find 
support  for  their  theses  in  these  great  words. 
The  irdfTa,  however,  gives  a  bright  hint  of 
the  completeness  of  the  equipment  of  the 
apostles  for  their  work. 

Ver.  27. — "  Then  follow  the  last  words  as 
of  one  who  is  about  to  go  away,  and  says 
'Good  night.'or  gives  his  blessing  "(Luther). 
Peace  I  leave  with  (or,  to)  you.  Peace  («i- 
P'fjvv)  answers  to  the  (a-Sr)  shalom  of  or- 
dinary converse  and  greeting,  and  signifies 


2C0 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOH^.    [ch.  xiv.  1—31. 


prosperity,  health  of  soul,  serenity,  farewell. 
Tliis  is  tlie  sacred  bestowment  and  Divine 
k'gacy  of  the  Lord.  "  Peace  "  is  al  ways  the 
rexiilt  of  equilibrated  forces,  the  poise  of 
antagonistic!  elements,  held  in  clieck  by  one 
another.  Of  these  the  most  placid  lake,  hid- 
den m  the  hills  and  reflecting  the  sunshine 
:iud  shadows,  is  a  remarkable  illustration.  So 
the  peace  Christ  leaves  is  power  to  hold  the 
wildest  fear  in  pause,  to  still  a  clamour  or 
liiish  a  cry — it  is  the  coming  of  mercy  to  a 
sense  of  sin,  of  life  to  the  fear  of  death. 
But  when  he  added,  The  peace  that  is  mine 
I  give  to  you,  we  are  reminded  of  the  tre- 
mendous conflict  going  on  in  his  own  nature 
at  that  very  moment,  and  of  tiie  sublime 
secret  of  Jesus,  by  which  the  will  of  man 
was  brought,  even  in  agony  and  death,  into 
utter  harmony  with  the  will  of  God.  The 
a.(pivi^i  and  SiSiofj.1  of  this  verse  show  how 
the  ordinary  salutation  may  become  invested 
\vith  immense  significance.  There  are  mo- 
mems  when  into  one  human  word  may  be 
condensed  the  love  of  a  lifetime.  Christ 
does  but  pour  through  these  common  words 
the  fire  of  his  eternal  and  infinite  love.  Not 
as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  to  you,  both  as 
to  manner  and  matter  and  power.  The  mode 
of  giving  is  real,  sincere,  neither  formal  nor 
hypocritical.  "  I  say  it,  and  I  mean  it." 
(Meyer,  in  opposition  to  Godet,  thinks  this 
unworthy  of  the  Saviour  at  this  momeut; 
but  Godet  is  right.)  Tiie  matter,  sub- 
stance, and  value  of  the  prosperity  and 
peace  I  give  stretches  out  into  eternity  ;  and 
I  give  it,  I  do  not  merely  talk  of  it  or  wish 
it.  "  Christ's  farewell  greeting  is  forerun- 
ner of  the  beatific  salutation  which  shall 
accompany  the  eternal  meeting"  (Lange). 
Then,  returning  to  the  Divine  words  of  ver. 
1,  he  seems  to  say,  "  Have  I  not  justified  all 
that  I  have  said?"— Let  not  your  heart  be 
troubled,  harassed  by  these  mysteries  or  by 
my  depaiture,  neither  let  it  be  terrified 
(SfiAiaro)).  This  is  the  only  place  in  the 
New  Testament  where  the  word  occurs, 
though  it  is  found  in  the  LXX. ;  SeiAos 
and  Seixia,  in  the  sense  of  timidity  from 
extrinsic  fear,  may  frequently  be  found. 
He  must  have  seen  some  rising  symptoms 
of  the  carnal  weakness  which  would  pro- 
strate them  for  a  while. 

Ver.  28. — Now,  however,  he  leads  them  a 
step  further.  The  disciples  are  to  dismiss  their 
trouble  and  fear,  because  (1)  of  the  many 
mansions  that  he  is  going  to  prepare;  (2)  be- 
cause he  was  the  "  Way  "  to  the  Father ;  (3) 
because  they  have  had  a  theophany  in  him  ; 
(4)  because  they  shall  carry  on  the  work  of 
Christ  and  fulfil  all  the  prophecies,  (5)  and 
do  all  this  under  the  power  of  another  Advo- 
cate or  Helper;  (6)  because  he,  the  Holy 
Spirit,  will  indeed  reveal  him  as  he  (Christ) 
had  revealed  the  Father;  and  (7)  because 


the  Father  and  Son  would  come  and  take 
up  their  abode  in  the  loving  and  obedient 
heart.  But  the  Lord  does  more — he  bids 
them  not  only  to  dismiss  their  fear  and 
hara.ssment,  but  even  to  "rejoice."  Ye 
heard  that  I  said,  I  am  departing,  and,  in 
that  very  act,  I  am  coming  to  you.  If  ye 
loved  me,  ye  would  have  rejoiced — a  sup- 
position involving  uncertainty  with  a  pros- 
pect of  decision.  Perfect  love  would  cast 
out  fear.  But  why  ?  Because '  I  go  to  the 
Father,  the  theme  of  the  whole  discourse. 
But  why  should  this  cause  you  to  rejoice  ? 
Because  the  ^  Father  is  greater  than  I !  It  is 
not  easy  adequately  to  explain  this  memor- 
able saying.  The  Arians  made  use  of  it  to 
prove,  from  our  Lord's  own  lips,  that  his 
Person,  even  his  pre-existent  Divinity,  was 
less  than  the  Father's ;  that  his  essence, 
admittedly  generated  by  the  Father,  was 
created  by  him,  and  was  not  the  same  as 
that  of  the  Father.  The  same  view  has 
been  held  by  the  rationalistic  school.  The 
Socinians  and  modern  Unitarians  have  in- 
sisted on  the  entire  dependence  and  purely 
human  character  of  our  Lord.  The  Son  of 
man  and  Son  of  God  are  to  many  merely  the 
self-chosen  titles  of  the  greatest  of  the  sons 
of  men,  who  thus  is  supposed  to  put  himself 
on  a  level  with  ordinary  men  who  may  learn 
to  call  God  their  Father.  But  is  it?  Could 
any  man,  unconscious  of  a  far  closer  rela- 
tion with  God  than  that  of  the  greatest 
saint,  dare  to  say,  as  if  to  relieve  anxiety  on 
that  head,  "  My  Father  is  greater  than  I"? 
Is  there  not  in  the  very  phrase  a  suggestion 
of  Divine  sufficiency  and  relation  to  the 
Father  which  altogether  precludes  the 
purely  humanitarian  position  ?  (1)  A  theo- 
logical view  which  has  largely  prevailed 
among  tliose  who  have  held  the  homoousia 
of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  is  that  the  Lord 
was  here  speaking  of  his  human  nature 
only.  The  Athanasian  symbol  says,"  Equal 
to  the  Father  as  touching  his  Godhead, 
and  inferior  to  the  Father  as  touching  his 
Manhood."  But  the  "I"  is  here  used  of 
his  whole  Personality,  as  in  ch.  viii.  58 ; 
X.  30,  and  throughout  the  discourse  he  is 
speaking  of  himself  in  the  Divine-human 
Person  in  which  the  eternal  and  temporal, 
the  infinite  and  finite,  are  indissolubly 
blended.  (2)  Others  have  supposed  that  he 
referred  to  himself  as  in  a  state  of  humilia- 
tion. Hengstenberg  says  the  liOrd  was 
speaking  of  the  pre-eminent  greatness  of  the 
Father,  which  came  to  an  end  at  his  de- 
l^arture.  Cyril,  Luther,  Meluncthon,  De 
Wette,  Tholuck,  Luthardt,  and  Alford  think 

'  EIttoc  is  omitted  by  R.T.  and  Westcott 
and  Hort,  with  N,  A,  B,  D,  K,  L,  etc. 

^  Mov  is  omitted  by  R.T.  and  modern 
editors,  with  A,  B,  D,  L,  X. 


en.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN. 


231 


that  Josus  spolco  these  words  of  the  lui- 
niilinted  Christ  in  his  coudition  of  a  ser- 
Viint — obedient  iiiiti  deatli.  The  Son,  tlie 
I^ogtis  of  God,  was  that  Mode  or  Personality 
of  Deity  by  which  '■  God"  created  Ihe  uni- 
verse, governed  mankind,  and  proceeded  hy 
Bpecial  manifestation — incarnation,  life,  and 
dexth — to  redeem  the  world.  Calvin  had 
said,  while  the  Arians  have  abused  tliis 
testimony,  the  orthodox  solution  of  the 
Fathers  was  neither  harmonious  nor  sound  ; 
the  true  signification  of  the  p;issago,  aecurd- 
ing  to  him,  being  found  in  tlie  mediatorial 
office  of  the  Christ,  and  in  his  stufns  ex- 
inanitionis.  But  this  would  not  exhaust 
the  meaning,  for  in  this  very  passage  he 
does  describe  the  Father  as  greater  even 
than  the  exalted  Christ ;  and  in  ch.  i.  1 — 3 
as  greater  even  than  the  pre-cxistent  Logos. 
And  so  (3)  we  are  led  to  see  that  there  is 
indeed  a  subordination  of  rank  and  order  in 
the  Son,  involved  in  the  very  notion  even 
of  an  eternal  generation ;  and  compatible 
with  the  equality  of  Being  and  of  essence 
which  he  shared  with  the  Father.  This  is 
undoubtedly  confirmed  by  ch.  xvii.  3,  5; 
1  Cor.  XV.  27;  Phil.  ii.  9—11;  1  Cor.  iii. 
23 ;  xi.  3 ;  and  has  been  through  the  whole 
history  of  Christological  speculation  con- 
ceded (Bishop  Bull,'  in  his  three  chapters 
on  the  "Subordination  of  the  Son,"  has 
ehowu,  by  abundant  proof,  that  before  and 
after  the  Council  of  Nicsea,  the  Fathers 
held  "  that  the  Son  has  indeed  the  same 
Divine  nature  in  common  with  the  Father, 
but  communicated  by  the  Father  in  such 
sense,  i.e.,  that  the  Father  alone  hath  the 
Divine  nature  from  himself,  but  the  Son 
from  the  Father ;  that  the  Father  is  the 
Fountain,  Origin,  and  Principle  of  the 
Divinity  which  is  in  the  Son ").  This 
is  abundantly  needful  to  avoid  at  once 
the  errors  of  tritheism,  and  to  maintain  the 
real  unity  of  the  Divine  Being.  Christ's 
going  to  the  Father  was  a  ground  of  re- 
joicing, because  his  exaltation  through 
death  and  resurrection  to  the  position  of 
power  and  majesty  unutterable,  and  the 
lifting  up  of  his  Divine-human  Personality 
to  the  midst  of  the  throne,  gives  to  him,  in 
his  relations  with  his  disciples,  the  efficacy 
of  the  greatness  of  that  Divine  nature 
wl.ich,  by  its  own  characteristics,  could  not 
have  become  incarnate.  The  unrevealed 
God  is  greater  than  the  revealed.  The 
lifting  up  of  perfect  humanity  into  tlie 
glory  which  the  Son  had  with  the  Father 
before  the  world  was,  should  have  been  the 
cause  of  juy  to  the  disciples.  It  is  the  well- 
spring  of  joy  to  the  Church  (»ee  Suiccr, 
'  Thesaurus,'  art.    V[(i(ov6Trii ;    Bull's  '  De- 

'  '  Defence  of  the  Nicene  Creed,'  Oxford 
edit.,  bk.  ir. 


feuce  of  the  Nicene  Creed,'  bk.  iv. ;  Wost- 
cott's  catena  of  passages  in  '  Additional  Noto 
to  ch.  xiv. ;'  Lauge  and  P.  Schalf,  'Comm. 
on  John '). 

Ver.  2y. — And  now  I  have  said  it  to  you 
before  it  come  to  pass  — I  have  told  you  «( 
my  departure  and  what  is  involved  in  it — 
that  when  it  is  come  to  pass,  ye  may  believe. 
Christ  often  ajipeals  to  the  etl'eet  whicli  the 
fulhlnient  of  his  own  predictions  will  pro- 
duce in  the  minds  of  his  disciples  (ch.  i.  51  ; 
xiii.  19).  They  will,  when  the  scries 
of  events  will  unroll  themselves,  believe 
that  he  has  gone  to  tlie  Father,  to  do  all 
he  said  ho  would  do,  to  be  all  he  said  he 
was.  This  means  undoubtedly  more  thau 
a  spiritual  consolation  whereby  they  may 
endure  his  separation  by  death  from  their 
society.  It  is  the  announcement  beforeliaud 
of  the  Resurrection  and  Ascension,  by  which 
their  faith  in  his  exaltation  would  be  fanned 
into  burning  flame  and  made  a  revelation 
of  Divine  love  to  the  universe. 

Ver.  30. — I  will  no  longer  talk  much  with 
you.  This  seems  strange  when  there  follow 
ch.  XV. — xvii. ;  but  it  gives  a  hint  of  the 
abundance  of  instruction,  of  \a\ia,  of  \6yot, 
which  John  at  least  had  lieard,  of  which  he 
has  only  given  the  specimens  of  a  few  short 
days  of  intercourse.  For  the  prince  of  the  * 
world  (see  ch.  xii.  31);  the  lord  and  master, 
by  base  usurpation,  of  the  world  of  men. 
This  term  is  continually  found  in  rabbinical 
writings  for  the  great  central  power  of  evil 
in  the  world.  The  activity  of  evil  was  then 
at  work.  Satan  entered  into  Judas ;  tho 
spirit  of  evil  was  rampant  in  all  the  machi- 
nation of  the  leaders  of  the  people.  Tho 
eagles  of  this  impure  host  were  gathering. 
The  last  conflict  impended.  The  prince  of 
the  world,  who  shall  be  cast  out,  judged 
and  conquereil,  cometh,  and  hath  nothing  in 
me.  The  conflict  between  the  second  Adam 
and  the  devil  culminates.  Christ  looks 
through  the  whole  army  of  his  opponents, 
and  feels  that  he  has  to  wrestle  with  the 
ruler  of  the  darkuess  of  the  world,  but  at 
the  same  time  is  sublimely  conscious  that 
there  is  nothing  in  him  on  which  the  evil 
can  fasten.  Christ  certainly  claims  a  sin- 
lessness  of  inner  nature  which  no  other 
saint  has  arrogated  to  himself.  Accusations 
of  the  world  were  numerous  enougli,  but 
those  who  brought  them  were  ignorant. 
Now  he  has  to  do  with  one  who  knows 
him,  but  not  so  well  as  he  knows  himself. 
The  double  negation,  ovk  €x«'  oiiSty,  must  be 


'  TovTov,  omitted  by  Tischeiulorf  (8th 
edit.),  Tregclles,  R.T.,  etc.,  with  K,  B,  D. 
L,  X,  r.  A,  numerous  cursives,  versions,  and 
Fathers.  The  word  hujus  is  found  in  many 
manuscripts  of  Old  Latin  and  Fathers,  and 
is  found  in  T.B.,  Griesbach,  etc. 


232 


THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xiv.  1—31. 


noticed — "absolutely  nothing."  Thus  he 
virtually  repeats  his  own  utterance,  "  I  am 
not  of  this  world."  This  great  word  pre- 
supposes again  the  uniqueness  of  Christ's 
Personality  and  consciousness.  With  every 
other  man  the  higher  the  conception  of  the 
Divine  Law  and  claim,  so  mucli  the  deeper 
becomes  the  sense  of  departure  from  it.  In 
Clirist's  case  his  lofty  knowledge  of  the 
Father  only  makes  him  know,  and  even 
compels  him  to  confess,  his  reconciliation, 
his  obedience,  and  his  inward  sinlessness. 

Ver.  31. — But  that — aW  ha  is  elliptical 
(Westcott  translates),  "  But  I  surrender  my- 
self, that,"  etc.;  and  Meyer,  "But  hecometli, 
that,"  etc.),  not  dependent  on  iyeipea-de — the 
world  may  know — that  very  world  over 
which  this  alien  spirit  has  so  long  tyrannized 
may  know,  if  not  now,  j'et  ultimately — that 
I  love  the  Father.  Then  it  is  the  world 
wiiich  is  to  be  ueverthelet^s  drawn  to  him  by 
]iis  beiug  "lifted  up  "(ch.  xii.  52) — the  world 
wliich  the  Father  loves  so  much  as  to  save 
and  redeem  from  the  power  of  the  enemy.  And 
even  as  the  Father  commanded  me — which 


is  undoubtedly  in  harmony  with  the  entire 
representation  of  the  fietCovdr-qsoi  the  Father 
— so  I  do.  My  love  is  strong  as  death. 
Though  the  prince  of  the  world  has  no  right 
over  me,  I  go  at  the  Father's  bidding  to  do 
his  will,  to  suffer,  but  to  win,  and  through 
death  to  destroy  him  that  has  the  power  of 
death.  Arise,  let  us  go  hence — words  which 
are  also  found  in  Matt.  xxvi.  4G,  and  are 
a  touch  of  the  eye-witness  that  nothing  will 
obliterate.  A  second-century  theologian 
would  not  have  introduced  such  a  feature. 

They  leave  the  guest-chamber,  and  so  the 
remainder  of  the  discourse  was  delivered  in 
the  brightness  of  the  Paschal  moon,  under 
shadow  of  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  or  in 
some  corner  of  the  temple  area,  or  some 
convenient  place  on  the  way  to  Gethsemane. 
He  said  these  words,  however,  before  he 
crossed  the  Kedron  (ch.  xviii.  1).  Appa- 
rently on  the  way  thither  he  once  more  took 
up  his  parable. 


HOMILETICS. 

Vers.  1 — i. — Comfort  under  separation.  There  is  no  break  between  this  chapter 
and  the  preceding. 

L  Mark  our  Lord's  sympathy  with  his  disciples.  "Let  not  your  heart  be 
troubled."  1.  The  best  of  GocVs  people  may  be  at  times  in  a  despionding  and  distrustful 
•mood.  2.  Jesus  takes  delight  in  comforting  his  saints  and  lightening  the  burden  of  a 
heavy  heart.     "  Come  unto  me,  and  I  will  give  you  rest." 

II.  Mark  the  remedy  for  the  despondent  mood  of  his  disciples.  "  Believe  in 
God,  believe  also  in  me."  It  is  faith.  Jesus  invites  them  to  confidence.  1.  There 
must  be  faith  in  God,  who  has  provided  a  home  for  his  children  on  high.  There  is  great 
comfort  ill  the  thought  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God.  2.  There  must  be  faith  in  Christ, 
v:ho,  as  the  Mediator,  will  realize  what  the  Father  has  promised.  (1)  As  the  true 
Object  of  our  faith,  Christ  appears  here  as  necessarily  God  in  conjunction  with  his 
Father.  (2)  The  belief  that  brings  comfort  to  the  disciples  is  not  a  mere  assent  to 
]iropositions,  but  trust  in  a  Person,  distinguished  by  love,  faithfulness,  and  jjower. 

III.  The  arguments  for  consolation.  1.  The  existence  of  heaven  as  the  home  of 
the  saints.  *'  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions."  (1)  Heaven  is  a  definite 
locality.  Jesus  is  there  in  his  glorified  body.  (2)  It  is  the  Father's  house,  where  God 
is  seen  as  Father.  (3)  It  is  the  home  of  a  family.  Heaven  is  a  social  state.  The 
children  of  God  are  all  there.  (4)  It  is  a  large  house,  for  it  has  "  many  mansions." 
(a)  This  does  not  signify  that  there  are  different  degrees  of  happiness  in  heaven,  (&) 
but  that  there  is  room  in  heaven  for  the  whole  family  of  God.  (5)  It  is  a  prepared 
place  for  a  prepared  people,  ordered  by  the  Lord  himself.  "  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for 
you."  (a)  This  imi)lies  that  Jesus  will  go  first  to  heaven.  (Jb)  He  enters  within  the 
veil  as  "  Forerunner."  What  strong  consalation  is  in  this  blessed  truth  !  2.  Another 
argument  for  consolation  is  the  promise  of  Chrisfs  return  to  receive  his  disciples.  "  And 
if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  come  again,  and  I  will  receive  you  to  myself;  that 
where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also."  (1)  Christ's  coming  is  not  (a)  at  Pentecost,  (b) 
nor  at  conversion,  (c)  nor  at  the  day  of  judgment,  (d)  but  at  the  death  of  each  disciple. 
(2)  The  believer  will  be  ultimately  received  into  intimate  communion  with  Christ  in 
glory,  (a)  Heaven  is  wherever  Christ  is;  therefore  "to  depart  and  be  with  Christ  is 
lar  better."  (b)  Christ  will  be  the  Centre  of  the  believer's  joys.  3.  Another  argument 
for  consolation  is  that  the  disciples  knew  the  way  to  heaven.     "  And  whither  I  go  ye 


CH.  XIV.  1—31.]     THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.; JOHN.  233 

know,  and  the  way  ye  know."     (1)  Heaven  was  the  goal.     (2)  The  way  was  com- 
munion with  himself. 

Vers.  5 — 7. —  Thomases  questioning.  It  turned  upon  the  ability  of  Christ  to  bring 
the  disciples  to  the  end  of  the  way. 

I.  Thomas's  obscurities.  "  Lord,  we  know  not  whither  thou  goest,  and  how  can 
we  know  the  way?"  1.  He  imagined  that  the  MeasiaKs  reign  was  to  he  on  earth. 
Where,  then,  could  be  the  royal  home  to  which  the  Messiah  was  about  to  depart,  and 
into  wliich  he  was  to  gather  his  saints?  2.  The  question  illtistrates  the  peculiar  temper 
of  a  disciple  who  is  7iot  destined  to  receive  the  higher  blessing  of  those  who  "have  not 
seen,  and  yet  have  believed." 

II.  Our  Lord's  solution  of  Thomas's  difficulties.  "I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth, 
and  the  Life :  no  man  cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me."  The  answer  is  larger 
than  the  question.  To  know  Christ  is  to  know  the  goal  and  the  way  to  it.  1.  Jestis 
is  the  Wag  to  heaven.  (1)  He  is  the  only  Way  (Acts  iv.  12).  (2)  He  is  the  new 
W\iy  (Heb.  x.  20).  (3)  He  is  the  old  Way  (Heb.  xi.  40).  (4)  He  is  the  Way  that 
joins  two  worlds.  (5)  He  is  the  Way  of  access  to  the  Father.  "  No  man  cometh  to 
the  Father,  but  by  me."  2.  Jesus  is  the  Truth.  (1)  He  is  the  Teacher  of  the  truth 
■which  directs  to  the  way.  (2)  He  is  the  Revelation  of  God  to  the  world.  (3)  He  is 
the  eternal  Truth.  3.  Jesus  is  the  Life.  (1)  He  is  the  Giver  of  the  life  which  carries 
the  believer  to  heaven.  (2)  He  is  the  living  Way.  (3)  He  is  that  eternal  Life  that 
was  with  the  Father  and  was  manifested  to  us  (1  John  i.  2).  (-1)  He  is  the  abiding 
Source  of  spiritual  life.  4.  The  Father  is  the  End  of  the  way.  "  No  man  cometh  to 
the  Father,  but  by  me."  Christ's  mediatorship  is  an  essential  fact  in  Christianity.  5. 
The  manifestation  of  Jesus  is  the  manifestation  of  the  Father.  "If  ye  had  known  me, 
ye  would  have  known  my  Father  also :  and  from  henceforth  ye  know  him,  and  have 
seen  him."  This  manifestation  will  be  fuller  as  the  day  of  Pentecost  is  at  hand,  with 
its  shower  of  spiritual  blessings  and  its  wide  enlargement  of  knowledge. 

Vers.  8 — 21. — Philip's  questioning.  This  disciple,  one  of  the  earliest,  seizes  upon  the 
last  word  of  our  Lord  and  asks  for  a  bodily  sight  of  the  Father. 

I.  PniLip's  DEMAND  TO  SEE  THE  FATHER.  "Lord,  show  US  the  Father,  and  it 
sufficeth  us."  1.  It  is  hard  to  decide  hoiv  much  of  ignorance  is  compatible  ivith  saving 
grace.  2.  Evidently  Philip  thought  of  such  a  revelation  of  God  as  ivas  vouchsafed  to 
Moses  in  answer  to  the  request,  "  Lord,  shoio  me  thy  glory."  3.  He  believed  that  such 
a  revelation  would  solve  all  his  difficulties  and  doubts.  4.  How  strange  that  Philip 
should  not,  in  three  years,  have  found  what  he  aspired  after!  "He  that  hath  seen  me 
hath  seen  the  Father."  5.  Yet  his  request  implies  that  it  was  in  Chrisfs  power  to 
satisfy  his  demand.     (Matt.  xi.  29.) 

II.  Our  Lord's  answer  to  Philip's  demand.  "I  have  been  so  long  time  with  you, 
and  yet  thou  hast  not  known  me,  Philip."  1.  Philip  was  longer  with  Jesus  than  most 
of  the  disciples.  The  words  have  a  touch  of  sadness  and  disappointment,  as  if  Philip 
had  failed  to  benefit  by  all  the  teaching  and  experience  of  three  years.  2.  The  answer 
implies  the  impossibility  of  seeing  the  invisible  Father  with  the  eyes  of  the  body.  3.  But 
the  Father  is  seen  in  him  who  is  his  express  Image.  "  He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen 
the  Father,"  He  sees  the  Father's  love,  faithfulness,  and  power.  The  life  of  Christ 
is  the  true  manifestation  of  the  Father.  4.  Jesus  points  to  two  proofs  of  his  union 
ivith  the^Father.  (1)  His  teaching.  "  The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  I  speak  not 
of  myself."  All  was  a  revelation  of  God.  (2)  His  miracles.  "  And  the  Father  that 
dwelleth  in  me,  he  doeth  the  works."  The  works  were  a  revelation  of  the  Father's 
power,  as  the  words  were  of  his  character.  The  disciples  ought  to  deduce  the  Divinity 
of  Christ's  nature  from  his  works.     "  Beheve  me  for  the  works'  sake." 

III.  Christ's  departure  will  be  the  signal  for  the  revelation  of  new  power 
in  the  apostles.  "  He  that  believeth  on  me,  the  works  that  I  do  shall  he  do  also ; 
and  greater  works  than  these  shall  he  do ;  because  I  go  to  the  Father."  1.  Christ 
endowed  his  disciples  with  piower  to  work  miracles  like  his  own.  2.  lie  endowed  them 
with  power  to  do  still  ^'greater  works" — in  Pentecostal  conversions — which  were  of  a 
far  more  exalted  nature  and  with  more  enduring  results  than  miracles  of  power.  The 
prophecy  began  to  be  fulfilled  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and  is  still  in  process  of  fulfil- 


234  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiv.  1—31 . 

ment  in  the  expanding  growth  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  3.  Tliis  higher  productiveness 
of  the  disciples  is  to  depend  upon  Christ's  higher  position.  "Because  I  go  to  the 
Father."  The  ascended  Lord  has  received  the  "all  power"  of  heaven  and  earth  for  the 
u?e  of  his  Church.  4.  Prayer  will  be  the  disciples^  part  in  these  greater  works.  "An- 1 
whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my  Name,  that  will  I  do,  that  the  Father  may  be  glorified 
in  the  Son."  (1)  Mark  the  true  condition  of  successful  prayer.  It  must  be  "  in  Christ's 
Name."  (a)  It  implies  that  it  is  by  the  blood  of  Christ  we  draw  near  to  God ;  (b)  that 
we  jiray  in  the  strength  of  Christ;  (c)  that  we  believe  we  shall  obtain  from  Christ  in 
heaven  whatever  we  ask  of  him.  (2)  Mark  the  large  scope  of  prayer :  "  Whatsoever 
ye  shall  ask."  There  is  no  limitation  save  what  is  implied  in  subjection  to  the  will  of 
God.  (3)  Mark  the  certainty  of  the  answer  of  prayer :  "  I  will  do  it."  Does  Jesus 
hear  his  own  prayer?  As  the  Organ  of  Divine  power,  he  gives  the  answer.  (4)  Mark 
the  de-ign  of  this  prayer :  "  That  the  Father  may  be  glorified  in  the  Son."  The  object 
is,  "  Thy  kingdom  come." 

IV.  The  soubce  whexce  this  prayer  of  power  derives  its  validity.  It  is  the 
Holy  Spirit,  the  Comforter.  1.  Mark  the  moral  condition  of  this  new  blessing,  "if  ye 
love  me,  keep  my  commandments."  (1)  Obedience  is  the  neces?ary  fruit  of  love. 
"  Love  without  obedience  is  dissimulation ;  obedience  without  love  is  but  drudgery 
and  slavery."  (2)  Our  efficiency  depends  upon  our  fellowship  with  hira  in  a  loving 
obedience.  2.  Mark  the  glorious  jyrovision  that  is  made  for  Chrisfs  absence.  "And 
I  will  pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that  he  may  abide 
with  you  for  ever."  (i)  It  is  Christ's  prayer  that  procures  for  us  the  Holy  Spirit. 
So  long  as  Christ  is  in  heaven,  in  his  intercessory  power,  we  shall  never  want  blessing. 
(2)  It  is  the  Father  who  gives  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  is,  indeed,  the  Father  of  all 
comfort.  His  Fatherhood  is  the  pledge  that  the  prayer  will  be  granted.  (3)  The 
blessing  is  the  Comforter — "  the  Spirit  of  truth."  (a)  This  title  implies  his  distinct 
Personality,  (b)  his  true  Divinity,  (c)  Mark  his  various  relations  to  believers,  (a) 
He  is  "with  them"  in  fellowship.  (3)  He  abideth  by  them  in  personal  comfort.  (7) 
He  is  "in  them"  in  indwelling  power.  (5)  His  presence  will  be  perpetual — "that  he 
may  abide  with  you  for  ever."  Christ's  historical  presence  was  now  to  be  measured  by 
a  few  hours  or  days.  The  Holy  Spirit  will  be  with  the  Church  till  the  end  of  the 
world,  (e)  He  cannot  be  received  by  an  unreceptive,  unsympathetic  world.  "  Whom 
the  world  cannot  receive,  because  it  seeth  him  not,  neither  knoweth  him."  The  world 
cannot  see  or  know  spiritual  things,  which  demand  the  faculty  of  spiritual  discernment 
(1  Cor.  ii.  14).  (Q  The  receptiveness  of  the  disciples,  so  different  from  the  moral 
blindness  of  the  world,  had  its  origin  in  the  Spirit's  indwelling,  and  would  be  still 
further  strengthened  by  the  fuller  measures  of  his  grace. 

V.  The  consolation  supplied  by  Christ's  spiritual  presence  in  the  future 
experience  of  his  disciples.  "  I  will  not  leave  you  orphans."  1.  Our  Lord  thinks 
of  them  as  ^^  little  children,"  who  needed  (1)  guidance,  (2)  support,  (3)  comfort.  2. 
His  departure  was  just  at  hand.  "  Yet  a  little  while,  and  the  world  seeth  me  no  more  ; 
but  ye  see  me :  because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also."  (1)  The  world  was  to  see  him  no 
more  after  his  death.  After  his  resurrection  he  appeared  only  to  his  disciples.  (2) 
His  disciples  would  see  him ;  they  would  "  behold  with  uncovered  face  the  glory  of  the 
Lord"  (2  Cor.  iii.  18).  (3)  The  ground  of  this  faculty  of  vision  lay  in  their  fellowship 
with  his  life,  (a)  It  is  the  fulness  of  life  to  see  God  as  he  is  (1  John  iii.  1,  2).  (b) 
Christ's  life  is  the  foundation  and  guarantee  of  the  life  of  believers.  3.  The  day  of  the 
gift  of  the  Comforter  ivill  be  the  signal  of  fresh  and  enlarged  blessings.  "At  t&at  day 
ye  shall  know  that  I  am  in  my  Father,  and  ye  in  me,  and  I  in  you."  (1)  The  Com- 
forter will  impart  the  knowledge  of  the  m3'stical  union  in  all  its  spiritual  completeness. 
He  will  witness  with  the  spirit  of  believers  that  they  are  children  of  God.  (2)  The 
sincerity  of  love  will  be  manifested  by  a  steadfast  obedience.  "He  that  hath  my 
commandments,  and  keepeth  them,  loveth  me."  (a)  Mark  the  need  of  knowledge  to 
obedience.  (6)  The  need  of  obedience  to  loving  ha^ipiness.  (3)  The  promise  to 
obedience.  "  He  shall  be  loved  of  my  Father,  and  I  will  love  him,  and  will  manifest 
myself  to  him."  (a)  The  Father  loves  all  who  love  the  Son,  his  own  beloved  Son. 
{h)  The  Son  loves  those  who  love  the  Father,  and  makes  through  that  very  love,  a 
more  perfect  revelation  of  himself.  Thus  this  higher  manifestation  more  than  supplies 
the  place  of  his  bodily  presence. 


cii.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  235 

Vers.  22 — 24, —  The  nature  and  conditions  of  Christ's  manifestation.  Tho  last  sen- 
tence of  our  Lord  suggests  the  question  of  JuJns. 

I.  The  question  of  Judas.  "  Lord,  and  what  has  happened,  that  thou  wilt  mani- 
fest th3'self  to  us,  and  not  unto  the  world  ?  "  1.  Tlie  questioner,  loho  is  otherwise  knoivn 
as  Lthbxus  or  Thaddxus,  mistakes  the  nature  (f  Christ's  manifestation.  He  ima<:ined 
that  it  would  be  a  theophany  associated  with  the  establishment  of  a  temporal  kingdom. 

2.  lie  imagines  that  Jesus  has  made  some  sudden  change  in  the  scope  or  sphere  of  the 
Messianic  manifestation.  He  knew  that  it  would  aft'ect  the  Gentiles  as  well  as  the 
Jews.     He  is  at  a  loss  to  understand  the  change  in  the  IMessianic  programme. 

IL  Our  Lord's  explaxatiox  of  the  conditions  of  ins  manifestation.  "If  any 
man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  wonls  :  and  my  Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come 
unto  him,  and  make  our  abode  with  him."  1.  Tlie  conditions  are  love  to  Jesus,  proved 
hy  obedience,  and  crowned  with  the  love  of  the  Father.  The  power  of  receiving  the 
revelation  depends  upon  loving  obedience.  Thus  the  Divine  fellowship  is  always  con- 
ditioned. 2.  The  want  of  love  in  the  ivorld  made  the  manifestation  impossible  to  it. 
"  He  that  loveth  me  not  keepeth  not  my  payings."  This  was  the  true  answer  to  the 
question  of  Judas.  3.  TJie  manifestation  of  Christ  is  spiritual  rather  than  temporal. 
"  The  kingdom  of  God  cometh  not  with  observation  ;  the  kingdom  of  God  is  within 
you."  God  dwells  with  the  believer;  the  believer  dwells  with  God.  The  first  is  the 
condition  of  the  second. 

Vers.  25 — 27. —  The  promise  of  a  f idler  revelation  and  of  an  abiding  peace.  The 
disciples  had  much  yet  to  learn. 

I.  The  office  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  "  But  the  Comforter,  which  is  the  Holy  Ghost, 
whom  the  Father  will  'send  in  my  Name,  he  shall  teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  all 
things  to  your  remembrance,  whatsoever  I  have  said  unto  you."  1.  As  the  inirpose  of 
the  iion''s  mission  is  to  reveal  the  Father,  so  the  purpose  of  the  Spirifs  mission  is  to 
reveal,  the  Son.  2.  He  has  a  double  office :  (1)  teaclnng  new  truth ;  (2)  bringing  old 
truth  to  remembrance.  The  sayings  of  Jesus  will  be  the  groundwork  of  all  the  Spirit's 
operation. 

II.  The  legacy  of  peace.  "  Peace  I  leave  with  you,  ray  peace  I  give  unto  you : 
not  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you."  The  words  breathe  the  sweemess  of  a  fare- 
well blessing.  1.  Mark  the  blessing  promised.  "  Peace."  (1)  It  is  the  inward  security 
of  the  soul  based  upon  reconciliation  with  God.  (2)  It  is  Christ's  own  peace  (a)  which 
he  enjoys ;  (6)  wiiich  it  is  his  prerogative  to  give ;  (c)  it  is  allied  to  the  "  jjcace  on 
earth"  sung  at  his  birth  ;  (d)  it  is  identified  inseparably  with  him  who  is  continuously 
"our  peace"  (Eph.  ii.  14).  2.  Mark  the  method  of  its  bestowal.  (1)  It  is  left  as  a 
legacy  before  his  departure  from  the  world.  Precious  legacy  to  a  sin-troubled  race!  (2) 
It  is  a  gift,  not  earned  bj'  man  ;  but,  like  salvation  itsilf,  altogether  of  grace.  (3)  It  is 
sujierior  to  all  the  world's  gifts.  "Not  as  the  world  givetli,  give  I  unto  you."  (a) 
The  world's  peace  is  not  lasting,  (h)  It  gives  the  greatest  j^leasure  at  the  fiist.  (c) 
This  peace  is  absolutely  superior  to  all  legacies  of  the  world,  such  as  houses  and  lands. 

3.  Mark  the  effect  of  peace  upon  the  heart-trouble.  "  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled, 
neither  let  it  be  afraid."  (1)  Peace  guards  the  heart  against  care,  (2)  and  makes  the 
heart  strong  for  service  and  fearless  in  suffering  in  the  face  of  the  world's  hostility. 

Ver.  28. —  Tlie  propriety  of  the  disciples'  gladness  at  Christ's  exaltation.  His  depar- 
ture CALCULATED  TO  CAUSE  JOY,  NOT  SORROW.  "  If  ye  lovcd  me,  ye  would  rejoice, 
because  I  said,  I  go  unto  my  Father."  1.  True  love  rejoices  in  another's  good  rather 
than  in  one's  own.  Our  Lord's  words  imply  that  the  disciples  were  selfish  in  seeking 
his  further  continuance  with  them  on  earth.  2.  The  ground  of  a  legitimate  Joy  at  his 
departure.  "  For  my  Father  is  greater  than  I."  (1)  He  would  share  in  heaven  the 
<inini|iresence  of  the  Father,  and  be  thus  able  to  bless  his  people  in  every  place.  He 
would  be  their  omnipresent  Redeemer  and  Friend.  (2)  His  exaltation,  in  union  with 
the  Father,  would  enable  him  eQectually  to  carry  out  his  redemptive  work,  (a)  The 
words,  "  ^ly  Father  is  greater  than  I,"  are  not  inconsistent  with  the  Son's  Deity,  as 
Arians  affirm ;  for  what  mere  man  or  mere  creature  would  ever  think  of  saying  that 
God  is  greater  than  him.self  ?  Is  it  not  a  truism  to  say  so?  The  very  fact  that  Christ 
used  these  words  implies  his  consciousness  of  possessing  a  Divine  nature,  (b)  The  Lord 


2.-6  THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.     [en.  xiv.  1—31. 

refers  here,  (o)  not  to  the  inferiority  of  his  human  nature,  ($)  nor  to  his  mere  Mediator- 
irihip,  as  implying  a  servant's  position,  (7)  but  to  his  subordination  as  a  Son  to  the 
Fattier,  in  his  essential  Godhead.     He  asserts,  in  fact,  his  Divine  essence. 

Vers.  29—31. — The  crisis  at  hand.  Jesus  is  about  to  end  his  discourse  in  the 
chamber. 

I.  His  prediction  of  events  is  designed  to  strengthen  the  disciples'  faith. 
"  And  now  I  have  told  you  before  it  come  to  pass,  that,  when  it  is  come  to  pass,  ye 
may  believe."  1.  The  events  foretold  are  his  departure  and  all  involved  in  it,  as  well 
as  the  mission  of  the  Comforter.  2.  What  a  wise  provision  he  made  to  support  the  faith 
and  patience  of  his  followers  !  For  his  separation  from  them  would  be  the  greatest  of 
trials. 

II.  The  imminence  of  the  crisis.  "  The  prince  of  this  world  cometli,  and  bath 
nothing  in  me."  1.  Satan  was  approaching  in  the  persons  of  Judas  and  the  chief 
j)riests,  whose  counsels  he  inspired.  They  were  all  instruments  of  the  great  enemy. 
There  was  likewise  in  our  Lord's  mind  a  presentiment  of  his  approaching  agony  in 
Gethsemane.  2.  Tet  Satan  had  nothing  in  Jesus  that  fell  under  his  jjower.  It  is 
sin  that  gives  Satan  the  power  over  man.  Our  Lord's  words  imply  (1)  Christ's  perfect 
sinlessness,  (2)  and  the  absolute  voluntariness  of  his  death. 

III.  The  purpose  of  his  death.  "  But  that  the  world  may  know  that  I  love  the 
Father ;  and  as  the  Father  .gave  me  commandment,  even  so  I  do."  1.  His  obedience  to 
death  was  an  evidence  of  his  love  to  the  Father.  2.  It  was  likewise  an  act  of  obedience 
to  the  Divine  commandment.     "  Lo,  I  come  to  do  thy  will,  0  God." 


HOMILIES  BY  VARIOUS  AUTHORS. 

Vers.  1 — 3. — The  revelation  made  to  faith.  The  dark  shadow  of  our  Lord's  approach- 
ing agony  and  death  was  now  upon  his  heart.  Yet  he  thought  tenderly  of  the  sorrow 
of  his  disciples  on  their  own  account.  Hence  the  sjnnpathizing  and  consolatory  tone  of 
his  last  sustained  and  leisurely  conversation  with  them.  Hence  the  special  revelation 
with  which  thtey  were  on  this  occasion  favoured.  And  hence,  too,  the  intercessory  prayer 
which  was  at  that  juncture  of  their  need  offered  so  fervently  on  their  behalf.  The 
Avords  which  comforted  them  have  proved  consolatory  to  Christ's  people  in  every  age, 
and  especially  to  those  in  affliction  of  spirit. 

I.  The  object  of  faith,  as  enjoined  by  Christ.  Faith  was  the  condition  of  receiv- 
ing the  revelation  and  enjoying  the  promise  which  the  Lord  Jesus  had  to  communicate. 
Now,  it  is  a  very  common  thing  in  our  days  for  men  to  eulogize  faith.  But  it  is  not 
infrequently  forgotten  that  the  virtue  of  faith  depends  upon  its  object.  To  believe  is 
good,  if  we  believe  what  is  worthy  of  credit.  To  trust  is  good,  if  we  trust  one  deserving 
of  confidence.  Our  Lord  enjoias  faith :  1.  In  God.  If  there  be  a  God,  surely  we  can 
need  no  argument,  no  persuasion,  to  induce  us  to  believe  in  him.  We  believe  in  our 
imperfect  earthly  friends  ;  how  much  more  reason  have  we  to  believe  in  our  perfect 
God  ?  Especially  does  this  appear  when  we  consider,  not  only  what  God  is,  but  what 
he  has  done  to  justify  and  to-  elicit  our  faith.  2.  In  Christ.  How  shall  we  connect 
faith  in  the  Saviour  with  faith  in  the  Father  ?  Probably  thus  :  we  need  some  faith  in 
God  in  order  to  believe  in  Jesus  whom  he  sent,  and  then,  trusting  in  Christ,  we  attain 
to  a  fuller,  stronger  faith  in  the  Father.  The  apostles  and  disciples,  whom  Jesus 
gathered  round  him  in  his  earthly  ministry,  had  such  experience  of  his  truth,  his 
tenderness,  his  fidelity,  that  they  might  well  trust  him  entirely  and  always — trust  him 
so  as  to  receive  his  declarations,  to  rely  upon  his  promises,  to  do  his  will.  How  natural 
and  proper  is  it  for  the  Christian,  who  knows  alike  his  own  need  and  the  sufBciency  of  his 
Saviour,  to  place  in  him  an  absolute  and  unfaltering  trust  !  If  such  trust  was  becoming 
on  the  part  of  those  who  knew  Jesus  in  his  ministry,  how  far  stronger  are  the  induce- 
ments which  our  experience  of  our  Saviour's  grace  and  power  furnish  to  our  confidence ! 
We  look  back  upon  what  Jesus  suffered  for  us,  upon  his  victory  as  our  Representative, 
and  upon  his  long  unseen  ministry  of  grace  ;  and  we  respond  to  his  summons,  and  renew 
our  faith  in  his  words  and  in  his  work. 

II.  The  revelation  Christ  makes  to  faith.   This  unfolding  of  Divine  counsels  has 


CH.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  237 

reference  to  man's  life  and  history  as  a  whole ;  not  only  to  the  seen,  but  to  the  unseen, 
the  ettrnal.  Temporary  sorrows  and  difliculties  all  but  disappear  when  they  take  their 
place  as  incidents  in  an  inmwrtal  existence.  1.  The  universe  is  our  Father's  house  and 
temple.  How  far  otherwise  is  it  regarded  by  many,  even  of  the  inquiring  and  intelli- 
gent !  To  not  a  few  the  world  is  mindless,  loveless,  has  no  origin  that  ciui  be  under- 
stood, and  no  aim ;  and  has,  therefore,  a  very  feeble  interest.  As  God's  house,  it  has 
been  built  and  furnished  by  the  Divine  Architect,  who  has  arranged  it  to  suit  the  needs 
of  all  his  children.  As  God's  temple,  it  is  the  scene  of  his  indwelling  and  nianifestatiou, 
of  his  holy  service  and  his  spiritual  glory.  It  is  the  place  where  he  dwells  and  where 
he  is  worshipped,  who  is  Christ's  Father  and  ours.  What  sweet  and  hallowed  associa- 
tions are  wout  to  gather  around  the  house  of  the  human  father !  Similarly  to  the 
Christian  the  universe  is  dear,  because  there  the  Divine  Father  displays  his  presence, 
exercises  his  care,  utters  his  love.  Tliat  rebellious  and  profane  voices  are  heard  in  the 
house  which  is  consecrated  to  obedience,  reverence,  and  praise,  is  indeed  too  true.  Yet 
the  Christian  can  never  lose  sight  of  the  true  purpose,  tlie  proper  destination,  of  the 
world;  in  his  apprehension  it  lias  been  formed  for  the  Divine  glory,  and  it  is  conse- 
crated by  the  Divine  love.  2.  The  universe  is  further  represented  by  Jesus  as  contain- 
ing many  and  varied  abodes  for  the  sj^iritual  children  of  God.  Why  is  the  great  house 
so  spacious  and  commodious  ?  Because  it  is  constructed  to  contain  multitudes  of  iuhabit- 
ants,  and  to  afford  to  all  a  scene  of  service  and  of  development.  "  Many  abiding-places  " 
are  for  the  use  of  many  guests,  of  many  children.  There  are  many  citizens  in  the 
city,  many  subjects  in  the  king'lom,  many  children  in  tlie  household,  many  worshippers 
in  the  temple.  Among  those  of  whom  we  have  little  knowledge  are  the  angels,  thrones, 
principalities,  and  powers.  Among  those  known  to  us  b}'  tlie  records  of  the  past  are 
patriarchs  and  prophets,  apostles,  saints,  and  martyrs.  There  is  room  for  all — for  the 
young  and  the  old,  the  ignorant  and  the  learned,  the  great  and  the  despised.  No 
reader  of  Christ's  words  can  doubt  that  his  purpose  and  his  promise  included  untold 
myriads  of  mankind.  His  life  was  given  a  ransom  "  for  many."  He  designed  to  "  draw 
all  men  unto  himself."  He  foresaw  that  many  should  enter  his  kingdom,  from  the 
East  and  from  the  West.  In  the  Book  of  his  Revelation  by  J^hn,  it  is  foretold  that 
'' a  great  multitude,  whom  no  man  can  number,"  shall  assemble  before  the  throne  of 
glory.  The  pilgrim  shall  leave  his  tent,  the  captive  his  prison,  the  voyager  his  ship, 
the  warrior  his  camp,  and  all  alike  shall  rep^air  to  "  the  house  which  hath  foundations, 
whose  Builder  and  Maker  is  God."  It  is  a  glorious  spectacle,  one  which  reason  is  too 
dim-sighted  to  behold,  but  which  is  clear  to  the  eye  of  faith. 

III.  The  pkomise  Christ  gives  to    faith.      Many  of  our  Lord's  earlier  sayings 
had  been  vague ;  now,  in  anticipation  of  his  departure,  his  language  is  plain  and  clear. 

1.  Jesus  has  gone  to  prepare.  Not  indeed  for  himself,  but  for  his  people.  When  earth 
has  no  longer  a  place  for  them,  a  home  will  be  found  to  have  been  made  ready  for  their 
reception  elsewhere.  There  is  much  that  is  mysterious  in  the  exercise  of  our  Saviour's 
mediatorial  grace  in  the  sphere  of  his  present  action;  but  we  have  no  difliculty  in 
believing  that  he  concerns  himself  above  with  the  work  which  he  commenced  below. 

2.  He  will  come  again  to  receive.  Shall  we  take  this  assurance  to  refer  to  his  resur- 
rection, or  to  his  second  coming  yet  in  the  future?  Or  has  it  not  rather  reference  to 
that  perpetual  coming  of  Christ  unto  his  own,  of  which  his  Church  has  always  and 
everywhere  had  experience?  When  the  earthly  service  of  a  faithful  disciple  is  finished, 
then  Jesus  comes  to  welcome  that  beloved  and  approved  one  to  rest  and  recompense.  Con- 
cerning our  dear  ones  who  are  dead  to  earth,  we  have  the  assurance  that  they  have  not  been 
overlooked  by  the  Divine  and  tender  Friend  of  souls.  3.  He  assures  his  people  of  his 
blessed  fellowship.  The  language  in  which  Jesus  conveyed  the  assurance  must  have 
been  peculiarly  affecting  to  those  who  had  been  with  him  during  his  earthly  ministry. 
They  knew  by  experience  the  charm  of  their  Lord's  society,  and  the  strength  it  gave 
them  for  work  and  for  endurance.  What  more  attractive  and  glorious  ])iMspect  could 
the  future  have  for  them  than  this — the  renewal  and  the  perpetuation  of  that  fellow- 
ship which  had  been  the  joy  and  the  blessing  of  their  life  on  earth  ?  But  the  same  is 
in  a  measure  true  of  every  Christian.  What  representation  of  future  happiness  is  so 
congenial  and  so  inspiring  as  this— the  being  "  ever  with  the  Lord  "? 

IV.  The  peace  wjiich  is  the  fuuit   of  faith.     Much  was  at  hand  which  was 
likely  to  occasion  alarm  and  dismay.    Events  were  about  to  happen  which  would  crush 


238  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiv.  1—31. 

many  hopes  and  cloud  many  hearts.  This  was  well  known  to  the  Master.  Hence  his 
admonition  to  his  disciples,  "  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled."  An  admonition  such 
as  this,  when  it  comes  alone,  is  powerless.  But  Christ,  by  revealing  himself  and  his 
purposes  to  the  minds  of  his  brethren,  supported  the  precept  he  addressed  to  them, 
AVhat  might  well  distress  and  even  overwhelm  those  who  were  without  the  support 
and  consolation  of  a  sustaining  and  inspiring  faith,  would  be  powerless  to  shake  such 
as  built  their  hopes  upon  the  sure  foundation  of  unchanging  faithfulness,  immortal 
love.  Those  who  have  faith  in  Christ  are  the  possessors  of  true  peace — the  peace  which 
"  passeth  understanding,"  the  peace  which  the  world  can  neither  give  nor  take  away. — T. 

Vers.  4 — 6. — The  way  to  God.  The  course  of  the  conversation  here  is  not  hard  to 
follow.  First,  there  is  the  assertion  of  Jesus,  following  upon  his  revelation  of  the 
heavenly  dwelling-places,  that  his  disciples  knew  well  the  road  he  was  about  to  travel. 
He  had  often  of  late  spoken  of  his  approaching  departure  from  this  world,  and  even  of 
the  manner  of  it.  Secondly,  there  is  the  difficulty,  started  by  Thomas,  that  they  knew 
not  the  goal,  and  therefore  could  not  know  the  path  by  which  it  should  be  reached. 
This  difficulty  may  have  been  partly  an  unspiritual  stumbling ;  the  twelve  were  think- 
ing of  an  earthly  road  and  an  earthly  destination,  and  were  confusing  the  approach  to 
the  Father  with  the  approach  to  a  city  or  a  mansion,  in  which  latter  case,  indeed, 
a  traveller  needs  to  know  first  his  goal  and  then  his  route.  Partly,  too,  the  perplexity 
may  have  been  owing  to  a  deep  depression,  by  reason  of  which  the  twelve  did  not  do 
justice  to  their  own  knowledge  and  standing,  and  took  a  lower  tone  than  they  should 
have  done.  Then,  thirdly,  there  is  our  Lord's  explanatory  reply.  In  this  he  gives 
what  we  may  call  a  turn  to  the  conversation,  passing  in  thought  from  himself  to  them. 
The  Father's  house  is  for  both — for  the  elder  son  and  for  the  younger  members  of  the 
spiritual  family.  To  know  the  road  thither — this  is  the  matter  of  chief  concern  to  all. 
Thus  Jesus  is  led  to  communicate  to  them  the  great  revelation  of  the  sixth  verse — to 
point  to  himself  as  "the  Way,"  and  to  represent  himself  as  the  sole  and  sufficient  means 
of  approach  to  God. 

I.  Christ  is  the  Way  to  the  knowledge  of  God.  It  is  not  so  much  by 
explanatory  language  that  Jesus  reveals  to  his  people  the  character  of  the  Father ;  he 
does  not  merely  point  out  the  way.  But  in  his  own  Person,  his  life  and  ministry,  he 
displays  to  us  the  attributes  of  Deity  which  it  most  concerns  us  to  know ;  and  thus 
he  is  the  way.  As  incarnate  God,  as  the  one  Mediator,  he  presents  the  Father  before 
the  view  of  his  spiritual  family. 

II.  Christ  is  the  Way  to  the  favour  of  God.  To  understand  how  holy  and 
bow  righteous  is  the  Divine  Ruler  and  Judge,  is  to  understand  that  sinners  forfeit  his 
favour.  Our  Saviour  is  the  divinely  appointed  Way  to  reconciliation  and  harmony  with 
him  whose  laws  all  men  have  broken.  He  removes  obstacles  otherwise  insurmountable, 
bridges  chasms  otherwise  impassable,  makes  of  himself  a  path  of  safety  and  of  pro- 
gress, so  that  the  passage  to  the  Divine  friendship  becomes  possible  and  safe.  On  this 
account,  probably,  Christianity  is,  in  the  Book  of  the  Acts,  repeatedly  spoken  of  as  "  the 
way,"  i.e.  the  path  by  which  sinful  men  return  to  the  affectionate  interest  and  regard 
of  a  righteous  God. 

III.  Christ  is  the  Way  to  the  Father's  fellowship.  It  is,  indeed,  with  a  view 
to  this  that  the  former  is  desirable.  It  is  moral  union  which  is  chiefly  important. 
And  the  Spirit  of  Christ  exercises  over  the  nature  of  believing  men  that  power  and 
grace  which  transform  into  the  Divine  likeness.  In  coming  thus  unto  the  Father  a  man 
becomes  a  son  indeed;  he  experiences  the  grace  of  true  adoption;  he  is  made  in  the 
likeness  of  his  Lord. 

IV.  Christ  is  the  Wat  to  the  Father's  presence  and  home.  This  perhaps  is 
both  the  ultimate  sense  of  the  language,  and  the  first  meaning  attached  to  it  by  those 
to  whom  it  was  addressed.  Jesus  was  himself  about  to  go  to  the  Father,  and  he 
wished  his  beloved  friends  to  understand  that  he  would  not  go  alone,  that  in  due  time 
they  should  enter  the  sacred  presence  and  know  the  mystic  joy.  And  since  it  was 
difficult  for  them  to  believe  and  realize  this,  he  drew  their  regard  to  himself,  and  led 
them  to  cherish  the  hope  that  in  his  society  and  through  his  mediation  they  should 
be  introduced  to  all  the  honours  and  to  all  the  immortal  employments  of  the  Father's 
house. — T. 


ce.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDINQ  TO  ST.  JOHN.  239 

Vcr.  0. — Christ  the  Truth.  Often  in  the  New  Testament  do  we  find  our  Lord  Jesus 
associated  with  truth.  Those  who  saw  him  as  he  was  beheld  him  "  full  of  grace  and 
truth."  His  promise  to  the  disciples  who  studied  him  was  that  they  should  know  the 
truth,  and  by  the  truth  should  be  made  free.  When  the  crisis  of  his  ministry  and  the 
hour  of  his  sacrifice  arrived,  he  summed  up  the  whole  purpose  of  his  mission  in  the 
declaration  that  he  came  into  the  world  in  order  to  "bear  witness  unto  the  truth." 
Hence  in  the  Apocalypse  he  is  named  as  "  the  faithful  and  true  Witness." 

I.  Wii.\T  IS  THE  TRUTH  TO  BE  FOUND  IN  Christ?  All  truth  is  bcautiful,  worthy 
of  reverence  and  of  quest ;  but  there  are  grades  of  truth.  There  is  a  common  notion 
that  upon  matters  of  little  moment  truth  is  attainable ;  but  that,  the  higher  we  go  in 
our  inquiries,  the  more  is  it  imperative  to  be  content  with  doubt  and  uncertainty  ; 
whilst  upon  the  most  wonderful  and  sacred  of  all  themes  truth  is  absolutely  beyond 
our  reach.  This  accounts  for  much  of  men's  absorption  in  trifles.  How  many  are 
content  with  the  knowledge  of  individual  facts  and  unimportant  generalizations,  just 
because  the  sceptical  spirit  of  the  time  indisposes  them  to  believe  in  the  possibility  of 
grasping  the  truth  upon  the  greatest  subjects  of  all !  Yet  it  is  a  persuasion  as 
unreasonable  as  it  is  dreary,  that  man  is  not  made  to  know  the  truth.  Pilate  asked, 
perhaps  with  a  cynical  and  wearied  indifference,  "  What  is  truth?"  But  multitudes 
are  like  him  in  the  conviction,  the  prejudice,  that  to  this  query  there  is  no  reply. 
Positivism  tells  us  that  phenomena  and  their  invariable  connections  may  be  known,  but 
that  it  is  a  waste  of  human  time  and  power  to  seek  for  what  really  is,  for  what  accounts 
for  all  that  appears.  Yet  there  are  times  when  the  most  hopeless  sceptic  longs  for 
truth.  And  especially  are  we  constrained  to  desire  truth  regarding  our  own  nature, 
truth  regarding  the  character  and  purposes  of  God,  truth  regarding  the  Divine  purpose 
in  our  being  and  our  life,  truth  relating  to  eternity.  The  small  syllogisms  by  which 
men  attem[)t  to  prove  that  truth,  on  all  matters  upon  which  we  really  care  for  truth,  is 
beyond  our  reach,  impose  upon  none  of  us.  And  Christianity  is  the  highest  reason, 
because  it  offers  that  which  our  limited  and  unaided  experience  cannot  acquire — the 
truth,  which  may  take  to  one  mind  the  form  of  spiritual  beauty,  to  another  the  shape 
of  a  law  of  infinite  righteousness,  but  which  is  what  alone  can  satisfy  the  craving 
nature  of  man. 

ir.  How  DOES  Christ  reveal  the  truth?  The  most  obvious  answer  to  this 
inquiry  is,  that  our  Lord's  recorded  words  are  the  embodiment  of  religious  truth  both 
speculative  and  practical.  And  he  distinctly  and  boldly  claimed  to  tell  his  auditors 
"the  truth."  Certain  it  is  that  upon  all  matters  of  highest  interest  we  are  indebted 
more  to  Jesus  than  to  all  others.  The  intuitions  of  genius,  the  conclusions  of  medi- 
tation and  of  learning,  cannot  be  compared  with  those  Divine  utterances  of  the  Prophet 
of  Nazareth,  which,  though  in  form  and  in  language  so  simple,  have  been  recognized 
by  the  thoughtful  as  consummate  wisdom — as,  in  fact,  revelation,  and  nothing  less  than 
revelation.  Sit  at  the  feet  of  the  great  Teacher,  and  you  will  learn  more  truth  from 
his  lips  than  can  be  acquired  from  studying  the  treatises  of  thinkers  and  the  aphorisms 
of  sages.  Yet  it  is  observable  that  Jesus  does  not  say,  "  I  teach  the  truth ;  "  he  says,  "  I 
am  the  Truth."  This  may  be  paradoxical,  but  it  is  just.  The  truth  upon  the  highest 
of  all  themes  cannot  be  put  into  words.  Human  language  is  not  always  adequate  to 
express  human  ideas,  human  emotions ;  how  can  it  be  expected  to  utter  the  thoughts 
and  the  principles  which  are  Divine  ?  There  are  subjects  to  which  the  close  precision 
of  words  may  seem  adapted ;  they  are  capable  of  verbal  vesture.  But  how  much  there 
is  which  no  words  can  tell — even  those  words  which,  as  their  Speaker  said,  are  "  spirit 
and  life"! 

"  Truth  in  closest  words  shall  fail, 
When  truth,  embodied  in  a  tale, 
Shall  enter  in  at  lowly  doors." 

There  was  but  one  way  in  which  man  could  learn  God,  and  that  was  by  God  becoming 
man.  '-The  Word  became  flesh."  We  learn  Divine  truth  in  the  ministry,  the  life,  of 
God's  Son.  The  truth  as  to  God's  character  we  read  in  the  deeds  of  Immanuel,  so 
gtntle,  yet  so  grand  and  God-like.  The  truth  as  to  God's  purposes  of  love  we  learn 
from  Christ's  sacrifice,  from  Christ's  cross.  The  truth  concerning  our  salvation  we 
know  when  we  witness  Christ's  victory  over  sin  and  death.     It  is  the  complete  picture 


240  THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xiv.  1—31. 

which  portrays  the  complete  original ;  he  who  would  acquaint  himself  with  the  whole 
truth  of  God,  as  far  as  God  is  related  to  man,  must  take  into  his  mind  the  perfect  and 
glorious  representation  offered  in  the  gospel.  There  is  no  other  way  in  which  the 
truth  can  be  grasped  and  held  by  the  finite,  created  nature.  Know  him  who  is  the 
Truth  ;  and  then,  then  only,  do  you  know  the  truth  itself. 

III.  By  what  means  is  the  truth  to  be  gained?  If  what  has  been  said  be 
accepted  as  a  just  expression  of  the  fact,  and  a  just  interpretation  of  the  text,  then  we 
are  on  the  way  to  a  solution  of  the  practical  diEGculty.  There  is  no  place  for  scepti- 
cism— for  that  superficial  and  often  unreflecting  denial  of  the  possibility  of  attaining 
truth,  which  leads  some  men  to  despair,  but  more  to  indolence  of  mind  or  to  sensuality 
of  life.  And  yet  truth  is  not  to  be  found  by  a  mere  passive  submission  to  human 
authority;  nor  by  a  process  of  scientific  inquiry  applied  to  matters  with  which  that 
process  has  no  affinity.  But  it  is  to  be  found  by  those  morally  prepared  for  the 
discovery  by  humility  and  reverence ;  it  is  to  be  found  by  those  who  come  to  Christ, 
to  listen  to  him,  to  watch  him,  to  win  him  by  the  wide  receptiveness  of  faith,  and  by 
the  luminous  sympathy  of  love. — T. 

Ver.  6. — Christ  the  Life.  The  broadest  and  most  impressive  distinction  in  nature 
is  that  between  what  is  inanimate  and  what  lives.  Beautiful  as  are  earth's  landscapes, 
grand  as  is  the  rolling  sea,  awful  as  is  the  storm,  still  there  is  an  interest  in  life  far 
deeper  than  can  be  found  in  the  passive  and  the  non-sentient  creation.  The  power  which 
living  things  possess  of  taking  into  themselves,  and  of  making  their  own,  the  matter 
of  which  their  own  structure  is  composed — the  growth  of  framework  and  of  organs,  the 
exercise  of  function,  the  obvious  working  out  in  the  individual  of  an  end  appointed; 
the  reaction  of  living  things  upon  the  lifeless  world,  and  the  mysterious  connection  of 
life  with  feeling,  and  in  its  higher  forms  with  mind;  above  all,  the  union  between  the 
living  being,  man,  and  the  rational,  accountable,  immortal  spirit ; — all  these  render  life 
intensely  and  imperishably  interesting.  It  is  not,  as  at  first  sight  may  seem  to  be  the 
case,  a  fall  in  dignity  when  Jesus,  having  asserted  himself  to  be  "  the  Truth,"  goes  on 
to  claim  that  he  is  also  "  the  Life."  In  fact,  the  true  is  the  theoretical,  and  the  living 
is  the  practical,  in  which  latter  the  former  finds  its  true  expression,  interpretation,  and 
end.  In  a  universe  governed  by  infinite  reason  and  righteousness,  the  highest  truth 
and  the  noblest  life  must  be  for  ever  linked  in  perfect  union. 

I.  Christ  is  in  himself  the  Possessor  of  perfect  spiritual  life.  Such  was 
the  testimony  of  evangelists  and  apostles.  "  In  him  was  life ;  "  "  The  life  which  was 
with  the  Father  was  manifested  unto  us,"  etc.  The  same  witness  was  borne  by  the 
Lord  himself.  "  I  am  the  Piesurrection  and  the  Life  ;  "  "  I  live."  Such  language  declares 
the  independence  of  the  eternal  Word,  his  underived  authority,  his  supremacy  over  all 
who  live  by  and  through  him.  No  man  can  dare  to  say,  "  I  am  the  life  ; "  a  creature 
of  Divine  power,  born  but  yesterday,  and  every  moment  depending  upon  providential 
care,  he  cannot  but  shrink  from  a  claim  which  would  be  as  absurd  as  it  would  be  profane. 
But  Jesus  could  say,  "  As  the  Father  hath  life  in  himself,  even  so  gave  he  to  the  Son 
also  to  have  life  in  himself." 

II.  Christ  is  the  Principle  of  spiritual  life  to  men.  As  far  as  we  can  trace 
it,  life  always  comes  from  life.  A  mysterious  principle,  in  its  origin  of  lineal  derivation, 
enables  the  living  being  to  appropriate  to  itself  its  appointed  nourishment,  to  discharge 
its  proper  functions,  to  do  the  work  assigned  to  it  in  the  economy  of  nature.  Without 
this  principle  the  lifeless  matter  is  powerless.  Now,  the  spirit  of  man  is  the  breath  of 
the  Almighty.  Informed  by  this  Divine  energy  man  lives,  spiritually  as  well  as 
naturally.  But  there  is  a  life  which  is  distinctively  Christian  ;  and  this  is  always  trace- 
able to  Christ  himself.  He  communicates  the  life  which  he  possesses.  Imagine  the 
earth  as  it  is  in  the  chill,  hard  grasp  of  winter ;  and  in  your  fancy  watch  the  change 
which  takes  place  when  that  grasp  is  relaxed.  The  sun  shines  more  warmly,  the  breezes 
play  softly  over  the  fields  and  the  forests,  and  radiant  spring  smiles  upon  the  earth, 
which  beneath  that  smile  begins  to  live.  The  corn  springs  up,  the  flowers  bloom,  the 
leaves  burst  into  greenness,  the  grove  lately  still  and  silent  echoes  with  the  songs  of 
birds,  and  all  creation  flushes,  blossoms,  murmurs  into  life.  Such  is  the  change  which 
the  coming  of  Christ  brings  to  the  soul,  brings  to  the  world.  "Newness  of  life,"  life 
"  more  abundantly,"  the  movement  of  emancipated  energies,  the  chorus  of  new-born 


CH.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING   TO  ST.  JOHN.  241 

joy,  the  brightness  and  the  smile  of  a  glorious  hope, — these  all  tell  that  Christ,  "  the 
Life,"  has  come.  His  advent,  his  sacrifice,  his  resurrection,  his  Divine  outpouring 
of  blessing,  were  the  means  by  which  his  spiritual  vitality  was  communicated.  The 
same  Christ  who  gave  the  life  at  first,  sustains,  enriches,  and  develops  it,  and  will  in 
his  own  time  also  perfect  it.  It  is  his  work  to  slay  death  itself,  and  to  pour  the  vitality 
which  streams  from  the  bosom  of  the  Eternal  through  all  the  channels  of  the  spiritual 
organism.  It  must  not  be  overlooked  that  it  is  not  the  mere  bodily  presence  of  the 
Saviour  upon  earth  that  ensured  this  result.  It  is  his  spiritual  presence  which  secures 
the  fulness  of  Divine  life  to  humanity.  From  the  Day  of  Pentecost,  when  the  Spirit, 
i.e.  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  was  poured  out  from  on  high,  life  has  entered  human  souls  in 
new  measure  and  with  new  fruits,  and  in  many  a  spot  the  desert  has  rejoiced  and 
blossomed  as  the  rose. 

III.  Christ  is  thus  to  man  the  Adthor  of  an  immortality  of  blessedness. 
The  life  of  created  organisms,  both  vegetable  and  animal,  is  perishable  and  brief.  The 
life  even  of  a  species,  a  race,  is  but  for  a  season.  There  are  good  reasons  for  regarding 
the  spiritual  life  as  above  the  action  of  this  scientific  law.  To  tliat  law  the  body,  a 
part  of  nature,  is  subject ;  from  its  action  the  spirit  is  exempt.  There  are  those  who 
hold  that  endless  continuance  of  being  is  the  purchase  of  the  Saviour's  redemption.  But 
certain  it  is,  that  what  makes  life  good  and  desirable  is  due  to  the  Spirit  of  the  livin'4 
Redeemer.  He  has  "  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light  by  the  gospel."  He  has 
said,  "  Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also."  A  mere  enduring  stntiency  is  valueless ; 
eternal  progress  in  the  knowledge  and  fellowship  of  God  himself, — this  is  life  indeed.  It 
is  in  this  sense  that  he  who  liveth  and  believeth  on  Christ  shall  never  die. 

IV.  That  Christ  is  the  Life  of  men  is  precious  tidings  worthy  of  all  accepta- 
tion. Spiritual  death  is  indeed  dreadful  to  contemplate ;  to  experience  it  is  the  most 
awful  doom  that  man  can  know.  Yet  the  Scriptures  represent  sinful  men  as  spiritually 
dead — "  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins."  To  those  in  such  a  state  it  seems,  if  they  know 
themselves  and  know  not  Christ,  that  existence  is  a  curse.  With  what  sweetness  must 
the  gospel  come  to  such !  To  them  it  is  the  bringer  of  hope ;  for  to  them  Christ  is  the 
Bringer  of  life.  The  welcome  message  is,  "  Awake,  thou  that  sleepest,  and  arise  from 
the  dead,  and  Christ  shall  give  thee  light !" — T. 

Ver.  12. — The  greater  works.  Our  Lord  Jesus  when  on  earth  was  during  the  whole 
of  his  ministry  a  Worker.  He  spoke  of  his  works,  and  of  his  resolve  to  work  the  works 
of  the  Father.  In  the  text  there  is  no  disparagement  of  these  displays  of  power— power 
to  teach,  to  heal,  to  rule,  to  conquer.  They  were  works  worthy  of  him  who  wrought 
them,  and  they  answered  the  purposes  for  which  they  were  intended.  They  were  not 
only  advantageous  and  beneficent  to  men ;  they  were  a  witness  to  Christ's  claims,  for 
he  himself  made  the  well-founded  appeal,  "  Believe  me  for  the  works'  sake."  Yet  in 
this  passage  our  Lord  affirms  the  superiority  of  the  works  of  his  disciples  to  his  own. 

I.  An  unexpected  and  wonderful  superiority.  The  master  may  naturally  be 
expected  to  e.xcel  the  servant,  the  teacher  to  excel  the  scholar,  the  leader  to  excel  the 
follower.  The  reverse,  however,  was  designed  in  the  Christian  dispensation.  This  very 
marvellous  arrangement  is  to  our  mind  a  proof  of  the  Lord's  confidence  in  himself,  and 
in  the  certainty  of  his  expectations  regarding  the  future  of  bis  cause.  This  is  one  of 
those  many  and  instructive  instances  in  which  God's  ways  are  not  as  our  ways. 

II.  A  rea.sonable  superiority.  Below  the  superficial  difficulty  just  mentioned 
there  is  a  deep-rooted  reasonableness  in  this  arrangement.  As  explained  in  the  text 
the  conditions  of  this  superiority  are  twofold.  1.  They  who  do  the  greater  works  are 
believers  on  Christ.  Faith  is  ever  the  inner  power  of  works,  both  material  and  moral. 
It  is  the  union  with  the  Lord  himself  that  makes  his  people  strong  to  do  the  greater 
works ;  so  that,  in  fact,  they  are  not  their  works,  but  his,  who  works  in  and  by  his 
own  faithful  servants.  Faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed  enables  a  disciple  to  remove 
mountains.  2.  They  who  do  the  greater  works  are  possessed  and  inspired  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.  The  Lord  himself  assigns  the  reason :  "  Because  I  go  unto  the  Father."  The 
ascension  of  Christ  secured  the  bestowal  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  influences  of  the  Spirit 
enabled  the  richly  endowed  and  blessed  to  do  great  marvels.  "  Strengthened  with  all 
might "  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  they  were  made  fit  for  the  great  enterprise  committed  to 
them.     Feeble  in  themselves,  they  were  strong  in  their  Lord. 

JOHN'. — II.  B 


242  THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING   TO   ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xiv.  1—31. 

III.  A  PROVED  stiPERiORiTY.  When  Jesus  uttered  this  assurance,  it  was  received  by 
those  who  heard  it  in  faith,  because  they  credited  the  Divine  Speaker.  But  we  have 
the  evidence  of  the  facts  that  followed  the  proclamation  of  the  gospel,  and  of  the  facts 
of  Christian  history.  By  "greater  works"  we  do  not  understand  works  more  striking 
and  marvellous  in  themselves,  but  moTf  glorious  in  their  effects  upon  human  society  and 
upon  the  progress  of  God's  spiritual  kingdom.  The  contrast  between  the  signs  and 
wunders  recorded  in  the  four  Gospels  and  those  recorded  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles 
is  mainly  in  the  spiritual  results  by  which  they  were  accompanied  and  followed.  As 
their  Lord  foretold,  the  apostles  received  power  to  heal  the  sick,  to  expel  demons,  to 
raise  the  dead.  They  s[iake  with  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance.  The 
author  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  best  explains  these  greater  works,  when  he  writes 
of  the  great  salvation,  that  it  "  was  confirmed  unto  us  by  them  that  heard,  God  also 
bearing  witness  with  them,  both  by  signs  and  wonders,  and  by  manifold  powers,  and 
by  gitts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  according  to  his  own  will."  Thus  it  was  that  the  moral 
and  spiritual  changes,  wrought  by  the  agency  of  the  apostles,  were  astounding  to  a  mind 
capable  of  measuring  and  appreciating  wonders  of  this  kmd.  The  works  oi  this  nature 
wrought  by  them  were  great  indeed.  Souls  were  awakened,  taught,  counselled,  renewed, 
and  saved.  The  few  who  were  spiritually  blessed  by  the  ministry  of  Jesus  were  but 
the  firstfruits  of  a  great  harvest  reaped  in  the  ministry  of  his  apostles.  A  vast  variety 
of  classes  was  reached.  Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews  received  the  gospel ;  great  centres  of 
civilization  were  attacked  by  the  aggressive,  apos-tolic  host.  Complete  change  of  cha- 
racter was  effected  in  unnmnbered  instances  by  this  consecrated  and  inspired  agency. 
Social  improvements  followed  in  the  train  of  Christian  evangelization — ameliorations 
which  were  the  earnest  of  the  most  amazing  transformations  which  the  world  has 
witnessed.  Fully  to  realize  these  "  greater  works,"  it  is  necessary  to  take  a  survey 
of  the  history  of  Christendom.  The  glimmering  dawn  has  been  followed  by  the 
glorious  day. 

lY.  An  instructive  superiority.  These  greater  works  which  we  witness,  and  in 
the  production  of  which  we  are  called  upon  to  bear  our  part,  have  practical  lessons  of 
value  for  us  in  this  spiritual  dispensation.  1.  They  remind  us  of  the  dignity,  power, 
and  glory  of  the  Saviour.  Promised  by  him,  they  are  evidences  alike  of  his  faithfulness 
and  of  his  power.  He  by  his  Spirit  reveals  his  presence  in  his  Church.  2.  They 
impress  upon  us  our  own  responsibility.  The  provision  having  been  made  for  the 
continuance  of  these  spiritual  operations,  Christ's  people  are  called  upon  to  prepare 
themselves  to  act  as  agents  in  the  estaMishment  and  extension  of  his  Church  on  earth. 
The  possession  of  spiritual  gifts  ought  not  to  minister  to  our  pride;  it  should  remind 
us  of  our  dependence  and  of  our  duty.  3.  They  encourage  us  to  cherish  a  bright  and 
glorious  hofie.  "What  works  have  yet  to  be  wrought  before  the  purpose  of  God  is 
achieved,  before  the  sufferings  of  Christ  are  rewarded,  before  the  work  of  the  Church 
is  completed! — T. 

Vers.  13, 14. — Christian  prayer.  Great  works  involve  great  gifts.  Our  Lord,  having 
assured  his  disciples  that  in  the  coming  dispensation  they  should  perform  marvellous 
achievements,  transcending  even  his  own  deeds  of  might  and  grace,  now  proceeds  to 
explain  how  they  shall  be  qualified  for  service  so  arduous  and  effective.  Prayer  shall 
be  offered,  and  prayer  altogether  special  and  Christian;  and  in  answer  to  such  prayer 
the  virtue  and  efficiency  needed  shull  be  bestowed. 

I.  Thk  prater  which  Christ  sanctions.  1.  The  petitions  here  encouraged  are 
such  as  the  disciples  of  Jesus  offer.  Not  that  any  human  being  is  forbidden  to  pray, 
but  that  there  is  special  encouragement  for  those  who  are  Christ's  own  scholars  and 
friends,  and  that  there  is  a  special' guarantee  on  their  behalf.  2.  The  condition  afSxed 
to  the  direction  and  promise  of  the  text  is  very  instructive.  What  is  asked  must  be 
asked  in  Jesus'  Name.  This  was  a  new  condition,  one  which  up  to  this  time  it  was  not 
in  their  power  to  fulfil,  but  which  henceforth  would  be  felt  by  them  to  be  most  natural 
and  appropriate.  In  explaining  this  condition,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  Jesus 
was  exjilaining  the  unity  of  his  people  with  himself;  so  that  on  the  one  hand  they 
were  called  to  bring  all  their  desires  into  harmony  with  bis  will,  and  on  the  other  hand 
they  were  encouraged  to  trust  in  his  mediation  and  advocacy.  3.  The  breadth  of  the 
Lord's  promise  deserves  attention.    When  prayer  is  offered  by  those  whom  he  describes, 


CH.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.   JOHN.  243 

and  in  the  manner  which  he  prescribes,  there  is  no  limitation  set.  The  expressions 
"  whatsoever"  and  "anything"  indicate  alike  the  vastness  of  the  Lord's  resources  and 
the  liberality  of  his  heart. 

II.  The  answer  which  Christ  promises.  1.  It  proceeds  from  himself.  "  I  will 
do  it,"  says  the  Master.  In  making  this  declaration  our  Lord  asserts  his  own  Deity — 
makes  himself  "equal  with  God,"  who  alune  hears  and  answers  prayer.  Wonderful 
indeed  is  such  language,  as  coming  from  One  who  was  about  to  be  betrayed  and  crucified. 
2.  It  corresponds  with  the  petition.  The  very  thing  which  the  Christian  desires,  Christ 
promises  to  give.  Such  an  assurance  places  all  the  resources  of  Omnipotence  at  the 
disposal  of  the  lowliest  disciple.  It  corresponds  with  the  apostolic  assertion,  "  All 
things  are  yours." 

HI.  The  purpose  which  Christ  contemplates.  The  ultimate  end  of  Christian 
privileges  and  Divine  blessings  is  to  be  sought  in  God  himself;  and  such  an  end  affords 
to  the  soul  a  full  and  final  satisfaction.  When  Christ's  people  receive  the  supply  of  all 
their  need,  througli  the  advocacy  of  the  Redeemer  whom  the  Father  has  appointed, 
that  Father's  wisdom  and  benevolence  are  seen  in  the  brightest  light.  It  raises  our 
conception  of  the  dignity  of  prayer  when  we  understand  and  feel  that  its  effect  is  not 
merely  upon  ourselves,  that  its  effect  does  not  terminate  here.  There  is  an  even  higher 
purpose  in  this  Divine  arrangement  that  Christian  petitions  shall  be  answered ;  it  is  a 
revelation  of  the  character  and  of  the  will  of  the  eternal  Father  himself. — T. 

Ver.  15. — Love,  the  Christian  motive  to  obedience.  In^lhese  simple  words  our  Lord 
r^vpflled  tho  gycat  piiueiple  whickwas  to  be  theliikimd  salvation  of  the  world.  That 
love  to  him,  in  response  to  his  love  to  them,  was  to  be  the  motive  by  which  their  future 
conduct  was  to  be  inspired  and  governed ;  such  was  the  revelation  the  Divine  Jesus 
made  to  his  most  intimate  and  sympathetic  friends.  And  however  indistinctly  they 
might  apprehend  the  importance  of  this  principle,  these  disciples,  by  acting  upon  it 
themselves  and  by  urging  it  upon  others,  were  to  be  the  agents  in  impressing  upon  the 
Church  that  was  to  be,  a  doctrine  which  was  to  be  fruitful  in  spiritual  blessing  to  the 
jiewjxumanity.     For  of  that  humanity  the  law  is  obedience,  and  the  motive  is  love. 

I.  It  is  assumed  bt  Christ  that  obedience  to  himself  is  acknowledged  as  the 
LAW  OF  his  people's  CONDUCT.  1.  Obedience  had  been  the  very  watchword  of  the 
older  dispensation.  The  Law  was  given  by  Moses.  The  public  and  private  life  of  the 
Israelites  was  governed  by  Divine  statute.  The  government  of  Israel  was  a  theocracy, 
and  Jehovah  was  an  absolute  and  a  righteous  Sovereign.  2.  The  religion  which  Jesus 
founded  was  none  the  less  practical  and  authoritative.  He  came  not  to  destroy  the 
Law,  but  to  fulfil  it.  He  was  not  only  a  Saviour  j  he  was  a  Lawgiver  and  a  Lord.  His 
precepts,  counsels,  and  admonitions  are  binding  upon  all  the  subjects  of  his  kingdom. 
And  he  is  Lord  of  all.  3.  Christ's  commandments  are  distinguished  from  others  by 
their  spirituality,  their  moral  authority,  their  universal  application.  They  are  fitted 
for  all  nations  and  for  every  age. 

II.  It   is   ASSUMED   BY  ChRIST  THAT   HIS  PEOPLE   OFTEN   FIND   IT  HARD   TO   OBEY  HIS 

WILL.  It  is  sometimes  difficult  for  every  man  to  obey.  It  is  very  often  difficult  for  the 
self-confident  and  wilful ;  and  not  for  them  only,  but  also  for  the  indolent  and  the 
frivolous.  Boys  find  it  hard  to  bend  their  will  to  a  father  or  a  master.  Men  find  it 
hard  to  give  up  their  own  will,  and  accept  that  of  another  as  their  law.  Yet  there  are 
motives  which  constrain  obedience.  The  soldier  or  sailor  who  is  impressed  into  the 
service  may  obey  the  officer  from  compulsion ;  the  slave  may  obey  the  driver  from  fear 
of  the  lash ;  the  well-paid  official  may  obey  from  a  motive  of  interest ;  the  workman 
may  obey  for  the  sake  of  daily  bread  ;  the  miner,  the  diver,  may  obey  with  the  pmsjiect 
of  reward ;  a  subject  may  obey  with  the  hope  of  favour  from  his  king.  Many  motives 
may  enable  a  man  to  master  himself  and  to  bend  his  will. 

III.  It  is  ASSUMED  BY  ClIRIST  THAT  HIS  PEOPLE  CHERISH  FERVENT  LOVE  TO  HIMSELF. 

1.  Our  Lord's  character,  conduct,  and  sacrifice  are  such  as  may  well  excite  our  love. 
His  perfect  goodness,  his  pity  and  kindness,  his  sufferings  and  death,  all  appeal,  as 
nothing  else  can  do,  to  the  human  heart,  and  claim  its  best  affection.  His  love  passeth 
knowledge.  2.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  love  of  Christ  to  mankind  does  elicit  the 
response  he  desires.  Hard  natures  are  softened,  masculine  characters  are  rendered 
gentle,  even  rough  and  naturally  unemotional  persons  are  melted  by  the  wonderful 


244  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiv.  1—31. 

])Ower  of  the  cross  of  Christ.  The  spirit  of  Christianity  is  a  spirit  of  love,  and  has 
effected  a  blessed  change  in  the  moral  condition  of  humanity.  Without  disparaging 
the  sterner  virtues,  our  religion  has  exalted  those  which  are  more  tender.  Jesus  has 
bien,  and  is,  loved  as  none  other  in  the  history  of  mankind. 

IV.  It  is  asserted  by  Christ  that  his  love  is  the  one  great  motive  to  obedi- 
ence. 1.  Willing  and  cheerful  obedience  is  the  only  obedience  which  is  acceptable  to 
our  Divine  Lord.  Earthly  governors  say  nothing  concerning  the  temper  in  which 
obedience  is  rendered  ;  all  they  ask  is  compliance  with  their  edicts  and  laws.  Observ- 
ing the  threats  and  penalties  attached  to  disobedience,  we  may  well  conclude  that  the 
spirit  of  the  Lawgiver  is,  "  If  ye  fear  me,  keep  my  commandments."  It  is  not  so  with 
the  Lord  Christ.  He  values  the  spiritual  consent,  which  expresses  itself  in  outward 
acts  of  service.  2.  Love  is  a  powerful,  because  a  personal,  motive  to  obey.  He  who 
is  capable  of  affection  can  feel  the  force  of  the  appeal  made  by  the  father,  the  superior, 
whom  he  both  reveres  and  loves.  They  who  deny  a  personal  God  sacrifice  this  motive. 
They  do  not  believe,  as  the  Christian  does,  that  obedience  gives  satisfaction  and  pleasure 
to  the  supreme  Power  of  the  universe.  They  simply  yield  to  unconscious  and  unap- 
proving law.  3.  As  love  is  sincere,  its  expression  will  be  practical.  To  profess  love 
to  Christ,  and  at  the  same  time  to  disregard  his  will  and  to  defy  his  authority,  is 
hypocrisy.  We  are  exhorted  to  prove  the  sincerity  of  our  love.  4.  Law  and  love,  as 
blended  in  Christ,  are  the  revelation  of  the  highest  morality.  They  are  not  to  be  set 
over  against  each  other,  for  they  are  in  perfect  harmony.  It  is  the  highest  righteous- 
ness to  love  Christ;  it  is  the  purest  love  to  obey  him;  for  his  will  and  his  heart  are 
alike  Divine. 

V.  The  practical  acknowledgment  of  this  principle  by  Christ's  apostles  was 
the  earnest  of  its  universal  prevalence.  The  Lord  did  not  rely  in  vain  upon  this 
new  motive.  It  speedily  proved  its  power  to  work  unparalleled  marvels.  It  enabled 
men  to  love  one  another,  to  labour  for  the  welfare  of  their  fellow-men,  to  welcome 
persecution  when  engaged  in  the  effort  to  fulfil  the  commission  they  had  received.  And 
from  their  time  it  has  been  evident  that  Divine  love  is  in  the  spiritual  universe  what 
gravitation  is  in  the  universe  of  matter.  Christ  is  the  central  Sun,  and  the  power  of 
love  causes  every  loyal  soul  to  move  as  in  even  revolutions  around  him.  And  the 
purix)ses  of  Divine  wisdom  and  compassion  shall  be  completed  when  Christ's  friends 
shall  be  his  subjects,  each  one  fulfilling  his  appointed  service,  yet  all  in  happy  harmony 
with  one  another  because  in  perfect  obedience  to  him. 

Application.  These  words  of  our  Lord^are  a  rebuke  and  an  admonition  :  1.  To  those 
who  think  they  love,  but  do  not  obey.  2.  To  those  who  think  they  obey,  but  do  not 
love.     3.  To  those  who  are  conscious  that  they  neither  obey  nor  love  the  Saviour. — T. 

Ver.  16. — "  Another  Comforter."  This  designation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  brings  forward 
into  prominence  his  work  on  earth  and  his  relation  to  men.  And  this  is  the  aspect  in 
which  the  Spirit  of  God  has  most  interest  for  us.  The  theologian  properly  studies  the 
Third  Person  of  the  Trinity  in  relation  to  the  Father  and  the  Son.  But  to  the  Christian 
desirous  of  appropriating  the  blessings  revealed  by  religion,  there  is  great  encourage- 
ment in  this  designation,  "  another  Comforter." 

I.  The  promise  is  suggestive  of  human  needs.  Why  should  a  "  Comforter  "  be 
provided?  There  must  be  something  in  the  condition  of  men  which  makes  the  promise 
of  a  Divine  Friend  so  appropriate  and  welcome.  Men  suffer  from  ignorance  and  proneness 
to  error  and  delusion.  They  are  encompassed  with  temptations  which  act  powerfully, 
sometimes  fatally,  upon  their  frail  and  feeble  nature.  And  those  who  are  bent  upon 
attaining  true  knowledge  and  practising  true  virtue  are  exposed  to  the  bitter  hostility 
and  opposition  of  the  world. 

II.  The  promise  is  suggestive  of  the  character  and  the  offices  of  Christ 
HIMSELF.  In  promising  another  Comforter  to  come  upon  his  own  departure,  Jesus 
was  really  claiming  to  be  a  Comforter,  whose  loss  must  needs  be  sorely  felt.  And  such 
he  was.  He  had  been  very  much  in  the  society  of  his  disciples,  was  always  sympa- 
thetic, always  wise  in  counsel,  always  faithful  in  admonition,  always  gracious  in 
encouragement.  Nor,  indeed,  did  he  cease  to  be  the  Paraclete,  the  Advocate,  of  his 
people,  when  he  quitted  the  world  which  he  visited  in  order  to  befriend  and  save  its 
guilty  and  helpless  inhabitants. 


CH.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  245 

III.  The  pkomise  is  suggestive  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  CiiURcir. 
The  Paraclete  is  One  who  is  called  to  the  siilo  of  him  who  is  in  need,  an  Advocate 
who  undertakes  the  cause  of  the  defenceless,  a  Patron  exercising  a  wise  protection,  a 
Strengthener  or  Comforter  communicating  his  power  to  the  feeble.  It  is  implied  in  the 
designation  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  a  Person,  and  that  he  is  Divine.  He  teaches,  guides, 
assists ;  he  is  living,  acting,  gracious.  As  he  came  on  the  Day  of  Pentecost — the 
promise  of  the  Father — so  he  has  ever  resided  in  his  Church,  to  quicken,  to  purify, 
to  bless. 

IV.  The  promise  is  suggestive  op  the  peculiar  adaptation  op  the  Spirit  to 
THE  wants  of  the  RANSOMED  HUMANITY.  Our  Lord's  missidn  to  earth,  and  in  the 
bcKiy,  was  a  local  and  temporary  mission.  In  both  respects  the  mission  of  the  Com- 
forter was  more  suited  to  the  condition  of  the  Church.  Whilst  the  ministry  of  Jesus 
was  confined  to  one  land,  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  are  felt  wherever  the  gospel 
is  preacheel,  wherever  Christian  society  is  established.  Whilst  the  ministry  of  Jesus 
lasted  but  for  a  few  years,  the  abiding  mission  of  the  Comforter  endures  for  ever. 
Wherever  and  whenever  human  spirits  call,  in  necessity  and  under  the  prompting  of 
faith,  upon  the  unseen  God  for  strength  and  help,  the  Spirit  of  might  and  wisdom  and 
grace,  ever  near  and  ever  compassionate,  comes  to  their  aid,  and  proves  himself  their 
Comforter  indeed. — T. 

Ver.  19. — Hidden,  yet  revealed.  The  "  little  while  "  doubtless  refers  to  the  very 
short  time  which  was  to  elapse  before  Jesus'  removal  from  the  view  of  men.  Thence- 
forth, he  taught,  the  world  should  lose  sight  of  him,  but  he  should  be  plainly  appre- 
hended by  the  gaze  of  faith. 

I.  Upon  Christ's  departure  the  world  ceased  to  see  him.  1.  Whilst  Jesus  was 
ujwn  earth,  the  unenlightened  and  unspiritual  saw  but  little  of  him.  It  had  been 
foretold  that  men  should  "  see  no  beauty  in  him."  "  His  own  received  him  not."  They 
saw  in  him  a  Friend  of  sinners,  a  carpenter's  son,  One  unlearned.  But  they  saw  in  him 
no  Divine  glory,  for  they  had  no  spiritual  eyesight  with  which  to  discern  it.  Some 
there  were  who  wished  to  behold  his  form  and  features,  e.g.  Zacchajus,  Herod,  the 
Greeks,  etc.  But  generally  speaking,  the  Jews,  because  there  was  no  sign  such  as  they 
desired  to  witness,  cared  not  to  see  anything  of  him.  In  his  humiliation  Jesus  disap- 
pointed the  expectations  of  the  carnal,  and  offended  their  prejudices.  2.  After  Jesus  was 
crucified,  he  was  not — to  the  apprehension  of  the  world.  Those  who  had  seen  but  little 
of  the  Lord  during  his  ministry,  after  his  departure  saw  nothing  of  him.  His  enemies 
thought  they  had  succeeded  in  altogether  expelling  him  from  the  world  he  came  to 
save,  and  they  had  no  further  concern  with  him.  And  ever  since,  to  the  irreligious, 
Jesus  is  invisible  and  as  it  were  non-existent.  Perverted  by  prejudice  and  self- 
sufficiency,  their  minds  are  open  to  what  interests  them,  but  are  closed  against  any 
communication  with  the  Saviour  and  the  Lord  of  men. 

II.  When  Christ  was  hidden  from  the  eyes  of  the  unspiritual,  he  was  seen 
BY  his  friends  MORE  CLEARLY  THAN  BEFORE.  There  Were  those  who  learned  to  see  in 
Jesus  after  his  departure  more  than  they  had  seen  during  his  residence  on  earth.  Just 
as  the  sailor  can  see  a  distant  ship  which  the  landsman's  eyes  cannot  discover ;  just  as 
the  scholar  can  read  a  diflicult  manuscript  which  is  unintelligible  to  the  unlearned  ; 
just  so  there  were  those  who,  during  Christ's  ministry  of  humiliation,  saw  him  to  be 
full  of  grace  and  truth.  Lowly,  penitent,  devout  souls  recognized  his  authority  and 
felt  his  love.  And  after  his  departure,  taught  and  illumined  by  the  Spirit,  they  beheld 
indeed  their  Friend  and  King.  Like  the  blind  man  whose  eyes  Jesus  opened,  they  saw 
their  Benefactor,  believed,  and  worshipped.  Stephen  saw  him  in  the  hour  of  martyrdom ; 
Saul  saw  him  by  the  way.  Christians  see  their  Lord,  in  all  the  glory  of  his  moral 
attributes,  in  all  the  adaptation  of  his  mediatorial  grace,  in  all  the  authority  of  liis 
world-wide  rule.  Christians  see  their  Lord  so  as  to  correct  their  views  of  all  beside, 
and  esj>ecially  to  moderate  their  earthly  affections  by  the  recognition  of  his  superior 
excellence.  Christians  see  their  Lord  as  the  Guide  of  their  present  course,  and  as  the 
Object  of  their  aspiring  hope.  He  is  now  discerned  by  the  eye  of  faith,  and  this  vision 
is  the  pledge  and  the  preparation  for  a  vision  fuller,  clearer,  and  immortal.  Faith  shall 
give  place  to  sight.  The  confident  expectation  of  the  Christian  is  that  expressed  by 
the  apostle  in  the  simple  but  soul-stirring  words,  "  We  shall  see  him  as  he  is." — T. 


246  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [cu.  xiv.  1—31. 

Ver.  19. — Life  in  Christ.  Sir  Philip  Sidney  when  on  his  death-bed  reviewed  the 
reasons  upon  which  we  base  our  hope  of  a  conscious  existence  hereafter.  First,  he  had 
related  to  him  the  arguments  adduced  by  heathen  i>hilosophers,  and  then  the  declara- 
tions and  promises  to  be  found  in  Holy  Scripture.  When  the  dim  light  yielded  by  the 
former  source  brightened  into  the  glorious  daylight  of  Christian  revelation,  the  dying 
hero's  mind  was  satisfied,  and  he  died  in  hope  of  life  immortal.  Upon  the  decease  of 
dear  friends,  upon  the  approach  of  age,  nay,  often  in  the  silence  of  the  night,  the 
question  comes  before  our  mind — Shall  we  live  hereafter?  Christianity  alone  can  give 
a  clear  and  satisfactory  answer  to  this  question.  And  that  answer  does  not  take  the 
fonn  of  argument.  But  our  religion  teaches  us  to  connect  our  individual  prospects 
with  our  Divine  Redeemer,  and  with  our  personal  relation  to  him.  Jesus  himself 
teaches  us  to  do  this,  and  nowhere  more  succinctly  and  efifectively  than  in  these  words  : 
"Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also." 

I.  The  ground  of  the  Christian  life  is  in  the  life  of  the  Lord  himself. 
1.  The  true  life  of  the  Saviour  was  not  suspended  by  his  death  upon  the  cross.  2.  Its 
continuance  was  manifested  by  the  glorious  resurrection  from  the  dead  of  him  over 
whom  death  had  no  power.  3.  Christ's  life  is  revealed  in  the-  apocalyptic  vision  aa 
powerful  and  benevolent.  He  spake  as  the  one  Being  who  had  known  death  only  to 
vanquish  it,  and  who  had  the  keys  of  death  and  of  the  unseen  world.  4.  The  means 
and  the  power  of  the  spiritual  life  are  provided  by  wisdom  and  the  loving  kindness  of 
the  living  Lord.     The  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  is  the  life  of  the  Church. 

II.  The  life  of  Christians  is  accordingly  akin  to  that  of  theie  Lord.  1. 
By  "life"  here  and  elsewhere  in  Scripture  we  are  not  to  understand  the  mere  continu- 
ance of  being,  or  even  of  consciousness,  which  would  be  an  interpretation  very  deroga- 
tory to  our  Lord,  but  the  life  or  the  sensitiveness  and  energy  of  the  spiritual  nature.  2. 
This  life  partakes  in  the  moral  qualities  of  him  from  whom  it  is  derived.  Even  in  the 
])hysical  realm  the  life  which  is  derivative  partakes  of  the  character  of  its  origin.  As 
Christ  lives  in  holiness,  in  wisdbm,  and  in  love,  it  is  reasonably  to  be  believed  that 
such  attributes  of  spiritual  life  are  reflected  in  the  character  of  Christ's  people.  And 
this  is  actually  the  case ;  the  "  notes  "  or  symptoms  of  the  Christian  life  are  not  to  be 
mistaken. 

III.  The  spiritual  life  is  the  immortal  life.  In  a  memorable  conversation 
which  our  Saviour  held  with  the  Sadducees,  this  great  principle  was  plainly  asserted : 
"God  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living;  for  all  live  unto  him."  Through 
Christ,  those  who  believe  on  him,  and  live  in  fellowship  with  him,  share  the  life  of  God, 
and  are  partakers  of  the  highest  kind  of  immortality.  As  surely  as  Christ  lives,  who 
purchased  his  people  with  his  blood,  laying  down  his  life  that  their  life  might  be  hid 
with  him  in  God,  so  surely  they  shall  be  delivered  from  the  death  which  is  the  doom  of 
the  unbelieving  and  the  ungodly.  Jesus  says  to  us  as  we  pursue  the  walk  of  faith — 
and  the  words  reach  our  ears  like  music  in  the  darkness  of  earth's  night — "  I  will  see 
you  again."  And  our  hearts,  cheered  and  emboldened  by  the  promise,  reply  in  loving 
confidence,  in  exulting  aspiration  and  hope,  "  We  shall  see  him  as  he  is." 

"  If  my  immortal  Saviour  lives, 
Then  my  immortal  life  is  sure : 
His  Word  a  firm  foundation  gives; 
Here  let  me  build  and  rest  secure." 

T. 

Ver.  23. — Fidelity  rewarded.  Christ's  manifestation  in  the  body,  in  the  earthly  life 
was  one  thing ;  his  manifestation  after  his  departure  to  the  Father  was  quite  a  different 
thing.  This  chauge,  or  rather  development  of  the  Divine  plan,  was  difficult  even  for  the 
apostles  to  understand.  Observe  how  simply  and  yet  how  fully,  in  answer  to  Jude's 
})erplexed  and  anxious  query,  the  Lord  explains  the  condition  and  the  method  of  his 
own  manifestation  of  himself  in  the  approaching  spiritual  dispensation. 

I.  Fidelity  to  Christ  is  the  condition  of  the  Divine  manifestation.  This 
fidelity  is  both  emotional  and  practical ;  it  is  displayed  in  the  heart  and  in  the  life. 
1.  Love  is  the  inward  principle  and  motive.  The  personal  nature  of  the  Christian  life 
is  here  strikingly  exhibited.  "  If  a  man  love  me  " — language  this  which  brings  the 
individual  believer  close  to  the  living  Christ.     What  a  rebuke  to  all  merely  saceidutal 


CH.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  247 

and  ecclesiastical  views  of  religion !  If  a  man  be  spiritually  enli<:htened  and  quickened, 
he  will  love  Christ;  both  because  Christ  is  in  his  own  character  and  ministry  deserving 
of  the  purest,  strongest  love  our  nature  can  offer,  and  also  because  "  he  first  loved 
us  " — because  his  goodness  found  its  highest  expression  in  devotion  and  in  sacrifice.  2. 
Obedience  is  the  evidence  of  love.  Law  and  love  do  not  always  seem  to  harmonize  ; 
yet  human  relationships  furnish  examples  of  their  combination.  Obedience  here  takes 
the  form  of  keeping  the  Master's  word.  This  involves  our  (1)  becoming  acquainted 
and  familiar  with  his  Word ;  (2)  rt'taining  his  Woid  in  memory  and  often  recalling  it ; 
(3)  reverencing  his  Word  as  in  itself  authoritative,  and  as  in  many  ways  binding  espe- 
cially upon  us  ;  (4)  obeying  cheerfully  and  constantly  the  Word  which  is  believed  to  be 
authoritative  and  Divine.  The  Christian's  love  is  not  sentimentality ;  it  is  a  feeling 
which  prompts  to  that  obedience  which,  the  relation  of  the  Christian  to  Christ  being 
considered,  is  the  proper  fruit  of  grateful  afTeciion. 

II.  The  Divine  manifestation  to  the  faithful  takes  the  forms  of  love  and 
FELLOWSHIP.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  love  and  kindness  of  God  are  presumed 
as  preceding  and  as  accounting  for  the  dispositions  and  purposes  above  described.  But 
whilst  the  Divine  pity  is  the  cause  of  the  Christian's  newness  of  heart  and  life,  it  is 
also  true  that  the  dispositions  and  habits  which  become  the  Christian  are  the  condition 
of  the  enjoyment  of  those  amazing  privileges  which  Jesus  here  describes.  1.  There  is, 
then,  a  sense  in  which  the  Father's  love  is  the  reward  of  the  affectionate  obedience  of 
Christ's  people.  The  filial  dutifulness  and  affection  are  approved,  and  the  approval  is 
manifested  by  the  tender  affection  of  the  paternal  heart.  2.  In  addition  to,  and  indeed 
in  proof  of,  this  display  of  Divine  love,  there  is  assured  Divine  fellowship  and  indwell- 
ing. How  different  is  this  representation  from  the  imaginations  of  human  fancy,  the 
expectations  of  human  reason!  Yet  it  is  in  the  highest  degree  honourable  to  God,  and 
it  tends  to  inspire  and  to  elevate  man.  The  Christian  welcomes  his  Maker,  his  Saviour, 
as  his  Guest  and  Friend. — T. 

Ver.  27. — The  bequest  of  peace.  This  promise  of  the  Saviour  sank  into  his  people's 
hearts.  From  the  first,  inward  peace,  peace  of  conscience  and  of  spirit,  was  valued  as 
among  the  choicest  possessions  of  the  members  of  Christ's  Church.  They  gave  their 
children  names  such  as  Irenaeus  and  Irene,  which  signify  simply  "  peace."  In  the  course 
of  their  communion  services  it  was  their  custom  to  greet  one  another  with  the  saluta- 
tion, "  Peace  be  with  you  I "  In  the  catacombs  of  Rome  may  still  be  read  on  many  a 
Christian's  tomb  the  brief  but  touching  inscription.  In  pace  ("  In  peace  ").  So  did  they 
value  the  gift  and  le;xacy  of  their  beloved  Lord. 

I.  There  is  in  human  life  much  that  is  fitted  to  disturb  and  to  destroy 
peace.  1.  Looking  back  to  the  past,  many  are  troubled  at  the  retrospect  of  their  own 
errors,  follies,  and  sins.  2.  Looking  round  upon  the  present,  many  cannot  fail  to  dis- 
cern in  their  actual  circumstances  occasions  of  distress  and  alarm.  3.  Looking  forward 
to  the  future,  anxious  minds  are  perturbed  by  forebodings  and  fears. 

II.  The  world  is  powerless  to  impart  or  to  restore  peace  to  the  troubled 
heart.  The  consolations  of  the  world  are  delusive,  its  promises  deceptive.  1.  There 
may  well  be  here  a  reference  to  the  ordinary  greetings  of  the  East.  *'  Peace!  "  is  the 
common  salutation,  and  has  been  from  time  immemorial.  Like  all  such  greetings,  it 
often  was  and  is  altogether  thoughtless  and  insincere.  Our  Lord's  "  peace  "  is  some- 
thing quite  different.  2,  But  there  is  a  deeper  reference,  viz.  to  the  pretence  of  peace 
as  given  by  the  world,  to  which  no  reality  corresponds.  The  world  says,  "  Peace, 
peace ;  when  there  is  no  peace."  Superficial,  deceptive,  utterly  false,  is  that  insen- 
sibility to  terrible  realities  which  frivolity  and  scepticism  offer  to  the  troubled  soul. 
Far  better  storms  of  fear  and  care  than  such  a  calm  as  this !  For  terrible  is  the 
awakening,  when  the  judgment  of  the  All-righteous  draws  near. 

III.  Christ's  peace,  and  his  alone,  is  valid  and  lasting.  1.  This  is  spiritual 
|)eace.  It  is  not  to  be  supixised  that  the  Christian  is  exempt  from  the  carts  and  the 
calamities  of  life,  that  outward  circumstances  and  human  society  are  all  to  combine 
in  order  to  his  preservation  from  the  troubles  which  are  incidental  to  human  life.  But 
there  may  be  calm  within  even  while  the  storm  rages  without.  The  heart  may  be  set 
free  from  fear.  2.  This  peace  proceeds  from  the  restoration  of  right  relations  between 
the  soul  and  God,     It  is  peace  of  conscience,  the  substitution  of  harmonv  with  the 


243  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiv.  1—31. 

government  and  the  will  of  God  for  that  state  of  discord  which  is  the  experience  of 
the  nature  that  is  alienated  from  the  eternal  Kuler  of  all.  To  be  right  with  God  is  the 
tiist  condition  of  human  peace.  Such  concord  it  is  the  work  of  the  Redeemer  to  bring 
about.  3.  This  peace  is  both  a  bequest  and  a  gift  of  Christ.'  It  is  a  legacy,  because 
it  was  dependent  upon  the  Lord's  departure,  and  the  subsequent  establishment  of  a 
Kpiritual  dispensation.  It  is  a  gift,  because  apart  from  the  Saviour's  provision  there  was 
on  means  by  which  this  blessing  might  be  secured  and  enjoyed.  The  peace  in  question  is 
not  to  be  eartied  by  any  effort  or  sacrifice  of  ours ;  it  is  the  bestowment  of  the  infinite 
love  and  grace  of  the  Divine  Mediator.  4.  This  gift  is  essentially  his  who  bestows  it. 
The  peace  which  he  enjoys  he  also  imparts.  That  peace  which  flows  from  obedience 
and  submission  to  the  Divine  will  was  naturally  the  proper  possession  of  the  Son  of 
God ;  and  it  is  that  same  peace  which  Jesus  conveys  to  the  heart  that  trusts  and  rests 
in  him.  5.  The  peace  of  Christ  is  all-sufficient.  In  plenitude  and  in  perpetuity  it  is 
alone. 

"  The  world  can  neither  give  nor  take, 

Nor  can  they  comprehend, 
The  peace  of  God  which  Christ  has  brought^ 

The  peace  which  knows  no  end." 

T. 

■Vers.  29 — 31. — Anticipation.  Before  giving  the  signal  for  removing,  Jesus  in  spirit 
glances  I'orward.     What  does  he  see  in  the  immediate  future  ? 

I.  The  future  shall  verify  his  words,  and  so  strengthen  his  disciples'  faith. 
He  had  explicitly  foretold  his  death,  his  resurrection  and  ascension,  and  the  outpouring 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  They  did  not  disbelieve  him,  but  they  were  slow  to  grasp  the  pur- 
port of  his  words.  Fulfilment  should  render  his  predictions  plain,  and  should  confirm 
the  feeble  faith  of  those  who  through  strong  faith  were  to  do  their  work  as  his  witnesses 
to  the  world. 

II.  The  future  shall  bring  on  the  conflict  between  Jesus  and  the  power  of 
evil — a  conflict  which  must  issue  in  victory  for  Christ  and  his  people.  The 
prince  of  this  world  had  before  now  assailed  the  Prince  of  Light,  but  had  departed  for 
a  season.  But  the  hour  of  the  power  of  darkness  was  at  hand.  An  absorbing  conflict 
was  about  to  take  place,  in  which  the  adversary  of  God  and  men  should  find  nothing 
in  him  on  which  to  lay  hold,  and  in  which  Christ  should  certainly  overcome. 

III.  The  future  shall  unfold  to  the  world  Christ's  relation  to  the  Father, 
It  should  be  seen  that  what  Jesus  did  and  suffered  was  one  long  act  of  afi'ectionate 
obedience  to  God.  This  deep  significance  of  the  facts  which  occurred  at  the  close  of 
the  Redeemer's  ministry  w^as  hidden  from  the  world  ;  but  the  eyes  of  men  should  be 
opened  to  discern  it.  And  for  the  benetit  of  all  time  it  should  be  seen  that  love  and 
obedience  are  mightier  than  sin,  than  Satan,  than  death. — T. 

Ver.  1. — Faith  banishing  fear.    We  have  here — 

I.  Faith  specially  enjoined.  1.  As  to  its  Objects — God  and  Christ.  (1)  These 
are  its  proper  and  highest  Objects.  Faith  must  have  an  object.  God  and  Christ  are  the 
jiroper  Objects  of  faith.  It  cannot  ascend  higher,  and  must  not  remain  lower,  than 
this.  Faith  in  the  Father  and  Son,  in  the  Creator  and  Saviour.  This  alone  is  worthy 
of  an  immortal  and  responsible  spirit.  This  is  the  basis  of  true  religion,  the  element 
of  spiritual  progress,  the  foundation  of  Christian  character,  and  is  alone  capable  of 
drawing  out  the  soul  into  perfection.  (2)  Faith  is  enjoined  in  both  '^personally.  It  is 
not,  "  Believe  in  something  about  God  or  about  Christ,"  but "  Believe  in  both  personally." 
It  is  most  important  to  realize  the  personality  of  the  Divine  Being  as  he  is  in  his 
spiritual,  eternal,  and  infinite  existence,  or  as  manifested  in  the  flesh,  so  that  our  ideas 
of  him  may  not  evaporate  into  vague  generalities ;  hence  faith  is  directed  to  a  personal 
God  and  a  personal  Christ.  (3)  Faith  Is  enjoined  in  both  equally.  "Believe  in  God, 
believe  also,"  etc.  This  is  a  .>-trong,  but  by  no  means  uncommon,  circumstantial 
evidence  of  the  Divinity  of  our  Lord.  This  equal  demand  of  faith  inevitably  and 
unquestionably  indicates  equality  of  nature,  authority,  and  honour.  On  the  supposi- 
tion that  Christ  was  a  mere  man,  to  couple  himself  thus  with  the  supreme  Being  as  the 
Object  of  human  faith,  would  be  nothing  less  than  a  wilful  misdirection  and  blasphemy. 


en.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  249 

(4)  Faith  in  one  involves  faith  in  the  other.  This  is  not  an  arbitrary,  but  a  moral  and 
philosophical,  injunction.  Such  is  the  relationship  between  God  and  Christ  that  faith 
in  one  involves  faith  in  both.  Whether  faith  begins  from  the  human  or  Divine  side, 
it  will  find  itself  embracing  the  Father  and  Son,  or  neither.  Thus,  when  Christ 
appeared  iu  our  world,  those  who  had  genuine  faith  in  God  readily  believed  in  him, 
and  those  who  had  not  rejected  him.  Faith  iu  the  visible  and  incarnate  Son  was  a 
test  of  faith  in  the  invisible  and  eternal  Father.  2.  The  ohjeds  of  faith  are  pointed 
out  in  their  natural  order  of  sequence.  (1)  God  is  the  supreme  Object  of  faith.  Hence 
he  is  introduced  first.  Christ,  as  a  Teacher,  ever  pointed  to  Divinity,  as  contemplated  in 
the  Father  or  in  himself,  as  the  supreme  and  final  Object  of  human  faith.  (2)  Christ 
meets  the  present  requirement  of  faith.  First  he  points  to  the  highest  goal  of  faith, 
then  to  himself  as  the  Way  which  leads  to  it.  Therefore,  "  Believe  also  in  me  "  is  not 
retrogressive,  but  progressive,  in  relation  to  faith.  Before  the  appearance  of  Christ, 
faith  was  weak,  struggling  and  crying  for  help,  for  a  resting-place,  for  a  medium 
between  heaven  and  earth.  Pious  souls  yearned  for  it.  Jacob  dreamed  of  it,  and  in  his 
dream  saw  a  ladder  reaching  from  earth  to  heaven.  Christ  responded  to  this  cry  and 
fulfilled  this  dream.  In  him  faith  found  a  present  Help,  Encouragement,  and  a  Resting- 
place.  He  is  the  real  Ladder  between  heaven  and  earth,  over  which  souls  by  faith  may 
reach  the  glorious  heights  of  the  eternal  throne,  and  embrace  him  who  sits  upon  it. 
(3)  In  Qihxist  faith  in  God  ahne  can  he  perfected.  "Looking  to  Jesus,"  etc.  He  is 
the  lowest  and  the  highest  rung  of  the  ladder — the  lowest  touching  the  lowest  parts  of 
the  earth,  and  the  highest  touching  the  eternal  throne.  "  The  Son  of  man,  when  he 
comes,  shall  he  find  faith,"  etc.  ?  Little  of  it  he  found ;  but  ever  since,  he  creates, 
feeds,  helps,  and  perfects  it.  By  his  perfect  life  and  self-sacrificing  death  and  inter- 
cessory work,  he  is  become  the  Author,  Example,  the  Inspirer  and  Perfecter  of  faith. 
3.  The  exercise  of  faith  is  the  only  way  of  Divine  realization  in  the  soul.  (1)  Faith 
is  the  power  which  alone  can  see  the  Divine.  (2)  Faith  is  the  power  which  alone  can 
realize  the  Divine.  (3)  Faith  is  the  power  which  alone  can  appropriate  the  Divine. 
There  is  a  God,  but  not  to  us  but  by  faith.  There  is  a  Saviour,  but  not  to  us  but  by 
faith.  Without  love  we  are  nothing,  and  it  is  equally  true  that  without  faith  we  are 
nothing — nothing  to  God  and  Christ;  and  they  are  nothing  savingly  to  us,  but  by 
faith  they  are  ours.     Hence  the  soul's  chief  duty  is  to  believe. 

II.  Faith  is  enjoined  as  the  antidote  of  trouble.  "  Let  not  your  heart,"  etc. 
This  implies :  1.  That  Christians,  while  in  this  ivorld,  are  exposed  to  trouble.  These 
are :  (1)  General.  "  Man  is  born  to  trouble."  Christians  are  men,  therefore  by 
birth,  nature,  and  circumstances,  are  heirs  of  the  common  troubles  of  humanity. 
Enumeration  is  unnecessary,  as  we  are  all  educated  in  the  great  university  of  trouble, 
and  are  very  proficient  in  its  arithmetic.  (2)  Special.  As  Christians,  the  disciples 
had  their  special  trouble  now  arising  from  the  impending  departure  of  their  Lord. 
This  event  already  cast  its  dark  shadow  upon  them.  The  little  society,  to  all  anpear- 
ances,  was  on  the  verge  of  disorganization.  The  departure  of  their  Lord  would  leave 
such  a  vacancy  so  that  trouble,  sorrow,  doubts  and  fears,  threatened  to  invade  them  as 
a  sweeping  flood.  The  road  to  Canaan  is  ever  through  the  wilderness,  and  the  way  to 
life  through  tribulation.  2.  That  trouble  naturally  attacks  the  heart.  Hence  our 
Saviour  says,  "  Let  not  your  heart,"  etc.  The  heart  is  the  seat  of  emotion,  the  avenue 
of  good  and  evil,  and  is  impressible  to  every  passing  influence,  and  troubles  which 
would  be  rejected  by  reason  will  be  admitted  by  the  trembling  and  undefended  heart. 
3.  Faith  in  God  and  Christ  fortifies  the  heart  ayainst  trouble.  "  Let  not  your  heart," 
etc.  It  was  the  aim  of  Christ  now  to  strengthen  them  against  the  impending  trouble 
and  shelter  them  from  the  thunderstorm  of  sorrow  and  perplexity  which  had  already 
begun  to  break  out.  This  he  does  by  fortifying  their  heart.  This  fortification  is  to  be 
made  by  faith  in  God  and  Christ.  For  heart-disease  there  is  but  one  remedy,  and  it  is 
infallible,  prescribed  by  the  infallible  Physician.  «'  Believe  in  God,"  etc.  Tiiis  will  fill 
the  soul  with  elements  of  comfort  and  security,  and  while  full  of  these,  it  is  impreg- 
nable to  trouble.  What  are  these?  (1)  Consciousness  of  the  Divine  indiuelling. 
Believe  in  God  and  Christ,  and  they  are  yours.  By  ftaith  the  Divine  Father  and  Son 
become  the  tenants  of  the  heart  and  soul.  "  We  will  come  unto  him,  and  will  make 
our  abode  with  him."  What  powerful  inmates!  How  near,  sympathetic,  and  able! 
Who  can  take  the  heart  with  these  within  ?    (2)  The  possession  of  adequate  knowledge. 


250  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiv.  1—31. 

Ignorance  is  weakness  and  trouble,  knowledge  is  strength  and  happiness.  Christ 
reveals  himself  to  faith,  and  gives  every  necessary  information.  He  gave  this  with 
regard  to  his  departure,  and  faith  followed  him  through  the  gloom  of  death,  and 
especially  through  the  effulgence  of  his  ascension  up  to  the  right  hand  of  power,  and 
waited  his  return  to  fetch  the  spirit  home.  In  the  light  of  Jesus  faith  can  see  the 
invisible,  and  see  the  Divine  movements  proceeding  in  the  direction  of  the  soul's  good ; 
and  where  it  cannot  trace,  it  can  trust.  (3)  Consciousness  of  Diuine  care  and  love.  A 
sense  of  loneliness  and  even  apathy  is  a  source  of  great  trouble  to  a  sensitive  heart ;  but 
the  possessor  of  faith  need  not  feel  this.  His  heart  is  filled  with  the  sweet  conscious- 
ness of  a  Saviour's  love,  and  a  Father's  tender  and  constant  care.  (4)  Infinite  supplies. 
It  is  an  old  tactic  of  the  foe  to  attempt  to  stop  the  supplies  by  besieging  the  heart  with 
doubts  and  fears,  and  these  threaten  it  with  physical  and  spiritual  destitution.  But 
this  can  never  be  in  the  presence  of  a  strong  faith.  If  the  water  without  become  dry, 
there  is  still  a  perennial  fountain  within;  and  should  the  rivers  about  Jerusalem  cease 
to  flow,  there  is  still  "  a  river,  the  streams,"  etc.  The  supplies  come  from  above,  and 
often  meet  faith  midway,  and  often  the  suppliant  can  scarcely  rise  from  his  knees 
under  the  delightful  burden  of  his  prayer's  speedy  answer.  (5)  The  possession  of 
glorious  prospects.  Much  of  our  present  trouble  or  comfort  depends  upon  the  future. 
If  it  be  gloomy,  there  is  trouble;  but  if  bright,  there  is  joy.  The  future  of  Christian 
faith  is  bright  and  full  of  hope.  Faith  often  penetrates  the  intervening  gloom,  and 
opens  the  portals  of  immortality  and  the  door  of  our  Father's  house,  and  returns  with 
her  wings  laden  with  blessings,  tinged  with  the  light  and  beauty  of  the  happy  place, 
her  garments  perfumed  with  delightful  aroma  from  the  gardens  of  spices,  her  face 
beaming  with  the  awaiting  glory,  and  sings  many  a  sweet  song  of  the  future  amid  the 
present  discord  of  earth.  The  God  and  Saviour  of  the  past  and  present  will  be  those 
of  the  future,  and  he  who  prepared  for  us  homes  and  friends  on  our  entrance  to  this 
world,  shall  meet  us  with  even  more  surprising  and  congenial  preparations  on  our 
entrance  into  other  scenes.  The  departures  of  dear  friends  bj'  death,  to  faith,  are  only 
apparent  and  temporary ;  they  are  only  removed  from  the  cold  and  damp  kitchens  of 
earth  to  the  grand  drawing-rooms  in  our  Father's  house.  Death  does  not  really 
separate  the  possessors  of  faith,  but  leads  them  into  a  more  permanent  and  closer 
union.  With  these  elements  of  comfort  the  heart  is  not  only  fortified  against  trouble, 
but  filled  with  joy  and  ecstasy. 

Lessons.  1.  The  freedom  of  the  heart  from  trouble  depends  upon  its  own  state  and 
action.  With  the  heart  we  grieve,  and  with  it  we  also  believe.  If  the  heart  is  idle 
and  stagnant,  it  will  be  filled  with  trouble;  but  if  active  in  faith  in  God  and  the 
Saviour,  it  will  be  filled  with  hope  and  joy.  2.  The  means  of  fortifying  the  heart 
against  trouble  are  within  our  reach.  The  remedy  for  heart-trouble  is  ever  at  hand. 
The  ingredients  of  the  Divine  prescription  might  be  difficult  to  procure,  but  they  are 
easy  and  near.  "  Believe,"  etc.  3.  To  keep  troubles  out  from  the  heart  is  far  easier 
than  to  drive  them  out  once  they  are  in.  Hence  our  Lord's  special  injunction  is,  "  Let 
not  your,"  etc.  Prevention  is  ever  better  than  cure,  and  the  prevention  of  trouble  is 
the  constant  activity  of  the  heart  in  a  large  and  genuine  faith  in  God  and  Christ. — B.  T. 

Vers.  8,  9. — The  desired  vision.     We  have  here — 

I.  A  Divine  vision  requested.  "  Show  us  the  Father."  This  implies :  1.  A  speciaC 
vision  of  God.  (1)  A  material  vision.  Such  as  Moses  wished  when  he  prayed,  "  Show 
me  thy  glory,"  and  such  as  Moses  had  when  he  saw  that  glory  on  the  mount.  The 
request  of  Philip  did  not  mean  much  more  than  this,  although  the  language  in  itself 
is  capable  of  a  wider  and  a  higher  meaning,  and  ultimately  led  to  this.  (2)  A  vision 
of  God  as  the  Father.  "  Show  us  the  Father."  It  is  not  "  Show  us  the  Creator,  the 
Governor,  the  Judge,"  but  "  the  Father."  How  natural  for  an  embodied  spirit  to  wish 
an  embodied  representation  of  its  Divine  and  invisible  Parent!  No  view  of  God  could 
be  so  charming  and  attractive  as  this.  2.  That  such  a  vision  is  the  great  want  of  man. 
(1)  This  want  is  deeply  felt.  It  is  the  deepest  cry  and  the  profoundest  prayer  of  the 
human  heart.  The  heart,  in  spite  of  sin  and  estrangement  from  God,  has  not  lost  all 
its  aspirations  for  the  Divine,  but  the  echo  of  God's  voice  is  still  there,  and  the  shadow 
of  his  image,  and  the  most  plaintive  wail  of  the  heart  is  for  a  fuller  knowledge  and  a 
clearer  vision  of  the  Father.     The  ritualism  and  idolatry  of  the  world  were  its  intense 


CH.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  251 

Imt  mistaken  struggles  for  this,  (2)  This  want  was  generally  felt.  "  Show  us  the 
Father."  It  was  not  the  cry  of  one,  but  the  cry  of  all  to  a  moio  or  less  extent.  It 
was  the  common  prayer  of  the  human  family,  expressed  in  every  age,  in  diflerent 
ways,  and  through  different  mediums.  God  is  the  universal  Father,  and  to  know  and 
realize  him  was  a  universal  want.  (3)  This  want  was  now  especially  felt  by  the 
discijiles.  "  Siiow  us  the  Father."  They  had  heard  so  much  of  him  in  the  ministry 
of  Jesus,  and  this  had  excited  in  them  an  intense  desire  to  know  more  of  him,  to  enjoy 
a  closer  fellowship  with  him,  and  even  to  have  a  direct  vision  of  him  in  his  endearing 
character,  and  especially  would  they  feel  this  desire  now  as  Jesus  was  about  to  leave 
them ;  then  they  sighed  for  a  vision  of  their  Father.  3.  TJiat  such  a  vision,  they 
believed,  Jesus  wis  fully  able  to  furnish.  "  Lord,  show  us,"  etc.  Of  his  ability  to  do 
this  they  are  quite  confident,  of  his  willingness  they  have  but  little  doubt;  hence  the 
prayer  is  direct,  confident,  but  reverential.  Their  request  is  addressed  to  the  proper 
Person,  and  their  confidence  is  well  founded.  Jesus  was  able  and  willing  to  furnish 
them  with  a  vision  of  the  Father,  and  struggled  hard  to  prepare  them  for  it.  4.  That 
such  a  vision  would  be  most  fafisfying.  "It  sufticeth  us."  (1)  Most  satisfying  to 
faith.  Faith  had  become  weak  and  struggling ;  her  eye  was  dim  by  gazing  on  the 
invisible,  and  panted  for  a  present  and  real  vision  of  the  Divine,  the  Source  of  light 
and  love.  Such  a  vision  as  requested  would  invigorate  and  even  satisfy  faith.  (2) 
Most  satisfying  to  conscience.  The  conscience  by  sin  is  become  guilty,  burdened,  and 
turbulent.  The  righteousness  and  reconciliation  of  God  in  Christ  alone  can  appease  it, 
and  a  full  view  of  God  in  real  character  and  disposition  as  a  kind,  loving,  and  forgiving 
Father  can  alone  satisfy  it.  (3)  Most  satisfying  to  the  heart.  The  orphan-cry  of  the 
human  heart  is  for  the  Divine  Father.  There  is  in  it  a  craving  which  nothing  can 
satisfy  but  the  Divine  Father,  a  vacant  seat  which  no  one  else  can  fill.  But  a  clear 
vision  of  the  Father  will  give  full  satisfaction  to  the  spiritual  nature  of  man. 

II.  This  Divine  vision  had  been  given.  1.  It  had  been  given  in  Christ.  "  He 
that  hath  seen  me,"  etc.  (1)  In  Christ  the  nature  and  relationship  of  Ood  were  mani- 
fested. Being  essentially  one  and  equal  with  him,  "  the  Image  of  the  invisible  God, 
the  Brightness  of  his  glory,  and  the  express  Image  of  his  Person,"  he  had  a  unique 
capacity  of  revealing  his  nature  and  glory  as  a  personal,  infinite  Spirit,  and  the  Spirit- 
Father  of  the  human  race.  (2)  In  Christ  the  character  of  Ood  was  manifested.  Not 
only  as  the  Creator  of  men,  but  as  their  Father;  and  in  his  life,  actions,  and  conduct 
the  power,  wisdom,  justice,  holiness,  love,  and  mercy  of  the  supreme  Father  shone  with 
constant  and  Divine  brilliancy.  (3)  In  Christ  God's  will  was  manifested.  In  his  life 
on  earth  he  was  an  embodiment  of  the  Divine  heart  and  a  revelation  of  the  Divine  will 
and  purposes,  and  the  Divine  vision  was  exhibited  in  our  nature,  so  that  it  was  near, 
clear,  and  in  the  most  attractive  and  congenial  form.  2.  It  had  been  given,  but  not  fully 
realized.  (1)  Because  Ciirist  was  not  fully  known.  To  realize  fully  the  vision  of  the 
Father,  Christ  must  be  fully  known,  'i'o  see  the  Father,  Christ  must  be  seen  and 
recognized.  The  very  request,  "  Show  us  the  Father,"  is  a  confession  of  their  ignorance 
of  Jesus;  for  if  they  had  known  him,  they  would  have  known  the  Father.  (2)  Jesus 
was  not  full}''  known,  although  the  greatest  advantages  to  know  him  had  been  enjoyed. 
•'  So  long  a  time  with  you."  It  would  not  be  a  long  time  to  be  with  many,  but  a  long 
time  to  be  with  Jesus.  An  hour  with  him  was  an  age  of  the  highest  tuition.  Their 
progress  is  not  commensurate  with  their  advantages.  (3)  It  takes  a  long  time  to  know 
Jesus  fully.  It  was  so  in  this  instance.  They  were  very  ignorant,  short-sighted,  and 
material  in  their  notions  of  his  mission  and  reign  ;  so  that  to  know  him  cost  them 
repeated  failures  and  struggles,  and  cost  hitu  repeated  revelations.  3.  Their  confessed 
ignorance  of  Jesus  called  forth  from  him  very  significant  and  valuable  cx])ressions. 
"Have  I  been  so  long  time  with  you,"  etc.?  (1)  Tliere  is  here  a  f cling  of  surprise 
iind  even  grief.  Christ  struggled  hard  to  reveal  himself,  his  Person,  character.  Divinity, 
mission,  his  inmost  thoughts  and  heart.  Some  are  afraid  to  be  really  kncwn — recogni- 
tion j>ains  thfm ;  such  are  impostors.  But  it  pained  Jesus  not  to  be  known.  His  chief 
object  in  making  himself  known  was  to  make  known  the  Father.  He  was  the  only 
Medium  of  this  knowledge  and  vision.  (2)  There  is  here  a  gentle  rebuke.  It  is 
addres.sed  to  all,  especially  to  Philip.  "And  yet  hast  thou  not  known  me,  Philip?** 
Thou,  one  of  my  first  followers,  who  gavest  such  an  early  promise  of  spiritual  insight 
inio  and  recognition  of  my  character  and  mission !     And  think  of  the  long  time  I  have 


252  THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  .TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xiv.  1—31. 

been  with  you,  and  the  advantages  enjoyed!  "And  yet  hast  thou  not,"  etc.?  There 
is  here  a  gentle  rebuke.  With  whip  of  small  cords  faith  is  lashed  to  greater  activity, 
to  higher  flights,  and  to  open  her  eyes  on  the  vision  so  much  desired.  (3)  There  is 
here  a  fuller  revelation.  "  He  that  hath  seen,"  etc.  The  light  is  intensified,  and  the 
vision  of  the  Father  in  him  is  directly  pointed  out,  so  that  they  gain  by  their  failure 
and  learn  by  their  confessed  ignorance.  It  is  a  step  towards  further  knowledge.  They 
are  drawn  out  towards  him  and  he  towards  them,  and  their  minds  are  fixed  upon  him 
as  the  only  Medium  of  the  desired  vision. 

III.  This  Divine  vision  can  be  only  realized  by  faith.  "Belie vest  thou  not," 
etc.  ?  1.  By  faith  alone  the  Son  and  the  Father  can  he  seen  and  knoivn.  In  the  days  oi 
his  flesh  the  Godhead  of  Jesus  could  not  be  seen  in  his  Person  by  the  material  eye.  To 
the  carnal  and  material  sight  he  was  only  an  ordinary  man.  Faith  alone  could  see  his 
glory  and  Divinity.  Divinity  in  the  Father  or  the  incarnate  Son  can  only  be  seen  and 
known  by  spiritual  insight — by  faith,  the  eye  of  the  soul.  2.  To  faith,  Christ  and  the 
Father  are  in  essential,  close,  and  Divine  union.  In  this  spiritual  vision  the  Son  is 
seen  first  in  the  Father,  then  the  Father  in  the  Son.  The  order  depends  upon  the 
btandpoint  from  which  faith  looks ;  but  whether  viewed  in  their  essence,  nature,  and  glory, 
or  in  relation  to  the  scheme  of  redemption,  the  Son  is  seen  in  the  Father  and  the 
Father  in  the  Son.  3.  Faith  in  relation  to  this  vision  is  supported  by  the  strongest 
evidence.  (1)  The  personal  evidence  of  Christ.  "Believe  me,"  etc.  This  is  the 
highest  evidence  of  the  highest  Witness.  He  is  the  true  and  faithful  Witness.  The 
Son  of  God  is  in  the  witness-box.  And  his  dignity  and  known  character  deserve  and 
demand  faith  and  confidence.  (2)  The  evidence  of  his  ministry.  "The  words  that 
I  speak  unto  you,"  etc.  His  ministry  as  a  whole,  and  some  of  his  special  sayings,  they 
unquestionably  point  to  the  Father.  His  speech  betrayed  him;  the  echo  of  his 
Father's  voice  was  in  his.  Any  one  who  had  the  least  knowledge  of  the  Father  would 
at  once  recosnize  him  in  Christ.  (3)  The  evidence  of  his  miracles.  "  He  doeth  the 
works ; "  "  Believe  me  for  the  very  works'  sake."  His  teaching  and  actions  pointed 
to  the  same  Divine  Source.  There  is  a  perfect  consistency.  Although  conscious  of 
perfect  veracity,  yet  he  is  willing  to  be  judged  by  his  works,  all  of  which  were  of  such 
a  nature  and  character  as  to  reflect  most  brightly  the  Father's  glory  and  power. 
4.  The  evidence  of  faith  is  promised  a  substantial  increase.  (1)  In  the  performance 
by  the  apostles  of  tlie  same  works.  This  would  bring  the  evidence  home  to  them ;  the 
Divine  voice  would  speak  in  their  own :  the  Divine  vision  would  appear  within  them ; 
and  they  themselves  would  be  the  direct  mediums  of  the  Father's  power  and  glory. 
(2)  In  the  performance  by  them  of  even  greater  works  than  those  performed  by  the 
Lord.  This  was  literally  fulfilled  in  the  experience  of  some,  if  not  all,  of  the  apostles. 
Some  of  their  works  were  more  marvellous  in  some  respects  than  his  own.  They  were 
greater  in  number,  wider  in  their  influence,  more  extensive  and  mighty  in  their 
spiritual  results  and  triumphs.  Christ  is  spiritually  mightier  in  believers  than  in  his 
personal  ministry ;  in  them  he  still  works  and  reveals  the  Father.  (3)  In  the  exercise 
of  prayer.  "And  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my  Name,"  etc.  In  prayer  faith  is 
strengthened  and  transflgured,  and  the  Father  is  revealed  to  the  soul.  It  brings  it  into 
immediate  fellowship  with  him,  and  there  is  a  spiritual  commerce  carried  on  between 
them.  To  establish  this  between  the  soul  and  the  great  Father  was  one  of  the  chief 
aims  of  Jesus.  (4)  All  this  was  the  result  of  the  complete  felloivship  of  Jesus  with  the 
Father.  "  Because  I  go  unto  the  Father."  Thus  was  completed  his  fellowship,  in  his 
human  nature,  work,  and  mission,  with  the  Father ;  and  the  blessings  of  that  fellowship 
would  flow  to  believers  in  ever-living  streams.  He  went  nearer  to  the  Father  that  the 
Father  might  come  nearer  to  them  ;  that  faith  might  glow  in  the  smiles  of  his  coun- 
tenance, and  be  satisfied  with  the  Divine  vision  for  which  it  craves,  and  the  soul  become 
ecstatic  with  the  full  answer  of  one  of  its  profoundeat  prayers.  "  Show  us  the  Father." 
— B.  T. 

Vers.  15 — 17. — Love  and  obedience.    Notice — 

I.  Obedience  to  Christ  as  the  natural  consequence  of  love  to  him.  "If  ye 
love  me,"  etc.  Where  there  is  love  to  Christ,  there  is  scarcely  any  need  of  a  command 
to  obey  him ;  but  it  will  follow  as  the  stream  from  the  fountain,  or  light  and  heat  from 
the  sun.     Where  there  is  love  to  Christ:    1.   There   is  a  recognition  of  his  Divint 


CH.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN".  253 

authority.  Where  there  is  no  authority,  there  is  neither  right  nor  power  to  command. 
There  may  be  commands,  but  they  are  weak  and  powerless.  Love  to  Christ  recognizes 
his  personal  and  administrative  authority — his  authority  over  the  heart,  the  will,  the 
intellect,  the  conscience,  and  over  all  the  physical  and  spiritual  nature.  His  kingship 
is  freely  owned  by  love.  2.  There  is  a  recognition  of  a  close  and  essential  connection 
hetween  him  a7id  his  commandments.  The  king  is  in  his  laws.  Christ  is  really  in  his 
commandments;  they  are  expressions  of  his  will ;  they  are  his  will,  spoken  or  written  ; 
they  are  parts  of  himself;  they  arc,  in  fact,  he  himself  acting  upon  and  addressing  man's 
moral  nature.  3.  This  recognition  is  ever  practical.  "If  ye  love  me,  ye  will  keep," 
etc.  Genuine  love  ever  manifests  itself  in  genuine  and  practical  forms.  It  does  not 
begin  and  end  in  mere  sentiment,  in  good  wishes,  in  sighs  and  tears,  but  is  essentially 
practical,  and  practical  in  the  most  pleasing  way  to  its  object,  in  the  way  requested. 
"  Ye  will  keep,"  etc.  Filial  love  ever  manifests  itself  in  filial  obedience.  4.  This 
recognition  is  most  thorough  and  comprehensive.  "Ye  will  keep  my  commandments." 
Not  some  of  them,  but  all.  The  obedience  is  commensurate  with  the  Master's 
expressed  will.  Love  is  very  careful  to  keep  whatsoever  is  commanded,  however 
apparently  small  and  insignificant.  It  keeps  a  sharp  look,  out  whether  a  command 
bears  the  Divine  signature  and  the  seal  of  Divine  authority.  It  seeks  not  its  own  way 
of  obedience,  but  is  thoroughly  satisfied  with  the  one  prescribed  by  the  great  Lawgiver. 
"  What  wilt  thon  have  me  to  do  ?  "  is  ever  the  question  of  love  to  the  Master.  5.  This 
recognition  is  devotional.  "  My  commandments."  They  are  kept  from  love  to  him, 
from  respect  for  his  authority,  from  sympathy  with  his  nature  and  character — kept 
because  they  are  the  recognized  expressions  of  his  will.  Some  of  them  are  ])ositive, 
the  reasons  for  which  are  not  stated ;  but  love  will  obey  them  simply  because  they 
are  his,  and  obey  them  for  his  sake.  Jesus  is  now  physically  absent,  but  is  ever  present 
in  his  commands.  Love  to  him  finds  its  manifestation  in  ready  and  willing  obedience 
to  these.  Personally  he  is  now  above  practical  hatred  or  love,  but  in  his  expressed 
will  he  is  still  the  Object  of  both.  Love  is  loyal  to  him  behind  his  back,  and  ever  true  to 
the  absent  Saviour;  to  it  his  laws  are  "more  to  be  desired  than  gold,  and  sweeter  than 
honey." 

II.  Love  to  Christ  as  the  necessary  basis  of  obedience  to  eim.  "If  ye  love  me,'' 
etc.  As  obedience  is  the  essential  consequence  of  love,  so  love  is  the  essential  basis 
of  obedience.  It  is  essential :  1.  To  make  obedience  real.  Obedience  which  does  not 
proceed  from  genuine  love  to  Christ  has  no  reality  in  it ;  it  is  not  the  genuine  offspring 
of  the  heart,  the  real  act  of  the  soul ;  it  lacks  the  essential  motive  and  inspiration  of  all 
Christian  deeds.  It  is  formal,  mechanical,  legal,  and  empty.  2.  To  make  obedience  eai^y 
and  delightful.  Obedience  not  arising  from  love  is  forced,  burdensome,  and  even 
painful — painful  to  the  man  himself  and  to  others.  Obedience  which  springs  from  fear, 
selfishness,  legality,  self-praise,  or  from  mere  custom,  is  insipid  and  wearisome;  while 
the  obedience  of  love  is  easy,  natural,  and  pleasant.  To  such  the  words  of  our  Lord  are 
full  of  truth  and  significance:  "My  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  light."  The  least 
duty,  in, the  absence  of  love,  is  really  heavy ;  while  the  heaviest,  with  it,  is  really  light. 
Many  have  counted  it  joy  to  sufler,  and  even  die,  fur  Christ.  They  rejoiced  in  chains, 
and  sang  in  flames.  Theirs  was  the  obedience  of  love,  the  offering  of  affection,  and  the 
tribute  of  a  willing  heart.  3.  To  mnke  it  spiritually  and  personally  valuable.  There 
is  no  spiritual  value  in  unloving  obedience.  It  may  be  acceptable  with  men,  and  pass 
as  a  genuine  coin  in  human  markets,  but  it  is  a  counterfeit  in  the  spiritual  and  Divine. 
It  may  benefit  society,  but  will  not  spiritually  benefit  the  man  himself;  and  however 
extensive,  minute,  and  ostentatious  its  performance  may  be,  it  will  not  score  in  heaven. 
It  is  found  wanting  in  the  balance  of  God,  and  even  in  that  of  the  enlightened  con- 
science. "  Though  I  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men,"  etc.  Love  alone  can  impart 
spiritual  value  into  obedience,  and  fill  it  with  life  and  Divinity. 

III.  LOVISG  OBKDIENCE  TO  CHRIST   ENSURING  THE  DiVINEST  BLESSINGS.      "  If  ye  love 

me,"  etc, ;  "  And  I  will  pray  the  Father,"  etc.  It  brings  into  the  soul  the  richest 
blessings,  and  in  its  interest  the  mightiest  spiritual  agencies.  1.  The  Holy  Spirit,  (i) 
The  Holy  Spirit  as  the  Father's  Gift  to  them.  "And  he  shall  give,"  etc.  The  Spirit  is 
sometimes  described  as  coming  of  himself,  or  sent  by  Christ,  but  here  as  the  Gift  of  the 
Father.  All  these  descriptions  are  true  and  highly  significant,  but  not  one  of  them 
more  endearing  and  attractive  than  the  Spirit  as  the  Father's  Gift  to  his  obedient  and 


254  THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xiv.  1—31. 

lovinc;  disciples.  (2)  As  his  Gift  to  them  in  consequence  of  Christ's  prayer.  "I  will  pray 
the  Father,  and  he  shall  give,"  etc.  There  is  an  inseparable  connection  between  the 
Father's  gifts  and  the  Son's  prayers.  When  the  Son  prays  the  Father  gives,  and  gives 
because  he  prays  and  what  he  prays  for.  What  an  inestimable  blessing  to  the  disciples 
is  the  intercession  of  the  object  of  their  love !  (3)  As  his  additional  Gift  to  them  It 
is  not  that  the  Spirit  is  given  instead  of  Christ,  but  is  given  in  addition  to  him.  It  is 
another  instalment  of  Divine  love.  The  Father  gave  the  Son,  and  this,  one  would  think, 
was  as  much  as  even  infinite  benevolence  could  afford  to  give.  But  this  was  only  the 
beginning  of  his  munificence.  Here  is  "another,"  and  there  will  be  another  and  another 
still.  2.  The  Holy  Spirit  in  some  of  his  special  characteristics.  (1)  As  a  Comforter, 
an  Advocate,  or  a  Helper.  It  was  some  of  the  special  functions  of  the  Spirit  to  comfort, 
to  intercede  for  and  in,  and  help  believers.  And  these  were  the  special  purposes  of  the 
precious  Gift.  (2)  As  the  Spirit  of  truth.  Its  Source  and  Essence,  its  very  Spirit, 
and  the  Revealer  of  truth  to  the  soul.  Christ  was  "  the  Truth,"  its  incarnation  and  out- 
ward expression.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  its  inward  Revealer,  and  who  can  reveal  and  com- 
municate truth  to  the  Spirit  of  man  as  well  as  the  Spirit  of  Truth  himself?  (3)  This 
was  specially  required  by  the  disciples  now,  and  required  by  disciples  at  all  times ;  and 
one  was  already  sick  at  the  prospect  of  the  Lord's  departure.  They  would  immediately 
and  through  life  meet  with  inward  and  outward  troubles,  and  they  required  consolation 
and  help.  They  would,  through  ignorance  and  weakness,  be  exposed  to  errors  and 
mistakes,  and  they  required  inward  guidance  and  light;  and  these  are  promised.  "He 
shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  even  the  Spirit,"  etc.  There  is  a  most  fascinating 
.correspondence  between  the  Father's  Gift  and  the  disciples'  need.  3.  The  Spirit  as 
known  to  them,  but  not  so  to  the  tvorld.  On  the  part  of  the  world  there  was  a  terrible 
inability  to  receive  him — inability  arising  from  spiritual  blindness  and  agnosticism. 
The  world  only  receives  what  it  can  see  and  handle.  It  walks  by  sight  and  sense,  there- 
fore cannot  receive  the  "  Spirit  of  truth."  But  it  was  not  so  with  the  disciples.  The 
Spirit  is  promised  to  them:  (1)  As  a  present  Acquaintance.  "Ye  know  him;  for  he 
abideth,"  etc.  Not  a  stranger  is  introduced  to  them,  but  one  at  least  partially  known. 
The  Spirit  was  known  to  and  actually  with  them  in  Christ  and  his  teaching.  They 
were  prepared  to  receive  him,  not  as  the  world.  (2)  In  his  closer  fellowship.  "  And 
shall  be  in  you."  In  the  Person  and  life  of  Christ  he  was  rather  without  them ;  but  in 
his  special  advent  he  would  be  within  them — in  the  heart,  will,  conscience,  and  reason. 
(3)  In  his  'permanent  indwelling.  "  And  shall  be  in  you  and  with  you  for  ever,"  as 
their  ever-present  Light,  Help,  and  Comfort. 

Lessons.  1.  Love  is  the  great  law  of  Chrisfs  kingdom.  It  is  established  on  this. 
There  is  no  compulsion,  no  carnal  weapons;  but  he  reigns  through  love,  and  he  is 
the  only  King  whose  subjects,  without  an  exception,  love  passionately.  2.  Loving 
obedience  to  him  is  most  spiritually  enriching.  It  insures  the  richest  blessings  and  the 
most  powerful  spiritual  agencies ;  for  the  prayers  of  Christ  and  the  gifts  of  the  Father 
are  not  made  at  random,  but  made  to  loving  and  obedient  souls.  3.  The  S'/preme 
importance  of  possessing  love  to  Christ.  Where  this  is  present  all  besides  will  n«curally 
and  inevitably  follow.    "  If  ye  love  me,"  etc. — B.  T. 

Vers.  18 — 21. —  The  comforts  of  Christ.  Notice  some  of  the  comforts  left  by  Jesus 
to  his  disciples.  "  I  wiU  not  leave  you  desolate  [or, '  orphans,'  or, '  comfortless '],"  imply- 
ing that  he  would  leave  them  some  suitable  and  substantial  comforts. 

I.  The  comfokt  of  his  continuous  coming  unto  them.  "  I  come  unto  you."  1. 
This  was  really  the  case,  in  spite  of  some  appearances  to  the  contrary.  They  thought 
that  he  would  leave  entirely  and  for  ever  by  death.  This  was  a  mistake,  and  Christ  is 
very  careful  to  correct  it.  "  I  come  unto  you."  Many  of  our  troubles  and  sorrows  arise 
from  our  mistaken  notions  of  things.  Things  are  not  always  what  they  seem.  The 
disciples  thought  that  Christ  was  going  away  from  them  by  death,  while  in  fact  he 
was  coming  unto  them,  spiritually  nearer  to  them  in  sympathy  and  fellowship.  On 
the  cross  and  in  the  grave  he  was  coming  unto  them;  and  he  was  coming  nearer  and 
nearer  unto  them  in  all  the  trials  and  dangers  of  after-life.  And  thus  he  comes 
unto  all  believers,  even  when  they  think  that  he  leaves  them.  2.  This  was  literally 
the  case  at  his  resurrection.  He  came  unto  them,  and  they  embraced  their  risen  Lord. 
3.  This  was  specially  the  case  on  the  Day  of  Pentecost.     When  his  promise  of  the  Spirit 


CH.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  255 

was  fulfilled,  and  in  the  fulfilment  of  this  promise,  they  realized  the  presence  of  Christ 
more  than  ever ;  and,  instead  of  the  outward  Christ,  they  lieuceforth  enjoyed  hira  in 
them  as  a  Divine  power,  light,  and  inspiration.  "  Christ  in  you,  the  Hope  of  glory." 
4.  This  ivill  he  fully  the  case  at  the  last  day.  He  ever  comes  in  his  Word,  in  his  Spirit, 
in  the  dispensations  of  providence,  in  the  shadows  and  sunshine  of  life,  and  especially 
in  the  gloom  of  death,  and  each  coming  is  a  source  of  comfort  and  joy ;  but  his  great 
coming  at  the  last  day  will  crown  all,  and  swallow  every  other  coming  in  itself,  and 
will  perfect  the  mutual  fellowship  for  ever. 

II.  The  comfort  of  a  continuous  vision  of  Jesus.  1.  This  is  denied  to  the  world. 
"  Yet  a  little  while,  and  the  world  seetli  me  no  more."  The  world  had  seen  him  out- 
wardly. But  even  this  vision  would  be  soon  withdrawn.  'J'here  is  an  undertone  of 
sadness  in  his  announcement  of  this.  The  best  opportunity  the  world  ever  had  would 
soon  be  lost  for  ever.  The  world  cannot  see  the  spiritual  and  eternal;  only  the 
material  and  outward.  Only  this  it  saw  of  Jesus ;  but  even  this  was  about  to  be  with- 
drawn. 2.  This  vision  is  granted  to  the  disciples.  "  But  ye  see  me."  He  assures  them 
not  merely  that  he  would  continue  to  come  unto  them,  but  that  they  would  continue 
to  see  him — see  him  even  after  his  departure  ;  and  if  not,  it  would  be  their  own  fault. 
They  had  professed  to  have  the  power  of  spiritual  vision,  faith,  which  they  doubtless 
had,  and  they  had  been  well  strengthened  by  his  teaching  and  miracles.  Now  it  was 
about  to  be  tried,  and  he  had  no  doubt  of  the  ultimate  success.  Material  and  circum- 
stantial changes  cannot  entirely  intercept  the  vision  of  faith.  There  may  be  an  eclipse, 
but  not  total ;  and  if  total,  it  will  not  continue  long  enough  to  be  specially  noticed.  It 
was  so  now  in  the  case  of  the  disciples  with  regard  to  their  impending  trial.  After  the 
terrible  but  brief  gloom,  "  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  "  appeared  to  faith  brighter  than 
ever.  So  clear  and  full  was  the  vision  to  the  disciples  that  they  could  see  nothing  else. 
It  filled  their  horizon  with  his  presence  and  glory.  They  saw  him  in  every  object 
around  and  above  them — in  the  gloom  of  earth  and  in  the  glory  of  heaven  ;  saw  him  in 
all  the  circumstances  and  trials  of  life  and  in  the  sufli'erings  of  death,  in  nature,  provi- 
dence and  redemption.     Christ,  in  fact,  was  their  "  all  in  all." 

III.  The  comfort  of  a  continuous  life.  1.  The  life  of  Jesus.  "  I  live."  Christ's 
life  was  continuous.  It  is  true  that  he  really  died,  but  it  was  the  act  of  his  own  will. 
He  was  the  Prisoner  of  death,  but  only  for  a  short  time,  and  that  by  his  own  permission. 
By  reason  of  the  fulness  of  life  in  him,  he  could  well  afford  to  ignore  death.  He  lived 
in  death,  and  through  death  he  attained  his  mediatorial  life  in  its  glory.  Death  was 
made  by  him  to  serve  life.  The  disciples  were  afraid  that  would  be  his  final  end  ;  but 
this  tear  is  dis^wlled  by  the  announcement,  "  I  live."  Of  the  truth  of  this  they  had 
ample  proofs  in  due  time.  What  a  comfort  it  is  to  believers  to  know  that  their  pious 
dead  are  still  living,  and  especially  to  know  that  their  Redeemer  liveth  !  They  are  not 
orphans.  2.  Their  life.  "  And  ye  shall  live  also."  Next  to  their  concern  for  his  life 
was  that  for  their  own.  They  were  afraid  that  his  death  would  involve  their  death, 
and  they  would  naturally  and  sadly  ask — What  will  become  of  us,  of  our  fond  hopes, 
dreams,  and  aspirations?  They  are  set  at  rest  by  the  statement,  "And  ye  shall  live 
also."  3.  TJieir  life  as  united  with  his.  "  Because  I  live,"  etc.  We  have  here  :  (1)  The 
nature  of  their  life.  A  life  like  that  of  Jesus;  a  Divine  and  spiritual  life,  different  from 
and  superior  to  the  physical  and  its  circumstances.  They  are  directed  to  the  spiritual 
nature  of  their  life  as  a  source  of  consolation.  (2)  The  infinite  cause  of  their  life.  It 
is  a  great  source  of  comfort  to  have  an  adequate  reason  for  an  important  statement  such 
as  the  one  made  here  by  our  Lord,  "  Ye  shall  live  also."  One  would  naturally  ask — 
Why  and  how  is  this?  It  appears  strange,  if  not  impossible.  There  is  sufficient  answer 
in  the  statement  of  Jesus,  "  Because  I  live,"  etc.  Physical  life  is  dependent  upon  the 
life  and  will  of  God ;  and  spiritual  life  by  faith  is  entirely  dependent  on  the  life  of 
Christ  as  its  Divine  Source,  its  efficient  and  meritorious  Cause,  its  infinite  Support  and 
Gunrantee.  (3)  The  perfect  certainty  and  safety  of  their  life.  In  the  degree  they 
would  believe  in  the  life  of  Jesus  they  would  realize  their  own,  and  have  confidence  in 
its  safety.  The  life  of  faith  is  as  certain  and  safe  as  that  Divine  life  from  which  it 
emanates,  and  by  which  it  is  protected  and  supported.  Safe  in  all  the  trials  and 
dancers  of  life,  and  even  in  death  itself.  It  is  "hid  with  Christ  in  God."  (-i)  Iho.  endless 
continuance  of  their  life.  "  Ye  shall  live  also."  The  cravings  and  aspirations  of 
immortality  are  fully  satisfied  in  the  life  of  Jesus.     There  is  no  room  for  any  fear  with 


256  THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xiv.  1—31. 

regard  to  the  great  changes  of  the  future.  The  life  of  faith  is  commensurate  in  dura- 
tion with  the  life  of  Christ,  with  which  it  is  inseparably  connected,  'ihey  had  the 
comfort  of  a  continuous  vision  of  an  ever-living  Saviour,  and  of  their  life  eternally  safe 
in  connection  with  his. 

IV.  The  comfokt  of  a  fuller  realization  of  Divine  fellowship.  1.  The  fellow- 
ship of  Christ  with  the  Father.  "  Ye  shall  know  that  I  am  in  my  Father."  This  as 
yet  was  but  imperfectly  known — a  source  of  perplexity  to  them.  2.  Their  fello%vship 
with  Christ,  and  Christ  with  them.  "Ye  in  me,"  etc.  3.  Their  feUowship  with  the 
Father.  This  is  an  inevitable  consequence  of  their  fellowship  with  Christ.  To  realize 
all  this  would  be  to  them  a  source  of  great  comfort  and  spiritual  peace  and  joy.  Then 
they  would  not  consider  themselves  orphans,  but  hippy  and  rich  children  in  the  warm 
embrace  of  an  almighty  and  infinitely  kind  Father.  (1)  It  is  possible  to  have  an 
interest  in  Christ  without  fully  knowing  it  at  the  time.  The  disciples  had  much  now 
of  which  they  were  not  aware.  Their  spiritual  possessions  were  greater  than  know- 
ledge. (2)  Faith  naturally  presses  forward  to  a  fuller  knowledge  of  Divine  things.  It 
craves  for  it,  and  is  never  disappointed.  If  we  want  an  increase  of  knowledge,  let  us 
strive  for  an  increase  of  faith.  Believe,  and  you  shall  know.  (3)  There  are  periods 
when  Divine  knowledge  is  specially  attained  and  realized.  "  In  that  day  ye  shall,"  etc. 
The  morning  of  Christ's  resurrection  was  such  a  day,  and  Pentecost  was  another ;  and 
in  individual  and  social  experience  of  believers  then;  are  many  such  days,  when  faith  is 
rewarded  with  knowledge,  and  culminates  in  spiritual  realization.  Then  the  language 
of  the  soul  is  not  "  I  believe,"  but  "  I  know" — "  I  know  that  my  Hedeemer,"  etc.;  "  I 
know  whom,"  etc.  Then  there  is  in  the  soul  a  spring-tide  of  spiritual  comfort  and 
peace,  and  an  ecstasy  of  inspired  confidence. 

V.  The  comfort  of  a  clearer  manifestation  of  Christ.  "  I  will  manifest,"  etc. 
1.  This  is  a  self-manifestation  of  Christ.  He  is  the  Eevealer  and  the  Eevealed, 
Different  mediums  and  agents  are  employed ;  still  he  is  the  Source  and  Subject  of  the 
revelation.  During  his  personal  ministry  on  earth  he  chiefly  manifested  the  Father  and 
the  Spirit;  but  after  the  Ascension  he  manifests  himself  through  the  Spirit  and  the 
ministry  of  his  Word.  He  manifests  himself  in  his  humanity  and  Divinity — in  liis 
human  and  Divine  relationships ;  in  short,  in  all  his  past,  present,  and  future  agency 
with  regard  to  the  great  scheme  of  human  redemption.  His  manifestation  in  the  flesh 
was  comparatively  small,  and  only  introductory  to  the  great  spiritual  manifestation  of 
himself  in  the  soul  and  in  the  spirit  of  humanity.  2.  This  self-manifestation  of  Christ 
is  inseparably  connected  with  loving  obedience  to  him.  "  He  that  hath  my  command- 
ments," etc.  Love  to  Christ  manifests  itself  through  obedience  to  his  commands,  and 
through  this  loving  obedience  Christ  manifests  himself  to  the  soul.  With  every  loving 
act  comes  a  fresh  vision  of  the  Saviour.  3.  This  self-manifestation  of  Christ  is 
inseparably  connected  with  a  corresponding  experience  of  Divine  love.  "  He  that  loveth 
me  shall  be  loved,"  etc.  Love  begets  love.  Human  love  to  Christ  is  repaid  with 
Divine  interest.  It  returns  in  living  streams  of  love  to  the  experience  from  the  Father 
and  the  Son.  And  this  Divine  love  is  the  sweetest  and  most  powerful  medium  through 
which  Christ  manifests  himself.  It  is  a  manifestation  of  him  in  itself.  4.  This  self- 
manifestation  of  Christ  is  gradual  and  progressive.  It  was  so  in  the  experience  of  the 
disciples.  There  was  a  vast  difference  between  the  Christ  of  Pentecost  and  Jesus  of 
Nazareth.  And  it  is  so  in  the  experience  of  believers  ever  since.  Jesus  once  really 
seen  by  faith  will  never  be  permanently  lost  sight  of,  but  the  constancy  and  clearness 
of  the  vision  depend  upon  the  degree  of  faith  and  love  in  the  soul.  He  will  manifest 
as  we  believe  and  love.  5.  This  self -manifestation  of  Christ  vjill  be  ultimately  com- 
plete. "  I  will,"  etc.  It  will  not  reach  completion  till  the  last  day.  To  fully  see  him, 
he  must  fully  appear ;  to  fully  know  him,  we  must  be  like  him  ;  and  to  be  like  him,  we 
must  see  him  as  he  is.  But  even  then  we  shall  not  see  all  his  beauty  nor  comprehend 
all  his  Being.  Were  this  the  case,  our  happiness  would  cease.  Eternity  will  not  exhaust 
his  glory,  although  fully  employed  in  its  exhibition.  But  at  hi*  final  coming  there 
will  be  such  a  full  manifestation  of  him  as  will  exclude  every  elencent  of  unhappiness, 
and  fill  the  soul  with  satisfaction  for  ever.  AVe  shall  be  satisfied  with  each  draught  of 
revelation,  and  look  forward  with  serene  confidence  and  ecstatic  joy  to  the  next  and  the 
next. 

Lessons.  1.  The  sympathy  of  Christ  with  his  people  is  most  tenderly  considerate. 


ciT.  XIV.  1—31.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST,  JOHN.  257 

It  was  so  here.  His  disciples  did  not  tell  him  that  they  were  afraid  of  orphanage  and 
desolation,  but  he  knew  it ;  and  in  answer  to  their  inward  thoughts  and  feelings,  h«» 
tenderly  said,  "  I  will  not  leave  you,"  etc.  2.  llis  symi)athy  tuith  his  people  is  ever 
practical.  It  is  not  mere  sentiment.  It  is  not  only  negative,  but  ever  assumes  an 
affirmative  form.  He  did  not  stop  with  saying,  "  I  will  not  leave,"  etc.,  but  proceedetl 
to  say,  "  I  come,"  etc.  And  all  this  was  fulfilled  in  their  experience ;  and  it  is  ever 
so.  3.  As  Christ  is  manifested  in  the  soul,  we  at  once  realize  all  toe  need.  When  tho 
sun  appears  in  the  sky,  all  the  landscape  around  is  in  full  view.  So,  when  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  arises  in  the  soul,  the  spiritual  universe  is  all  ablaze.  We  see  an  ever- 
living  Saviour  and  an  ever-loving  Father  in  closest  fellowship,  and  our  life  by  faith 
in  closest  fellowship  with  both.  When  Christ  manifested  himself  to  his  disciples,  they 
never  thought  of  orphanage  and  desolation  afterwards.  4.  Let  us  take  care  of  the 
condition  of  our  spiritual  comfort  and  realization.  "  He  that  hath  my  cominand- 
ments,"  etc.— B.  T. 

Ver.  27. — The  special  legacy  of  Jesus  to  his  disciples.  Notice — 
I.  This  legacy  in  its  rich  contests.  "  Peace  I  leave,"  etc.  1.  TJie  great  system 
of  reconciliation.  The  gospel  is  pre-eminently  the  gospel  of  peace.  It  is  peace  on 
earth,  and  good  will  to  men.  This  gospel  -Christ  committed  to  his  apostles  as  its 
special  ambassadors,  and  to  them  was  given  "  the  ministry  of  reconciliation,  to  wit," 
etc.  2.  This  great  system  in  its  blessed  effects  on  them.  Our  Lord  sums  up  these 
effects  in  one  word,  "  peace,"  and  it  is  most  significant  and  expressive.  It  involves  : 
(1)  The  peace  of  the  soul  ivith  God.  By  sin  it  is  at  enmity  with  liim,  out  of  harmony 
altogether  with  his  character  and  will,  but  by  acceptance  of  the  Divine  system  of 
reconciliation,  peace  with  God  is  effected.  This  the  disciples  enjoyed.  They  could  say, 
"  Being  justified  by  faith,  we  have,"  etc.  (2)  The  peace  of  the  soul  with  itself.  By 
sin  it  is  at  war  with  itself;  there  are  painlul  discords,  unrest  and  guilt  throughout  its 
empire.  But  peace  with  God  brings  peace  within.  Then  there  is  order,  good  govern- 
ment, and  harmony  in  the  soul.  They  enjoyed  inward  peace.  (3)  Their  peace  with 
each  other,  and  a  peaceful  disposition  towards  all.  There  is  nothing  more  remarkable 
in  the  history  of  the  disciples  than  the  almost  perfect  unity  and  peace  which  reigned 
among  them,  which  was  the  wonderful  result  of  the  Divine  system  of  reconciliation, 
and  the  personal  tuition  and  influence  of  their  Master.  This  he  leaves  with  them.  3. 
This  legacy  of  Christ  has  the  peculiarity  of  being  absolutely  his  own.  "  My  peace."  (I) 
He  is  its  Author.  Think  of  it  as  a  work,  he  made  it ;  or  as  a  scheme,  he  wrought  it  out ; 
or  as  a  purchase,  he  paid  the  price  ;  or  as  a  graciiais  interference  between  offensive  man  and 
offended  Deity,  he  is  the  Mediator;  or  as  a  Divine  principle,  he  imparts  and  inspires  it. 
He  is  the  Peace-maker  and  the  Peace  Offering.  It  is  his  so  thoroughly,  that  with  pro- 
priety the  apostle  says,  "  lie  is  our  Peace,  who  hath  made  both  one,"  etc.  (2)  He  is 
its  absolute  Proprietor  and  Dispenser.  Being  its  absolute  Author,  he  is  also  its  absolute 
proprietor,  and  has  an  absolute  right  to  withhold  it  from  or  give  it  to  whomsoever  he 
pleases.  (3)  It  is  such  as  he  himself  enjoyed.  "  My  peace" — the  peace  which  is  mine  ; 
the  peace  of  his  own  soul,  resulting  frum  perfect  obedience,  self-sacrificing  love,  serene 
confidence  in  and  fellowship  with  the  God  of  peace  ;  the  peace  which  reigned  in  his  own 
heart,  which  was  exemjilified  in  his  own  life,  which  was  its  strength  and  happiness.  This 
he  gave,  and  the  gift  was  absolutely  and  jTactically  his  own.  4.  This  legacy  is  very 
precious.  (1)  It  is  precious  in  itself.  What  is  more  precious  than  peace  in  families, 
in  neighbourhoods,  in  Churches,  and  empires?  Take  it  away,  society  would  sooti 
become  a  Bedlam,  and  the  world  a  hell.  But  higher  in  its  nature,  more  extensive  and 
lasting  in  its  influence  still,  is  spiritual  peace — peace  of  heart,  mind,  and  conscience. 
"The  peace  of  God,  which  passeth,"  etc.  (2)  It  is  precious  as  it  is  the  most  netdful 
blessing.  It  is  ever  so,  and  it  was  so  now  with  regard  to  the  disciples.  Jesus  was 
about  to  leave  them,  and  they  were  surrounded  with  dangerous  elements,  and  were  to 
live  in  a  hostile  world.  With  regard  to  their  personal  and  ofiBcial  wants,  peace  was  an 
essential  blessing.  Nothing  is  more  precious  than  what  we  absolutely  need,  and  cannot 
do  without.  The  disciples  could  do  without  many  things,  but  not  without  this.  How 
could  they  be  the  heralds  of  peace  without  the  message  ;  and  how  could  they  give  it  to 
others  without  its  being  given  to  them  first?  This  Jesus  gave  them.  (3)  It  is  very 
precious  as  coming  from  him.  A  gift  derives  value  from  the  giver;  and  peace  coming 
JOHN. — II.  8 


258  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiv.  1—31. 

from  him  is  a  guarantee  of  its  genuineness  and  worth.  We  value  the  gift  of  a  dear 
Iriend,  especially  his  parting  gift  and  his  dying  keepsake.  This  is  the  parting  gift  of 
Jesus  to  his  disciples  ;  as  if  he  were  to  say,  "  I  have  no  riches,  no  fortune,  no  estates,  to 
give  you  ;  but  I  give  you  something  far  better — '  My  peace.'  "  He  gave  them  the  most 
precious  part  of  even  himself — his  peace.  (4)  It  is  very  precious  because  it  could  not 
he  had  of  any  one  else.  The  rarity  of  a  thing  makes  it  precious;  and  so  rare  is  this 
peace  that  it  could  not  be  obtained  of  any  one  but  Jesus,  "  the  Prince  of  Peace ;  "  and 
could  not  be  obtain*  d  of  him  but  as  the  gift  of  his  grace.  Hia  peace,  like  his  com- 
inandment  of  love,  is  new  and  original.  (5)  This  legacy  is  given  them  as  an  absolute 
and  personal  possession.  "Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my  peace,"  etc.  They  seem  to  be 
trustees  under  his  first  clause,  but  actual  possessors  under  the  second.  The  ministry  of 
reconciliation  I  leave  with  you,  to  publish  and  offer  to  others ;  but  "  my  peace  "  I  give 
unto  you  as  your  personal  property — yoiu"  support  and  inspiration  in  life,  your  solace  in 
death,  and  your  fortune  for  ever. 

II.  In  the  distinguishing  features  of  its  character  and  bestowment.  "  Not 
as  the  world  giveth,"  etc.  Here  is  a  contrast.  Tiiere  is  no  comparison.  They  knew 
something  of  the  world  as  a  giver ;  and  for  fear  they  would  look  at  him  in  the  same 
light,  he  asserts  a  great  contrast.  1.  In  the  reality  of  the  gifts  and  the  giving.  The 
world  "ives  shadows ;  Christ  gives  substances.  The  world  gives  that  which  is  not  bread, 
and  satisfieth  not ;  Christ's  gifts  are  gooil,  perfect,  and  satisfying.  The  world  gives  in  vain 
wishes  and  empty  salutations — "  Peace  be  with  you ; "  but  Christ  gives  substantial  peace. 
The  world  jiays  in  promissory  notes,  but  they  are  all  dishonoured  ;  Christ  pays  in  hard 
cash.  No  sooner  he  says,  "  My  peace  I  give  unto  you,"  than  that  peace  is  given  and 
felt  as  a  living  principle  in  the 'soul,  and  all  his  promises  are  fulfilled.  2.  In  the  part  of 
man  which  is  supplied.  The  world  gives  to  the  body  ;  Christ  to  the  soul.  The  world 
gives  to  the  outward  and  transient  in  man  ;  Christ  to  the  inward  and  eternal.  The 
world  only  supi  lies  music  for  the  physical  ear,  and  sceneries  for  the  physical  eye; 
Christ  supplies  music  for  the  soul,  and  spiritual  sceneries  of  unspeakable  beauty  to  the 
eye  of  laith.  The  world  sujiplies  the  lowest  part  of  man — his  passions  and  animal 
propensities  ;  but  Christ  furnishes  the  highest  part  of  him — his  reason,  faith,  con- 
science— and  satisfies  his  immortal  aspirations  and  wants.  3.  In  the  manner  of  the 
giving.  The  world  gives  its  best  first,  and  there  is  a  sad  deterioration;  but  Christ 
keeps  the  best  wine  to  the  last.  The  world  gives  laughter  which  ends  in  weeping, 
joy  which  ends  in  sorrow,  pleasures  which  end  in  pain,  bright  hopes  which  end  in  dis- 
apjwintment,  a  heaven  which  ends  in  hell;  but  Christ  gives  good  things  even  at  ^st, 
and  they  improve  with  time.  He  gives  pleasures  which  sweeten  with  experience,  joys 
which  intensify  with  years,  delights  which  increase  with  ages,  prospects  which  brighten 
with  eternities,  and  hopes  which  are  divinely  realized.  Weeping  is  converted  into 
laughter,  the  pains  of  birth  into  the  pleasures  of  a  new  life,  the  pangs  of  repentance 
into  the  ecstasies  of  pardon,  the  gloomy  doubts  of  faith  into  the  brilliant  visions  of 
heaven,  the  streams  of  peace  into  an  ocean  of  joy  and  happiness,  and  the  struggles  of 
the  warfare  into  the  hosannas  of  a  final  victory.  "Not  as  the  world,"  etc.  4.  In  per- 
manency. The  world  only  lends ;  Christ  gives.  What  the  world  gives,  it  soon  takes 
away  ;  but  Christ  leaves  his  peace  with  his  people,  and  gives  them  "  that  good  part,"  etc. 
The  world  at  best  only  gives  a  life-interest,  and  that  life  very  brief  and  uncertain ;  but 
Christ's  gifts  are  eternal  jiossessicns  and  real  property.  The  lease  of  his  gifts  is  not  for 
the  life  of  the  body,  but  for  the  life  of  the  soul.  The  world's  fountains  soon  get  dry,  but 
those  of  Christ  are  perennial.  "  Whosoever  drinketh  of  this  water  shall  thirst  again  : 
but  whosoever  drinketh,"  etc. 

HI.  In  its  practical  effects  upon  his  followers.  "  Let  not  your  heart  be," 
etc.  1.  They  were  exposed  to  special  dangers.  (1)  From  within,  arising  from  their 
innate  depravity,  the  imperfections  of  their  sjiiritual  nature,  the  youth  and  weakness 
of  their  i'aith.  They  were  as  yet  but  babes  in  Christ ;  they  were  exposed  to  inward 
tiouble  and  doubts.  (2)  From  without.  They  were  in  a  hostile  world,  and  sent  forth 
as  sheep  among  wolves.  The  departure  of  their  Saviour  and  the  terrible  tragedy  of 
his  crucifixion  were  in  the  immediate  future,  and  all  this  was  but  an  introduction  to 
more  personal  attacks  and  hostilities.  2.  To  strengthen  their  heart  against  trouble  and 
fear  was  now  Christ's  chief  aim.  "  Let  not  your  heart,"  etc.  There  may  be  trouble 
without  much  fear;  still  they  are  near  relations,  and  ever  attack  the  heart.      The 


en.  XIV.  1—31.]     THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  259 

heart,  as  the  seat  of  emotion,  is  the  most  vulnerable  avenue  to  these  foes.  They  were 
rushing  in  torrent.'-  upon  the  disciples  already.  The  mere  talk  of  his  departure  had 
filled  their  heart  with  sorrow.  It  was  his  chief  aim  to  strengthen  their  heart.  3.  Thi» 
aim  lie  acco77iplished  by  the  heatoioment  of  his  otvn  peace.  "Peace  I  leave  with  you," 
etc.  He  prescrihes  and  furnishes  the  remedy — "peace."  The  Divine  element  whicli 
had  been  so  infallible  against  tear  and  trouble  in  himself.  " My  peace  I  give  unto  you.' 
This  Divine  pe^ice  is  tlie  only  element  which  can  successfully  cumbat  trouble  and  fear. 
It  sets  the  whole  soul  to  music  ;  and  the  music  of  the  soul,  like  the  music  of  heaven, 
makes  sorrow  and  sighing  to  flee  away.  Filled  with  Christ's  peace,  like  him,  they 
would  be  calm  in  the  storm,  joyful  in  tribulation,  patient  in  sufi'ering,  and  jubilant  in 
death. 

Lessons.  1.  All  the  movements  of  Jesus  were  in  order  to  hless.  He  came  to  the 
•world  to  bless.  He  was  in  it  for  a  while  to  bless,  and  left  it  in  order  to  bless  his  people 
all  the  more.  The  legacy  of  peace  could  not  be  fully  enjoyed  while  the  testator  was 
alive.  2.  When  Jesus  left  his  disciples,  he  left  the  best  ^mrt  of  himself  tvith  them. 
"My  peace  I  give,"  etc.  He  left  infinitely  more  than  he  took  away.  He  took  himself 
personally  away,  but  left  his  peace — the  cream  of  his  life,  and  the  life  of  his  death.  3. 
To  enjoy  his  peace  is  to  enjoy  him  in  the  highest  sense,  and  to  enjoy  all  we  require  in  this 
world.  It  will  raise  us  above  our  troubles  and  fears,  into  the  calm  sphere  of  Divine 
love,  I'ellowship,  and  protection. — B.  T. 

Ver.  1. — Trouble  on  the  surface,  peace  in  the  depths.  I.  Ax  appeal  to  a  familiai; 
EXPEBiEXCE.  Most  of  the  disciples,  perhaps  all  of  them,  were  well  acquainted  with 
the  sea  of  Galilee.  Some  of  them  had  earned  their  livelihood  on  its  waters.  They 
knew  it  in  calm  and  in  storm  ;  and  when  their  Master  spoke  of  hearts  being  troubled, 
there  was  everything  in  this  word  "  troubled"  to  make  them  think  at  once  of  the  sea 
they  had  so  often  to  do  with.  Their  hearts  were  not  to  be  as  the  waters  of  the  lake, 
instantly  responding  to  every  breeze  that  set  them  in  agitation.  The  surface  is  a  mass 
of  tossing  billows;  it  cannot  for  a  moment  resist  the  wind ;  but  the  wind  tries  in  vaiu 
to  blow  its  turmoil  down  into  the  deptlis.  So  we  cannot  help  the  surface-trouble ;  but, 
whatever  the  changes  of  life,  our  hearts  are  kept  in  peace. 

II.  Future  trials  foreseen".  AVe  must  recollect  a  little  of  the  after  experience  of 
those  whom  Jesus  here  addresses.  They  were  nearing  a  time  of  tempest  and  troubling, 
well  perceived  by  him,  altogether  unexpected  by  them.  They  were  to  lose  the  visible 
presence  of  their  Master.  Persecution  awaited  them.  They  would  have  to  go  far  from 
familiar  and  secluded  Galilee  out  into  all  the  world,  to  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature.  So  far  the  disciples  had  been  like  mariners,  dropping  down  the  harbour  and 
making  seaward  under  One  whom  they  reckon  as  Captain.  He  is  still  with  them,  and 
they  reckon  on  his  continuing  with  them.  And  so  he  will,  but  in  another  guise  from 
that  which  they  expect.  Thus  Jesus  would  do  his  best  to  make  them  ready.  The 
greatest  of  all  dangers  is  that  which  for  a  while  they  will  think  of  least,  even  the 
danger  of  trouble  penetrating  to  the  heart,  and  leaving  not  one  single  calm  and  blessed 
region  in  the  whole  of  their  experience. 

III.  The  sure  way  to  uxbrokex  calm.  It  is  well  for  us  when  we  come  to 
estimate  the  perils  of  life  according  to  the  standard  of  Christ.  Some  people  get  no 
enjoyment  out  of  life  from  their  nervous  apprehension  concerning  all  sorts  of  temporal 
dangers.  They  are  ever  mounting;  sentinel  against  foes  that  no  sentinel  can  keep  out. 
But  here  is  a  peril  only  too  easily  overlooked — that  of  neglecting  a  real  faith  in  God 
and  in  Christ.  Remember  the  story  of  the  man  who  was  running  full  speed  across 
a  field  to  escape  a  thunderstorm.  All  at  once  he  was  gored  by  a  bull,  whose  presence 
in  the  field  he  had  altogether  forgotten.  This  is  a  sample  of  the  prudence  of  some 
people.  The  man  had  no  certainty  of  escaping  the  lightning  wherever  he  might  go. 
But  he  could  easily  have  escaped  the  bull  by  keeping  out  of  the  field  where  it  was. 
Thus  men  thinking  to  save  their  lives,  lose  them.  If  the  roots  of  our  life  are  deepening 
and  extending  and  intertwining  into  the  life  of  God,  then  the  fabric  of  our  best  interests 
cannot  fall.  We  must  be  careful,  too,  to  act  on  the  double  leference.  Jesus  does  not 
stop  with  saying,  "  Believe  in  God."  Nor  does  he  begin  with  saying,  "  Believe  in  me." 
Jesus  opens  up  all  the  resources  at  once.  Jesus  himself  had  believed  in  his  Father. 
The  disciples  had  tc  ]'a.ss  through  tempests  ;  Jesus  himself  had  to  pass  through  hurri- 


260  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [en.  xiv.  1— 31. 

canes  and  tornadoes,  and  say  to  himself,  "  Let  not  thy  heart  be  troubled  ;  believe  in 
God."  Believe  in  Jesus  for  the  very  works'  sake.  They  will  take  liim  to  prison ;  they 
will  crown  hinn  with  thorns ;  they  will  fasten  him  to  the  cross,  and  he  will  die ;  and 
still  believe.  Believe  in  Jesus,  who  himself  has  trod  all  the  path,  from  earth's  deepest 
sorrows  to  heaven's  fullest  joys.  Who  has  better  right  to  say,  "  Let  not  your  heart  be 
troubled ;  believe  in  God,  believe  also  in  me" ? — Y. 

Vers.  2,  3. — The  work  of  the  ascended  Jesus.  And  yet  manifestly  it  is  only  part  of 
the  work.  So  much  is  spoken  of  as  needed  to  be  spoken  of  here.  Jesus  tells  us  that 
which  will  best  blend  with  other  things  that  have  to  be  said  at  the  time.  Who  can 
imagine,  who  can  describe,  anything  like  the  total  of  what  Jesus  has  gone  from  earthly 
scenes  to  do  ? 

L  Consider  the  occupations  of  those  who  were  left.  Just  one  word  gives 
the  suggestion  that  these  were  in  the  mind  of  Jesus  as  he  spoke,  and  that  is  the  word 
"  mansions."  The  settled  life  is  thought  of  rather  than  the  wandering  one.  Jesus  knew 
full  well  what  a  wandering  life  his  disciples  would  have,  going  into  strange  and  distant 
countries.  They  would  have  to  travel  as  he  himself  had  never  travelled.  The  more 
they  apprehended  the  work  to  which  they  had  been  called,  the  more  they  would 
feel  bound  to  go  from  land  to  land,  preaching  the  gospel  while  life  lasted.  To  men 
thus  constantly  on  the  move,  the  promise  of  a  true  resting-place  was  just  the  promise 
they  needed. 

IL  The  future  companionship  of  Jesus  and  his  people.  To  those  who  have 
come  into  the  real  knowledge  and  service  of  Jesus  nothing  less  than  such  a  companion- 
ship will  make  happiness ;  and  nothing  more  is  needed.  Jesus  needed  not  to  have 
a  place  in  glory  prepared  for  him  ;  he  had  but  to  resume  his  old  station,  and  be  with 
his  Father  as  he  had  been  before.  This  is  the  great  element  of  happiness  on  earth — not 
so  much  where  we  are  as  with  whom  we  are.  The  most  beautiful  scenes,  the  most 
luxurious  surroundings,  count  as  nothing  compared  with  true  harmony  in  the  human 
beings  who  are  around  us.  And  just  so  it  must  be  in  the  anticipations  of  a  future 
state.  While  Jesus  was  in  the  flesh,  his  presence  with  his  disciples  was  the  chief 
element  in  their  happiness;  and  as  they  looked  forward  to  the  future,  this  was  the  main 
thing  desired,  that  they  should  be  with  Jesus.  As  Paul  puts  it,  "  Absent  from  the 
body,  present  with  the  Lord." 

III.  The  preparation  of  a  common  home.  Is  this  to  be  taken  as  a  real  preparation, 
or  is  it  only  a  way  of  speaking,  to  impress  the  promise  of  reunion  more  deeply  ?  Is 
there  now  some  actual  work  of  the  glorified  Jesus  going  on  which  amounts  to  a  neces- 
sary preparation  for  his  glorified  people?  Surely  it  must  be  so.  We  are  not  to  go 
into  another  state,  as  pioneers,  to  cut  our  own  way.  We  are  not  as  the  Pilgrim  Fathers, 
who  had  to  make  their  own  houses,  and  live  as  best  they  could  till  then.  It  is  clear 
that  a  kindly  Providence  made  the  earth  ready  for  the  children  of  men,  storing  up 
abundance  for  all  our  temporal  need ;  and  in  like  manner  Jesus  is  making  heaven  ready. 
Earth  was  made  ready  for  Jesus  to  come  down  and  live  in  it,  and  for  him  and  his  dis- 
ciples to  live  together  in.  And  when  his  disciples  ascend  to  a  higher  state,  all  things 
will  be  ready  then. — Y. 

Ver.  6. — Ample  supply  for  three  great  needs.  Jesus  here  suggests  three  great  needs. 
He  has  spoken  of  journeying,  continuous  movement  into  ever  new  places — in  one  place 
to-day,  in  another  to-morrow,  and  the  day  after  in  still  another.  Even  while  we  are 
moving  about  in  the  same  locality,  so  far  as  natural  life  is  concerned,  we — the  real 
we — must  be  ever  moving  forward  into  higher  and  still  higher  states.  That  Jesus 
should  speak  of  a  way  was  therefore  evidently  appropriate.  But  there  are  two  other 
needs — the  need  of  truth,  all  that  gives  a  sense  of  reality,  stability,  security ;  and  the 
need  of  life,  all  that  gives  energy,  persistence,  enjoyment.  Or  we  might  say  that  Jesus 
here  indicates  three  aspects  of  the  universal  need,  of  which  first  one  aspect  and  then 
another  rises  into  prominence.  But,  whatever  the  aspect  of  human  need  may  be,  in 
Jesus  there  is  something  to  correspond,  for  full  and  immediate  supply. 

I.  The  Way.  There  is  a  way  which  we  must  take — the  way  along  which  time  takes 
our  bodies ;  the  way  of  physical  development,  maturity,  decay.  But  side  by  side  with 
the  .jvay  which  cannot  be  chosen,  and  in  striking  contrast  with  it,  is  the  way  which. 


en.  XIV.  1  -31.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  .    261 

must  be  chosen.  For  that  way  we  are  responsible ;  none  can  compel  us  to  take  even 
one  step  in  it.  And  what  that  way  shall  be  depends  on  where  we  want  to  get.  Those 
"who  want  to  be  with  Jesus  hereafter  must  be  with  him  here.  And  those  who  want  to 
be  with  the  Father  hereafter,  having  knowledge  of  him,  and  receiving  of  his  fulness, 
can  only  gain  this  through  Jesus.  There  is  no  other  name  given  whereby  men  are  to 
be  saved.  No  one  else  has  a  sure  and  certain  path  into  the  future.  In  Jesus  there  is 
a  provision,  the  very  neglect  of  which  only  sets  in  a  most  melancholy  light  the  various 
provisions  which  men  make  for  the  life  of  time.  Men  who  can  walk  diligently 
enough  in  the  way  of  ordinary  industry,  in  the  way  of  frugality,  in  the  way  of  intellectual 
activity,  yet  stumble  and  retreat  at  once  when  the  Way  Christ  Jesus  is  put  before 
them. 

II.  The  Truth.  How  much  useless  disputing,  how  many  weary  doubts,  are  saved 
to  those  who  can  put  a  real  faith  in  Jesus !  Everything  practical  and  possible  is  known 
by  knowing  him.  Truth  is  a  very  large  word,  but  all  that  it  suggests  is  amply  compre- 
hended in  Jesus.  In  Jesus  only  do  we  find  the  real,  the  abiding,  and  that  which  can  never 
be  shaken.  How  simplified  our  inquiries  become  the  moment  we  can  rest  in  the  all- 
sufBciency  of  Jesus !  "  Where  is  Jesus  ?  "  not  "  What  is  true  ?  "  becomes  the  main 
question  then.  All  that  lies  outside  of  his  intent  and  his  support  is  seen  to  be  but  as 
a  passing  dream.  All  investigation  of  the  problems  of  the  universe  is  in  vain  apart 
from  him.  All  phenomenal  realities,  all  human  sciences,  only  find  out  their  use  as 
they  become  subordinate  to  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

III.  The  Life.  Jesus  becomes  the  Existence  of  the  believer.  In  him  he  lives  and 
moves  and  has  his  being.  Through  Jesus  we  are  born  again  into  newness  of  life,  and 
being  born  again,  we  find  in  Jesus  the  atmosphere,  the  nourishment,  and  all  the 
ministering  associations  of  our  new  life.  We  need  all  the  energy  and  perennial  freshness 
of  his  own  vitality ;  and  if  we  truly  have  Jesus,  whatever  we  may  lack,  we  shall  not 
lack  life.— Y. 

Ver.  9. — Acquaintance  and  yet  ignorance.  I.  Philip's  acquaintance  with  Jesus. 
Philip  would  have  spoken  with  the  utmost  sincerity  and  not  without  justification  if  he 
had  said  that  certainly  he  knew  Jesus.  In  Bethabara  beyond  Jordan  he  had  heard  the 
voice,  "  Follow  me,"  and  he  had  followed  wherever  he  was  allowed  to  follow.  In  a 
certain  sense  it  was  perfectly  true  that  Philip  knew  Jesus.  In  the  darkness  he  would 
have  recognized  the  Master's  voice  and  even  his  footsteps.  In  that  which  is  the  mere 
surface  of  humanity  the  knowledge  was  ample  enoujh,  but  the  moment  Jesus  seeks 
the  depths,  Philip's  knowledge  fails  him.  Philip  says,  "  Show  us  the  Father,"  in  the 
simplicity  of  most  utter  and  guileless  ignorance.  He  is  looking  on  the  very  thing  he 
wants  to  see,  and  yet  knows  it  not, 

II.    How  FAR   ARE    WE    INCLINED  TO   MAKE    PhILIP's    REQUEST?      If  it  Were  pOSSlblc 

for  Philip  to  do  so,  we  may  be  sure  he  would  press  on  us  the  need  of  making  this 
request.  So  far  as  we  can  judge,  he  was  a  man  who  delighted  in  bringing  others  to 
Jesus.  Philip  himself  came  to  make  the  request  because  so  very  often  he  had  heard 
Jesus  speak  concerning  the  Father,  According  to  Jesus,  so  much  depended  upon  the 
Father,  and  the  Father  had  a  right  to  ask  so  much.  How,  for  instance,  could  the  dis- 
ciple pray,  "  Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven,"  as  a  real  prayer  unless  first  of  all  the 
Father  had  been  shown  to  him  ?  Philip  must  often  have  used  the  words  of  the  Lord's 
Prayer.  And  yet  here  is  proof  of  how  little  he  had  entered  into  the  meaning.  After 
the  Father  had  been  shown  to  Philip,  only  then  would  he  begin  to  feel  how  great  a 
thing  true  prayer  is.  There  would  be  in  it  a  power  and  a  gladness  it  never  had  before. 
Thus  it  is  clear  we  all  need  to  have  the  Father  shown  tons.  Not  all  our  reg'alarity  in 
prayer  and  not  all  our  importunity  can  bring  down  on  us  the  highest  blessings,  if  we 
know  not  to  whom  we  are  praying.  Successful  asking,  successful  seeking,  successful 
knocking,  implies  that  we  ask  from  the  right  person,  seek  in  the  right  place,  and  knock 
at  the  right  door. 

in.  How  FAR  ARE  WE  EXPOSED  TO  THE  ANSWER  OF  Jesus  ?  The  word  of  Jcsus,  be 
it  observed,  is  not  a  word  of  blame.  The  natural  man  is  not  to  be  blamed  that  he 
cannot  see  wliat  is  only  to  be  seen  by  the  spiritual  man.  The  answer  is  rather  meant 
to  make  plain  to  us  very  important  truth.  1.  flow  easy  it  is  to  think  we  know  Jesus! 
Know  abyut  him,  at  least.     And  it  is  easy  to  know  a  great  deal,  ia  a  certain  way.     2, 


262  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiv.  1—31 

But  to  know  Jesuit,  as  he  wants  to  he  known,  is  not  easy.  Philip's  experience  proves  that. 
If  length  of  acquaintance  and  closeness  of  intimacy  count  for  anything,  Philip  had 
enjoyed  these.  But  time  is  only  an  element  in  real  knowledge,  when  some  part  of  the 
knowledge,  at  all  events  the  alphabet  and  rudiments,  is  known  from  tiie  beginning. 
Mere  lapse  of  lime  by  itself  will  not  bring  knowledge.  Through  what  years  of  neeii 
and  struggle  some  of  us  may  have  been  ignorant  of  him,  who  came  that  he  might  help 
us  in  our  need  and  struggle ! — Y. 

Ver.  12. — The  greater  works  of  the  believer.  I.  The  need  of  these  gseatek 
WORKS.  We  know  the  works  of  Jesus  in  the  flesh — certainly  not  all  he  did ;  but  still 
we  know  the  kind  of  things  he  did.  And  we  know,  too,  that,  if  nothing  more  had  been 
done,  the  greatest  things  would  have  been  left  undone.  A  diseased  and  defective  body 
is  bad,  a  physical  leprosy  is  a  great  pollution;  but  a  distracted,  passion-ruled  heart  is 
infinitely  worse.  The  miraculous  healings  and  alleviations  worked  out  by  Jesus  are 
very  beautiful,  but  they  were  only  deeds  by  the  way;  having  in  them  something 
preparatory  and  illustrative,  but  always  looking  to  fundamental  renovations,  which 
would  bring  all  other  renovations  in  due  course.  We  should  ever  aim  to  look  at  need 
according  to  the  gradation  which  Jesus  gives.  We  easily  become  "  the  fools  of  time 
and  sense."  What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  practically  learns  the  secret  of  vigorous 
health,  and  a  long,  enjoyable  physical  life,  if  it  leaves  him,  all  through,  self-indulgent 
and  self-asserting?  The  abiding  ministry  of  Jesus,  through  the  ministry  of  those  in 
every  generation  whom  he  chooses  and  qualifies,  is  a  ministry  to  the  greatest  needs  of 
men.  For  temporal  and  physical  neeils  they  can  often  do  little  or  nothing  ;  but  Jesus 
fills  them  with  a  spiritual  energy  which  works  out  results,  making  many  increasingly 
grateful  to  them,  and  through  them  to  the   supreme  Saviour  himself. 

II.  The  perfect  suBORDiNATiOiy  OF  THE  SoN  TO  THE  Fathbr.  What  consciousness 
there  is  here  of  a  plan  and  an  order!  What  humble  and  beautiful  recognition  of  the 
place  of  Jesus  and  of  his  servants  respectively !  Jesus  says  it  without  the  slightest 
hesitation  that  his  sei-vants  would  do  greater  things  than  himself.  Here  are  the  words 
of  One  who  was  ever  thinking,  first  of  all,  of  the  glory  and  will  of  his  heavenly  Father. 
So  the  thing  be  done,  what  matters  it  whose  is  the  visible  hand?  Nothing  good  can 
be  done,  whether  in  higher  or  lower  degree,  without  the  enabling  energy  from  on  high. 
So  hmg  as  the  greater  works  are  continually  going  on,  and  men  being  regenerated  and 
sanctified,  what  we  may  call  the  mere  reputation  of  Jesus  is  a  small  matter.  There  is 
no  fear  but  what  Jesus  will  get  full  recognition  from  those  in  whom  the  greater  works 
are  being  done.  Such  recognition  is  no  trivial  part  of  the  proof  that  the  greater  works 
are  being  done. 

III.  The  cause  of  the  greater  works.  The  apostles  do  not  merely  take  the  place 
of  Jesus.  His  departure  out  of  the  ordinary  conditions  of  human  life  is  part  of  the 
qualification  of  his  servants  for  the  greater  works.  He  is  with  the  Father  now  in  a 
sense  in  which  he  was  not  while  here  in  flesh  and  blood.  Even  as  Paul  said,  "  Absent 
from  the  body,  present  with  the  Lord,"  so  Jesus,  absent  from  the  body,  was  present 
with  the  Father.  Let  us,  indeed,  fully  admit  that  the  cause  Jesus  here  gives  is  one  we 
are  little  able  to  comprehend.  But  it  is  the  real  cause,  and  we  should  rejoice  in  its 
being  mentioned  ;  for  what  we  know  not  now  we  shall  know  hereafter. — Y. 

Vers.  13, 14. — Asking  in  the  Name  of  Jesus.  I.  Changed  methods  of  communica- 
tion. The  prayers  of  the  disciples  were  probably  very  shallow  and  vitiated  expressions 
of  feeling  during  the  days  when  they  knew  Jesus  according  to  the  flesh.  We  know 
something,  of  their  misapprehensions  and  self-regarding  ways — and  how  could  these 
be  kept  out  of  their  prayers?  For  a  while  Jesus  came  between  them  and  God  ;  as  he 
himself  suggested,  he  was  a  stumbling-block.  But  the  happy  day  was  coming  when 
the  disciples  would  be  thrown  upon  the  unseen.  Intercourse  with  Jesus  in  flesh  and 
blood  was  pleasant  enough,  but  it  had  no  special  enrichment  in  it,  and  it  had  to  be 
taken  with  all  its  drawbacks  and  limitations  as  well  as  its  pleasures.  No  wonder  the 
disciples  so  abounded  in  prayer  after  the  ascension  of  their  Master.  All  the  way  in 
which  he  had  taken  them  led  up  to  this.  Becoming  invisible,  he  did  not  become 
inaccessible  ;  yea,  rather,  he  became  more  accessible  than  ever. 

II.  Specified  topics  of  supplication.     All  that  is  asked  must  be  asked  in   the 


CH.  XIV.  1—31.]     THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  263 

Name  of  Jesus.  Asked  with  conBdence  and  understanding,  even  as  a  servant  does  in 
the  name  of  his  master.  If  a  known  servant  goes  to  the  bank  with  a  cheque  signed  iiy 
nis  master,  he  gets  the  money  at  once  ;  for  his  master  has  a  claim  there,  and  the  claim 
is  recognized,  as  a  matter  of  course.  Jesus  was  One  who  had  great  stores  of  wealth 
treasured  up  in  the  bank  of  heaven,  and  for  a  while  he  made  aj^plication  himself, 
whereby  to  do  his  wonderful  works.  He  himself,  dwelling  on  earth,  had  asked  in  his 
own  Person,  and  for  his  own  direct  ministrations  from  his  heavenly  Father.  And  now 
that  he  was  going  away  to  the  far  country,  the  works  had  still  to  be  done — yea,  even 
greater  works — and  the  heavenly  treasury  had  to  be  in  constant  requisition.  The 
greater  works  were  imjx)ssible  unless  as  answers  to  truly  Christian  prayer. 

III.  Great  encouraoemext  for  all  who  seek  the  good  of  others.  A  largo 
amount  of  good,  of  a  certain  sort,  may  be  done  without  prayer.  There  are  ])hysical 
wants  of  men  and  there  are  physical  supplies.  But  he  who  would  do  the  highest 
good  must  ever  be  asking  himself  what  Jesus  would  do,  if  he  himself  could  be  thought 
of  just  as  one  of  his  own  servants.  We  are  to  live  lives  of  ministry  to  men  as  the 
servants  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Our  ministry  is  to  be  measured,  not  by  what  men  ask  for, 
but  by  what  Jesus  seeks  to  give.  We  have  greater  boons  at  our  command  for  a  needy 
world  than  anything  nature  can  supply. 

IV.  The  implied  mediation  of  Jesus.  He  and  his  Father  are  one.  W^hatever  is 
asked  in  the  Name  of  Jesus  will  be  done  as  by  Jesus  himself.  Notice  how  soon 
opportunity  was  given  to  try  the  reality  of  all  this.  Look  at  the  lame  man  laid  at 
the  Beautiful  gate  of  the  temple.  He  is  askino:,  but  his  desires  do  not  go  beyond  an 
alms.  He  has  long  learned  to  be  contented,  if  only  he  can  drag  on  existence.  But  to 
Peter  the  opportunity  is  given  of  something  far  beyond  an  alms,  and  he  sf^eaks  to  the 
lame  man,  not  in  his  own  name — that  would  have  beeu  all  in  vain — but  in  the  Name 
of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Here  is  a  revelation  many  of  us  have  yet  to  discover,  that  we 
may  become  blessed  channels  of  the  highest  power  flowing  from  the  mediation  of  the 
Lord  Jesus. — Y. 

Vers.  16 — 18. — "  Another  Comforter.'"  I.  An  answer  to  a  request  of  Jesus. 
The  manifestation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  a  conditional  thing.  Jesus  must  ask  the 
Father  for  it ;  and  he  can  only  ask  the  Father  when  he  perceives  the  disciples  to  be 
going  in  the  way  of  his  directions.  If  only  the  disciples  will  do  what  Jesus  wants 
them  to  do,  he  will  secure  for  them  the  indispensable  help.  They  must  not  be  under 
the  delusion  that  the  might  of  the  Holy  Spirit  will  be  given  to  aid  them  in  their  own 
plans  and  schemes.  They  must  be  servants  to  the  plans  and  schemes  of  Jesus.  The 
Father  waits  for  the  Son  to  ask,  and  the  Son  waits  till  he  sees  his  people  ready  to 
receive. 

If.  The  Gift  bestowed.  Here  it  is  plain  we  must  try  to  look  at  things  rather  than 
words — at  the  whole  actual  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  rather  than  at  special  words  by 
which  he  is  described.  And  inasmuch  as  he  is  called  "another  Paraclete,"  we  must 
consider  the  incarnate  Jesus  himself  as  the  first  and  introductory  Paraclete.  Well  diil 
the  disciples  know  how  utterly  helpless  they  would  have  been  without  the  assistance 
of  Jesus.  Truly  he  was  an  earthly  Providence  to  them.  They  never  needed  to  be  at  a 
loss.  And  all  the  time  they  were  made  to  feel  more  and  more  their  natural  iusufllciency. 
And  doubtless  Jtsus  saw  in  their  hearts  the  question  rising  as  to  what  the}^  should  do 
when  he  was  gone.  If  Jesus  had  not  come  into  their  lives,  they  would  not  have  known 
what  life  can  be.  But  having  had  a  Paraclete,  it  would  be  like  sinking  from  light  into 
darkness  to  go  on  without  one.  Better  never  to  have  known  Jesus  at  all,  than  to 
know  him  and  then  lose  him,  and  have  to  go  on  with  no  more  than  they  had  at  the 
beginning.  More  than  that,  the  gift  of  the  second  Comforter  includes  all  that  was 
essential  in  the  first  one.  Nay,  we  may  say  even  more.  The  first  Comforter  was  only 
truly  operative  when  he  blossomed  out,  so  to  speak,  into  the  second  one.  Jesus  was  the 
Truth,  and  the  second  Comforter  was  the  Spirit  of  the  Truth.  Jesus  gave  the  seed, 
and  then  the  Spirit  came  hke  the  breath  of  spring  to  stir  up  the  seed  into  life.  There 
is  much  about  all  this  process  that  we  cannot  understand ;  but  that  is  all  the  more 
reason  why  we  should  mark  what  we  can  mark — even  the  sequence  of  processes  and 
result-*.  If  the  second  Comforter  had  never  come,  the  mission  of  the  first  one  would 
have  been  the  greatest  enigma  in  the  history  of  humanity. 


264  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiv.  1—31. 

III.  The  recipients  of  the  Gift.  It  has  been  well  said  that  Jesus  is  spoken  of 
as  having  come  into  the  world.  The  world  could  receive  him  after  a  fashion,  because 
it  could  gaze  upon  him  and  recognize  him  by  the  senses,  as  it  could  any  incarnated 
human  being.  But  the  Holy  Spirit  comes  to  the  Church,  to  prepared  and  humbled 
hearts.  He  comes  to  complete  repentance.  Men  see  that  the  past  has  been  wrong 
and  foolish,  fall  of  wasted  days  and  powers.  Then  they  begin  to  study  the  com- 
munications of  Jesus,  and  so  they  are  led  on  into  a  reception  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
There  must  surely  be  much  listening  to  Jesus,  much  pondering  over  all  the  elements 
of  l;is  incarnate  career,  before  it  can  be  comprehended  what  the  Holy  Spirit  really  is 
and  does. — Y. 

Ver.  19. — Separated,  hut  not  orphaned.  I.  Jesus  continually  thoughtful  fob 
HIS  people.  These  disciples  could  not  for  a  moment  place  themselves  in  the  present 
position  of  their  Master.  They  knew  not  how  he  was  feeling ;  they  knew  not  what 
mental  agonies  were  impending  for  him.  He,  on  the  other  hand,  the  nearer  he  drew  to 
his  own  crowning  trials,  the  more  he  thought  of  all  the  terrible  experiences  of  his 
disciples.  Thus  we  see  how  entirely  Divine  Providence  takes  in  all  human  needs. 
The  time  of  desolation  and  perplexity  for  the  disciples  was  really  very  short.  It 
extended  at  the  utmost  from  the  arrest  in  Gethsemane  to  the  morning  of  the  resurrection. 
Then  separation  was  swallowed  up  in  reunion,  and  it  was  made  clearer  and  clearer  to 
the  disciples  that  visible  communion,  however  sweet,  was  to  melt  away  into  an  invisible 
communion,  equally  sweet  and  vastly  more  helpful. 

II.  The   IMPOSSIBILITY  OF   ANY   KEAL   SEPARATION  BETWEEN  JeSUS  AND  HIS  PEOPLE. 

The  degree  of  such  a  separation  is  indicated  by  a  very  strong  term.  Much  separation 
would  be  exaggerated  if  it  were  called  orphanhood.  Those  are  justly  reckoned  orphans 
who  are  bereft  of  their  natural  supports  and  defences.  Orphans  must  be  provided  for. 
Those  who  have  once  tasted  the  good  word  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  cannot  get  anything 
to  nourish  and  augment  life  anywhere  else.  Hence  we  see  the  light  in  which  Jesus 
looks  upon  such  as  are  not  yet  in  any  living  and  abiding  connection  with  himself.  He 
looks  on  them  as  being  unprovided  for,  in  any  true  and  proper  manner.  In  comparison 
of  any  real  discipline  and  preparation  for  the  future,  they  are  as  the  waifs  and  strays 
upon  the  streets,  who  grow  up  anyhow,  and  drift  into  a  manhood  of  crime  and  misery. 
There  is  such  a  thing  as  practical  orphanhood,  without  any  consciousness  of  it.  It  is 
surely  the  intent  of  the  Father  of  Jesus  that  we  all  should  be  his  children ;  and  if  we 
cannot  truly  say,  "Our  Father  in  heaven,"  what  is  that  but  practical  orphanhood?  "We 
have  yet  to  find  the  fulness  of  sonship  and  brotherhood.  It  is  possible  to  have  the 
most  loving  and  sheltering  of  human  parentage  and  yet  suffer  as  the  worst  of  orphans. 
All  other  separations  are  to  lose  their  sting  and  curse,  because  nothing  can  separate  us 
from  the  love  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 

III.  This  abiding  communion  is  manifestly  in  the  fulness  of  the  Trinity. 
Jesus  has  said  that  another  Paraclete  will  come,  even  the  Spirit  of  the  truth.  Thus  he 
seems  to  separate  himself,  begins  to  depart  from  his  disciples,  and  as  it  were  looks  over 
his  shoulder  while  he  speaks.  He  had,  indeed,  to  honour  the  Hi^ly  Spirit.  As  the  Father 
had  glorified  the  Son,  saying,  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son  ;  hear  ye  him  ;  "  so  Jesus  glorifies 
the  Spirit,  saying  as  it  were,  "This  is  my  Spirit;  hear  ye  him."  But  immediately  the 
distinction  is  drawn,  there  has  to  be  an  implication  of  the  unity.  Those  who  had 
heard  Jesus  say,  "  I  and  the  Father  are  one,"  must  also  be  made  to  feel  that  Jesus  and 
the  Spirit  are  one.  And  thus  we  are  prepared  for  the  undeniable  and  beautiful 
correspondence  between  the  Gospels  and  the  Epistles.  The  presence  of  Jesus  is  now 
universal  as  the  air,  and  yet  only  comprehended  and  profited  by  when  we  have  received 
the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Spirit  reveals  Jesus;  does  not  biiug  the  distant  near,  but  simply 
lifts  the  hiding  veil.  Thus  the  lull  Trinity  is  nearest  to  us  of  all  things,  if  only  we 
can  be  estabhshed  in  living  connection  with  it. — Y. 

Vers.  22 — 24. —  What  makes  the  true  manifestation  possible.  I.  The  question  op 
Judas.  This  question  shows  how  much  the  disciples  had  yet  to  learn ;  for  without 
doubt  all  shared  the  perplexity  of  the  one.  How  one  fundamental  error  stops  a  true 
imderstanding  of  all  the  words  of  Jesus !  In  a  sense,  Jesus  had  been  seen  of  all  men 
who  had  eyes  to  see,  but  what  they  had  seea  had  just  been  the  human  form.    That 


CH.  siv.  1—31.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  2G5 

Jesus  should  have  kingly  honour  and  kingly  power  they  had  not  discerned.  But  the 
disciples  seem  to  have  thought  that  one  day  he  would  assume  outward  royal  pomps, 
and  then  everybody  would  be  forced  to  recognize  him  for  what  he  truly  was.  A  glory 
that  could  be  mauifiSted  to  some  and  not  to  all  was  beyond  the  comprehension  of  the 
disciples.  The  question  of  Judas  was  only  the  world's  own  habitual  and  self-conceited 
question,  amounting  to  this — that  if  there  was  anything  in  Christianity,  the  world  would 
have  seen  it  long  ago.  The  world's  delusive  notion  is  that  it  can  know  everything  that 
is  to  be  ki.own,  if  only  the  manifestation  is  made  intense  enough. 

n.  The  explanation  of  Jesus.  An  explanation,  indeed,  and  yet  not  an  explanation 
to  be  understood  in  the  moment  of  utterance.  For  these  very  disciples  had  yet  to 
have  stirred  up  in  their  hearts  a  true  spiritual  aflection.  They  did  love  Jesus  as 
human  friend  loves  human  friend;  but  doing  this,  what  did  they  more  than  others? 
The  mutual  bond  of  friendship  requiies  no  high  stretch  of  human  virtue.  But  the 
disciples  had  yet  to  attain  the  ayairri,  that  ayairrj  which  is  specially  affirmed  as  the 
crowning  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  God  so  loved  the  world  as  to  give  his  Son  for 
the  world's  redemptiup,  and  there  is  a  continual  effort  through  many  and  ever  multi- 
plying agencies  to  manifest  himself  in  saving  power  to  the  world.  But  this  is  done  by 
all  arts  of  persuasion  and  warning — by  per.^istent  shaking  of  those  who  are  asleep  till 
they  open  their  eyes,  which  many  of  them  never  do.  There  is,  of  course,  an  increase  of 
manifestation  in  the  glory  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  so  that  those  able  to  see  the  mani- 
festation at  all  see  more  and  more,  and  have  an  increase  of  joy  the  longer  they  look. 
But  just  as  the  same  eye  beholds  the  sun  in  its  noonday  glory  and  in  its  earliest  dawn, 
so  the  same  eye  beholds  all  the  manifestations  of  God  in  Jesus.  If  we  cannot  see  the 
beginning,  we  cannot  see  the  continuing.  To  those  spiritually  blind,  all  comforting 
manifestations  of  the  Trinity  are  alike  impossible.  There  must  be  a  breaking  down  of 
selfishness,  an  opening  up  of  the  streams  of  love,  and  a  gradual  increase  of  them  into 
copious  flow.  How  many  indulge  selfishness,  well  knowing  the  claims  that  press  on 
them  from  every  side!  Shut  your  eyes  and  keep  them  closed;  it  is  true  then  that 
you  cannot  see ;  but  you  are  not  therefore  reckoned  blind.  Only  when  you  are  penitent, 
and  profoundly  troubled  because  of  deep-rooted  selfishness,  can  the  manifestation  of 
Jesus  begin  to  you.  Selfishness  is  what  makes  the  world  the  world  ;  and  as  soon  as  a 
counter-current  is  set  up  in  any  human  heart,  that  is  a  sign  of  salvation  begun,  and  if 
only  there  be  no  Demas-lapse  into  the  love  of  the  temporal  and  the  visible,  then 
manifestations  from  above  will  more  and  more  increase.  The  more  we  fit  ourselves  to 
Bee,  the  more  we  shall  see. — Y. 

Vers.  25,  26. — How  the  teaching  of  Jesus  becomes  abiding  and  effectual.  I.  The 
POWEBLESSNESS  OF  TRUTH.  Jesus  Continually  remembered  this.  No  one,  indeed,  had 
more  complete  experience  as  to  the  inability  of  the  natural  man  to  receive  spiritual 
things;  and  even  here,  when  perhaps  the  disciples  were  unusually  attentive,  Jesus 
knew  that  they  would  be  more  than  ever  perplexed.  And  there  was  nothing  in  the 
mere  lapse  of  time  to  make  the  meaning  clearer,  the  promises  more  receivable,  the 
duties  more  feasible.  Persevering,  indomitable  students  have,  ere  now,  puzzled  out 
some  abstruse  treatise  usually  made  plain  by  a  teacher  who  knows  it  thorougiily. 
They  have  not  been  able  to  get  the  teacher,  and  so  they  have  managed  to  do  without 
him.  But  the  utterances  of  Jesus  in  the  Gospels  are  sealed  up,  every  one  of  them,  to 
mere  intellectual  inquiry.  The  words  are  there,  with  a  strange  attractive  jwwer — unique 
words ;  and  yet  the  very  power  that  is  to  make  them  useful  is  somehow  lacking,  or  at 
all  events  unavailable.  No  fresh  words  are  needed;  it  may  truly  be  said  there  is 
nothing  in  the  Epistles  which  is  not  already  in  the  Gospels,  so  far  as  principles  are 
concerned ;  but  something  is  needed  to  bring  the  human  heart  and  the  words  of  Jesus 
into  living  contact. 

II.  What  makes  truth  vital.  The  energy  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  will  indeed 
be  a  Paraclete,  ever  coming  in  with  ample  and  effectual  guidance  just  at  the  needful 
moment.  What  riches  have  been  got  out  of  the  Gospels  by  Spirit-guided  men !  What 
a  serious  accusation  if  we  reject  or  neglect  what  has  evidently  been  given  to  meet  the 
emergency  !  Gi-hI  never  gives  anything  unnecessary.  Let  it  not  be  supiwsed  that  the 
Holy  Si)irit  is  for  the  difficulties  of  some,  or  for  occasivins  when  we  cannot  see  our  way 
to  truth  unaided.     The  Holy  Spirit  is  for  all  and  always.     The  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus 


266  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xiv.  1—31. 

can  never  become  a  real  system  to  us,  individually,  unless  as  we  accept  this  guidance 
provided  by  Jesus  and  his  Father.  How  this  guidance  operates  is  another  matter. 
That  we  may  not  be  able  to  understand.  But  neither  do  we  understand  how  the  seed 
bursts  into  life  and  develops  into  plant  and  fruit.  What  we  need  is  firm  faith  and 
an  abiding  recollection  that  the  Holy  Spirit  which  the  Father  sends  in  tlje  Name  of  the 
Son  is  a  real  and  a  present  power.  The  difference  between  the  seed  unsown  and  the 
seed  springing  up  and  moving  onwards  to  fruit,  is  an  analogue  of  the  difference  between 
an  utterance  of  Jesus  verbally  lodged  in  the  memory,  and  that  same  utterance  opened 
up  and  filled  with  perennial  power  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

III.  The  twofold  aspect  of  the  Spirit's  work  here  presented.  1.  Teaching. 
The  death  of  Jesus  had  yet  to  come,  and  then  the  resurrection  and  ascension.  Every- 
thing Jesus  has  ever  spoken  must  be  brought  into  proper  relation  with  these  marvellous 
experiences  of  his  personal  life.  The  Holy  Spirit  has  to  explain  the  sum  total  of  the 
iucarnition.  2.  Reminding.  To  recollect  what  we  know  just  when  we  want  it,  is  one 
of  the  hardest  of  things.  What  is  the  value  of  knowledge  unless  it  can  be  turned  to 
practice  just  at  the  right  time  ?  The  Holy  Spirit  may  be  a  help  to  mere  memory,  far 
more  than  we  think. — Y, 

Ver.  27. — A  priceless  legacy.  I.  The  need  of  some  such  assurance.  Jesus  had 
already  said  perturbing  things.  We  know  the  disciples  were  so  perturbed,  for  we  find 
the  Master  himself  referring  to  their  manifest  disappointment  and  consternation. 
"  Because  I  have  said  these  things  unto  you,  sorrow  hath  filled  your  heart."  And  this 
was  a  sorrow  that  probably  included  vexation,  chagrin,  and  humiliation.  The  Master 
was  quietly  demolishing  certain  cities  in  the  air.  This  wonderful  and  profound  dis- 
course, which  has  brought  light  and  comfort  to  so  many  generations  of  Christians, 
would  bring  little  of  either  to  those  who  first  heard  it  and  in  the  first  hearing.  But 
Jesus  was  thinking  of  the  future  rather  than  of  the  present ;  thinking  of  a  day  to 
come  when  the  disciples  would  rejoice  that  ho  had  shattered  their  delusions  and  vain 
hopes. 

II.  Jesus  points  backward  to  the  peace  of  his  own  life.  He  directs  his  friends 
to  his  own  experience  and  attainments.  He  intimates  that  his  disciples  were  not 
altogether  ignorant  of  the  peculiar  composure  of  their  Master's  life.  They  had  seen 
him  again  and  again  in  all  sorts  of  scenes  and  circumstances,  but  never  in  a  hurry  or  a 
flurry.  Goethe's  ideal  of  progress  was  to  go  on  without  haste,  without  rest;  and  Jesus 
turned  that  ideal  into  reality.  The  stream  of  his  life  was  not  a  rushing  torrent,  like 
some  Swiss  stream  fed  from  a  glacier  ;  neither  was  it  made  up  of  dull,  sluggish,  creep- 
ing, almost  stagnant  stretches  of  water.  If  the  disciples  had  not  sufficiently  noticed 
this  peace,  it  was  just  one  of  the  very  things  the  promised  Paraclete  would  bring  to 
their  remembrance.  They  must  have  remembered  how  calm  Jesus  was  when  the 
tempest  from  the  hills  came  down  on  the  little  boat.  And  then  they  would  remember, 
too,  how,  when  just  delivered  from  the  tempest,  Jesus  met  the  fierce  maniac,  possessed 
of  many  devils,  so  strong  in  his  frenzy  that  he  broke  the  bonds  that  bound  him.  Such 
was  the  habitual,  profound  peace  of  Jesus,  and  he  never  could  have  done  his  work 
without  it. 

III.  The  possibility  of  this  peace  becoming  ours.  We  need  it  not  less  than 
Jesus,  and  surely  we  can  have  it.  His  word  was  not  a  mere  word  of  good  wishes  and 
kindly  interest.  He  did  make  over  something  substantial  to  his  friends.  He  predicted 
what  assuredly  would  happen.  Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  peace,  if  only 
that  Spirit  is  allowed  to  have  free  course.  A  mere  possibility,  a  mere  ideal,  would 
have  been  a  poor  legacy.  Through  Jesus  many  have  learned  to  go  through  this  world 
of  care  and  turmoil,  yet  keeping  their  hearts  like  that  smooth,  glassy  sea  which  John 
saw  before  the  throne. 

IV.  The  manner  of  making  this  peace  a  reality.  We  must  obtain  it,  as  he 
obtained  it.  The  Spirit  of  his  heavenly  Father,  the  Spirit  that  rules  in  heaven,  was 
ever  in  him,  full  and  strong.  He  was  in  the  world,  but  not  of  the  world.  He  belonged 
to  a  state  of  being  where  all  is  wondrous  harmony.  He  was  out  of  heaven,  yet  not  for 
a  moment  did  the  communications  between  him  and  heaven  get  broken.  He  was  like 
the  diver  who  goes  down  into  the  water,  a  foreign  and  impossible  element  in  itself, 
taking  with  him  the  tube  that  connects  his  mouth  with  the  upper  air,  and  so  being 


CH.  XV.  1—27.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


267 


able  to  remain  under  the  water  a  long  time  and  do  very  necessary  work.  Everything 
earthly  was  estimated  by  heavenly  mejisurements.  He  belonged  to  heaven,  and  knew 
how  things  were  going  in  heaven,  and  so,  whatever  the  incoavcniencc  of  an  earthly 
sojourn,  his  heart  was  at  perfect  peace. — Y. 


EXPOSITION. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


Vers.     1—10.— (7)    Tlie   parable    of  the 
vine  and  its  branches.     Incorporation  of  the 
disciples  into  one  personality  tcith  himself. 
The    linage  of   the  vine  may   have   been 
suggested  by  some  visible  object.     Either  of 
the  hypotheses  of  place   would   furnish   a 
reminder  of  the  nature  and  culture  of  tlie 
■  viue.     Thus  arouud   the   windows  of  the 
guest-chamber  the  vine  may  have  tiirown 
its  tendrils,  or  on  the  slopes  of  Olivet  the 
vineyards  may  have  been  prominent  objects, 
or  the  burning  heaps  of  vine-pruuings  may 
have  suggested   the  idea.     Again,  if  they 
were  pausing   in  some   apartments  of  the 
temjde-court,  the   golden  vine,  the   image 
of  Israel,   upon   the  gates  may  have  sup- 
plied the  point  of  departure.     But  our  Lord 
needed   no  such   help  to   his  imagination, 
and  it  is  by  bo  means  necessary  to  fiud  an 
occasion  for  his  imagery.     The  fact  that  he 
had  the  fruit  of  the  vine  before  him,  and 
had  already  made  it  symbolic  of  his  sacri- 
ficial death,  may  have  brought  the  thought 
nearer  to  the  disciples.    But  the  most  simple 
explanation  ia  that  the  vine  was  the  image 
of  Israel.     Tiie  prophets  and  psalms  aboimd 
with  this  reference  (Isa.  v.  1,  etc. ;  Ezek. 
xix.  10 ;  Ps.  Ixxx.  8 — 19),  so  that  our  Lord 
was  giving  a  new  meaning  to  a   familiar 
figure.      "  The    vine "   was    the    beautiful 
image  of  that  theocratic  and   sacramental 
community,  which   had   its  centre   in   the 
altar  and   ark  of  testimony  and   the   holy 
place  :  and  the  fruit  of  the  vine  was  con- 
spicuous in  all  the  symbolic  relations  which, 
through  priesthood  and  ritual  enactments, 
brought  individual   Israelites  into  relation 
with    the    reconciled    God.       Here    Christ 
says,  "  1 ; "  but  we  see  from  vcr.  5  that  the 
branches,   which  by  reas.tn  of  relation  to 
him  have  and  draw  their  life  from  him.(or, 
to  use  his  own  words,  "  I  and  the  branches," 
and  "  tiie  brandies  in  me  "),  constitute  the 
veritable  "  vine  "  of  the  covenant. 


Ver.  1. — The  vino  of  the  Lord  of  hosts 
(Ps.  Ixxx.)  brought  forth  wild  grapes  (Isa. 
v.;  Ezek.  xix.  10);  Israel  became  "an empty 
vine"  (Hos.  x.  1).  The  failure  of  Israel  to 
realize  the  ideal  leads  our  Lord,  as  the 
true  Israel  of  God,. to  say,  I  am  the  veritable 
(or,  ideal)  vine,  including  (as  the  context 
shows)  in  tiie  idea  of  his  complete  Per- 
sonality all  the  branches  that  derive  their 
life  from  him.  I  with  the  branches,  I  in- 
volving my  relation  to  the  branches,  and 
theirs  to  me — I  as  the  Life- principle  of 
humanity,  together  with  those  who  are  living 
in  me — constitute  and  are  the  veritable  vino 
of  prophecy,  tlie  true  Israel  of  God.  So  that 
this  passage,  from  vers.  1 — 10,  denotes  and 
expounds  with  all  detail  the  idea  elsewhere 
expressed  by  the  head  and  the  members  of 
a  body.  Sometimes  the  idea  of  the  parts 
predominates  over  the  idea  of  the  unity, 
and  sometimes  the  unity  triumphs  over  the 
parts;  but  in  the  relation  between  Christ 
and  the  people  of  his  love  they  are  often 
lost  sight  of  in  him,  and  he  becomes  the 
only  Personality.  The  "  I "  of  this  passage 
is  not  that  of  the  eternal  Logos,  nor  is  it 
the  mere  humanity,  nor  is  it  simply  the 
Divine-human  Personality,  but  the  new 
existence  which,  by  union  with  him.  formed 
one  personage  with  him, — tlie  believer 
being  united  to  him  as  he  to  the  Father. 
My  Father  is  the  Husbandman,  not  simply 
the  a.nne\ovpy6s,  or  vinedresser,  but  also 
ytccpyds,  the  owner  of  the  land  as  well. 
It  is  a  term  applied  in  connection  with  the 
traditional  significance  of  the  vine  to  the 
head  of  the  theocratic  family.  In  Isa.  v. 
it  is  the  "  Lord  of  hosts ; "  in  2  Chron.  xxvi. 
10  and  in  the  parable  of  the  vinedressers  it 
is  applied  to  the  rulers  of  the  people.  Tlio 
Arians  were  wrong  in  concluding  from  this 
a  ditference  of  essence  between  the  Father 
and  Son.  Tlie  vine  clearly  includes  the 
branches ;  and  the  owner  of  the  vineyard, 
who  is  also  the  dresser  of  the  vine,  deals 
here  with  the  whole  reality.  All,  however, 
which  the  Husbandman  is  said  in  ver.  2  to 
effect  is  the  taking  away  of  the  fruitless 
though  proud  branch,  and  the  cleansmg 
and  gentle  pruning  of  tiio  branch  that 
bearetli  fruit.  Now,  Christ,  as  the  Son,  has 
all  judgment  committed  to  him,  and,  as  tiio 
great  Organ  of  Divine  providcnee  and  rule  in 
the  Church,  he  is  tho  Adminiatrivtorof  disci- 
pline.    Christ  is  not  disclaiming  the  oporu- 


2C8 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [oh.  xv.  1—27. 


tious  which  he  in  other  places  assumes,  nor 
lepieseutiug  his  own  Personality  as  perfectly 
}iassive  in  the  matter,  but  he  is  claiming  for 
Jehovah  of  hosts  the  same  relation  to  the 
true  Vine  us  he  sustained  to  the  degenerate 
vine  of  the  old  covenant ;  but  he  calls  him 
*•  my  Father."  Alford  says,  "  The  ma- 
terial creations  of  God  are  only  inferior 
examples  of  that  finer  spiritual  life  and 
organism  in  which  the  creature  is  raised 
up  to  partake  of  the  Divine  nature "  (see 
Hugh  Maemillan,  D.D., '  The  True  Vine '). 
Ver.  2. — Every  branch  in  me;  i.e.  this 
unity  of  life  between  me  and  mine  is 
graciously  handled  by  the  Father— my 
Father !  The  branches  are  of  two  kinds — 
unfruitful  and  fruitful.  The  indefinite  state- 
ment, in  nominative  absolute,  calls  great 
attention  to  it.  "  Every  branch  in  me  that 
beareth  no  fruit."  Then  it  is  possible  to  come 
into  this  organic  relation  with  the  true  Vine, 
to  be  in  it  and  to  be  a  part  of  it,  and  to  bring 
forth  no  fruit.  If  it  were  not  for  ver.  5  we 
might  say  that  these  branches  were  nations, 
customs,  institutions,  and  the  like ;  but  the 
context  forbids  it.  The  relation  to  him 
must  therefore  be  one  that  is  insufiicient 
to  secure  life,  or  fruit,  or  continuance. 
Baptized,  comraimicating,  professing,  par- 
tially believing  Christians  there  may  be  in 
abundance,  who,  though  in  him,  yet  cannot 
continue  in  him.  (See  stony  ground,  thorny 
ground,  and  unripe  ears,  of  the  parable  of 
the  sower;  and  the  bad  fish  caught  in 
the  net  (Matt.  xiii. ;  1  John  ii.  19,  etc.). 
He  taketh  away  (cf.  John  the  Baptist : 
"  Every  tree  that  bringeth  not  forth  good 
fruit  is  liewn  down,"  Matt.  iii.  10;  and 
Deut.  xxxii.  32 ;  Micali  vii.  1).  What  is 
done  with  the  valueless  prunings  is  said 
afterwards.  Every  branch  that  beareth  fruit, 
he  pruneth  (or,  deanseth),  that  it  may  bring 
forth  more  fruit.  Let  the  non-reappcarauce 
of  eV  t/tot  be  observed.  The  suavis  rhyihvius 
of  Bengel  is  a  mere  accidental  touch.  The 
words  aipei  and  KaOaipet  rhyme  with  each 
other ;  but  the  latter  word  is  not  connected 
with  Ka6alpeu>,  a  compound  of  a'iptai,  nor  is 
it  equivalent  to  Karaipti,  the  true  compound 
of  KUTo.  with  a'lpai;  but  it  is  derived  from 
KaBapos,  clean,  and  means  "  to  cleanse  with 
libations,"  and  perhaps  "  to  prime  with  the 
knife."  The  Husbandman  aims  at  more  fruit, 
more  of  meekness,  gentleness,  love,  and  faith- 
fulness, in  fact,  all  tliose  fruits  of  the  Spirit 
enumerated  in  Gal.  v.  22,23.  The  word  kAtJ/uo, 
used  for  "branch"  in  these  verses,  occurs 
nowhere  else  in  the  New  Testament.  The 
word  K\aSbs,  elsewhere  used  (Matt.  xiii.  32; 
xxi.  8 ;  xxiv.  32 ;  Mark  iv.  32 ;  xiii.  28;  Eom. 
xi.  16—21),  means  the  smaller  "branches" 
of  a  tree.  The  term  means  here  vine-branch, 
the  essential  constituent  elements  of  the 
vine  itself,  and  is  so  used  in  Aristophanes, 


^schines,  and  Theophrastus  (see  LXX., 
Ezek.  XV.  2). 

Ver.  3.— Now  ye  are  dean— pruned,  purged, 
cleansed,  of  the  Divine  Owner — by  reason  of 
the  word  (\6yov)  which  I  have  spoken  to 
yon.  The  Father  has  been  operating  this 
cleansing  process  upon  you  by  the  whole  of 
the  p-lj/xaTo.  (see  ver.  7),  which  are  gathered 
together  into  one  mighty,  quick,  and  active 
Logos.  As  we  find  in  Heb.  iv.  12,  the  Word 
is  sharper  than  a  two-edged  sword,  and 
capable  of  dealing  summarily  w  ith  '  •  th  ou  ghts 
and  intents  of  the  heart."  Augustine,  on 
this  passage,  admits  that  it  is  the  Logos 
which  gives  all  its  value  to  the  water  of 
baptism.  "  This  purifying,  sanctifying  process 
has  been  performed  upon  you,"  hays  Christ. 
Then  since  "he  who  sanctifieth,  and  they 
who  are  sanctified,  are  all  of  one,"  this  con- 
tinuance remains  as  the  gracious  possibility. 
The  vital  sap  proceeds  from  Christ  alone, 
and  not  fr»m  our  corrupted  nature,  which 
must  be  grafted  into  his  life  and  become 
part  of  him.  Many  may  seem  to  be  a 
part  of  Christ,  to  be  sacramentally  or  out- 
wardly united  to  him,  and  even  to  be  draw« 
ing  some  real  advantages  from  the  contact, 
and  yet  their  end  is  fruitlessness,  rottenness, 
removal,  fire.  The  branches  winch  bear 
fruit  never  bring  forth  all  they  might  pro- 
duce, never  realize  their  ideal.  The  pruning, 
cleansing  process  must  pass  over  every  soul, 
that  it  may  more  adequately  fulfil  its  destiny. 
The  cleansing,  searching  power  of  the  Word 
will  be  freely  exercised  by'  the  Divine 
Husbandman. 

Ver.  4. — But  there  is  a  continuance  of 
most  intimate  relations  to  be  sustained 
between  Christ  and  his  disciples.  If  the 
two  clauses  are  "  imperative,"  or  rather 
concessive,  as  many  suppose,  the  finest  mean- 
ing is  evolved.  Let  these  be  the  reciprocal 
conditions,  let  it  be  that  you  abide  in  me, 
and  I  in  you.  (Meyer  and  Lange  add  to 
the  second  clause  ftei/w,  "I  will  abide  in 
you,"  making  it  into  a  promise  following 
a  command,  and  involving  a  very  strong 
synergistic  thought.)  There  is  a  mutual 
abiding  or  indwelling.  The  life-principle 
circulates  through  the  branches,  just  as  they 
perpetuate  the  living  connection  l>etween  the 
branch  and  the  centre  of  the  life.  The 
mutual  relations  show  that  human  nature  is 
in  infinite  need,  and,  apart  from  the  new 
life-principle,  will  perish.  The  abiding  of 
the  branch  in  the  vine  suggests  the  continu- 
ance of  vital  connection  with  the  living 
stem,  and  supposes  that  connection  kept  up 
by  constant  faith,  so  that  the  believer  is  in 
a  position  to  draw  life  from  the  legitimate 
source.  The  abiding  of  the  vine  in  the 
branch — "  I  in  you  " — is  the  perpetual  inflow 
into  the  subordinate  life,  of  the  living  grace 
which  makes  the  believer's  life  one  with  his 


CH.  XV.  1—27.]      THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN. 


2C9 


Lord's.  As  ho  said  (ob.  xiv.  19),  "  Because 
1  live,  and  ye  shall  live ;  "  so  now,  As  the 
branch  cannot  bear  fruit  from  itself — from  its 
own  inlieront  vitality — except  it  abide  in  the 
vine^ — except  this  connection  is  maintained — 
in  like  manner  no  more  (or,  so  neither)  can  ye, 
except  ye  abide  in  me.  The  affirmation  does 
nut  cover,  as  Augustine  implies  (although  it 
may  suggest),  the  impotence  of  the  natural 
man,  but  it  asserts  the  uufruitfulness  of  the 
disciple  iu  his  own  strength.  Some  have 
fouud  here  revindication  of  the  place  of  the 
human  will  in  the  work  of  grace.  Let  it  be 
seen,  however,  that  it  is  the  "  good  will,"  the 
new  nature,  which  has  been  wakened  into 
normal  activity,  and  which  wills  the  thing 
most  pleasing  to  the  Divine  Source  of  the 
life. 

Ver.  5. — Christ  returns  to  the  main  theme 
of  the  previous  verse,  but  here  discriminates 
more  forcibly  the  vine  from  the  branches, 
and  yet  holds  and  binds  them  into  a  unity. 
I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches;  which 
shows  that  he  treated  the  diociples  tliem- 
selves  as  tiie  organs  of  his  earthly  fruit- 
bearing  ;  and  then  draws  a  larger  circle  and 
makes  a  complete  and  comprehensive  state- 
ment on  which  the  very  existence  of  the 
'•  true  vine,"  the  "  body  of  Christ,  including 
the  Head,"  depends,  viz.  He  that  abideth  in 
me,  and  I  in  him — i.e.  whenever  the  conditions 
of  which  I  liave  spoken  to  you  are  fulfilled; 
wherever  there  are  human  souls  deriving 
from  their  connection  with  me  the  full 
advantage  of  the  life  ever  streaming  forth 
from  me — the  same  beareth  much  fruit ;  the 
entire  end  of  their  new  life  is  secured. 
He  beareth  "  much  fruit."'  In  other  words, 
many  of  those  blessed  fruits  of  the  super- 
natural life  appear,  which  the  great  Hus- 
bandman desires  to  receive.  And  this 
strengthens  the  position  of  the  previous 
verse,  which  threatened  excision  from  the 
vine  to  such  as  bear  no  fruit.  Such,  though 
in  oue  sense  "  in  the  Vine,"  do  not  ahide 
in  him.  Because  apart  from '  —  severed 
from — me  ye  can  do  nothing.  The  on  sug- 
gests the  question — Can  the  negative  result 
justify  the  positive  assertion?  It  does  in 
this  way.  There  are  two  premisses ;  the  first 
is, "  I  am  the  Vine,  and  ye  are  the  branches," 
and  the  second  is,  "  Severed  from  me  a 
branch  can  effect  nothing,"  having  no  inde- 
pendent fruitfulness  or  stability.  All  its 
powers  are  derived  from  this  supernatural 
source,  and  depend  on  Christ's  faithfulness 
to  ids  own  nature  and  functions ;  therefore, 
'•  He  that  abideth  in  me,  and  I-  in  him, 
bringeth  forth  much  fruit."  The  language 
here  does  not  repress  the  endeavour  of  the 

'  Xoipfj,  equivalent  to  x»P'<''6*'^«s-  It  has 
this  force  in  ch.  i.  3  ;  xx.  7  ;  Ileb.  vii.  20 ; 
ix.  7 ;  Eph.  ii.  12. 


human  will  after  righteousness,  nor  pro- 
nounce a  judgment  on  the  great  controversy 
between  Augustinians  and  Pelagians.  These 
words  are  not  addressed  to  unconverted  men, 
but  to  disciples,  who  have  to  learn  their 
constant  need  of  spiritual  contact  with  their 
invisible  Lord.  Let  a  believer,  let  an 
apostle,  sever  himself  from  Christ,  and  live 
on  his  own  past  reputation  or  his  suj)posed 
strength,  on  the  clearness  of  hU  intellect, 
the  vigour  of  his  body,  the  eminence  of  his 
position,  he  can  and  will  do  notliituj. 

Ver.  6. — If  any  one  abide  not  in  me,  he  is 
cast  forth  as  the  branch — perhaps  away  from 
the  vineyard,  as  well  as  from  proximity  to 
tlie  vine — and  is  withered.  The  two  aorist.-*, 
(0\Tjdr]  and  e^ripavdr],  are  simfdy  cases  of  n 
common  daily  experience,  'i'hese  are  the 
inevitable  consequences  of  not  abiding  in 
the  Vine.  We  may  imagine  two  ways  in 
which  this  non-abiding  in  Olirist,  this  sever- 
ance from  him,  may  be  effected:  (1)  the 
pruning-knife  may  have  lopjied  tliem  off 
because  of  their  lack  of  fruitfulness ;  or, 
(2)  they  may  have  withered  on  the  stem, 
and,  by  their  deficiency  of  strength  and  life, 
have  suffered  from  some  external  assault 
which  they  have  not  liad  energy  to  resist. 
Liicke,  Winer,  Tholuck,  and  Hengstenberg 
regard  the  aorists  as  indicative  of  what  will 
happen  should  branches  in  Christ  cease  to 
derive  lite  from  him.  Calvin  is  sati.■^fied 
that  the  expression  cannot  refer  to  the  elect, 
but  to  the  hypocrite,  while  Alford  is  as 
confident  of  its  repudiation  of  unconditional 
election.  In  my  opinion  it  keeps  clear  of 
both  suggestions.  And  they  gather  them,  and 
cast  them  into  the  fire,  and  they  are  burned. 
The  vine  is  one  of  the  noblest  of  all  trees, 
and  produces  the  most  abun^lant  fruit ;  but 
it  is  one  of  its  peculiarities  that  all  its 
strength  is  spent  on  the  fruit,  and  that  its 
branches  are  utterly  valueless  for  all  other 
purposes.  Heaps  of  burning  vine-prunings 
may  have  suggested  the  awful  image  which 
the  embodied  Love  of  God  here  adopts. 
Some  have  supposed  (Meyerand  Alford)that 
the  fire  is  here  the  last  judgment,  which  our 
Lord  looks  upon  as  come.  But  the  present 
tense,  following  the  two  aorists,  suggests  the 
immediate  consequence  of  such  severance 
from  Christ — the  fiery  trials,  the  fierce  temp- 
tations, the  terrible  judgments,  always  over- 
taking the  unfruitful  and  unfaithful  servant-s 
and  preluding  the  awful  consummation  of 
Divine  judgment,  of  which  our  Lord  had 
often  spoken  (Matt.  xiii.  42,  50;  xxv.  41; 
Luke  xvi.  24),  and  which  the  apostle  of  love 
described  in  Rev.  xx.  15;  xxi.  8. 

Ver.  7. — In  this  verse  ho  returns  once 
more  on  the  principle  of  union  with  himself, 
and  of  what  will  come  out  of  it.  The  dis- 
ciples may  be  sorely  distressed  at  this  pos- 
sible doom,  for  whatever  may  be  the  lot  of 


270 


THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.   JOHN.      [ch.  xv.  1— 27, 


those  who  do  not  obey  the  gospel  and  are 
ignorant  of  the  Law  of  God,  the  curse  here 
uttered  falls  heavily  upon  those  who  have  been 
once  enlightened,  etc.,  and  have  apostatized 
(Heb.  vi.  4 — 6).  The  anxiety  of  the  apostles 
is  grievous,  and  they  desire  deliverance  from 
this  doom.  And  our  Lord  next  unfolds  the 
principle  of  prayer  which  laid  such  hold  on 
the  mind  of  the  Apostle  John  :  If  ye  abide 
in.  me  (and  then,  instead  of  adding,  "  And  I 
abide  in  you,"  he  says);  and  my  words  abide  in 
you;  i.e.  if  my  teaching  so  abide  with  you  as 
to  control  your  thoughts  and  ideas,  i  emain  in 
you  as  your  guide  and  inspiration,  then  ask ' 
whatsoever  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  to 
you.  A  timid  interpretation  of  this  promise 
limits  the  "  whatsoever  "  to  deeds  of  service 
in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  fears,  with 
Augustine,  to  trust  the  sanctified  will  of  the 
believer.  But  in  such  harmony  with  Christ 
as  these  words  supply,  all  the  conditions  of 
acceptable  prayer  are  present.  The  believer 
in  Christ,  full  of  his  words,  evermore  con- 
sciously realizing  union  with  Christ,  charged 
with  the  thoughts,  burning  with  the  pur- 
poses, filled  with  words  of  Jesus,  will  have 
no  will  that  is  not  in  harmony  with  the 
Divine  will.  Then  faith  is  possible  in  the 
fulfilment  of  his  own  desire,  and  prayer 
becomes  a  prophecy  and  pledge  of  the 
answer.  The  apostle,  after  many  years  of 
pondering  and  of  putting  these  principles 
into  practice,  confirms  the  truth  of  them 
(1  Epist.  V.  14—16).  This  is  the  true  philo- 
sophy of  prayer.  The  psalmist  had  gone  a 
long  way  in  the  same  direction  (Ps.  xxxvii.  4, 
"  Delight  thyself  in  the  Lord ;  and  he  shall 
give  thee  thy  heart's  desii'e  "). 

Ver.  8. — Here  the  Lord  shows  what  he 
knows  will  be  and  must  be  the  dominant 
desire  of  the  man  who  abides  in  himself,  in 
whom  his  own  word  abides.  Such  a  man 
will  seek,  yearn,  ask,  that  he  should  bear 
much  fruit.  This  prayer  will  be  heard,  and 
in  this  sublime  synthesis  between  Christ 
and  his  disciples,  says  Christ,  was  my  Father 
glorified.  "In  the  fruitfulness  of  the  vine 
is  the  glory  of  the  husbandman,"  and  in  the 
answer  of  your  prayers,  and  the  regulation 
of  all  your  desires,  so  ye  shall  become  my  dis- 
ciples.*    "Discipleship"  is  a  very  large  word, 

'  Ah'fia-acrBe  is  the  reading  of  A,  B,  D,  L, 
M,  X,  and  some  important  cursives  and 
versions,  and  followed  by  Meyer,  Tischendorf 
(8th  edit.),  Tregelles,  E.T.,  and  Westcott 
and  Hort.  The  aWiicTfade  of  T.E.  is  that  of 
N,  E,  G,  H,  and  many  others. 

2  T.R.,  Lachmann,  Tregelles,  Westcott 
and  Hort,  with  B,  D,  L,  M,  X,  A,  read  <?>€- 
prjTe,  Kai  yivqadi,  "  that  you  may  become." 
This  is  placed  in  the  margin  by  R.T.,  but 
seeing  N,  A,  E,  G,  H,  and  many  others  read 
<pepriT6-   Kol  yivhaeadif  "and  ye  shaU  be- 


never  altogether  realized.  Just  as  faith 
leads  to  faith,  and  love  to  love,  and  light  to 
light,  so  does  discipleship  to  disciplesiiip. 
As  Bengel  says,  discipleship  is  the  funda- 
mentum  et  fastigium  of  Christianity.  On 
earth  the  vine  reveals  itself  in  the  branches, 
and  thus  conceals  itself  behind  them.  "  This 
explains  why  the  diffusion  of  spiritual  life 
makes  such  slow  progress  in  the  world — the 
Vine  effects  nothing  but  by  means  of  the 
branches,  and  these  so  often  paralyze  in- 
stead of  promoting  the  action  of  the  Vine  " 
(Godet).  If  the  other  text  be  maintained, 
Herein  was  my  Father  glorified,  so  that  ye 
might  bear  much  fruit,  and  that  ye  may 
become  my  disciples,  the  "  herein "  points 
back  to  the  previous  verse,  and  then  the 
contemplated  result  of  the  arrangement, 
ratlier  than  the  purpose  of  the  glory,  is  the 
matter  referred  to. 

Ver.  9. — Two  ways  of  explaining  this 
verse  :  Even  as — inasmuch  as — the  Father 
hath  loved  me,  and  as  1  have  loved  you,  abide 
in  my  love ;  i.e.,  as  Grotius  has  put  it,  the 
first  clause  suggesting  accordance  with  the 
mystery  of  the  Trinity,  and  the  second  the 
mystery  of  redemption  :  "  So  do  ye  continue, 
or  so  do  ye  abide,  in  the  amplitude  of  this 
double  love  which  is  mine,  dwell  in  it  as  in 
a  holy  atmosphere,  breathe  it  and  live  by  it." 
But  there  is  another  and  more  satisfactory 
way  of  translating  the  passage  :  Even  as  the 
Father  loved  me,  I  also  loved  you  ;  a  fact  of 
stupendous  interest  and  transcendent  claim. 
Heaven  had  opened  over  the  incarnate 
Word,  and  other  ears  as  well  as  his  own  had 
heard  the  Father  say,  "  Thou  art  my  be- 
loved Son,"  etc.  The  Lord  was  conscious 
of  being  the  Object  of  this  infinite  love  be- 
fore the  foundation  of  the  world  (ch.  xvii. 
24),  and  of  reciprocating  and  responding  to 
it ;  and  this  love  of  the  Father  to  him  on  his 
assumption  of  his  mediatorial  functions  was 
the  well-spring  of  his  obedience  unto  death 
and  after  it  (see  ch.  x.  17,  note).  Now,  if 
the  Kayoo  is  to  be  translated  as  above,  Christ 
declares  that  even  as  the  Father  has  loved 
him,  he  has  loved  his  discijjles.  Again  and 
again  he  has  emphasized  this  love  to  them 
(ch.  xiii.  34),  but  here  he  asserts  a  loftier 
claim,  viz.  that  his  love  to  them  corresponds 
with  the  eternal  Father's  love  to  himself. 
The  one  great  fact  is  the  ground  on  which 
he  commands  them  to  abide  in  his  love. 
This  is  obviously  a  more  explicit  and  more 
intelligible  form  of  the  commandment  to 
abide  in  him.  With  Olshausen  and  West- 
cott, "  The  love  that  is  mine  "  is  not  the  love 
to  Christ,  nor  the  love  of  Christ  exclusively, 
but  a  blending  of  the  active  and  passive 
idea  in   "the   love  that  is  mine" — in  the 

come,"  the  latter  is  preserved  by  Tischen- 
dorf (8th  edit),  R.T.,  and  Meyer. 


CH.  XV.  1—27.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOIIX. 


271 


"  love  "  lavished  upon  me  from  eternity,  and 
to  which  I  have  eternally  responded,  which 
I  have  made  known  to  you  and  expended 
on  you  and  received  back  again  from  you. 
Abide  in  that  love  that  is  mine. 

Ver.  10. — If  ye  keep  my  commandments, 
ye  shall  abide  in  my  love.  This  is  the 
method  and  secret,  tho  stimulus  and  proof, 
of  abiding  in  tho  love  of  Christ.  This  is 
not  exactly  tho  converse  (Westcotf)  of  "If 
ye  love  me,  keep  my  commandments." 
Doubtless  there  is  a  love  whicli  dictates 
obedience  to  the  loved  One's  will.  Our  Lord 
here  avers,  however,  something  further,  viz. 
that  obedience  issues  in  a  higher  hve.  The 
obedience  here  described  is  the  outcome  of 
love,  but  the  power  is  thus  gained  to  con- 
tinue, dwell,  in  the  Divine  love,  to  abide, 
tiiat  is,  in  the  full  enjoyment  and  fulness  of 
my  Divine  love  to  you.  Tiiis  is  obvious 
from  tiie  confirmatory  clause  :  Even  as  I 
have  kept  my  Father's  commandments,  and 
abide  in  his  love.  The  Lord  kept  the 
Father's  commandment  always,  doing  those 
tilings  which  please  liim.  offering  up  his 
precious  life,  laying  it  down  that  he  might 
take  it  again ;  and  the  consequence  is  that 
he  then  and  there  knew  that  he  was  filled 
with  a!l  tlie  fulness  of  the  Divine  love.  The 
very  impressive  line  of  thought  pervades 
this  passage,  that  what  the  Father  was  to 
him,  that  he  would  prove  to  his  disciples. 
Wljat  tiie  love  of  God  was  to  the  Christ, 
the  love  of  Christ  was  to  his  disciiDles. 

Ver.  11— ch.  xvi.  6.— (8)  ITie  results  of  the 
union  between  Christ  and  his  disciples. 

Vers.  11 — 16. — (a)  To  themselves. 

The  Lord  moves  into  another  and  wider 
development  of  the  union  between  himself 
and  his  disciples.  He  drops  the  metaphor  of 
the  vine  and  the  brauches,  and  comes  to  the 
essence  of  the  relation  between  them ;  that 
is,  he  does  much  to  explain  the  meaning 
and  nature  of  his  abiding  in  them,  and  the 
character  of  the  fruit  which  they  were  ex- 
pected by  the  great  Husbandman  and  Father 
to  bring  forth  and  ripen.  A  connection  be- 
tween the  second  section  and  the  first  is 
revealed  in  the  new  beginning. 

Ver.  11. — These  things  I  have  spoken,  and 
am  still  speaking,  to  you  (perfect,  not  aorist) 
with  iliis  purpose,  that  the  joy  that  is  mine 
may   be '   in  you.     This   is   variously   ex- 

'  'H,  the  reading  of  A,  B,  D,  1,  33,  Vul- 
gate, Gothic,  and  many  cursives,  is  preferred 
by  Meyer,  K.T.,  Westcott  and  Hort,  Godet, 
and  Tisciiendorf  (Sth  edit.),  though  /xtivr,  is 
read  by  N,  Ij,  X,  r,  A,  and  other  uncials, 
cursives,  and  Fathers 


plained.     Augustine,  "My  joyfulness  con- 
cerning you,"  which  is  scarcely  tiic  burden 
of  the  previous  verses ;  Grotius,  "  Your  de- 
light in  me,"   which  would   bo  'somewlint 
tautologous;  Calvin  and  De  Wette,  "The 
joyfulness  capable  of  being  produced  in  you 
by  me,  miglit  be  in  you."     But  the  words 
are  more  simply  explained  by  Lange,  Meyer, 
Liicke,  Westcott,  Alford,  and  Moulton,  as 
the  communication  to  his  disciples  of  his 
own  absolute  and  personal  joy.     "  The  joy 
that  is    mine,"  like  "  the   peace   which   is 
mine,"  is  graciously  bestowed.     A  joy  was 
set  before  him,  tho  joy  of  perfect  self-sacri- 
fice, which  gave  to  his  present  acts  an  inteu- 
sity  and  fulness  of  bliss.     It  was  this,  in  its 
motives    and    character    and    supernatural 
sweetness,  which  would  be  in  th(  m.    If  they 
receive  h's  life  into  them,  it  will  convey  not 
only  his  peace,  but  that  peace  uprising  and 
bursting  into  joy ;   and   he  adds,  in   order 
that  your  joy  may  be  fulfilled,  i.e.  perfected, 
reach  its  highest  expression,  its  fulness  of 
contents  and  entire  sufficiency  for  all  needs. 
1  John  i.  1 — 4  is  the  best  commentary  on 
this  last  clause.     Tiie  Old  Testament  pro- 
phets had  often  spoken  of  Jehovah's  joy  in 
his  people,  comparing  it  to  the  bridegroom's 
joy,  and  the  bride's  (Isa.  Ixii.  5 ;  Zeph.  iii. 
17).    This  entire  idea  is  linked  with  ver.  10, 
where  tlie  keeping  of  his  commandments, 
fiom  motives  of  love,  will  enable  the  dis- 
ciples to  "  abide  in  his  love."    He  now  passes 
the  whole  law  of  the  second  table  into  the 
light  of  his  joy  and  the  power  of  his  example. 
Ver.  12. — This  is  my  commandment,  that 
ye  love  one  another,  even  as  I  loved  you. 
This  (ch.  xiii.  31)   was  given   as  a   "  new 
commandment ;  "  now  he  gathers  the  many 
commandments  into  one,  as  though  all  were 
included  in  it  (1  John  iii.  16).     This  thought 
is  further  vindicated   by  an  endeavour  to 
explain   in   what   sense  and  way    he   was 
loving  them. 

Ver.  13. — Greater  love  than  this  (love)  no 
one  hath,  namely  (iVa),  that  one  should  lay 
down  his  life  for  his  friends.  Meyer  and 
Lange  endeavour  to  maintain  even  here  tlie 
telle  force  of  'Iva,  "  The  love  to  you  is  of  so 
consummate  a  character,  that  its  object  and 
purpose  is  seen  in  my  laying  down  my  life 
for  my  friends ;  "  and  Hengstenberg  thinks 
so  because  probably  a  reference  here  is  made 
to  Isa.  liii.  10,  that  our  Lord  was  pointing 
to  his  atoning  death — to  a  death  needi  d  alike 
by  enemies  and  friends.  Such  an  interpre- 
tation supposes  the  lofty  purpose  of  tlie 
greatest  love.  To  me,  however,  it  seems 
more  probable  that  tho  translation  given 
above  places  the  argument  upon  a  surer, 
because  more  common,  human,  experience. 
The  disposition  to  die  for  ungodly  and  for 
enemies  is  exalted  by  St.  I'aui  (Rf>ni.  v.  8) 
above  the  self-sacrifice  involved  in  dying  for 


272 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xv.  1— 27. 


the  good.  Still,  which  may  be  shown,  and 
has  often  been  shown  in  self-sacrificing 
death  for  those  who  are  beloved,  whatever 
otiier  and  wider  ends  may  be  discerned 
afterwards  and  spoken  of  in  other  connec- 
tions, he  is  here  asserting  that  the  love  of 
friendship  is  quite  strong  and  intense  enough 
to  secure  such  a  sacrifice.     And  he  adds — 

Ver.  14. — Ye  are  my  friends,  if  ye  do 
whatsoever  I  command  you — ^just  because  I 
command  you.  So  the  natural  conclusion 
will  be,  "  I  am  showing  you  tlie  highest 
possible  fruit  of  my  friendship — I  am  laying 
down  my  life  for  you.  This  is  how  I  have 
loved  you ;  therefore  after  this  manner  you 
are  to  love  one  another"  (I  John  iii.  16; 
Eph.  V.  1,  2).  Our  Lord  then  explains  more 
and  more  to  them  how  they  can  and  do 
claim  this  glorious  designation.  (1)  They 
will  vindicate  the  position  for  themselves  if 
tiiey  are  absolutely  trustful  and  obedient. 
(2)  But  they  can  have  a  new  and  nobler 
proof. 

Ver.  15. — No  longer  do  I  call  you  servants, 
bond-slaves.  True,  he  had  in  this  very 
discourse  spoken  of  them  as  his  SovAoi  (ch. 
xiii.  13,  16).  Again  and  again  in  his 
parabolic  teaching  be  had  spoken  of  his 
disciples  as  servants  of  a  Lord  (Matt.  xiii. 
27 ;  xxii.  4 ;  Luke  xii.  37 ;  and  ch.  xii.  26, 
where  another  word  is  used).  And  more- 
over, later  on  in  this  very  chapter  (ver.  20), 
the  word  and  thought  return,  so  that  this 
relation  to  Lim,  gloried  in  by  St.  Paul  (Phil. 
i.  1 ;  1  Cor.  vii.  22),  St.  James  (i.  1),  Jude 
(1),  and  even  St.  John  (Rev.  i.  1),  could 
be  sustained  in  its  integrity,  even  after 
it  had  been  transfigured,  and  penetrated 
through  and  through  with  the  light  of  love. 
Because  the  servant  knoweth  not  what  his 
lord  doeth.  The  slave  is  an  instrument, 
doing  by  commandment,  not  from  intimate 
knowledge,  his  Lord's  behests.  But  you  I 
have  called  (e^prj/ca) — on  previous  occasions 
(see  Luke  xii.  4;  and  cf.  ch.  xi.  11,  "Our 
friend  Lazarus") — friends,  for  whom  it  is 
joy  to  die,  and  I  have  effected  the  transfigu- 
ration of  your  service  into  love.  I  have  raised 
you  by  the  intimacy  of  the  relations  into 
wliich  1  have  drawn  you  from  the  position 
of  slave  to  that  of  friend.  You  may  be,  you 
must  be,  my  servants  still ;  I  am  your  Master 
and  Lord ;  but  you  will  be  servants  from  a 
higher  motive  and  a  more  enduring  link 
and  bond  of  union.  For  all  things  wliich  I 
heard  of  my  Father.  Notice  the  source  of 
ilie  Saviour's  teaching.  He  was  sent  from 
God,  trained  and  taught,  as  a  man ;  he 
chose  thus,  humanly,  to  learn  step  by  step, 
thing  by  thing,  what  to  reveal  of  his  own 
nature,  "of  his  purpose  and  plan  in  redeem- 
ing men,  concerning  the  essence  of  the 
Father  himself,  and  the  entire  significance 
of   his  self-manifestation.     That   which  I 


heard  I  made  known  unti)  you.  This  is 
only  in  apparent  contradiction  with  ch.  xvi. 
12,  where  he  implies  tiiat  there  will  be 
more  for  them  to  learn  in  the  future,  when 
the  mystery  of  his  death,  resurrection,  and 
ascension  shall  have  been  accomplished. 
The  limitation  of  the  irdfra  i  ijKovaa  does 
not  consist  in  doctrines  as  opposed  to 
practical  duties,  nor  in  the  plan  of  salvation 
for  individuals  as  antithetic  to  principles 
of  his  kingdom,  nor  in  principles  as  dis- 
tinguished from  what  may  ultimately  be 
found  in  them,  but  in  the  capacities  and 
circumstances  of  the  disciples  themselves 
(ch.  xvi.  12  is  a  corollary  of  this  solemn 
assurance).  The  reason  of  the  present 
assertion  is  the  proof  that  it  thus  supplies 
of  their  dearuess  to  him.  "  Ye  are  my 
friends."  He  had  told  them  all  that  they 
could  bear.  He  had  lifted  the  veil  high 
enough  for  their  truest  joy  and  noblest 
discipline.  He  had  bared  his  heart  to  them. 
He  had  kept  back  nothing  that  was  profitable. 
He  had  proved  his  own  friendship,  and 
thus  given  a  conclusive  reason  for  his  com- 
plete self-devotion  on  their  account. 

Ver.  16. — From  the  thirteenth  to  the  fif- 
teenth verse,  our  Lord,  in  a  brief  digression, 
has  justified  a  portion  of  the  great  com- 
mandment of  mutual  love.  That  love  is  to 
correspond  with  his  love  to  the  discipL-s, 
and  to  explain  his  self-sacrifice  to  them ;  he 
proves  to  them  that  they  are  his  "  friends," 
and  therefore  the  objects  of  his  dying  love. 
Then  the  appeal  is  still  further  clenched 
by  showing  the  origin  and  purport  of  his 
friendship  for  them.  Ye  did  not  choose  me 
(e|€A.e^o(r0€  .  .  .  e^e\e^dfj.riv  are  middle,  "  you 
chose  ...  I  chose  ...  for  yourselves  or  for 
myself"),  but  I  chose  you.  I  selected  you  as 
individuals,  not  excluding  thereby  a  gracious 
choice  of  other  souls;  I  destined  you  to 
accomplish  work  dear  to  me  and  essential 
to  my  kingdom.  Christ  has  already  told 
them  tliat  he  must  "  go  away  "  from  them 
to  the  Father,  and  that  they  "  cannot  follow 
him  now,  but  afterwards ; "  and  he  has  also 
convinced  them  that,  though  he  go  away, 
he  will  "  come  again,  and  abide  with  them," 
and  also  that  "  severed  "  from  him  they  can 
"  do  nothing."  Consequently  when  he  adds, 
I  appointed  you  (see  1  Cor.  xii.  28 ;  1  Tim. 
i.  12;  Heb.  i.  2;  Acts  xx.  28,  for  similar 
use  of  Tidfvai)  as  my  apostles  and  repre- 
sentatives, to  do  work  in  my  Name,  there 
is  no  contradiction  in  his  adding,  that  ye 
should  go  forth,  depart  into  the  world  with 
my  message  and  in  my  Name,  as  I  am 
"  departing  "  to  the  Father,  to  rule  over  you 
from  a  higher  and  more  august  position. 
And  bear  fruit.  A  passing  reference  to  the 
imagery  of  the  first  part  of  the  chapter, 
showing  that  their  "  going  forth  or  away  " 
upon  this  mission  would  not  separate  them 


CH.  XV.  1—27.]      THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN. 


273 


from  his  Spirit,  or  divide  the  link  without 
which  they  could  bear  uo  fruit  ftt  all.  The 
"  fruit "  may  here,  in  its  issues,  suggest 
another  class  of  ideas.  In  the  first  case  the 
"fruit"  was  the  "fruit  of  the  Spirit,"  but 
hero  it  would  seem  Ui  be  the  abi(ling  conse- 
quence of  the  ''greater  works  '  which  tliey 
would  be  called  upon  to  do.  This  rich  fruit 
includes  all  the  victories  they  were  to  win 
over  souls,  and  all  tlie  efitcts  of  their 
ministry.  "Fruit"  in  either  case  is  only 
valuable  when  it  is  utilized  by  the  Husbaiul- 
mau  and  according  to  his  purpose.  "  Fruit " 
is  a  Divine  self-exhaustion  of  the  living 
organism ;  it  does  no  good  to  the  branch  nor 
to  the  stem;  it  is  the  sacred  property  of  the 
husbandman,  whether  for  his  own  joy  or  for 
fresh  seed.  In  this  case  your  fruit  will 
abide  for  ever,  not  in  the  branch,  but  in  the 
Father's  hands,  that  ('iva.)  whatsoever  ye 
shall  ask  of  the  Father  in  my  Name,  he  may 
give  it  you.  It  now  becomes  a  question 
whether  the  second  'Iva  iutroduces  a  clause 
which  is  co-ordinate  with  the  former  or  one 
logically  depending  on  the  preceding.  Sleyer 
concludes  the  first,  viz.  that  the  granting  of 
prayer  brings  about  the  fruit  and  its  con- 
tinuance (so  De  Wctte,  Liicke,  Stier,  Godct) ; 
and  Olshausen  maintains  the  second,  viz. 
that  by  going  and  bringing  forth  fruit  we 
enter  into  that  relation  with  God  from  wliich 
proceeds  the  prayer  in  the  name  of  the  Son 
which  the  Father  will  grant,  thus  bringing 
the  passage  into  close  n-lation  witii  ch.  xiv. 
13  and  xvi.  23.  Hengstenberg  says,  "By 
their  fruit  they  would  show  themselves  to 
be  true  disciples  of  Christ,  and  to  such  the 
Father  can  deny  nothing."  But  Westcott 
and  Lange  endeavour  to  combine  both  ideas. 
The  co-ordination  of  the  two  clauses  re- 
(juires  the  inversion  of  their  order,  or  the 
introduction  of  koj  before  the  second  'iva. 
Moreover,  the  tliought  that  Christ  chose 
and  appointed  them  in  order  that  whatso- 
ever they  should  ask  God  would  give,  is 
out  of  harmony  with  "the  conditions  of 
acceptable  prayer "  elsewhere  insisted  on ; 
while  the  bearing  of  fruit — in  both  senses, 
(n)  that  of  Christian  grace  and  {h)  Christian 
usefulness — completes  the  idea  in  a  concrete 
form  of  abiding  in  Christ  and  having  his 
words  abiding  in  them.  Surely  the  view 
that  the  second  clause  is  conditionated  by 
the  first,  i.s  far  from  obscure,  as  Luthardt 
says,  while  he  virtually  accepts  the  same 
interpretation:  "If  they  ctiuse  themselves 
to  be  found  in  the  right  service  of  Jesus, 
then  will  be  granted  to  them  what  they  ask 
in  the  name  of  Jesus."  Moulton  confirms 
tlie  same  interpretation.  (On  the  clause, 
"  in  my  JSame,"  see  ch.  xvi.  24.) 

Vers.  17 — 27. — (f>)  The  results  of  this  union 
tcith  Christ  to  the  unliclieviinj  >corl(l 

Ver.  17.— These  things  do  I  command  you 

JOHN  — II. 


— clearly  pointing  back  to  ver.  12 — that  ye 
may  love  one  another.  This  entire  medita- 
tion culminates  where  it  began.  The  di- 
gression comes  back  to  the  main  theme. 
Westcott  regards  it  as  the  starting-point  of 
a  new  theme,  but  our  Lord  did  not  return 
upon  the  idea  of  mutual  love,  but  discussea 
the  effect  upon  the  world  of  that  love  to 
each  other  and  to  him  which  blended  their 
personalities  into  one  mystic  unity.  Tlii.-? 
verse  shows  how  the  new  topic  links  itsellj 
with  the  previous  discussion.  His  dyinij 
for  them,  thus  proving  his  friendship"  fo? 
them,  and  all  the  other  signs  of  his  intercs) 
and  confidence,  have  been  set  before  them 
to  this  groat  end ;  for  while  the  world  is  full 
of  outrage  and  mutual  animosities,  tho 
motive  of  his  own  entire  self-manifestation 
is  to  awaken  a  new  and  higher  typo  anij 
model  of  liumanity.  "Well  may  the  familia/ 
legend  of  St.  Joim  in  the  churches  of  Ephesul 
confirm  this  sublime  truth. 

From  this  point  to  the  end  of  the  chapter 
(ver.  27)  Christ  unfolded  the  consequences, 
to  the  unbelieving  world,  of  the  sacre.l 
union  between  himself  and  his  disciples, 
and  he  discussed  the  reciprocal  relation;* 
between  his  own  disciples  and  the  world, 
seeing  that  they  are  united  with  him  in 
such  a  close  incorporation. 

Ver.  18. — You  need  not  be  surprised  U 
the  world  hate  you.  "  The  world,"  Kdcrnoi 
(five  times  used  in  strongly  emphatic  man- 
ner), is  humanity  apart  from  grace.  This 
world  will  despise  and  hate  your  mutual 
love,  will  scorn  your  love  to  itself  for  my 
sake,  will  detest  the  higher  and  unworldly 
standard  which  you  will  set  up.  But  hera 
is  some  consolation.  Know  (yivdoaKire  im-« 
perative,  as  fnvrjixoviViTi  in  ver.  20)  that  it 
has  hated  me  before  (it  hated)  you.  "  Me 
first,  me  most"  (I;ange).  "The  superlative 
contains  the  comparative"  (Tholuck).  "  This 
hatred  is  a  community  of  destiny  with  me  " 
(Meyer).  You  know  how  it  has  hated  me, 
and  hunted  me  from  Bethlehem  to  Egypt, 
from  Nazareth  to  Capernaum,  from  Gergesa 
to  Jerusalem.  Be  not  surprised  if  it  hate  you. 

Ver.  19.— If  ye  were  of  the  world— /.e. 
still  a  part  of  it,  deriving  your  life,  maxims, 
and  pleasures  from  it;  if  you  could  sym- 
pathize with  its  vulgar  passion,  and  its 
temporary  fleeting  excitements,  partisanships, 
and  bigotries — the  world  would  be  loving 
(i(pt\el,  notice  the  form  of  the  conditional 
sentence,  a  supposition  contrary  to  fact,- 
therefore  anticipating  the  negative  clause 
that  follows,  "  but  ye  are  not  of  the  world  ; " 
notice  also  that  <pl\tw,  the  love  of  affection, 
not  d7an-oai,  the  love  of  reverence  and  pro- 
fountl  regard,  which  you  are  to  show  to  ouo 


274 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xv.  1— 27. 


another  and  to  me) — wonld  be  loving  its 
own.  The  world  loves  Its  priests  and  mouth- 
pieces, its  own  organization  ("  Caiaphas, 
Pilate,  Herod,  and  Judas,  and  all  devils," 
Luther);  the  world  loves  its  own  offspring. 
But  because  ye  are  not  of  the  world,  but  I 
chose  you,  withdrawing  you  for  my  service, 
out  of  the  world  (the  two  meanings  of  (k 
liere  diifer;  the  first  e/c  denotes  origin,  the 
second  corressponds  with  the  compound  e«-  in 
fK\4yoixat),  therefore  the  world  hateth  you. 
I  have  caused  you  to  break  with  it,  and  you 
are  no  longer  "  its  own."  Just  in  propor- 
tion as  you  are  one  with  me,  you  draw  upon 
yourself  its  hatred  of  me.  "The  offence  of 
the  cross''  is  not  ceased.  Thoma  comments 
on  the  harmony  between  tliis  statement  and 
that  of  the  Acts,  Epistles,  and  Apocalypse, 
whose  colours  and  features  are  here,  as  he 
thinks,  drawn  upon.  It  is  profoundly  inter- 
Osting  to  trace  the  fulfilment  of  the  Lord's 
prescient  words  in  earlier  Scripture  (1  Pet. 
iv.  17;  Kom.  viii.  17;  Gal.  vi.  17;  Phil.  iii. 
10 ;  Heb.  xii.  3). 

Ver.  20. — Remember  the  word  which  I 
spake  to  you  (see  Matt.  x.  24,  but  especially 
ch.  xiii.  It),  where  Christ  used  the  proverb), 
The  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  lord.  In 
ch.  xiii.  16  the  idea  was  used  to  enforce  the 
spirit  of  humility  and  mutual  service ;  it 
applies  also  here,  but  in  another  sense.  The 
disciples  are  not  to  expect  better  treatment 
from  the  world  than  their  Lord  met  with. 
If  they  (used  of  "  the  world  "  in  its  special 
concrete  manifestations;  "they"  of  Nazareth 
and  Capernaum  and  Jerusalem  correspond 
with  the  "they"  of  Lycaonia,  Ephesus, 
Thessalouica,  and  Rome)  persecuted  me, 
they  will  persecute — drive  away  from  them 
— you  also.  The  "if"  is  remarkably  ex- 
plicit ;  there  is  no  doubt  about  it  in  Christ's 
case,  and  the  supposition  is  one  of  defi- 
nite and  acknowledged  fact,  and  the  con- 
ditional sentence  most  positively  assures 
them  of  antagonism  and  persecution.  It  is 
probable,  though  not  certainly  known,  that 
these  disciples  all  endured  a  living  martyr- 
dom, if  not  a  cruel  death  in  his  cause.  Then 
follows  a  sentence  which  has  by  some 
unwisely  been  supposed  to  be  ironical, 
and  by  others  to  refer  to  anotiier  subject. 
If  they — others,  or  many,  or  some — kept 
(i.e.  "observed,"  "obeyed,"  not  as  Bengel 
supposed,  "laid  in  wait,"  or  "kept  malici- 
ously ")  my  word,  they  will  keep  yours  also.' 
Why  should   irony  be   interpolated   here? 

'  See  ch.  viii.  51 ;  xiv.  23;  xvii.  6;  and 
other  passages  in  John  ;  see  also  Rev.  iii.  8, 
10.  Plummer  points  out  that  both  phrases 
link  the  Gospel  with  the  First  Epistle  and 
with  the  Apocalypse  (1  John  ii.  3, 4  ;  iii.  22, 
24 ;  V.  2,  3 ;  Rev.  iii.  8, 10 ;  xii.  17 ;  xiv.  12 ; 
xxii.  7,  9). 


Surely  the  whole  contact  with  the  world 
was  not  an  utter  failure.  Christ  did  win 
persons  from  all  classes,  and  they  loved 
him,  with  a  passionjite  love:  and  so  the 
apostles,  and  all  who  "go  forth  to  bear 
fruit,"  may  hope  for  some  victories,  and 
will  travail  in  birth  with  the  souls  of  men. 

Ver.  21. — But  all  these  things  will  they 
do  unto  you.'  By  waj'  of  consolation,  he 
added,  in  view  of  the  antagonism  which  the 
world  would  deliberately  pursue  towards 
them.  For  my  Name's  sake.  Many  suppose 
that  the  consolatory  element  is  emphasized  in 
this  clause.  However,  the  idea  contained  in 
the  5ia  rb  ovofid  fxov  has  been  already  ex- 
pressed in  the  previous  verses,  and  the  whole 
of  the  verse  so  far  merely  gathers  it  up  for 
a  new  and  suggestive  explanation.  For  the 
Name  of  Christ  these  disciples  will  not  only 
pray,  labour,  suffer,  and  die,  but  in  the 
power  of  it  they  will  transmute  their  sorrows 
into  raptures,  their  tribulations  into  glory. 
Because  they  know  not  him  that  sent  me. 
If  1hcy  had  known  the  heart  and  nature  of 
the  Sender,  they  would  have  understood  the 
mission  of  the  Saviour,  and  would  neither 
have  hated  him  nor  his  representations, 
(Here  Liicke,  Hengsteuberg,  Luthardt,  and 
Lange  are  preferable  to  Meyer  and  Godet.) 
It  is  utter  grief  to  Jesus  that  the  world  has 
been  ignorant  of  the  Father.  This  igno- 
rance explains  its  antagonism  to  the  repre- 
sentatives of  Christ,  and  is  the  most  appalling 
witness  to  its  own  depravation.  No  fact  is 
more  patent  in  the  entire  history  of  human 
thoughts  about  God  than  this,  that  "  the 
world  by  wisdom  knows  him  not,"  nay,  it 
travesties  his  Name,  misrepresents  his  cha- 
racter, distrusts,  fears,  and  flees  from  the 
face  of  God.  It  was  left  to  Christ  to  reveal 
the  Father.  In  many  different  mental  ten- 
dencies even  Christendom  has  obscured  or 
denied  the  Fatlierhood. 

Ver.  22. — If  I  had  not  come,  as  the  in- 
carnate Word  of  God,  if  I  had  not  fulfilled 
the  promises  and  come  forth  from  God  into 
the  world  to  reveal  the  Father,  and  spoken 
to  them,  made  known  to  them  the  thought 
and  Spirit  of  God,  made  it  possible  for  them 
to  know  the  essence  of  the  only  true  God, 
they  had  had  ^  no  sin ;  they  would  not  have 
resisted  the  highest  love,  their  alienation 

*  Els  vnas  is  the  reading  N*,  B,  D,  L,  1, 
33,  and  is  adopted  by  Tischendorf  (8th 
edit),  R.T.,  and  Tregelles;  while  ir.uTj'  of 
T.R.  rests  on  A,  D^,  r,  A,  A,  and  other 
uncials  and  several  versions. 

2  "  To  have  sin  "  is  a  phrase  peculiar  to 
John  (ch.  xix.  11 ;  1  John  i.  8).  Tischen- 
dorf (Sth  edit.),  Tregelles,  Westcott  and 
Hort,  with  X*,  B,  L,  etc.,  here  read  ilxoaav, 
an  Alexandrine  form ;  but  not  the  T.R.  or 
R.T.     D*  reads  dxuv. 


CH.  XV.  1—27.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


275 


in  this  respect  would  not  have  been  a 
violiition  of  tlie  most  solemn  and  gracious 
dcmauils  of  the  Father.  The  greatest  sin 
is  the  refusal  of  the  most  complete  revela- 
tion, and  by  the  side  of  this  all  other  sin 
becomes  comparatively  trivial.  Our  Lord 
could  not  have  spoken  of  the  hatred  of  him- 
self or  his  disciples  (so  LUcke  and  Meyer) 
as  this  sin,  because  it  would  have  been 
obviously  impossible  to  hate'  a  non-existont 
revelation  or  rcvealer.  It  is  the  deeper  fall 
which  is  consequent  upon  a  deliberate  rejec- 
tionof  the  higliest  love.  Formerly, they  would 
have  been  in  the  condition  of  those  whose  sins 
of  ignorance  God  overlooks  (Acts  xvii.  30). 
and  to  whoso  afi.apTriiJ.aTa  in  the  past  God 
has  exercised  irapeins,  in  anticipation  of  the 
coming  grace.  But  now  (Luke  in  numerous 
places  uses  this  expression  to  form  a  strong 
contrast)  they  have  no  excuse  or  pretext 
for  their  sin,  ur  concerning  tlieir  sin.  They 
can  plead  no  justification.  The  word  irp6- 
(pacris  is  an  oTra^  KfyS/devov,  and  is  not  "  cloak 
or  covering,"  but  "  palliation  or  excuse  "  for 
manifest  sin.  So  long  as  men  have  seen  no 
deeper  into  the  nature  of  God  than  tliey 
can  go  with  the  aid  of  mere  phenomena  or 
ratiocination  on  the  details  of  creation,  their 
fears  and  even  their  hatreds  formulated  into 
grim  legend,  or  uncouth  idols,  or  repellent 
hypothesis,  are  a  natural  outcome  of  a  nature 
so  corrupt ;  but  they  ought  to  have  found  in 
Christ  a  deeper  revelation,  a  summons  to 
service  and  adoring  love.  In  rejecting  the 
idea  of  God  which  I  have  set  before  them 
they  have  no  excuse.  St.  Paul  (Rom.  i.  20) 
declares  that  those  who  have  defamed  the 
great  characteristic  of  God  which  may  be 
learned  from  nature  are  without  excuse.  Cer- 
tainly our  Lord  does  not  say  this  here. 

Ver.  23. — He  that  hateth  me,  and  by  im- 
plication will  hate  you,  hateth  my  Father 
also.  The  hatred  of  goodness  in  me,  tiie 
refusal  to  accept  my  representation  of  their 
Father  and  mine,  becomes  a  distinct  liatred 
of  God  himself  as  I  have  revealed  him.  A 
God  of  war,  a  God  of  partisan  jealousy  for 
the  honour  of  Israel,  a  God  who  would 
palliate  fratricidal  feud,  and  overlook  blas- 
phemous indiflference  to  his  true  character, 
they  might  have  tolerated;  but  the  Father- 
(jod,  whom  tliey  might  have  heard  and  seen 
in  Christ,  ia  hated  by  them. 

Ver.  24. — If  I  had  not  done  among  them 
works  which  none  other  did.'  litre  he 
comes  down  from  "  AVord  "  to  "  work,"  and 
indicates  the  lower  agency,  that  of  works, 
which  are  neither  inoperative  nor  valueless. 


•  'Eirolrjcrev  is  the  reading  of  X,  A,  B,  D,  I, 
K,  L,  X,  n,  1,  13,  33,  etc. ;  and  is  read  by 
Trcgelies,  Tisohendorf  (l^th  edit.),  K.T.,  and 
"Westcott  and  Hort;  while  E,  G,  H,  M,  and 
some  others  read/witli  T.R.,  iT€Troir\Ktv. 


and  which  transcend  all  other  similar  deeds. 
They  are  works  of  the  Son  of  God,  works  of 
creation  and  of  healing,  triumphant  conflict 
with  the  forces  of  nature  and  the  malice  of 
the  devil,  of  a  kind  which  may  be  compared 
with,  but  which  exceed  all  human  and 
angelic  ministry.  They  had  not  had  sin,  but 
now  they  have  both  seen  and  hated  both  me 
and  my  Father.  The  works  as  well  as  the 
words  of  Christ  might  have  softened  their 
hearts,  but  the  Divine  claims,  which  wen; 
thus  pressed  home  upon  the  conscience,  pro- 
voked their  malice.  "  They  took  counsel  to 
kill  him  ; "  "  They  took  up  stones  to  stone 
him."  They  hated  God  as  God,  and  goodness 
and  truth  just  because  they  were  goodness 
and  truth.  The  awful  condemnation  is 
here  pronounced.  "  that  men  loved  darkness 
rather  than  light."  They  positively  saw 
their  Father,  and  hated  him.  Tiiis  is  the 
most  terrible  condemnation  that  can  be  pro- 
nounced on  moral  beings. 

Ver.  25. — Strange  is  it  that  even  here  the 
ancient  psalmist,  in  portraying  the  ideal 
Sutferer  (Ps.  Ixix.  4  ;  xxxv.  19),  had  seized 
this  feature,  and  thus  anticipated  the  treat- 
ment of  the  Son  of  God.  But  this  cometh 
to  jX(.<s  (some  clause  of  tJiis  kind  must  be 
introduced  to  give  true  force  to  oA.\o  and 
iVa)  that  the  word  might  be  fulfilled  that 
has  been  written  in  their  Law.  Not  only 
here  but  elsewhere  Jesus  speaks  of  the 
Psalms  as  a  part  of  the  Law  (see  note,  ch. 
X.  31).  Other  passages  may,  from  tiieir 
similarity,  have  been  in  Christ's  mind,  as 
receiving  fulfilment  or  abundant  illustra- 
tion in  their  conduct.  The  use  of  the  ex- 
pression, "  their  Law,"  has  been  pressed  by 
many  as  procf  that  tlie  writer  of  this  Gospel 
did  not  regard  himself  as  a  Jew  at  all. 
Such  numerous  indications  occur  of  the 
opposite  conclusion,  that  this  expression 
must  receive  the  more  rational  interpreta- 
tion— the  Law  in  which  they  pride  them- 
selves, the  Law  which  is  ever  in  their 
mouths,  the  Law  which  itself  contains  the 
portraiture  of  their  sjjirit :  They  hated  me 
gratuitously ;  causdessly.  The  true  Christ 
was,  when  ho  came,  the  object  of  reason- 
less, causeless  hate  and  opposition.  Jesus 
knew,  when  lie  claimed  to  bo  the  Clirist, 
that  he  would  have  to  complete  and  fulfil 
the  solemn  portraiture  of  the  suftering, 
burden-bearing,  and  rejected  Christ,  as  well 
as  that  of  the  triumphant  Christ  an<l  King. 

Vers.  2G,  27. — A  new  source  of  consolation 
now  appears.  Already  twice  over  he  has 
spoken  of  tlio  Paraclete  (ch.  xiv.  IG  and  26), 
(1)  as  being  sent  by  the  Father  in  answer  to 
his  prayer,  to  be  tlie  compensation  to  his 
disciples  for  iiis  personal  departure,  and 
also  (2)  as  the  Instructor  and  Leader  into 
all  tiiith.  Once  more  he  promises  great 
things  and  mighty  aid  in  their  conflict  with 


276 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [en.  xv.  1—27. 


the  world's  hate  by  the  mission  of  the  Com- 
forter. This  great  mission  is  said  to  be  his 
own.  Whensoever  the  Paraclete  of  whom  I 
have  spoken  shall  have  come,  whom  I  will 
send  to  you  from  (the  side  of,  napa)  the 
Father,  the  Spirit  of  the  truth,  which  pro- 
ceedeth  from  (wapa.)  the  Father,  he  (4k(7vos) 
shall  bear  witness  concerning  me,  and  you 
also  bear  witness  because  ye  are  with  me 
from  the  beginning  of  the  Messianic  work 
{air'  apxvs,  not  iv  apx'?)-  This  is  the  great 
text  on  which  the  Western  Church  and  the 
Greeks  have  alike  relied  for  their  doctrine 
concerning  the  "procession  of  the  Spirit," 
the  timeless,  pre-mundane  relations  among 
the  Personalities  of  the  Godhead.  The 
expression  ^/tiropeuerai  only  occurs  in  this 
place,  and  from  it  (Kiropevms  became  the 
ecclesiastical  term  for  the  relation  which 
the  Holy  Spirit  sustains  to  the  Father,  just 
as  yevv/iffi'i  was  the  especial  term  to  denote 
the  peculiarity  of  the  Son,  and  just  as 
ayivvr\aia,  the  condition  of  unbegottenness 
and  paternity  was  that  used  to  denote  the 
Father's  own  hypostatic  distinction.  The 
Holy  Spirit  is  ever  proceeding,  issuing  forth 
from,  sent  by  the  Father  on  his  work  of 
Divine  self-manifestation  and  Divine  activity 
in  the  universe.  Of  this  there  can  be  no 
question,  and  the  Nicene  symbol  originally 
expressed  it  without  amplification,  and  the 
Greeks  founded  upon  it  their  conception  of 
the  Trinity.  The  relation  of  the  Son  and 
Spirit  to  the  Father  were  believed  to  be 
co-ordinate ;  and,  though  both  were  of  the 
same  eternal  substance,  yet  both  were  equal 
to  the  Father.  But  the  Western  Church  in 
after-years  —  notwithstanding  the  tremen- 
dous anathemas  against  all  alteration  which 
guarded  the  Nicene  and  Chalcedonian  for- 
mulae— felt  that  the  whole  truth  concerning 
the  Divinity  of  the  Son  was  concealed,  if 
the  idea  was  not  also  conveyed  which  our 
Lord  utters  side  by  side  vnth  the  fKiropeverai 
TTapa  Tov  TlaTp6s  in  this  verse,  Christ  says, 
"  I  will  send  him  itapa  tov  narpSs,"  and 
this  must  be  compared  with  (ch.  xiv.  26), 
"whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my  Name;" 
and  the  Latins,  to  express  this  thought, 
added  filioque  to  tlie  phrase,  "  proceeding 
from  the  Father,"  and  claimed  our  Lord 
as  equally  the  Source  of  the  Divine  Spirit 
with  the  Father,  so  that  it  runs,  "  pro- 
ceeding from  the  Father  and  the  Son." 
In  the  endless  discussions  that  arose,  the 
two  Churches  probably  meant  to  effect  the 
same  thing,  viz.  to  affirm  the  glory  and 
perfect   Deity  of   the    Lord   Christ.     The 


Greeks,  in  ancient  times,  never  limited  their 
statement  to  "proceeding  from  the  Father 
only ; "  nor  did  they  object  to  add,  "  through 
or  by  the  Son ;  "  but  it  is  probable  that 
Augustine  and  the  Western  Church,  and 
the  liturgical  forms  that  arose  in  it,  ap- 
proach a  little  more  closely  to  the  reality 
and  quality  of  hitn  who  said,  "  I  and  my 
Father  are  one"  in  this  respect,  that  the 
Spirit  proceedeth  from  the  Father  and  Sou, 
when  he  comes  into  human  hearts  and 
testifies  of  Christ.  There  are  those  (Beza, 
Luthardt,  Alford,  Meyer)  who  urge  that 
these  passages  do  not  bear  at  all  upon  the  in- 
ternal relations  of  the  Godhead,  but  simply 
refer  to  the  temporal  mission  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  "  The  words,"  says  Luthardt,  "must 
be  understood  historically,  not  metaphysi- 
cally," and  much  may  be  said  in  favour  of 
this  view.  If  this  verse  does  not  furnish 
the  basis  of  an  argument,  there  is  no  other 
which  can  be  advanced  to  establish  the  view 
either  of  the  Eastern  or  AVestern  Church. 
The  witness  of  the  Paraclete  is  said  here  to 
cover  the  gravest  difficulties  and  provide  the 
richest  consolations.  If  the  Lord  intended 
to  teach  the  fundamental  nature  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  the  literal  statement  would  be  a 
powerful  defence  of  the  Greek  doctrine;  but 
if  the  passage  here  speaks  of  the  official 
work  and  temporal  mission,  the  words  have 
no  direct  bearing  upon  that  doctrine.  The 
denial  of  the  filioque  has  th(;  logical  tendency 
to  make  the  Spirit  and  Son  co-ordinate  and 
subordinate  emanations  of  the  Father,  and  so 
to  go  back  to  the  monarchianism  from  which 
the  Church  escaped  at  Nicaea.  (See  Pearson 
on  the  Creed,  art.  viii. ;  '  Diet.  Christian 
Biography,'  art.  "Holy  Ghost;"  Smeaton, 
'  Doctrine  of  the  Huly  Spirit ; '  Hagenbach, 
'  History  of  Christian  Doctrines.')  The 
supernatural  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  will 
counteract  the  hatred  in  the  world  by 
regenerating  individuals  within  it.  More 
than  that,  said  Christ,  he  {eKe7vos)  will  bear 
witness  to  me,  in  the  Divine  strength  and 
courage  which  he  will  give  to  you,  in  the 
new  and  corrective  ideas  which  he  will 
supply,  in  the  gr-eat  works  seen  to  be  mine, 
which  you  will  have  grace  to  initiate  (see 
Acts  i.  8  ;  ii. ;  iv.  31 ;  v.  32, — passages  where 
the  "Acts  of  the  Apostles"  are  seen  to  be 
"  Acts  of  the  Risen  Jesus ") ;  and  ye  also 
hear  ioitness,etc.  Your  own  experience  of  me 
from  the  commencement  of  my  ministry  will 
give  you  a  class  of  testimony  which  will 
leave  an  indelible  impression  on  the  heart 
of  the  world. 


EOMILETICS. 

Vers.  1 — 8. —  The  vine  and  the  "branches.     This  discourse  of  our  Lord  had  relation  to 
the  new  position  of  the  disciples  that  would  be  created  by  his  departure. 


CH.  XV.  1—27.]      THE  GOSPEL   ACCOEDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  277 

I.  The  nature  of  the  new  situation  created  by  Pentecost.  "  I  am  the  true 
Vine,  and  my  Father  is  the  HusbaiKlmaii."  1.  Christ  is  the  true  and  essential  Life  of  his 
people.  He  lives  in  his  people  by  his  Spirit.  He  is  at  once  the  Root  and  the  Stock  from 
which  the  branches  derive  their  sap  and  nourishment.  2.  The  Father  is  the  Husband- 
man, at  once  Proprietor  and  Cultivator.  He  engrafts  the  plants  into  the  vine,  as  hu 
supports  and  guards  the  vine  itself,  that  it  may  bring  forth  fruit  abundantly.  Christ  is 
"the  Plant  of  renown;"  "the  Branch  thou  niadcst  strong  for  thyself."  3.  The  operations 
of  the  Husbandman.  (1)  He  cuts  off  the  unfruitful  branch.  "Every  branch  that  bcaretli 
not  fruit  in  me  he  takcth  away."  This  refers  to  seeming  members  of  the  Church,  for 
none  are  in  Christ  but  such  as  are  "new  creatures."  (a)  God  knows  the  inner  character 
of  every  man.  (6)  Fruit,  as  the  result  of  growth,  is  the  end  of  the  plant.  Therefore  a 
fruitless  man  has  lost  the  end  of  his  being,  (c)  God  takes  away  tlie  fruitless  man  (o) 
by  death,  (i8)  by  judgment.  (2)  He  purges  the  fruitful  branch,  so  as  to  concentrate  the 
sap  in  the  cluster  that  is  preparing  the  fruit.  So  true  members  of  Christ  are  purged  (a) 
by  afflictions  and  (i)  temptations,  that  they  may  not  be  barren  or  unfruitful  in  the  know- 
ledge of  Christ.  4.  The  instrumentality  of  this  purging  process.  *'  As  for  j^ou,  j'e  are 
clean  already  because  of  the  Word  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you."  The  Word  of  Christ 
is  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword  for  this  severe  discipline  ;  it  is  a  discerner  of  the 
thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart.  It  thus  enables  the  believer  to  see  the  plague  of 
his  own  heart. 

IF.  The  necessity  of  a  permanent  fellowship  with  Christ.  "Abide  in  me, 
and  I  in  you.  As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself,  except  it  abide  in  the  vine ; 
no  more  can  ye,  except  ye  abide  in  me."  1.  The  union  of  the  branch  ivith  the  vine  is  the 
very  law  of  its  life  andfruitfulness.  "  I  live  ;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me"  (Gal. 
ii.  20).  2.  The  union  is  continuously  sustained  in  the  believer's  soul  by  constant  acts  of 
faith  and  love.  3.  The  absolute  dependence  of  the  believer  tipon  Christ  for  all  his  power. 
"  Apart  from  me  ye  can  do  nothing." 

III.  The  terrible  consequences  of  living  outside  this  fellowship.  "  If  a  man 
abide  not  in  me,  he  is  cast  forth  as  a  branch,  and  is  withered ;  and  men  gather  them, 
and  cast  them  into  the  fire,  and  they  burn."  1.  The  man  ivho  rejects  Christ  is  himself 
rejected.  2.  The  faculty  that  is  disused  loses  its  vitality,  and  is  ultimately  extirputtd. 
3.    TJiere  is  a  final  judgment  which  ends  in  unquenchable  fire. 

IV.  The  glorious  privilege  of  those  in  fellowship  with  Christ.  "  If  ye  abide 
in  me,  and  my  words  abide  in  3'^ou,  ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  dune  unto 
you."  1.  The  privilege  is  the  abundant  answer  to  prayer.  Those  who  abide  in  Christ 
receive  of  his  fulness;  for  all  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus  is  theirs,  through  federal  relation- 
ship and  vital  identification  with  him.  2.  The  condition  of  the  privilege.  (1)  The 
believer  must  continue  in  the  fellowship  of  Christ.  (2)  The  "Word  of  Christ  is  at  once 
the  means  and  the  evidence  of  this  felluwsliip. 

V.  The  result  of  this  Christian  fruitfulness.  "  Herein  is  my  Father  glorified, 
that  ye  hear  much  fruit ;  and  ye  shall  become  my  disciples."  1.  17ie  Father's  glory  is 
iflentified  with  the  fruit-bearing  vitality  of  the  believer.  It  displays  the  glory  of  his 
power,  grace,  and  mercy.  All  tlie  fruits  of  righteousness  are  by  Christ,  to  the  praise 
and  glory  of  God.     2.   Christ  is  honoured  by  a  fruitful  discipleship. 

Vers.  9 — 16. —  The  condition  of  abiding  under  the  power  of  ChrisVs  love.  I.  The 
sphere  and  condition  of  union,  "  As  the  Father  hath  loved  me,  I  have  also  loved 
you  :  abide  in  my  love."  1.  The  relation  between  the  Father  and  the  Son  is  the  absolute 
type  of  the  union  between  Christ  and  believers.  2.  The  love  of  Christ  is  the  sphere  or 
atmosphere  in  which  the  disciple  lives.  "  We  love  him,  because  he  first  loved  us."  3. 
The  disciple  is  under  no  other  amdition  than  that  to  which  the  So7i  is  subject  with  the 
Father.  "If ye  keep  my  commandments,  ye  shall  abide  in  my  love;  even  as  1  have 
kept  my  Father's  commandments,  and  abide  in  his  love."  Our  obedience  is  the  proof 
of  our  love  to  Christ,  while  our  love  in  turn  assures  our  obedience. 

II.  The  issue  of  union — joy.  "  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  my  joy 
might  be  in  you,  and  that  your  joy  might  be  full."  1.  The  joy  of  Clirist  is  the  joy  of 
self-sacrifice,  in  constant  obedience  to  his  Father.  This  he  desires  his  disciples  to  enjoy. 
Thus  he  guarantees  their  true  blessedness.  2.  Their  joy  ivill  grow  in  power  and  depth 
by  their  obedience,  as  they  will  thus  be  drawn  closer  to  Christ.   3.   Tlie  obedience  to  which 


278  THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xv.  1—27. 

they  are  called  is  concentrated  in  brotherly  love.  "  This  is  my  commandment,  That  ye 
love  one  another,  as  I  have  loved  you."  (1)  The  commandment,  (a)  It  is  a  new 
commandment  (John  xiii.  34).  (b)  It  is  an  old  commandment  (2  John  5).  (c)  It 
commends  itself  to  the  moral  nature  of  man.  (d)  It  is  the  mainspring  of  social  happi- 
ness. (2)  Mark  the  model  or  pattern:  "As  I  have  loved  you."  Jesus  loved  his 
disciples  with  a  love  which  was  (a)  strong,  (6)  tender,  (c)  patient,  (d)  enduring,  (e)  self- 
sacrificing.  "  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his 
friends." 

III.  Intimacy  of  the  relation  which  Christ  has  established  between  himself 
AND  HIS  DISCIPLES.  "  Yc  are  my  friends,  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  yon.  I  no 
longer  call  you  servants ;  because  the  servant  knoweth  not  what  his  lord  doeth  :  but  I 
have  called  you  friends;  for  all  things  that  I  have  heard  of  my  Father  I  have  made 
known  to  you."  1.  The  relation  of  God  to  his  people  iinder  the  Law  was  that  of 
Master  and  servant.  But  Jesus  establishes  a  new  relation,  which  heightens  the  dignity 
of  discipleship.  2.  Tlie  condition  of  the  new  relation  was  a  free,  unrestrained  confi- 
dence hetiveen  Christ  and  his  disciples  respecting  the  full  knoivledge  of  Divine  things. 
3.   This  fuller  knowledge  would  of  itself  enhance  the  intensity  of  love. 

IV.  The  Divine  choice,  with  its  blessed  design  and  effects.  "  Ye  have  not 
chosen  me,  but  I  have  chosen  you."  1.  Whether  the  election  is  to  salvation  or  apostle- 
ship,  the  ground  or  cause  was  not  in  man.  The  blessed  initiative  was  taken  by  Christ. 
2.  Design  of  the  election.  "And  appointed  you,  that  ye  should  go  and  bear  fruit."  These 
words  imply  (1)  that  the  disciples  should  take  an  independent  place  for  themselves 
(uTToyrjTe,  go  away)  ;  (2)  that  they  should  be  abundant  and  effective  in  labours ;  (3)  and 
that  the  effect  of  their  labours  should  be  lasting.  3.  Encouragement  to  labour.  "  That 
whatsoever  ye  ask  the  Father  in  my  Name,  he  may  give  it  you."  A  fruitful  obedience 
has  its  reward  in  gracious  answers  to  prayer. 

Vers.  17 — 27. —  The  disciples  and  the  world.  Our  Lord  turns  to  a  new  thought — the 
relation  of  his  disciples  to  the  world. 

I.  The  scope  of  all  Christ's  teaching  is  to  develop  love.  "  These  things  I 
command  you,  that  ye  may  love  one  another."  1.  This  love  is  to  be  the  characteristic  of 
the  new  kingdom,  and  thus  the  strong  attraction  of  the  gospel.  2.  Tet,  essentially  noble 
as  it  is,  it  will  challenge  the  hostility  of  a  world  otit  of  all  sympathy  with  Christ. 

II.  The  cause  of  the  world's  hatred  to  believers.  "If  the  world  hate  you,  ye 
know  that  it  hated  me  before  it  hated  you."  1.  It  is  a  terrible  indictment  against  the 
Jews  that  they  should  represent  in  their  relations  to  Christ  the  overt  hatred  of  "  the 
world."  2.  The  hatred  in  question  is  a  proof  of  the  union  between  Christ  and  his 
disciples.  He  is  the  Head,  they  are  the  members  of  the  persecuted  body.  3.  The 
thought  of  this  union  ought  to  strengthen  the  disciples  in  view  of  the  world's  hatred.  4. 
The  principle  of  this  hatred.     "  If  ye  were  of  the  world,  the  world  would  love  its  own." 

(1)  The  world's  love  is  selfish;  it  loves  what  is  consonant  to  itself  in  idea  and  feeling. 

(2)  The  disciples,  not  being  of  the  world,  but  "  chosen  out  of  the  world,"  had  the  dis- 
tinction of  attracting  to  themselves  the  natural  hostility  of  a  world  out  of  all  sympathy 
with  their  hopes.  5.  The  world's  hatred  traced  to  its  true  source.  "  But  all  these 
things  will  they  do  unto  you  for  my  Name's  sake,  because  they  know  not  him  that  sent 
me."  (1)  The  disciples  were  led  to  expect  persecution  as  their  inevitable  lot.  (2)  It 
would  be  immediately  caused  by  their  attachment  to  Christ's  cause.  (3)  Its  true 
source  was  the  world's  ignorance  of  God. 

III.  The  responsibility  of  the  world  for  its  hatred.  It  had  no  excuse  for  its 
hostility.  1.  There  was  the  testimony  of  Christ's  teaching,  niaking  the  Father  known, 
which  would  judge  the  world.  "  If  I  had  not  come  and  spoken  to  them,  they  had  not 
had  sin  :  but  now  they  have  no  excuse  for  their  sin."  (1)  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  sin 
against  light.  (2)  It  is  impossible  to  escape  the  just  judgment  of  God.  2.  There  was 
the  testimony  of  his  miracles.  "  If  I  had  not  done  among  them  the  works  which  none 
other  man  did,  they  had  not  had  sin  :  but  now  have  they  both  seen  and  hated  me  and 
my  Father."  (1)  The  miracles  were  like  no  other  miracles  in  respect  of  their  nature 
and  effects.  (2)  The  miracles  were  the  revelation  of  the  Father  through  the  Son  ;  yet 
the  Jews  ascribed  them  to  the  power  of  evil.  (3)  The  prophetic  solution  of  their 
hatred.     "  But  this  is  that  the  word  might  be  fulfilled  that  is  written  in  their  Law, 


CH.  XV.  1—27.]       THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  279 

They  hated  me  without  a  cause."    There  was  uothiog  to  justify  the  hatred  of  such  a 
pure  and  loviiii:;  Spirit. 

IV.  The  new  power  that  is  to  sustain  the  disciples  in  their  conflict  with 
THE  WORLD — THE  UoLY  Ghost.  1.  The  mission  of  the  Cvmforter.  "  But  when  the 
Comforter  is  come,  wliom  I  will  send  unto  you  from  the  Fatlier,  the  Spirit  of  truth, 
who  proceedeth  from  the  Father,  he  shnll  testify  of  me."  (1)  The  qualifications  of  the 
Comforter  for  his  oflice.  (a)  He  proceeds  eternally  from  the  Father.  His  witness, 
therefore,  will  be  that  of  the  Father  himself,  (h)  He  will  be  sent  by  the  Son.  This 
implies  the  approaching  departure  of  Christ  to  another  world,  (c)  He  possesses,  com- 
municates, and  applies  the  truth  ;  for  he  is  the  Spirit  of  Truth.  (2)  The  testimony  of 
the  Comforter.  "He  shall  testify  of  me."  (a)  To  the  apostles,  who  will  thenceforth 
understand  the  truth  ;  (i)  to  the  world,  iu  the  dispersion  of  its  darkness,  in  the  new  light 
thrown  upon  the  Person  and  work  of  Christ,  and  in  all  the  blessings  of  an  understood 
gosi)el.  "He  witnesseth  with  our  spirits  that  we  are  the  children  of  God"  (Pom.  viii. 
16).  2.  Tlie  testimony  of  the  apostles  themselves.  "And  ye  also  shall  bear  witness, 
because  ye  have  been  with  me  from  the  beginning."  (1)  It  was  necessary  to  have  their 
personal  testimony  respecting  the  facts  of  his  life  from  the  beginning  of  his  ministry. 
Christianity  is  more  than  a  life ;  it  is  more  than  a  system  of  doctrines ;  it  is  a  record  of 
historical  facts,  which  give  the  doctrines  all  their  meaning,  and  the  life  all  its  blessed- 
ness. (2)  The  gospel  was  to  be  received  by  faith  in  all  future  ages.  The  earliest 
witnesses  were  to  guide  the  faith  of  the  Church.  (3)  The  apostles  accordingly  dis- 
tinguished between  their  own  experience  and  the  internal  witness  of  the  Spirit 
(Acts  V.  32). 


HOMILIES   BY   VARIOUS   AUTHORS. 

Vers.  1 — 8. — The  vine  and  the  branches.  If  these  words  were  spoken  in  the  house, 
they  may  have  been  suggested  by  a  creeping,  clinging  vine  trained  against  the  wall  ; 
if  ujwn  the  footpath,  by  the  vineyards  on  the  slope  of  Olivet ;  if  in  the  temple,  by  the 
golden  vine  wrought  upon  the  gates. 

I.  The  vine  in  itself  is  a  suitable  emblem  of  Christ.  Its  beauty,  as  planted, 
trained,  or  trellised ;  its  grateful  shade  ;  its  fruit,  whether  fresh  and  luscious  or  dried ; 
its  wine,  "  that  maketh  glad  the  heart  of  hian ;  " — all  render  it  not  only  interesting,  but 
suitable  to  set  forth  in  symbol  the  excellence  of  the  Redeemer,  his  nobility,  beauty, 
preciousness,  and  use  to  man.  Palestine  was  a  land  of  vineyards :  witness  the  grapes 
of  Eshcol ;  Judah  binding  his  foal  to  the  vine,  etc.  Hence  most  naturally  the  vine  was 
used  in  Old  Testament  Scripture  as  an  emblem  of  the  chosen  nation,  and  hence  Jesus 
in  his  parables  put  the  noble  plant  to  the  same  use.  No  wonder  that  our  Lord  applied 
to  himself  and  to  his  people  a  designation  so  instructive. 

II.  The  vine  is  an  emblem  of  Christ,  especially  as  the  Source  of  spiritual 
life.  1.  He  is  the  divinely  appointed  Root  and  Stem  upon  which  the  branches  depend; 
the  Superior  with  which  they,  the  inferior,  are  related  in  dependence.  The  vine-stock 
survives  even  if  the  branch  be  cut  off  and  left  to  die.  We  are  dependent  upon  Christ ;  he 
is  not  dependent  upon  us.  2.  A  close  and  vital  union  joins  the  branches  to  the  vine, 
and  Christians  to  their  Lord.  The  life  which  is  naturally  Christ's  becomes  ours  through 
our  union  by  faith  with  him.  3.  Yet  it  is  a  mutual  indwelling.  As  Jesus  himself 
has  said,  "  I  in  you ;  you  in  me."  What  condescension  and  kindness  iu  this 
marvellous  provision  of  Divine  wisdom  ! 

III.  The  branches  aee  indebted  to  the  vine  for  their  fruitfulness;  so  ark 
Christians  to  their  Lord.  The  branches  of  the  living  vine  evince  the  life  and  health 
of  the  plant  first  by  their  vigour,  their  verdure,  their  luxuriance,  their  comeliness; 
signs  of  spiritual  life  are  mai»ifested  in  the  Church  of  God  by  the  peace,.tlie  cheerfulness, 
the  spiritual  prosperity,  of  its  members.  But  the  great  aim  of  the  husbandman's  care 
and  culture  is  that  fruit  may  be  yielded  in  abundance.  What  shall  we  understand 
by  spiritual  fruit,  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit?  1.  Perfection  of  Christian  character.  2. 
Abundance  in  Christian  usefulness. 

IV.  The  treatment  of  unfruitful  and  fruitful   branches  figures  that  of 

THE    NOMINAL    AND   THE   lUiAL   DISCIPLES   OF   ChRIST.      1.   The  CaUSC  of  UUfruitfulueSS  is 


280  THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING   TO   ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xv.  1—27 

stated.     "  Severed  from  me  ye  can  do  nothing."     2.  The  doom  of  unfruitfulness  is 
anticipated.    To  be  cast  out  and  burnt,  like  the  vine-parings  in  the  Kedron  valley. 
o.  The  condition  of  fruitfulness  is  mentioned.    Close  union  with  Christ.     4.  The  means  . 
of  increased  fruitfulness  is  also  explained.    Divine  pruning  and  discipline,  i.e.  affliction 
and  trouble  tending  to  spiritual  strength  and  fertility. 

V.  The  motives  to  Christ-abiding  and  fruit-bearing  are  urged.  Stress  is 
laid  here  upon  two.  1.  Thus  the  heavenly  Husbandman,  the  Divine  Father,  is  glorified. 
2.  Thus  Jesus  secures  for  himself  true  and  worthy  disciples.  What  powerful  motives 
to  induce  Christians  to  be  "neither  barren  nor  unfruitful "  ! — T. 

Vers.  1,  2. — The  Divine  Vinedresser.  This  is  one  of  several  passages  in  our  Lord's 
discourses  in  which  he  designates  his  Father  a  Husbandman,  a  Householder,  a  Vine- 
dresser. Such  similitudes  are  helpful  to  us  in  arriving  at  an  understanding  of  the 
relations  of  the  Father  both  to  our  Saviour  and  to  ourselves. 

L  'iiiE  Divine  Husbandman's  care  of  the  Vine  and  the  vineyard.  1.  He 
plants  the  Vine.  That  is  to  say,  he  appoints  that  his  own  beloved  Son  shall  assume 
uur  human  nature,  and  shall  introduce  into  this  world  the  principle  of  spiritual  life, 
with  all  its  fruitful  and  blessed  results.  2.  He  watches  over  the  Vine  which  he  plants. 
"  I  the  Lord  do  keep  the  vineyard ;  I  will  water  it  every  moment :  lest  any  hurt  it, 
I  will  keep  it  night  and  day"  (Isa.  xxvii.  3).  As  Jehovah  cared  for  and  tended  the 
vine  wliich  was  brought  out  of  Egypt,  for  which  he  prepared  room,  and  which  he  caused 
to  take  deep  root,  so  that  it  filled  the  land ;  so  he  watched  over  and  blessed  "  the  true 
Vine"  which  he  with  his  right  hand  planted  in  the  soil  of  earth. 

II.  The  Divine  Husbandman's  treatment  of  the  vine-branches.  1.  Of  those 
which  are  unfruitfnl.  As  the  worthless  branches  of  the  vine  are  removed,  cast  into  the 
fire,  and  burned,  so  is  it  with  the  lifeless  and  only  apparent  members  of  the  organism 
constituted  in  the  Person  and  ministry  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  fate  of  the  Jews  is  the 
best  illustration  of  our  Lord's  meaning;  they  were  like  a  branch  that  brings  forth  wild 
grapes,  bitter  clusters.  2.  Of  those  which  are  fruitful.  It  might  be  supposed  that 
for  such,  seeing  tliat  they  are  the  occasion  of  satisfaction,  there  can  be  no  severity. 
But  as  the  vine  is  always  carefully,  closely,  and  unsparingly  pruned  by  the  skilful 
gardener,  so  is  it  with  the  faithful  and  fruitful  Christian.  Divine  discipline  is  a  fact, 
and  it  is  the  best  and  indeed  the  only  explanation  of  much  of  human  suffering. 
Ueligion  does  not  make  the  sorrows  of  life,  but  it  explains  them,  and  it  gives  strength 
to  bear  them,  and  wisdom  to  profit  by  them. 

III.  The  Divine  Husbandman's  ultimate  purposes.  1.  The  fruitfulness  of  all 
the  living  branches  of  the  living  Vine.  2.  The  promotion  of  his  own  glory  ;  for  the 
result  is  such  as  to  bring  out  clearly  the  wisdom  and  the  power  of  the  Lord  of  all. — T. 

Ver.  5. — Apart  from  Christ.  Our  Lord  does  not  say,  "  Apart  from  my  doctrine  ye 
can  do  nothing;"  imi^ortant  though  it  is  that  Christian  people  should  apprehend  and 
receive  his  truth.  Nor  does  he  say,  "  Apart  from  my  Church  ye  can  do  nothing  ;  "  though, 
if  we  understand  the  term  "  Church  "  aright,  this  would  be  manifestly  true.  But  he 
says,  "  Apart  from  me."  Christ  is,  then,  himself  everything  to  his  people.  He  is  the 
Power,  the  Wisdom,  the  Salvation,  of  God,  and  consequently,  could  we  be  sundered  from 
him,  we  should  be  rendered  poor  and  powerless. 

I.  To  DO,  to  bear  fbuit,  is  the  end  of  true  religion,  and  the  RESuiiT  and 
PROOF  OF  spiritual  LIFE.  When  substituted  for  faith,  "  doing  "  is  bad  ;  but  when  it 
is  the  effect  of  faith,  it  is  good  and  precious.  Where  do  we  look  for  evidence  of  the 
goodness  of  the  tree?  Is  it  not  sought  in  fruit,  good  fruit,  much  fruit  ?  The  doing,  or 
fruit-bearing,  here  commended  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  is  the  performance  of  the  will  of  God, 
is  the  imitation  of  the  Master's  own  example,  is  the  fulfilment  of  the  behests  of  an 
enliL;htened  conscience.     It  comprises  personal  holiness  anek  active  usefulness. 

II.  Severance  from  Christ  renders  men  powerless  for  good  works.  The 
conduct  and  service  which  are  distinctively  Christian  are  only  possible  through  personal 
union  with  the  Saviour.  1.  This  assertion  places  in  a  clear  light  the  unequalled  dignity 
<f  the  Lord  Jesus.  This  is  a  declaration  which  nOne  but  he  could  make.  Yet,  being 
the  Son  of  God  and  the  Source  of  spiritual  life  to  men,  he  could  jusdy  advance  a  claim 
so  vast.     The  discii)le  is  nothing  without  his  master,  the  servant  nothing  without  his 


en.  XV.  1-27.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHif.  281 


lord,  the  soldier  nothing  without  his  commander,  the  hand  nothing  without  the  head, 
the  Christian  nothing  without  Christ.  2.  This  assertion  brings  out  into  clear  light 
the  absolute  dependence  (^  Christians.  "Without  our  Lord's  teaching  and  example,  we 
should  have  no  conception  of  the  highest  moral  excellence.  Without  his  love,  we  should 
not  feel  the  mightiest  motive  that  can  influence  the  soul  to  consecration  and  service. 
^\■ithout  his  mediation,  we  should  not  enjoy  the  favour  of  God,  our  Ruler  and  Judge. 
Without  his  l^pirit,  we  should  be  strangers  to  the  spiritual  power  which  alone  can 
enable  feeble  man  to  do  the  will  of  God.  Without  his  promises,  we  should  lack  the 
encouragement  and  inspiration  we  need  to  cheer  us  amidst  the  difficulties,  perplexities, 
aud  trials  from  which  no  earthly  life  is  ever  exempt.  Without  him,  there  would  be 
no  deliverance  from  the  bondage  of  sin,  and  no  prosijcct  of  what  is  truly  the  eternal 
life.     "  Neither,"  says  Peter,  "is  there  salvation  in  any  other." 

III.  Union  with  Curist  is  therefore  unspeakably  precious,  and  fob  the 
Christian  absolutely  needful.  As  to  the  nature  of  this  connection,  there  should 
be  no  misunderstanding.  External  privileges  and  professions  are  all  insufficient.  A 
spiritual  and  vital  union  is  necessary,  such  as  in  the  vegetable  kingdom  joins  the  branch 
to  the  vine-stock,  such  as  in  architecture  unites  the  temple  to  its  foundation.  This 
union  is  effected  on  the  human  side  by  a  believing  recej^tion  of  the  gospel  of  Christ; 
on  the  Divine  side  by  the  impartation  of  the  quickening  Spirit  of  God.  Such  union 
is  capable  of  increase  in  degree ;  a  closer  spiritual  fellowship  with  the  Divine  Redeemer 
is  the  means  of  increased  fitness  for  holy  and  acceptable  service.  The  experience  of 
the  Apostle  Paul  was  an  illustration  of  this  principle.  He  could  say,  "  I  can  do  all 
things  through  Christ  who  strengtheneth  me."  He  who  would  work  more  diligently, 
and  wait  more  patiently,  must  come  nearer  to  Christ,  and  so  obtain  the  spiritual  power 
he  needs. 

Practical  lessons.  1.  If  this  union  with  the  living  Vine  be  not  formed,  let  it  be 
formed  at  once.  2.  If  it  be  suspended  or  enfeebled,  let  it  be  renewed.  3.  If  it  be  exist- 
ing and  vitally  active  and  energetic,  let  it  be  prized  and  cultivated. — T. 

Ver.  11. — Divine  joy.  It  seems  at  first  sight  singular  that  our  Lord's  conversation, 
just  at  this  solemn  and  pathetic  crisis  of  his  ministry,  should  be  of  joy.  It  seems  as  if 
consolation  and  peace  were  timely  and  appropriate  themes,  but  as  if  the  contrast 
between  Christ's  approaching  sufferings  and  the  joy  which  he  claims  to  possess  and  to 
impart  were  too  marked.     This,  however,  is  a  glorious  paradox. 

I.  The  elements  of  our  Saviour's  joy.  His  was  :  1.  The  joy  of  self-sacrifice, 
which  is  unknown  to  the  world,  but  of  which  Jesus  has  given  us  the  one  sublime 
example.  2.  The  joy  of  benevolence.  He  lest  himself  in  those  for  whom  he  lived  and 
died ;  their  salvation  was  the  inspiration  of  his  endurance  aud  the  joy  of  his  anticipa- 
tion. 3.  The  joy  of  harmony  with  the  Father's  purpose  and  of  securing  the  Father's 
approval. 

II.  The  impartation  of  our  Saviour's  joy.  1.  It  comes  through  the  identifica- 
tion of  the  disciples,  through  faith,  with  the  Master.  2.  It  consists  in  living  sympathy 
with  his  mind  and  purposes.  3.  It  increases  and  is  fulfilled  through  their  active 
employment  in  his  service.  The  joy  of  the  Lord  is  commenced  in  fellowship  of  labour, 
and  consummated  in  the  vision  and  recompense  of  heaven. 

III.  The  superiority  of  our  Saviour's  joy.  If  it  is  contrasted  with  the  joy  of 
the  worldly  and  sinful,  such  a  comparison  will  bring  out  its  immeasurable  superiority. 
1.  For  it  is  joy  dignified  and  worthy  of  a  moral  and  spiritual  nature,  whilst  worldly 
joy  is  largely  that  of  the  inferior  part  of  our  being.  2.  It  is  satisfying,  whilst  he  that 
drinketh  of  the  springs  of  earth  thirjits  again.  3.  It  is  eternal,  being  not  only  progres- 
sive upon  earth,  but  consummated  in  heaven.  "  Earth's  joys  grow  dim,  its  glories  fade 
away."     But  Christ's  joy  is  the  joy  which  is  immortal. — T. 

Vers.  12 — 15. —  Christ's  friendship  for  his  people.  Human  friendship  is  both  beauti- 
ful to  perceive  and  precious  to  enjoy.  If  affection  and  sympathy  were  thrust  out  of 
life,  and  if  interest  alone  bound  men  together,  how  uninteresting  and  dismal  would 
this  world  of  humanity  become!  Every  instance  of  friendship  has  its  charm.  The 
young,  who  share  their  pursuits  and  confidences;  the  middle-aged,  who  are  guided  by 
the  same  tastes,  or  principles,  or  occupations ;  the  old,  who  interchange  their  recollec- 


282  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xv.  1—27. 

tions  of  bygone  years ; — all  furnish  examples  of  the  power  and  the  beauty  of  friendship 
even  amongst  faulty  and  imperfect  beings.  Who  is  not  grateful  for  friends  ?  Who 
wonld  be  without  them  ?  Who  has  not  found  friendship  a  charm,  a  stimulus,  a  power, 
in  life  ?  But  whether  earthlj'  friends  are  few  or  many,  faithful  or  unkind,  there  is  a 
Divine,  a  heavenly  Friend,  whose  love  is  declared  to  us  by  his  own  language,  and 
proved  by  his  own  acts  and  sufferings.     Christ  deigns  to  call  his  disciples  friends! 

I.  Christ's  friendship  towards  his  people  is  a  wonderful  fact,  declared  by 
HIMSELF.  The  wonder  is  apparent  when  we  consider  who  we  are ;  when  we  reflect  that 
we  are  poor,  sinful,  and  helpless  beings,  who  could  not,  apart  from  his  assurances, 
venture  to  claim  or  to  hope  for  the  friendship  of  Christ.  For  who  is  he  ?  Jesus  is  not 
merely  the  best  of  beings ;  he  is  the  Son  of  God.  It  is  hard  for  us  to  realize  that 
"  God  is  Love."  But  in  the  Person  of  Christ  the  eternal  and -supreme  Lord  comes  down 
to  our  level,  walks  our  way,  dwells  on  our  earth,  reveals  to  us  his  love.  He  is  the 
Friend,  the  Well-wisher,  of  sinners ;  he  is  the  Friend,  in  a  fuller  sense,  of  those  Avho 
know  and  love  him.     If  this  is  a  wonderful  truth,  it  is  also  a  delightful  truth. 

II.  Christ's  friendship  is  proved  by  his  intimacy  and  his  conversations. 
Men's  talk  with  one  another  often  indicates  their  relationship.  There  is  conversation 
which  is  ordinary  and  casual,  and  there  is  conversation  which  is  confidential  and  inti- 
mate. There  is  the  speech  of  acquaintances,  upon  common  subjects ;  there  is  the 
speech  of  the  master  to  the  servant,  conveying  orders ;  there  is  the  speech  which  is 
distinctive  of  close  and  affectionate  friendship,  upon  matters  of  personal  interest  and 
concern.  Now,  the  intimacy  between  the  Divine  Father  and  the  Divine  Son  is  of  the 
most  confidential  and  unreserved  nature.  The  Son  is  "in  the  bosom"  of  the  Father,  i.e. 
is  in  possession  of  the  counsels  and  feelings  of  his  mind ;  he  is  "  one  "  with  the  Father. 
It  is  very  observable  that,  according  to  our  Lord's  own  declaration,  he,  having  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  Father's  thoughts,  communicates  those  thoughts  to  his  people.  As 
the  Father  has  no  secrets  from  the  Son,  so  the  Son  has  no  secrets  from  his  disciples. 
This  is  a  conclusive  proof  of  our  Lord's  friendship  for  us.  He  makes  known  to  us  "  all 
things"  which  the  Father  purposes  that  bear  upon  our  salvation  and  eternal  life.  This 
accounts  for  the  unexampled  power  of  our  Lord's  language,  its  sublimity,  its  tenderness, 
its  authority.  The  words  of  the  Redeemer  are  the  communications  of  his  friendship, 
the  tokens  of  his  brotherly  love.  To  the  unspiritual  and  unsympathetic,  Christ's  words 
are  now,  as  they  were  when  they  were  first  spoken,  uninteresting  and  without  value. 
But  the  true  friends  of  Jesus  feel  their  sweetness  and  their  might;  applied  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,  they  are  the  lessons,  the  counsels,  the  promises,  of  a  Divine  and  faithful  Friend. 
How  could  he  better  prove  his  friendship  than  by  revealing  to  us  in  his  words  the 
thoughts  and  the  purposes  of  the  Father's  heart  ?  There  is  one  way  even  more 
effective,  and  this  our  Lord  describes. 

III.  Christ's  friendship  is  further  proved  by  his  self-sacrificing  benevo- 
lence. Self-denial  is  a  recognized  element  in  true  love  and  friendship.  Men  are  found 
willing  to  give  up  money,  time,  rank,  etc.,  for  the  benefit  of  their  friends.  But  it  is  the 
highest  proof  of  love  when  one  is  found  ready  to  resign  life  to  secure  the  life  of  a  friend. 
"  Peradventure  for  a  good  man  one  would  even  dare  to  die."  This  is  the  proof  of  self- 
sacrificing  friendship  which  the  Lord  Jesus  was  resolved  to  give.  He  laid  down  his 
life  for  the  sheep.  "  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life 
for  his  friends."  Jesus  not  only  gave  us  knowledge  by  his  teaching ;  he  gave  us  salva- 
tion by  his  death.  This  willing  sacrifice  was  in  order  to  win  our  hearts,  to  make  us  his 
friends  indeed,  to  bring  to  bear  upon  our  nature  a  spiritual  principle  and  power,  to  bind 
us  to  himself  for  ever  by  the  chains  of  gratitude  and  devotion. 

IV.  Christ's  friendship  is  proved  by  his  whole  demeanour  and  his  whole 
treatment  of  us  now  that  he  has  ascended.  In  his  ministry  he  taught  us,  by  his 
death  he  saved  us,  in  his  mediatorial  life  he  blesses  us.  He  is  a  sympathizing  Friend, 
touched  with  a  feeling  of  our  infirmities.  He  is  a  forbearing  and  patient  Friend,  who 
is  not  repelled  by  the  imperfect  response  he  meets  with  on  our  part.  He  is  a  practical 
and  helpful  Friend,  who  expresses  his  friendship  in  deeds  and  spiritual  ministrations. 
He  is  an  unchanging  and  eternal  Friend.  "  Who  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of 
Christ?"— T. 

Vers.  12 — 15. — Our  friendship  for  Christ.    Friendship  is  a  relation  between  two 


CH.  XV.  1—27.]      THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  283 

parties.  On  both  sides  it  is  voluntary.  It  is  mutual  and  reciprocal.  We  have  seen 
how  Christ  shows  his  friendship  towards  us.  We  have  to  consider  how  we  prove  our 
fiiendship  towards  Christ,  what  he  justly  e.xpects  and  requires  from  us. 

I.  OOK   FRIENDSHIP   FOR  ClIRIST  IS  SHOWN  IN  THK  FEELINGS  OF  OUR  HEARTS  TOWARDS 

HIM.  1.  We  admire  his  character.  In  varying  degree  we  admire  the  principles,  the 
dispositions,  the  conduct,  of  our  earthly  friends.  But  inasmuch  as  there  is  no  inijier- 
feciion  in  the  character  of  Immanuel,  there  is  no  qualification  in  our  love  towards  him. 
2.  We  are  attracted  by  the  copgeuiality  of  his  nature.  There  is  a  "drawing  "  of  heart 
towards  him,  which  originates  in  some  sympathy  of  disposition,  and  which  issues  in  a 
more  complete  sympathy.  3.  We  delight  in  his  society.  Great  was  the  privilege  of 
the  chosen  twelve,  who  were  permitted  to  enjoy  the  company  of  their  Lord  during  his 
earthly  ministry.  But  this  fellowship  is  a  privilege  open  to  us,  who,  not  having  seen 
Jesus,  yet  love  him.  The  above  are  ordinary  manifestations  of  friendship.  But  the 
relation  between  Jesus  and  his  people  is  unique,  and  evokes  feelings  altogether  special. 
Thus :  4.  We  revere  his  Divine  dignity  and  glory.  This  is  growingly  apprehended 
with  growing  knowledge  of  Christ  and  with  growing  conformity  to  Christ.  As  we 
approach  a  mountain  we  realize  its  magnitude  ;  the  nearer  we  draw  to  Christ,  the  more 
majestic  and  venerable  does  he  appear  to  our  spiritual  vision.  5.  We  are  grateful  for 
his  love  and  sacrifice.  Gratitude  does  not  enter  as  an  element  into  ordinary  human 
friendship,  wliich  is  rather  interfered  with  than  promoted  by  obligations.  But  our 
indebtedness  to  the  Lord  Jesus  is  immeasuurable,  and  gives  its  own  colour  to  the 
friendship  subsisting  between  him  and  us.  6.  We  cherish  devotion  to  him.  As  Christ 
is  infinitely  the  superior  in  this  spiritual  kindred,  it  is  natural  that  he  should  receive 
from  us  the  consecration  of  heart  and  life. 

II.  Our   FRIENDSHIP   FOR   ChRIST   IS   SHOWN   IN  OUR   OBEDIENCE   TO   HIM.      1.   This   is 

a  paradox.  It  seems  at  first  sight  altogether  incongruous  that  obedience  should  bo 
required  of  friends.  The  master  commands  his  servant,  but  he  does  not  command  his 
friend.  And  in  this  very  passage  Jesus  says,  "I  call  you  not  servants,  but  friends."  2. 
Yet  Jesus  makes  this  service  and  submission  a  proof  of  his  disciples'  friendship.  "  Ye 
are  my  friends,  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  you."  Our  Lord  cannot  divest  himself 
of  his  authority.  Our  Friend  is  a  King,  and  he  does  not  cease  to  be  a  King  even  when 
he  toils  and  suffers  for  us.  3.  The  Divine  law  is  this :  Love  is  the  best  motive  to 
obedience,  and  obedience  is  the  best  proof  of  love.  A  forced,  mechanical  service  is  not 
what  Christ  wants,  is  not  what  Christ  will  accept.  It  is  a  willing,  cheerful,  cordial  ser- 
vice which  he  asks,  and  without  which  no  worthless  words  and  formal  acts  can  satisfy 
him.  It  is  the  part  of  the  Christian  to  serve  his  Master,  but  not  in  the  spirit  of  a 
bondman  ;  rather  in  that  of  a  grateful  and  affectionate  friend. 

III.  Our   FRIENDSHIP   FOR   ChRIST   IS   THE   BASIS   OF  OUR  MUTUAL  FRIENDSHIP  AMONG 

OURSELVES.  1.  Here  we  find  the  motive  to  the  friendship  which  is  appointed  as  the 
mai-k  of  true  discipleship.  It  is  our  Lord's  new  commandment  that  his  disciples  love 
one  another.  In  this  love  all  is  comprised  ;  it  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  Law.  The  true 
Church  of  Christ  is  the  society  which  is  cemented  by  reciprocal  confidence  and  by 
brotherly  love.  2.  Here,  too,  we  find  the  model  of  Christian  fiiendship.  "As  I  loved 
you."  Such  is  the  rule,  such  is  the  appeal,  of  our  Saviour.  The  powers  that  tend  to 
separation,  to  distrust,  to  enmity,  are  many  and  mighty.  A  great,  comprehensive,  con- 
stant power  is  needed  to  counteract  and  vanquish  these.  This  power  we  have  in  the 
manifested  love  and  the  uttered  commandment  of  our  redeeming  Lord. — T. 

Ver.  16. — Choice  and  appomtment.  That  the.se  words  refer  in  the  first  place,  and 
indeed,  in  tlieir  complete  application,  altogether  to  the  apostles,  seems  unquestionable. 
Yet  there  is  a  great  principle  embodied  in  them  which  has  its  working  out  in  the  expe- 
rience of  all  Christ's  people  in  every  place  and  through  the  whole  disfiensation. 

I.  The  Divine  selection.  Notwithstanding  that  the  Lord  Jesus  had  just  expressly 
repudiated  speaking  of  and  treating  his  disciples  as  servants,  and  had  just  designated 
them  his  friends,  it  is  plain  that  nothing  could  be  further  from  his  thought  than  any 
intention  to  place  them  upon  an  equality  with  himself.  They  were  given  clearly  to 
understand  that,  if  they  were  his  friends,  it  was  because  he  had  chosen  and  designated 
them  to  this  position.  This  relation  is  indeed  not  arbitrary,  being,  like  every  Divine 
act,  the  expression  of  perfect  wisdom.     Yet  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  comprehend  the 


284  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xv.  1— 27. 

reasons  why  Jesus  chose  those  whom  he  did  choose  in  preference  to  others.  Not  all 
were  worthy  of  his  choice,  and  amongst  those  who  adhered  to  him  there  were  degrees 
of  attachment,  degrees  of  merit,  degrees  of  usefulness.  Considering  the  case  of  the 
twelve,  we  observe  :  1.  Their  call.  This  took  place  early  in  the  Lord's  public  ministry. 
And  it  was  by  the  presentation  of  his  own  Person^  by  the  utterance  of  his  own  voire, 
thit  Jesus  called  his  apostles.  There  was  not  only  the  outward  call ;  there  was  the 
inner,  the  spiritual  summons,  which  they  felt  in  their  souls,  and  the  authority  of  which 
they  readily  recognized.  2.  Their  appointment  or  ordination.  This  was  a  gradual  choice, 
but  it  <\'as  formally  completed  when,  after  our  Lord's  resurrection,  he  expressly  com- 
missioned them  to  go  among  Jews  and  Gentiles,  proclaiming  the  gospel  of  salvation  by 
faith  and  of  obedience  unto  life  eternal.  3.  There  is  what  corresponds  to  this  gracious 
election  in  the  experience  of  all  Christ's  friends  and  servants.  It  is  his  summons  which 
bids  them  forsake  their  sins  and  their  self-confidence,  and  follow  him.  Thus  their 
spiritual  life  begins  by  a  holy  and  an  effectual  calling.  He  calls,  and  the  souls  of  his 
people  respond  to  the  voice  from  heaven.  And  whilst  Jesus  calls  his  people  to  the 
privileges,  he  calls  them  also  to  the  consecrated  service  of  the  new  life.  There  is  a 
ministry,  a  mission,  though  not  an  apostleship,  for  eveiy  true  Christian.  Our  work 
for  Christ  is  only  authorized  by  Christ  himself. 

II.  The  ptjepose  of  the  Divine  selection.  The  first  apostles  were  chosen  and 
ordained  for  a  purpose.  The  design  of  the  Lord  was  that  they  should  "  go  and  bear 
fruit."  This  involves  :  1.  Effort  and  activity.  To  go,  when  sent,  is  to  acknowledge 
the  authority  of  the  Sender,  and  to  put  forth  endeavours  to  do  his  will.  Religion  does 
not  consist  in  simply  receiving  truth  and  enjoying  privilege  ;  it  comprises  what  is  done 
in  response  to  truth  received  and  privil(g^  enjoyed.  2.  Fruitfulness,  as  may  be  learned 
from  the  earlier  verses  of  the  chapter,  consists  in  a  holy  character  and  life,  and  in 
benevolent  and  Christ-like  labours  fur  the  welfare  of  our  fellow-men.  Divine  choice 
and  ordination  have  respect  to  the  Church  universal  and  to  the  world.  Men  are 
elected  to  posts  of  honour,  of  service.  3.  The  permanence  of  this  fruit  is  the  sign  of 
a  veritable  election  b}'  God.  Some  work  is  only  api)arent  and  temporary,  but  that 
which  God  blesses  and  approves  is  real  and  lasting.  The  life  which  is  routed  in  God 
issues  in  fruit  which  remains  in  time  and  eternity.  The  fruits  of  the  Spirit  endure 
for  ever. 

III.  The  privilege  involved  in  the  Divine  selection.  This  is  the  assured  answer 
to  prayer.  The  connection  appears  to  be  this :  the  purpose  of  election  being  that  fruit 
may  be  borne  to  the  Divine  glory,  grace  is  obviously  needed  in  order  that  this  purpose 
may  be  realized,  that  a  blessing  may  rest  upon  faithful  toil ;  and  Christians  are  assured 
that  whatsoever  tliey  may  need  in  order  to  this  end  is  within  their  reach.  The  won- 
derful language  in  which  our  Saviour  assures  us  of  this  privilege  demands  our  careful 
attention.  1.  On  God's  side  the  promise  is  unhmited.  "  Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  " 
shall  be  given.  This  corresponds  with  the  munificent  provision  of  Divine  bounty 
assured  in  the  statement,  "  All  things  are  yours."  2.  On  man's  side  there  is  a  stipula- 
tion and  condition  imposed  by  Christ  as  of  indispensable  necessity  ;  what  is  asked  must 
be  asked  in  Christ's  Name.  That  is  to  say,  requests  must  be  in  accordance  with  his 
will,  must  be  presented  in  reliance  upon  his  advocacy,  and  will  be  granted  for  his 
sake.— T. 

Vers.  18 — 21. —  The  world's  hatred.  Our  Lord  enjoined  that  within  the  Church 
there  should  prevail  love  and  brotherhood.  But  at  the  same  time  he  foretold  that  from 
without  Christians  should  meet  with  hatred  and  opposition,  enmity  and  persecution. 

I.  Evidences  of  the  world's  hatred  of  Christians.  1.  We  are  constrained  by 
facts  to  rank  with  the  world,  in  this  respect,  the  adherents  of  the  Jewish  system. 
As  his  own  countrymen  were  our  Lord's  opponents  and  in  truth  his  real  murderers,  so 
were  the  Jews  the  earliest  opponents  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  The  Book  of  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles  exhibits  the  hostility  of  the  leaders  of  Israel  to  the  society  which  was 
called  by  his  Name  whose  crucifixion  they  had  brought  about.  The  Jews  attempted 
to  silence  the  first  preachers  of  Christianity.  And  this  they  did  under  the  influence 
of  hate  towards  Christ  himself.  They  regarded  the  new  religion — for  such  it  seemed 
to  them — as  subversive  of  their  own,  not  discerning  that  it  was  the  fulfilment  of  what 
was  Divine  in  Judaism.     And  they  hated  a  doctrine  which,  by  laying  stress  upon  the 


CH.  XV.  1—27.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING   TO   ST.  JOHN.  28c 

jiersonal  and  spiritual  elements  in  religiion,  imperilled  their  own  rulers'  authority,  aud 
the  whole  system  of  form  and  ceremony  with  which  tlicy  were  associated.  2.  Our 
Lord  doubtless  looked  forward  to  the  time  when  the  vessel  of  tlie  Church  should 
quit  the  narrow  straits  of  Judaism,  and  should  sail  out  into  the  open  seas  of  the 
world,  there  to  encounter  fiercer  storms.  Then  he  foresaw  the  hatreil  of  the  world 
should  take  a  more  formidable,  though  not  a  more  virnlent,  shape.  In  the  Roman 
empire,  Christianity,  we  know  as  matter  of  history,  encountered  fierce  hostility 
mainly  because  of  its  exactmg,  exclusive  claims,  because  of  its  open  hostility  to  all 
that  savoured  of  idolatry,  and  because  of  its  rapid,  and  (to  the  heathen)  unaccountable 
progress.  Hence  the  several  persecutions  which  arose  under  successive  emperors, 
verifying  the  predictions  uttered  by  the  Divine  Founder  of  our  faith.  Hence  the 
long  roll  of  confessors  and  martyrs  who  st  aled  their  testimony  with  their  blood.  3. 
But  it  must  not  be  overlooked  thaf,  where  persecution  is  impossible,  hatnd  often 
prevails,  and  manifests  its  presence  and  power  in  many  distressing  forms.  There  are 
at  the  present  time,  even  in  the  midst  of  professedly  Christian  communities,  not  a  few 
who  are  sufl'ering  from  that  hate  which  our  Lord  here  foretold. 

II.  SXPLASATIONS    OF    THE    WORLD'S    HATRED    OF  CHRISTIANS.       1.    The  WOrld  knows 

not  God,  and  hence  hates  the  Church  which  is  in  possession  of  this  knowledge.  Had 
the  world  known  God,  it  would  have  recognized  among  Christians  the  tokens  of  the 
Divine  presence  and  operation.  2.  Christians  are  not  of  the  world.  The  world  loves 
its  own,  but  hates  that  which  is  out  of  harmony  with  it.  If  Christians  do  not  adopt 
the  world's  spirit  and  language  and  habits,  this  singularity  and  nobconformity 
naturally  excites  dislike  and  provokes  to  ill  treatment.  3.  It  cannot  but  be  that  the 
world  must  be  rebuked  by  the  presence  of  the  Church,  confronting  and  reproving  it. 
Whether  by  a  public  protest  against  the  world's  sins,  or  by  the  silent  protest  of  a 
pure  and  ujiright  life.  Christians  are  bound  to  a  course  of  action  which  will  bring  down 
upon  them,  now  and  again,  the  enmity  and  the  anger  of  the  world. 

III.  Consolation  for  Christians  under  the  world's  hatred.  All  true  comfort 
comes  from  that  personal  relation  to  the  Lord  Jesus  upon  which  such  stress  is  laid  in 
these  discourses  recorded  by  St.  John,  and  which  is  exhibited  as  the  inspiration  not 
only  of  consecrated  activity  but  also  of  patient  endurance.  1.  The  hatred  which  besets 
Christians  was  first  directed  a'^ainst  Christ  himself.  2.  The  servant  must  expect  to 
follow  in  his  Master's  steps,  and  to  meet  with  the  same  treatment.  3.  When  Jesus 
says,  "  For  my  Name's  sake,"  he  presents  to  us  a  motive  to  patience  which  is  divinely 
fortifying  and  persuasive. — T. 

Vers.  22 — 25. —  Unbelief  inexcusable.  It  is  significant  and  affecting  to  find  that  in 
the  last  deliberate  discourse  which  our  Lord  Jesus  addressed  to  his  disciples,  he  not 
only  administered  comfort  to  his  friends,  but  uttered  words  of  sad  rebuke  to  his  enemies. 
He  knew  full  well  that  the  attitude  which  was  taken  towards  him  by  the  Jewisli 
leade:  s  was  typical  of  the  regard  and  treatment  of  multitudes  besides ;  and  his  reproaches 
have  a  scope  far  bej'ond  their  immediate  application. 

I.  The  manifestation  of  unbelief.  This  is  to  be  seen  in  the  open  rejection  and 
persecution  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

II.  The  cause  of  unbelief.  This  is  not  intellectual  difficulty,  but  moral  repug- 
nance. The  Jewish  enemies  of  Jesus  hated  his  holy  character,  his  denunciations  of 
their  worldliness  and  hypocrisy,  his  lofty  and  spiritual  standard  of  teaching,  his  claims 
to  supreme  authority. 

III.  The  guilt  of  unbelief.  This  is  especially  to  be  recognized  in  what  unbelief 
of  Christ  involves.  Hatred  of  the  Father,  God,  and  consequent  hatred  of  his  holy  Law 
and  his  benevolent  purposes, — such  is  the  charge  which  Jesus  brings  against  his  foes. 
In  rejecting  Christ,  they  were  showing  themselves  to  be  out  of  sympathy  with  the 
mind  and  will  of  him  who  is  eternal  righteousness  and  goodness.  This  was  their  siu 
and  condemnation. 

IV.  The  inexcusableness  of  unbelief.  As  powerfully  set  forth  by  Jesus  Christ 
in  this  passage,  this  is  to  be  observed  in  three  respects.  1.  Christ's  words,  his  incon> 
parable  teaching,  were  a  witness  to  his  authority,  and  should  have  been  received  with 
reverence,  gratitude,  and  faith.  It  should  have  been  an  all-suflicient  witness  to  him 
who  spake  as  never  man  spake.     The  truths  he  revealed,  the  laws  he  imposed   the 


286  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xv.  1—27. 

promises  lie  gave,  were  all  such  as  would  have  commanded  the  respect  of  those  morally 
prepared  to  appreciate  the  utterances  of  One  who  came  from  heaven.  2.  Christ's 
marvellous  works  were  well  fitted  to  i^econd  the  impression  produced  by  his  words. 
They,  indeed,  appealed  to  an  inferior  faculty  of  human  nature,  but  they  were  necessary 
in  order  to  the  completeness  and  justice  of  the  impression  to  be  made  upon  the  minds 
of  our  Lord's  contemporaries.  His  enemies  did  not  deny  the  reality  of  our  Lord's 
miracles,  but  they  misinterpreted  them,  attributing  them,  by  an  absurd  ingenuity,  to 
an  infernal  source.  3.  The  hatred,  enmity,  and  unbelief  of  the  Jews  were  inexcusable 
because  they  were  "  without  a  cause."  By  this  we  must  understand,  not  that  there  was 
no  motive  in  the  minds  of  his  foes,  but  that  there  was  no  justification  for  their  con- 
clusions or  for  their  conduct. — T. 

Vers.  26,  27. —  Witness,  Divine  and  human.  The  work  of  God  in  the  world,  so 
far  as  it  is  spiritual,  is  effected  by  human  agency.  Upon  man's  heart  the  Author  of 
life  and  salvation  works  by  means  of  truth  and  love,  embodied  in  human  language  and 
human  actions.  The  Word,  in  acting  as  "  the  faithful  and  true  Witness,"  "  became 
flesh."  And  in  this  dispensation,  whilst  Christ  is  the  Saviour  and  the  Lord  oik  men, 
Christ  is  revealed  by  the  Spirit  to  human  hearts,  and  it  is  through  human  agency,  thus 
called  into  action,  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  advanced,  and  the  gracious  purposes  of 
God  fulfilled. 

I.  The  witness  of  the  Spirit  of  God  to  Christ.  1.  This  is  a  Witness  Divine  in 
origin  and  nature.  He  proceedeth  from  the  Father,  and  all  his  acts  and  operations  are 
Divine.  2.  This  is  a  Witness  possessing  the  very  highest  qualifications.  This  appears 
even  from  the  appellations  by  which  he  is  here  mentioned:  "The  Spirit  of  truth," 
whose  special  office  it  is  to  make  the  Word  of  God,  the  gospel  of  salvation,  real,  living, 
and  powerful  over  the  nature  of  man  ;  "  the  Comforter,"  or  Advocate,  who  comes  to  the 
feeble  and  helpless  disciple  of  Christ,  and  pours  into  him  celestial  strength  and  wisdom. 
3.  This  is  a  Witness  commissioned  by  Christ  to  testify  of  himself.  What  authority 
does  the  Lord  Jesus  claim,  when  he  says,  "  Whom  I  will  send  unto  you  ;  "  and  how 
distinct  is  the  declaration  of  the  purpose  of  his  mission  in  the  promise,  "  He  shall 
testify  of  me"! 

IL  The  witness  to  Christ  borne  by  his  own  disciples.-  1.  Their  qualifications 
(1)  They  were  competent  witnesses  to  Christ,  for  they  had  for  years  been  in  his  society — 
were,  in  fact,  his  closest  comjjanions.  (2)  They  were  effective  witnesses,  for  they  were 
in  sympathy  with  him  to  whom  they  bore  testimony.  His  spirit  had  entered  into 
them  ;  they  were  penetrated  with  his  ardent  compassion  for  sinners  ;  they  partook  his 
disposition  of  unselfishness  and  consecration.  (3)  They  were  copious  witnesses ;  for, 
on  account  of  their  opportunities  of  beholding  their  Master's  works,  and  listening  to 
his  discourses  and  conversations,  they  had  much  to  tell  of  what  their  eyes  had  seen, 
their  ears  heard,  their  hands  handled,  of  the  Word  of  Life.  2.  The  method  of  their 
testimony.  The  apostles  and  other  disciples  of  Jesus  bore  witness  to  him  :  (1)  By  the 
unconscious,  unuttered  language  of  character,  principles,  and  life.  By  reason  of  their 
participation  in  their  Master's  spirit,  men  "  took  knowledge  of  them  that  they  had 
been  with  Jesus."  (2)  By  their  preaching  and  teaching.  Their  witness  was  by  the 
living  voice,  to  Jew  and  Gentile.  Christianity  was  a  religion,  as  it  still  remains, 
marked  by  this  peculiarity  ;  it  is  promulgated  by  the  utterance  of  those  who  themselves 
are  convinced  of  its  Divine  authority  and  its  adaptation  to  the  needs  of  men.  (3)  By 
written  record.  It  was  in  fulfilment  of  this  promise,  which  was  also  a  command, 
that  the  evangelists  and  apostles  wrote  those  treatises  which  remain  to  this  day  the 
memorials  of  our  Saviour's  humiliation  and  glory,  and  the  inspired  application  of 
Christian  facts  and  doctrines  to  the  necessities  of  human  life.  In  fact,  the  whole  of 
the  New  Testament  is  an  act  of  obedience  to  this  authoritative  direction  of  the  Master, 
"  Ye  shall, bear  witness."  3.  The  matter  of  their  testimony.  Chiefly,  if  not  exclusively, 
their  witness  was  to  relate  to  Christ  himself.  This  was  an  appointment  of  Divine 
wisdom  ;  for  the  Lord  Jesus  was  incarnate  Wisdom,  Truth,  Pity,  and  Benevolence.  It 
has  ever  been  found  in  human  experience  that  those  who  have  received  the  inspired 
witness  to  Imma'nuel,  have  received  with  liim  all  the  spiritual  and  immortal  blessings 
which  God  made  him  the  Medium  of  carrying  to  human  souls. 

Application.     The  Holy  Spirit  is  still  witnessing  in  the  Church  to  him  who  is  its 


CH.  XV.  1-27.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  287 

Saviour  and  Lord  ;  and  it  is  the  part  of  all  who  receive  this  v^itness  in  the  power  of  the 
same  Spirit  to  repeat  and  extend  the  testimony. — T. 

Ver.  1.  The  Vine  and  the  Husbandman.  I.  Christ  as  the  true  Vine.  Wo  have  here  : 
1.  The  idea  of  an  importation.  It  is  a  foreign  vine,  and  not  indigenous  to  this  soil ; 
for  it  is  the  "true  Vine,"  and  whatever  is  absolutely  true  must  come  from  the  other 
side,  from  the  sphere  where  all  is  absolutely  true  and  real.  This  world  lost  its  truth 
when  it  severed  itself  by  sin  from  heaven.  Then  this  plant  withered,  and  would  not 
grow ;  but  God  left  not  the  earth,  but  opened  a  new  communication  between  it  and  heaven, 
aud  proceeded  to  create  a  new  earth  and  a  new  heaven,  and  make  all  things  new,  a  new 
life,  a  new  vine,  a  new  man — the  germ  of  a  new  and  true  vegetation  altogether.  Jesus, 
as  the  true  Vine,  is  evidently  not  entirely  the  produce  of  this  world,  but  the  produce  ot 
another  clime  and  a  Diviner  Soil ;  but  still  the  produce  of  a  Diviner  soil  is  transplanted 
and  wedded  to  this,  so  as  to  make  it  most  natural  and  real.  "The  Word  was  made 
flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us."  The  Divine  vine  was  planted  in  the  soil  of  humanity,  so 
as  to  make  it  true,  whether  looked  upon  from  the  Divine  or  human  point  of  view.  2. 
The  fulfilment  of  a  natural  symbol.  (1)  Nature  is  full  of  Divine  symbolism.  In  the 
mineral  kingdom  there  are  the  pearl,  the  rock,  and  the  stone;  in  the  animal  kingdom 
there  are  the  lion  and  the  lamb  ;  in  the  material  kingdom  there  are  the  stars  and  the  sun  : 
and  in  the  vegetable  kingdom  there  are  the  rose,  the  lily,  and  the  vine.  Judaism  was  a 
system  of  Divine  symbolism,  and  shadows  of  good  things  to  come  ;  but  there  is  an  older, 
more  original  and  perm.inent  system  of  Divine  symbolism  than  this — the  system  of 
nature,  which  is  fall  and  vital  of  Divine  ideas,  images,  and  shadows.  (2)  Christ  is  the 
Fulfilment  of  all  this.  He  is  the  Pearl  of  great  price,  the  precious  Stone,  and  the  Rock 
of  ages.  He  is  the  Star  of  Jacob  and  the  Sun  of  Righteousness ;  the  Lion  of  the  tribe 
of  Juilah  and  the  Lamb  of  God;  the  Rose  of  Sharon,  the  Lily  of  the  valleys,  and  the" 
true  Vine.  He  is  the  Truth  of  everything  in  nature  which  has  in  it  the  sbalow  of 
truth.  He  is  the  Truth  of  the  vine.  In  him  the  natural  vine  finds  the  fulfilment  of 
its  prophecies — its  highest  meaning  and  Divinest  significance.  (3)  Be  is  the  real,  and 
the  only  real,  Fulfilment  of  this.  Others  tried,  but  failed.  Israel,  under  the  great  Hus- 
bandman, had  a  trial.  It  was  a  vine,  but  failed  to  interpret  and  embody  the  vine-ideal 
— failed  to  speak  the  vine-language,  and  failed  to  live  the  vine-life.  The  vine  still 
cried  for  a  truer  fulfilment  and  interpretation.  Christ  came  and  t^aid,  "  I  am  the  true 
Vine,"  and  his  Person,  life,  and  history  fully  confirm  his  claim.  The  vine  is  satisfied 
and  highly  honoured.  3.  Fruitfulness.  (1)  This  was  his  most  distinguishing  feature. 
The  vine  is  a  most  fruitful  plant.  Its  wood  is  not  of  much  value.  Apart  from  its 
fruition,  it  is  insignificant ;  but  its  fruitfulness  is  marvellous.  Think  of  Christ  as  Jesus 
of  Kazaretli,  the  carpenter's  Son ;  he  appears  as  a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground,  without 
form  or  comeliness.  But  his  glory  was  in  his  fruitfulneps.  He  lived,  not  for  himself, 
but  for  others — for  God,  for  man,  and  for  the  universe.  (2)  Fruitfulness  of  the  highest 
kind  and  most  satisfying  nature.  His  fruit  was  Divine  and  spiritual,  satisfying  the 
spiritual  nature  of  man.  In  this  the  natural  vine  is  incomplete,  and,  compared  with 
Christ,  false;  for  nothing  is  absolutely  true  in  relation  to  man  which  does  not  supply 
and  satisfy  the  whole  of  his  being.  The  vine  can  only  partly  supply  and  satisfy  man's 
physical  nature  and  wants ;  but  Christ,  in  his  vicarious  life  and  death,  satisfies  his 
spiritual  nature,  and  develops  it  into  final  perfection.  (3)  Fruitfulness  of  the  highest 
kind  and  most  satisfying  nature  in  abundaiice.  Think  of  his  earthly  life  in  relation  to 
God  ;  in  it  was  perfectly  manifested  obedience,  filial  love,  aud  submission  to  the  Divine 
will  in  all  things.  Think  of  his  life  in  relation  to  men  with  whom  he  had  to  do  ;  his 
whole  human  life,  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  was  full  of  grace  and  truth — full  of 
gracious  words  and  mighty  and  benevolent  deeds.  Think  of  his  representative  and 
official  life  as  the  Author  of  salvation.  As  a  Prophet,  he  shed  Divine  light  on  all 
subjects  pertaining  to  God  and  man  which  are  essential  to  his  spiritual  advancement 
and  happiness.  As  a  King,  he  reigned  with  authority,  yet  with  equity  and  mercy 
within  and  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  laws  of  the  soul  and  those  of  God.  And  as  a 
High  Priest,  he  ofl"ered  himself  as  an  infinite  atoning  Sacrifice  for  the  sins  of  the  world. 
With  this  justice  was  satisfie<l,  the  Law  honoured,  and  all  the  Divine  attributes  crowned 
with  glory  and  harmony ;  while  the  vilest  of  sinners  plucked  from  the  branches  of  the 
"  true  Vine"  rich  clusters — of  pardon,  justification,  sanctification,  sjiiritual  life,  as  well 


28a  THE  GOSPEL   ACCOEDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [en.  xv.  1—27. 

as  every  reviving  and  comfortinG;  grace.  And  there  is  abundance  for  all.  (4)  Fruitful- 
ness  which  makes  all  connected  with  him  fruitful.  The  vine  is  a  propagating  and 
diffusive  plant,  and  sends  its  branches  forth  on  the  right  and  left.  It  is  difficult  to 
know  how  many  branches  even  a  single  stalk,  by  proper  dressing  and  cultivation,  is 
capable  of  supporting  and  making  fruitful.  Jesus,  the  true  Vine,  has  sufficient  life  and 
sap  to  incorporate  in  himself,  by  faith,  all  the  human  family,  and  make  them  spiritually 
alive  and  fruitful.  He  sends  forth  his  branches  to  every  part  of  the  globe ;  and  they 
climb  up  and  creep  even  over  the  walls  of  the  heavenly  city,  and  drop  there  their  rich 
clusters  of  fruit. 

II.  The  Father  as  the  Husbandman.  "  And  my  Father,"  etc.  We  have  here  : 
1.  Divine  ownership.  The  husbandman  is  not  always  the  owner  of  the  vine ;  but  in 
this  case  he  is.  He  is  the  Owner  and  the  Husbandman.  Christ,  the  true  Vine,  confesses 
this  with  delight.  The  Vine  owns  the  branches  and  the  fruit ;  but  the  Divine  Husband- 
man owns  the  Vine  altogether.  "  We  arc  Christ's,  but  Christ  is  God's."  2.  Divine  and 
closest  relationship.  "  My  Father,"  etc.  There  is  more  than  mere  ownership  here — the 
closest  and  dearest  relationship.  The  Son  and  the  Father  are  one,  in  nature,  essence, 
life,  purposes,  and  will ;  so  that  between  Jesus  as  the  Vine  and  his  Father  as  the  Hus- 
bandman there  is  the  closest  unity,  and  a  relationship  which  cannot  exist  in  any  other 
husbandry.  3.  Divine  cultivation.  Much  depends  upon  proper  cultivation  with 
regard  to  the  prosperity  and  fruition  of  the  vine.  This  requires  a  good  husbandman.  If 
left  to  itself,  undressed  and  uncultivated,  deterioration  and  even  barrenness  will  soon 
follow.  The  "  true  Vine "  will  not  suffer  on  this  account ;  it  has  not  been  left  to 
strangers  and  to  the  fortunes  of  mere  self-interest,  but  is  under  the  constant  and  tender 
and  most  efficient  care  of  the  Divine  Father.  No  one  knows  but  Christ  himself  what  he 
owes,  in  his  mediatorial  life  and  work,  to  the  Father  ;  to  him  he  attributes  his  all — his 
life,  his  success,  his  support,  triumph,  and  glory.  He  refers  here  to  his  union  with  the 
Father  as  a  most  important  fact.  "  My  Father  is  the  Husbandman."  The  true  Vine 
has  a  true  Husbandman ;  this  will  ensure  for  the  Vine  and  the  branches  the  highest 
cultivation  and  the  most  glorious  results. — B.  T. 

Vers.  5 — 8. —  The  union  of  Christ  and  believers.  Notice  this  union — 
I.  In  its  nature  and  some  of  its  leading  features.  1.  Jt  is  spiritual.  It  is 
not  physical  and  material,  neither  is  it  based  on  the  same  principles  as  the  unions  of 
this  world,  which  are  carnal  and  corrupt ;  but  the  princij^les  of  this  union  are  spiritual, 
such  as  love,  faith,  and  hope.  It  is  the  union  of  the  human  with  the  Divine,  the  spirit 
of  man  with  the  great  Father  of  spirits — the  union  of  life  with  life — the  life  of  the 
soul  with  the  life  of  the  Saviour,  by  faith  and  a  Divine  birth.  "  But  as  many  as 
received  him,  to  them  gave  he  power,"  etc.  2.  It  is  vital  and  real.  It  is  liOt  the 
union  of  a  stone  with  a  stone  in  a  building,  nor  the  union  of  an  atom  with  an  atom  in 
a  material  body,  but  the  union  of  life  as  that  of  the  vine  and  the  branches,  the  union 
of  believing  souls  with  the  Almighty  Saviour,  and  that  of  living  spirits  with  the  ever- 
living  Christ.  It  is  real,  though  on  the  ^mrt  of  believers  at  best  imperfect.  It  is  not 
imaginary,  but  a  fact — as  real  in  spiritual  growth  as  the  union  of  the  vine  and  branches 
in  natural  growth.  3.  It  is  mutual.  As  t^e  vine  and  the  branches.  Mutuality  under- 
lies and  conditions  every  union.  There  is  mutual  affinity,  adaptation,  and  willing  con- 
sent. There  is  in  this  union  a  willing  ble^-ding  of  Divine  and  human  life  and  energies. 
It  is  mutual,  and  mutual  conditions  must  be  observed.  Both  are  dependent  on  each 
other;  but  with  this  difference — the  brancHs  are  more  dependent  on  the  vine  than  the 
vine  on  the  branches ;  a  branch  may  wither  and  fall,  or  be  lopped  off,  but  another  will 
<yrow  instead.  The  disciples  are  more  depe^^dent  on  Christ  than  he  on  the  disciples. 
He  will  have  other  disciples,  but  they  will  never  have  another  Saviour.  4.  It  is 
'natural.  It  is  the  natural  consequences  of  things  ;  as  natural  as  the  union  of  the  vine 
and  branches.  The  vine  is  in  the  branches,  and  the  branches  are  the  natural  outgrowth 
of  the  vine.  Christ  is  the  Life  and  Support  of  believers,  and  they  are  the  natural  out- 
trrowth  of  Christ.  The  union  is  not  arbitrary,  but  according  to  the  laws  of  spiritual 
growth.  A  vine  without  branches,  and  the  great  Teacher  without  disciples,  would  be 
unnatural ;  but  the  vine  and  the  branches,  and  Christ  and  believers  in  real  union,  is 
most  natural  and  beautiful.  5.  It  is  very  near.  No  union  can  be  nearer  than  that 
between  the  vine  and  the  branches-    *i  is  apparently  and  more  permanently  near  than 


CH.  XV.  1—27.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  283 

that  of  parents  and  children.  The  children  may  leave  the  parents  and  form  other  con- 
nections, and  still  go  on  in  prosperity.  But  this  can  never  happen  with  regard  to 
the  vine  and  the  branches.  Such  is  the  union  between  Christ  and  believers.  It  is 
so  near  that  they  are  ever  in  him  and  he  in  them,  imparting  to  them  his  grace  and 
Spirit  in  a  continual  flow,  and  through  them  carries  on  his  grand  purposes  of  love  and 
salvation. 

II.  In  its  impoktakce.  This  will  appear  if  we  consider  :  1.  Tliat  this  union  is  essen- 
tial to  fruit-bearing.  "As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit,  except  it  abide,"  etc. ;  "  With- 
out me  ye  can  do  nothing."  (1)  Ti)ere  is  no  spiritual  life.  There  can  be  no  life  when 
it  is  disconnected  with  its  only  Source  and  Author.  (2)  There  is  no  spiritual  support. 
Life  must  be  supported  ere  it  can  thrive  and  be  healthy.  Apart  from  Christ  there  is 
no  support  and  nourishment  for  the  soul.  (3)  There  is  no  true  inspiration.  The  very 
principle  and  stimulus  of  spiritual  life  is  wanting;  the  very  breath  of  it  is  gone.  (4) 
There  is  no  real  fruit.  Luscious,  strengthening,  healing,  and  reviving  grapes  are  the 
real  fruits  of  the  vine.  Life-giving  and  inspired  actions  are  the  fruits  of  the  soul  united 
with  Christ ;  but,  apart  from  him,  these  are  not  merely  absent,  but  impossible.  "  Ye 
can  do  nothing."  Apart  from  him,  we  are  ciphers  in  relation  to  the  spiritual  world, 
however  active  we  may  otherwise  be.  2.  Fruit-bearing  is  the  essential  consequence  of 
vital  union  with  Christ.  "  The  same  beareth  much  fruit."  Let  the  condition  be  faith- 
fully observed — abiding  in  him — and  the  consequence  will  inevitably  follow.  It  would 
be  as  easy  for  the  stream  to  cease  to  flow  while  the  fountain  springs,  or  for  the  earth 
to  be  in  darkness  while  the  sun  is  in  its  meridian  splendour,  as  for  believers  to  be 
barren  while  in  living  union  with  Christ.  And  this  is  all-important.  If  the  branches 
fail  in  fruitfulness,  they  fail  in  all  that  is  valuable ;  and  so  with  regard  to  man.  3. 
Discontinuance  of  this  union  is  attended  loith  the  most  terrible  consequences.  "If  any 
man  abideth  not  in  me,  he  is  cast  forth,"  etc.  This  implies :  (1)  The  awful  possibility 
of  being  connected  with  Christ  and  yet  be  severed  from  him.  'J'his  is  illustrated  by  the 
vine  and  the  branches.  Many  a  branch,  after  bearing  some  fruit  and  long  connection, 
becomes  entirely  withered  and  barren.  In  relation  to  the  true  Vine  Judas  was  a  striking 
instance  of  such  a  branch.  (2)  The  cause  of  this  severance  is  in  the  disciple,  and  not 
in  the  Master.  "  If  any  man  abide  not  in  me,"  etc.  It  is  not  said,  "  If  1  will  not 
abide  in  him."  This  must  follow  at  last  but  as  the  effect.  The  cause  of  the  withering 
is  not  in  the  vine,  for  other  branches  are  still  flourishing  and  fruitful,  and  it  retains  the 
withered  one  till  it  falls  of  itself,  or  is  lopped  off  by  the  dresser ;  and  even  then  a  wound 
is  left  behind  which  will  take  some  time  to  heal.  This  is  true  of  the  "  true  Vine." 
Look  how  he  retained  Judas  till  he  left  of  his  own  accord;  and  Jesus  on  this  account 
was  often  sorrowful.  The  cause  of  the  sad  severance  is  entirely  in  man,  and  the  blame 
and  responsibility  are  his.  (3)  This  severance  is  attended  tvith  terrible  consequences. 
"  They  gather  them,  and  cast  them  into  the  fire,"  etc.  The  terrible  process  is  gradual — 
the  un fruitfulness,  the  withering,  the  casting  forth,  the  gathering,  the  casting  into  the 
fire,  and  the  final  burning ;  but,  although  gradual,  it  is  certain.  In  relation  to  Christ  as 
to  the  vine,  it  is  the  natural  and  inevitable  consequence  of  the  discontinuance  of  union 
with  him.  It  is  spiritual  failure,  waste,  and  destruction.  Hence  the  supreme  impor- 
tance and  duty  of  continued  and  unbroken  union  with  him. 

III.  In  its  happy  results.  Consider  these:  1.  In  relation  to  believers.  (1)  The 
highest  end  of  being  is  attained.  The  highest  end  of  the  branches  is  fruitfulness.  The 
highest  end  of  man's  being  is  the  same,  and  is  attainable  in  vital  union  with  Christ, 
and  thus  alone.  "  The  same  beareth  much  fruit."  (a)  It  is  visible  and  practical.  It 
is  fruit,  the  visible  evidence  of  a  Divine  union  and  life,  and  is  embodied  in  a  useful 
form,  in  holy  thoughts,  devotional  aspirations,  and  noble  deeds — deeds  of  faith  and 
charity ;  self-sacrificing  deeds,  which  glorify  God  and  benefit  man.  (b)  It  is  genuine  in 
quality.  It  is  fruit,  the  real  outgrowth  of  the  soul  in  union  with  Christ,  and  the  same 
in  quality  as  the  fruit  of  Christ  himself,  and  fit  for  use.  (c)  It  is  great  in  quantity. 
"  Much  fruit."  The  soul  is  developed  into  its  utmost  capacities,  and  this  is  genuine 
fruition,  the  highest  end  of  life,  and  the  happy  result  of  union  with  him  who  is  the 
Life.  (2)  Complete  success  in  prayer.  "Ask  whatsoever  ye  will,"  etc.  United  with 
him,  we  pray  in  him.  When  we  really  pray  in  him,  our  petitions  are  according  to  hia 
will,  and  in  the  interest  of  the  highest  end  of  our  spiritual  being.  All  these  will  cer- 
tainly be  answered.   Union  with  Christ  ensures  to  the  soul  all  spiritual  blessings.   "  Ask, 

JOHN — II.  u 


290  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xv.  1—27. 

and  ye  shall  receive."  (3)  Complete  and  permanent  discipJeship.  "And  so  shall  ye  be 
my  disciples."  Union  with  Christ  results  in  frnit-bearing,  and  fruit-bearing  results  in 
I)ermanent  discijileship.  "  So  shall  ye  be,"  etc.  Not  probationers,  but  full  disciples ;  not 
only  in  name,  but  in  reality ;  not  for  a  time,  but  for  ever.  This  is  a  high  honour  and 
an  inestimable  privile(;e,  to  be  under  the  direct  and  constant  tuition  of  the  Master,  and 
within  the  circle  of  his  guidance,  light,  and  love,  now  and  for  ever.  2.  Jn  relation  to 
the  Father.  "  Herein  is  my  Father  glorified,  that  ye,"  etc.  The  Vinedresser  is  glori- 
fied, honoured,  and  satisfied  by  the  fruitfulness  of  the  vine ;  his  heart  is  gladdened  at 
the  time  of  vintage.  The  Father,  as  the  Husbandman  of  the  "  true  Vine,"  is  specially 
glorified  when  the  branches  bear  fruit,  and  much  fruit.  The  greater  the  fruit,  the 
greater  is  his  glory  and  joy  ;  he  is  infinitely  happy  to  see  his  labour  not  in  vain,  his 
fatherly  love,  watchfulness,  and  expense  are  not  for  nought,  but  return  with  interest  in 
fruitful  branches.  He  rejoiceth  over  one  sinner  tliat  repenteth,  over  one  branch  bear- 
ing a  single  fruit;  what  must  be  his  over  the  "  much  fruit"?  Our  greatest  good  is 
inseparably  connected  with  his  greatest  glorj'.  3.  In  relation  to  Christ.  "  So  shall  ye 
be  my  disciples."  Complete  discipleship  is  a  great  honour  and  blessing  to  the  believer; 
fruitful  discipleship  is  a  great  satisfaction  and  joy  to  Jesus.  The  branches  bear  fruit 
through  the  vine,  and  the  vine  through  the  branches.  The  disciples  bear  fruit  through 
Christ,  and  Christ  bears  fruit  through  them  ;  their  fruit  is  really  his.  It  is  through 
them  chiefly  he  blesses  and  saves  the  world  ;  they  are  the  mediums  of  his  love  and  life, 
and  in  them  he  sees  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and  is  satisfied.  They  are  proud  of  him, 
and  he  is  proud  of  them,  and  refers  to  them  with  delight  as  his  disciples;  so  that  the 
Hu.sbandman,  the  true  Vine,  and  the  branches  together  reap  the  benefit  of,  and  are  highly 
satisfied  with,  the  happy  results  of  the  happy  union. 

Lessoxs.  1.  This  union  on  the  part  of  Christ  is  perfect.  Its  bases  are  perfect,  and 
its  conditions  are  perfectly  fulfilled.  Its  discontinuance  will  never  happen  on  account 
of  any  lack  in  him  as  the  true  Vine,  or  in  his  Father  as  the  Husbandman.  2.  On  our 
part  it  is  as  yet  imperfect.  It  is  at  best  and  of  necessity  so.  We  are  imperfect  beings, 
and  perfection  under  the  best  conditions  and  advantages  is  not  attainable  at  once.  3. 
To  make  this  union  perfect  is  our  most  solemn  duty,  and  demands  our  hest  effort.  For 
it  is  all-important,  involves  our  highest  interest,  and  by  neglect  is  in  danger  of  being 
destroyed.  Jn  vain  we  attempt  to  realize  the  end  of  our  existence — fruit-bearing — apart 
from  him.  Our  solemn  duty  is,  by  diligent  faith,  watchfulness,  and  prayer,  to  abide  in 
liim,  and  all  besides  will  follow. — B.  T. 

Ver.  11. —  The  Joy  of  the  Master  and  the  joy  of  the  disciples.  Notice — 
I.  Their  DIFFERENCE.  1.  One  is  the  fountain;  the  other  is  the  stream.  All  the  joy  of 
the  disciples  sprang  from  his.  Apart  from  his  joy  there  wonld  be  none  for  them. 
Although  there  is  an  inseparable  connection  between  the  fountain  and  the  stream, 
between  the  cause  and  effect,  between  the  sun  and  its  light  and  heat,  between  the  joy 
of  .Jesus  and  that  of  his  disciples,  yet  there  is  a  distinction,  and  such  a  one  that  the 
fountain  will  ever  be  a  fountain,  and  the  stream  will  ever  be  a  stream.  The  joy  of  Jesus 
will  ever  be  his  own,  and  that  of  the  disciples  will  ever  be  theirs  as  the  stream  from 
the  fountain  of  joy.  2.  One  is  independent ;  the  other  is  not.  The  joy  of  Jesus,  which 
was  specially  his  own,  was  independent  of  that  of  his  disciples;  but  theirs  was  depen- 
dent on  his,  as  the  stream  is  dej^endent  on  the  fountain,  and  the  branches  on  the  vine. 
The  sun  would  be  a  sun  if  all  the  planets  were  blotted  out  and  all  the  stars  fell.  So 
much  cannot  be  said  of  the  planets  and  stars  if  the  sun  were  extinguished.  Jesus  had 
a  joy  which  was  absolutely  his  own.  As  he  had  a  glory  with  the  Father  before  the 
world  began,  so  he  had  joy  which  he  could  not  but  experience  apart  from  human  con- 
"jeqnences  and  relationships.  But  the  disciples  bad  no  such  joy ;  theirs  was  dependent 
on,  as  it  was  derived  from,  his.  3.  One  is  infinitely  capacious;  the  other  is  not.  It  is 
finite.  Jesus'  joy,  like  himself,  was  infinite.  No  vessel  can  hold  more  than  its  fill. 
Thus  the  joys  of  men  differ  in  degree  according  to  their  different  capacities.  The 
Divinity  of  Christ,  the  greatness  and  vastness  of  his  work,  the  glory  and  dignity  of  his 
Person,  and  the  perfection  of  his  character,  made  him  capable  of  infinite  and  boundless 
joy,  compared  with  which  the  greatest  joy  of  the  most  perfect  disciple  would  be  but  a 
drop  to  the  ocean,  a  ray  to  the  sun,  and  an  atom  to  the  universe.  4.  One  is  ever  full ;  the 
other  is  not.    The  joy  of  Jesus  was  absolutely  full  and  complete — a  continual  flow  with- 


CH.  XV.  1—27.]      THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING   TO  ST.  JOHN.  291 

out  an  ebb.  Tnie,  be  was  "a  Man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  pjrief."  But  this  was 
not  bis  own.  "Surely  he  bore  our  griefs," etc.  His  soul  was  continually  joyous,  and 
his  nature  continually  happy.  And  now,  when  his  earthly  work  was  not  actually 
completed,  with  the  teri'ible  battle  and  more  than  human  pain  before  him,  his  soul  was 
full  of  joy.  The  sorrow  and  grief  were  only  waves  on  the  surface,  and  dashing  on  the 
human  side  of  his  being;  but  down  in  the  depths  of  his  nature  there  was  only  joy  in 
all  its  serenity,  purity,  and  fulness.  But  not  so  the  joy  of  the  disciples.  It  was 
essentially  incomplete.  Only  a  spark,  a  flickering  flame,  already  threatened  with 
extinction  by  his  departure. 

II.  Their  sameness.  Although  distinct,  so  as  to  be  spoken  of  separately  as  "  my 
joy  "  and  "  your  joy,"  yet  there  is  a  similarity  and  a  sameness.  1.  Theij  are  the  same 
in  nature.  The  stream  is  of  the  same  nature  as  the  fountain,  the  droj)  as  the  ocean, 
the  fruit  as  the  tree.  The  joy  of  the  disciples  is  of  the  same  nature  as  that  of  Jesus. 
2.  They  are  the  same  in  effect.  Joy  as  an  emotion  is  pleasant,  buoyant,  happy,  and 
inspiring.  These  were  its  effects  in  Jesus,  and  in  a  degree  in  his  disciples.  In  the 
degree  they  experienced  it,  it  made  them  happy  in  trouble,  hopeful  in  sorrow,  buoyant 
in  depressed  circumstances,  and  joyous  even  in  tribulation.  Pure  joy  is  the  same  in 
its  eflVcts  in  the  heart  of  the  creature  as  in  that  of  the  Creator,  in  the  heart  of  the  dis- 
ciple as  in  that  of  his  Master.  3.  They  are  the  same  in  their  sources.  What  were  the 
sources  of  Jesus' joy,  or  what  joy  was  his?  (1)  The  joy  of  conscious  union  xvith  his 
Father.  He  was  ever  conscious  of  this.  It  never  left  him,  even  in  the  darkest  hour 
and  severest  trials.  "  Ye  shall  leave  me  alone :  but  I  am  not  alone,  because  the 
Father,"  etc.  This  ever  611ed  him  with  confidence  and  joy.  (2)  The  joy  of  perfect 
obedience.  Obedience  to  his  Father's  will  and  commands,  loyalty  to  his  Father's 
throne,  and  consecration  to  his  Father's  work.  (3)  The  joy  of  perfect  love.  Love  to 
his  Father,  to  his  disciples,  and  love  of  compassion  to  the  world.  The  central  passion 
of  his  heart  and  the  ruling  law  of  his  nature  was  love,  and  this  inevitably  produced  joy 
and  happiness.  His  obedience  was  happy  and  joyous.  It  was  the  obedience  of  love. 
He  could  say,  "  Lo,  I  come  to  do,"  etc.  It  was  delightful  to  come  and  do  the  Divine 
will  while  the  law  was  in  his  heart  of  love.  There  is  no  joy  without  love;  and  in  the 
degree  we  love  we  are  joyous.  (4)  The  joy  of  perfect  s'lf-sacrifice.  The  love  of  Christ 
was  not  of  the  ordinar}'  kind,  but  of  the  highest  kind — the  greatest  and  most  dis- 
interested, resulting  in  the  greatest  self-sacrifice.  And  the  greater  the  self-sacrifice  the 
greater  the  joy.  In  Christ  both  were  perfect.  (5)  The  joy  of  unsicerving  confidence 
of  triumph  and  success.  He  never  had  the  least  doubt  as  to  the  ultimate  success  of  his 
mission  and  the  result  of  his  coming,  although  no  one  was  ever  so  severely  tried.  His 
own  rejected  and  crucified  him ;  but,  in  s])ite  of  this,  his  joy  was  unruffled,  his  happi- 
ness was  unmarred,  and  his  confidence  in  God,  and  the  justice  and  success  of  his  cause, 
was  unshaken.  These  were  the  sources  of  his  joy  ;  and  they  are  the  sources  of  the  joy 
of  all  his  followers — the  joy  of  union  with  him  and  the  Father,  of  obedience  to  him  and 
his  commands,  of  love  to  him  and  each  other,  of  self-sacrifice  even  to  suffering  and 
death  for  him,  and  of  perfect  conviction  of  the  righteousness  of  their  cause,  the  rectitude 
of  their  principles,  and  complete  triumph  at  last.  Thus  the  joy  of  the  disciples  and  that 
of  the  Master  proceeded  from  the  same  fountain.  Although  one  is  a  small  stream  and 
the  other  a  sweeping  Amazon,  yet  they  spring  from  the  same  sources,  and  flow  on 
through  parallel  channels  to  the  same  ocean  of  infinite  joy. 

III.  The  perfection  of  the  disciples' joy.  1.  Tlie  perfection  of  their  joy  was  not 
yet  attained.  This  could  not  be  expected.  They  were  young  disciples,  ignorant  and 
imperfect.  Their  training  was  as  yet  only  partial,  and  there  were  intervening  severe- 
trials.  Their  Master  was  about  to  leave  them  by  death  ;  and  their  permanent  Teacher 
and  Sanctifier,  the  Holy  Spirit,  had  not  yet  fully  come.  Between  his  departure  and  the 
coming  of  the  Spirit  there  was  sadness.  They  were  doubtless  greatly  surprised  at  his 
.speaking  of  his  joy  and  theirs  at  such  an  hour ;  still  they  had  the  elements  of  spiritual 
joy  to  an  extent  they  had  not  yet  realized.  The  development  of  these  was  necessarily 
gradual,  and  as  yet  incomplete.  2.  The  perfection  of  their  joy  was  attainable.  "That 
my  joy  may  be  in  you,  and  that,"  etc.  This  was  to  be  attained:  (I)  By  continual 
realization  of  their  union  with  him..  This  union  was  made.  It  was  a  glorious  fact. 
They  had  only  to  continue  it  and  realize  it  in  a  greater  degree.  And  with  increased 
realization  of  the  union  there  would  be  an  increase  of  joy — the  joy  of  being  connected 


292  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xv.  1— 27. 

■with  a  Divine  life,  the  joy  of  infinite  care  and  support.  Christ  rejoiced  at  his  union 
with  the  disciples,  and  they  ought  to  rejoice  at  theirs  with  him.  If  it  was  a  source  of 
joy  to  the  Bridegroom  to  be  united  with  a  poor  bride,  certainly  it  ought  to  be  a  greater 
source  of  joy  to  the  bride  to  be  united  with  such  an  infinitely  rich  and  kind  Bridegroom. 
(2)  By  continual  participation  of  his  joy.  "  That  my  joy  may  be  in  you  ; "  not  about  or 
near,  but  in  them  as  a  perennial  well  of  living  water.  His  joy  was  full  and  perfect, 
and  it  was  ever  at  their  disposal ;  and  they  are  invited  to  partake  of  it,  as  the  branches 
partake  of  the  life  and  sap  of  the  vine.  And  his  words  and  promise  are  as  telegraphic 
wires  to  convey  the  messages  of  his  love  to  the  soul ;  as  golden  pipes  to  convey  the  wine 
of  his  life,  joy,  and  fellowship  to  the  heart.  Joy  was  in  him  in  inexhaustible  fulness. 
And  his  disciples  are  to  be  filled  with  joy  by  continual  participation  of  his  fulness,  and 
the  more  they  take  the  more  they  will  get.  (3)  By  careful  imitation  of  his  exaiwple. 
"  That  my  joy  may  be  in  you,  and  that  your  joy,"  etc.  In  him  they  found  an  Example 
which  was  most  perfect,  helpful,  and  inspiring.  In  one  sense  his  joy  in  relation  to 
believers  is  a  specimen,  and  a  most  efficient  help  to  procure  the  same  themselves.  He 
helps  them  that  they  may  help  themselves,  and  make  their  own  spiritual  fortunes. 
He  pointed  out  to  his  disciples  the  founts  of  happiness,  and  revealed  to  them  by  precept 
and  example  the  path  of  duty  as  the  only  path  of  real  joy.  Let  them  tread  it  as  he 
trod  it.  Let  them  abide  in  him  as  he  abode  in  his  Father.  Let  them  obey  as  he 
obeyed,  love  as  he  loved,  self-sacrifice  as  he  self-sacrificed ;  then  his  joy  would  be  in 
them,  and  theirs  would  be  fulfilled  in  him  and  in  themselves.  His  joy  would  be  theirs, 
and  still  his  own  ;  his  own,  and  still  practically  theirs.  The  joy  of  the  Master  is  fulfilled 
in  that  of  the  disciple,  and  that  of  the  disciple  in  the  Master.  3.  The  perfection  ff 
joy,  although  partially  attained  now,  is  fully  attained  in  the  future.  Christians  of  all 
ages  have  experienced  this  joy  in  a  high  degree ;  and  even  the  sorrowful  disciiDles,  a 
short  time  after  this,  left  the  Sanhedrin  with  bleeding  flesh,  rejoicing  that  they  were 
counted  worthy  to  suffer  for  Christ's  Name.  They  sang  in  prisons,  and  even  in  the 
most  painful  death.  But  this  joy  cannot  reach  perfection  here,  for  its  perfection  will 
be  the  perfection  of  religion,  and  the  crown  of  life,  which  cannot  be  fully  attained  but 
under  heavenly  and  fixed  conditions ;  when  the  union  between  Christ  and  the  believing 
soul  will  be  complete ;  when  the  tortuous  stream  shall  at  last  reach  the  ocean,  and  the 
joyous  disciple  shall  enter  into  the  joy  of  his  Lord.  4.  The  perfection  of  their  joy  now 
was  Jesus'  chief  concern.  "  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  my  joy,"  etc. 
He  was  specially  anxious,  not  merely  that  they  should  enjoy  him,  but  that  they  should 
enjoy  him  in  the  highest  sense,  in  the  fullest  measure,  and  in  the  most  inspiring;, 
cheering,  and  eff"ective  way.  "  That  my  joy  may  be  in  you."  He  does  not  bequeath 
unto  them  sorrow.  He  takes  that  upon  himself,  and  gives  them  his  joy.  He  makes 
an  exchange — gives  his  disciples  his  joy,  and  bears  their  grief.  They  have  the  advan- 
tage. All  he  said  and  did  was  that  they  may  realize  his  happiness,  and  make  it 
practically  their  own,  and  fulfil  it  in  their  own  experience,  even  to  perfection. 

Lessons.  1.  There  is  no  pure  and  lasting  joy  apart  from  Jesus.  Every  other  joy  is 
false,  empty,  and  transient,  unworthy  of  man  as  an  immortal  beinsr,  and  will  end  in 
sorrow.  In  union  with  him  alone  there  is  real  joy.  2.  The  religion  of  Jesus  is  a  religion 
of  pure  joy.  To  charge  it  with  being  melancholy  is  utterly  false.  The  religion  of  man 
is  a  melancholy  one,  but  that  of  Jesus  is  ever  joyous.  The  new  birth  is  a  circum- 
stance of  joy.  The  marriage  of  the  soul  to  the  merciful  Saviour  is  a  source  of  ecstatic 
delight.  Its  sorrow  is  only  accidental  and  for  a  season,  its  joy  is  essential  and  eternal. 
And  there  is  joy  even  in  its  sorrow,  songs  in  its  sighs,  and  heaven  in  its  tears.  If  it  begins 
ip  a  sigh,  it  ends  in  an  eternal  song.  3.  Let  us  make  our  life  joyous  by  a  living  union 
with  the  ever-joyous  Saviour.  Let  us  abide  in  his  love,  appropriate  his  joy ;  then  duty 
will  be  delightful,  and  life  ever  musical,  and  will  naturally  melt  at  last  to  that  fulness 
of  joy  which  is  at  his  right  hand,  and  the  everlasting  pleasures  of  his  presence. — B.  T. 

Vers.  22 — 25. — The  sin  of  neglecting  the  Saviour.  With  regard  to  the  Jewish  nation, 
this  is  referred  to  by  our  Lord — 

I.  As  A  SIN  OF  THE  GREATEST  ENORMITY.  There  are  degrees  in  sin  as  in  virtue. 
.  The  sin  of  rejecting  the  Saviour  is  the  greatest.  It  stands  alone  in  the  black  category. 
*'  If  I  had  not  come  and  spoken  to  them,  they  had  not,"  etc.  What  does  this  mean  ? 
Whether  that  they  would  not  have  that  particular  sin?  or  that,  in  comparison  with  this, 


CH.  XV.  1—27.]      THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  293 

others  are  small,  and  almost  fade  into  nothingness?  Its  enormity  will  appear  if  we 
consider:  1.  It  is  the  greatest  insult  to  the  greatest  and  best  Being.  Who  is  disbelieved 
and  rejected?  The  eternal  Son  and  the  eternal  Father — the  sujireme  Being  whom  they 
professed  to  acknowledge  and  worship.  For  the  rejection  ol  the  Son  irfvolves  the 
rejection  of  the  Father.  "  He  that  hateth  me,"  etc.  No  one  can  so  insult  and  grieve  the 
Father  as  by  insulting  his  Son;  and  the  greatest  insult  to  the  Son  is  the  rejection  of  his 
Person,  Word,  and  redemptive  grace.  Thus  the  Divine  truth  and  honour  are  impugned. 
"  He  that  btlieveth  not  God  hath  made  him  a  liar ;  because  he  believeth  not," etc.  2.  It 
is  the  greatest  insult  to  the  suj^reme  Being  while  in  the  nearest  contiguity  to  them.  The 
Father  was  in  the  Son ;  and  the  Son  was  in  the  flesh,  in  their  very  nature ;  therefore 
God  was  in  their  nature,  speaking  and  acting  among  them.  He  was  never  so  near  before. 
They  never  had  such  a  vision  of  him.  He  was  face  to  face  with  them.  He  could 
not  come  physically  nearer,  neither  could  they  have  a  clearer  physical  vision  of  him. 
So  clear  it  was  that  our  Lord  could  with  propriety  say,  "They  have  seen  me  and  my 
Father."  In  him  the  Father  was  seen,  and  yet  they  rejected  him.  Thus  the  insult 
was  most  direct  and  daring.  They  insulted  him  to  his  very  face.  3.  It  is  the  greatest 
insult  to  the  supreme  Being,  under  circumstances  which  were  calculated  in  the  highest 
degree  to  produce  different  effects.  The  circumstances  we  have  already  indicated,  and 
they  are  quite  unique.  Even  in  the  wonderful  history  of  the  Jewish  nation,  and  in  the 
history  of  the  nations  of  the  world,  they  were  such  as  they  alone  enjoyed,  and  involved 
such  Divine  light  and  evidence  as  were  calculated  in  the  highest  degree  to  produce  the 
readiest  foith  in  and  the  warmest  reception  of  the  Son  of  God.  It  was  the  natural 
conclusion  of  the  Divine  Father  :  "  They  will  honour  my  Son."  Although  they  have 
maltreated  my  prophets,  yet  they  will  honour  my  Son.  In  his  life  and  actions  they 
saw  the  Father,  yet  rejected  him,  and  sinned  against  the  greatest  light.  4.  It  is  the 
greatest  iiisult  against  the  supreme  Being  in  the  very  attempt  of  conferring  upon  them 
the  greatest  henefit.  And  this  involved  the  exercise  of  the  greatest  condescension  and 
love.  The  object  in  view  and  the  love  manifested  are  set  forth  in  the  familiar  but 
matchless  words, "  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave,"  etc.  Can  imagination  con- 
ceive of  a  greater  sin  and  insult  than  the  rejection  of  .the  manifestation  of  such  Divine 
love,  whose  object  is  to  save  from  the  most  inevitable  and  terrible  ruin,  and  the 
bestowment  of  the  greatest  and  most  undeserving  gift?  Sin  against  the  truth,  justice, 
and  holiness  of  the  supreme  Being,  separately  considered,  is  nothing  to  the  sin  against 
Divine  and  self-sacrificing  love.  Jesus  was  the  incarnation  of  Divine  love,  maniiested 
to  bless  and  to  save  ;  but  while  in  the  very  act  of  salvation  he  was  most  insultingly 
rejected.  5.  It  is  the  greatest  insult  to  the  S'ipjreme  Being,  assuming  the  most  malig- 
nant form.  "And  hated  both  me  and  my  Father."  While  this  indicates  the  cause  of 
their  rejection,  the  enmity  of  the  carnal  mind  against  God,  it  also  reveals  its  extreme 
malignity.  It  is  not  merely  negative  and  defensive,  but  most  malignantly  aggressive 
and  decided.  And  hatred  is  the  most  virulent  form  of  rejection,  the  most  daring 
form  of  unbelief,  the  most  insulting  resistance  to  the  supreme  Being,  and  the  most 
fatal  defiance  to  Divine  love,  which  in  this  case  resulted  in  the  cruel  crucifixion  of  the 
Son  of  God.  6.  The  greatest  insult  to  the  supreme  Being,  which  resulted  in  the  most 
fatal  consequences.  By  their  malignant  rejection  they  made  the  greatest  general 
blessing  the  greatest  personal  curse,  turned  the  greatest  boon  into  the  greatest  bane ; 
80  that  it  would  be  infinitely  better  for  them  if  the  Son  of  God  had  not  come  to  them 
at  all — their  sin  ^\ould  be  less,  and  their  fate  less  disastrous.  They  attempted  to  stem 
anrti  poison  the  river  of  life  in  its  flow  to  fallen  humanity,  and  succeeded  as  far  as  they 
were  concerned.  They  set  an  unparalleled  example  of  unbelief  and  moral  obduracy  to 
all  succeeding  ages,  the  result  of  which  was  social  and  spiritual  ruin. 

II.    As  A  SIX  OF  THE   GRKATEST  ENORMITY  WITH   THE   LEAST   EXCUSE.      What  eXCUSCS 

are  supposable  in  this  case  ?  1.  If  he  had  not  come  to  them  at  all.  This  would  be  a 
complete  excuse.  But  he  came,  appeared  to  them,  and  dwelt  among  them.  2.  Jf  he 
ha/1  no  right  to  come.  They  would  have  a  perfect  right  to  reject  an  intruder  and  an 
impostor,  who  had  no  right  to  their  faith  and  acceptance.  But  Jesus  was  not  such.  He 
had  an  absnlute  right  to  come.  He  came  in  accordance  with  the  Divine  will,  as  well 
known  to  him,  and  well  known  to  them  as  revealed  in  their  Scriptures.  He  came  in 
the  way  and  at  the  very  time  and  for  the  purpose  indicated.  And  his  coming  was 
absolutely  right  and  essential  in  order  to  fulfil  the  Divine  plan  and  satisfy  human  need. 


294  THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xv.  1— 27. 

3.  Want  of  adeqttate  knowledge  of  him.  This  would  be  a  valid  excuse.  But  this 
they  could  not  plead.  He  not  only  sent  the  Baptist  to  herald  his  immediate  coming, 
but  came  himself  in  person,  and  spoke  to  them,  tauf:;ht  daily  in  their  streets  and  syna- 
gogues, availed  himself  of  every  opportunity  to  address  them  in  the  most  homely  and 
clear  language  as  to  his  Divine  origin  and  mission  as  the  Son  of  God  and  their  Messiah. 
And  he  taught  "as  One  having  authority;"  and  it  was  the  testimony  of  all  his  unpreju- 
diced hearers,  "  Never  man  spake  like  this  Man."  4.  Want  of  adequate  proofs  of  his 
claims.  Although  his  teaching  was  full,  clear,  and  Divine,  yet,  without  the  further 
evidence  of  miracles,  there  would  be  a  legitimate  excuse.  Jesus  allows  this.  "  If  I  had 
not  done,"  etc.  They  demanded  a  sign.  This  demand  was  most  fully  and  readily 
granted  :  (1)  In  such  works  of  power  and  mercy  as  no  other  man  had  ever  lefore  per- 
formed. 'I  hey  professed  to  beUeve  Moses  and  the  prophets  on  the  evidence  of  miracles  ; 
but  their  miracles  were  very  few  in  number,  and  inferior  in  quality  as  compared  with 
tliose  performed  by  him  whom  they  rejected.  (2)  In  such  works  of  power  and  mercy 
as  were  in  "perfect  keeping  with  his  claims  and  character  as  their  Messiah  and  Saviour. 
There  was  a  perfect  correspondence  between  his  teaching  and  his  works.  He  suited  the . 
woid  to  the  deed,  and  the  deed  to  the  word.  His  testimony  was  complete.  (3)  In 
such  works  of  power  and  mercy  as  clearly  revealed  him  and  the  Father — revealed  him 
as  the  Son  of  God,  and  God  as  his  Father.  His  works  were  so  Divine  that  even  they 
themselves  could  not  deny  their  supernatural  character;  but,  rather  than  admitting 
their  natural  conclusion,  attributed  them  to  a  demon.  So  transparently  Divine  were 
his  works,  that  in  their  light,  not  only  he  as  the  Divine  Son  could  be  seen,  but  also  his 
Divine  Father;  still  they  malignantly  rejected  both.  5.  Want  of  natural  ah  ility  to  com- 
prehend the  evidences  of  his  claims.  The  deaf  have  a  sufficient  excuse  for  not  hearing, 
and  the  blind  for  not  seeing.  The  want  of  common  intelligence  and  natural  ability  would 
be  an  excuse  for  intellectual  and  moral  unbelief.  But  they  could  not  plead  this,  neither 
did  they.  And  when  our  Lord  hinted  at  their  moral  blindness  they  were  greatly 
insulted,  and  asked  with  contempt,  "Are  we  also  blind?"  Our  Lord  tacitly  accepts  their 
explanation,  but  pointed  them  to  the  inevitable  consequence,  "  Your  sin  remaineth." 
They  were  entirely  responsible,  and  claimed  it.  It  was  not  because  they  could  not,  but 
because  they  would  not.  6.  Any  really  objectionable  quMities  in  his  char-acter  or  con- 
duct. They  would  be  justified  in  rejecting  a  cruel  tyrant,  a  vile  impostor,  or  a  vicious 
teacher ;  but  they  had  none  of  these  excuses  in  the  least  degree.  Not  only  they  had  no 
reason  to  hate  him,  but  the  strongest  reasons  possible  to  love  and  welcome  him  with 
delight.  His  character  was  divinely  transparent,  and  his  life  absolutely  pure.  His 
discourses  were  pregnant  with  life  and  light,  and  his  words  and  actions  full  ot  grace  and 
truth.  His  conduct  towards  all  was  invariably  respectful  and  tenderly  kind,  and  even 
to  his  most  inveterate  foes  he  was  most  patient,  indulgent,  and  forgiving.  There  was 
no  cause  for  hatred  in  him.  It  must  have  been  entirely  in  them ;  and  his  experience 
was  that  of  the  psalmist,  recorded  in  their  Scripture,  "  They  hated  me  without  a 
cause."  They  could  not  find  an  excuse  for  their  sin,  neither  could  Jesus  find  one.  In 
spite  of  his  terrible  indictment  against  them,  he  seems  to  be  in  search  of  an  excuse  for 
them.  "  If  I  had  not  come,"  etc. ;  "  but  now,"  etc.  As  far  as  they  were  concerned,  he 
almost  wished  he  had  not  come  and  spoken  to  them.  He  who  prayed  on  the  cross, 
"  Father,  forgive,"  etc.,  was  ever  ready  to  find  the  least  legitimate  excuse  for  sinners, 
and  even  for  his  most  inveterate  foes;  but  in  this  case  could  find  none.  There  was  none, 
and  there  is  none. 

Lessons.  1.  TJie  gospel,  with  regard  to  the  rejecters  of  Christ,  reveals  a  terribly 
corrupt  state  of  the  heart.  The  gospel  does  not  cause  sin,  but  reveals  it,  and  in  rela- 
tion to  the  disobedient  occasions  the  greatest  guilt.  It  would  be  better  for  them  not 
to  have  enjoyed  its  light.  2.  With  regard  to  its  rejecters,  it  reveals  a  terrible  power 
of  the  corrupt  will  to  resist  the  Divinest  evidence  and  7'eject  the  most  loving  overtures  of 
Heaven,  as  well  as  its  own  highest  good.  3.  Although  it  would  be  far  better  for  the  dis- 
obedient if  Christ  had  not  come  and  spoken  to  them,  yet  those  who  sigh  for  and  are 
ready  to  receive  him  are  not  depirived  of  him  on  this  account.  Shall  not  the  sun  rise 
because  many  evil-doers  prefer  darkness,  and  may  avail  themselves  of  but  little  of  its 
light?  And  shall  Jesus  keep  away  because  many  will  disobey,  and  even  bate  him? 
No  ;  let  him  come  and  save.  4.  The  tvorld's  awful  responsibility  under  the  gospel. 
The  responsibility  of  iacrea;dDg  light  and  grace.    Our  destiny  hangs  upon  our  receiving 


OH.  XV.  1—27.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOUN.  295 

or  not  receiving  Christ.  Beware  of  rejecting  him.  Beware  of  the  excuseless  sin.  5. 
Our  great  Advocate  can  find  an  excuse  for  every  sin  but  this.  For  this  there  is  no 
defence ;  for  he  is  rejected  for  whose  si\ke  God  alone  caa  forgive.  There  is  in  Iiim  no 
cause  of  hatred  or  rejection ;  but  there  is  in  him  an  infinitely  extending  pardon  to  the 
vilest  penitent.  Some  of  his  murderers  availed  themselves  of  this.  And  it  is  ever 
available  and  iufallible :  "  Come  now,  and  let  us  reason  together,  saith  the  Lord," 
etc.— B.  T. 

Vers.  1 — 6. — The  vine  and  the  branches.  1.  The  statement  of  connection 
BETWEEN  Jesus  and  his  people.  The  connection  is  neither  nominal  nor  artificial;  it 
is  a  living  union.  The  life  of  our  Lord  goes  out  to  us  every  day.  lie  is  full  of  the 
noblest  life — that  which  is  nourished  and  developed  by  Divine  love;  and  because  he 
lives,  w^e  are  to  live  also.  There  is  to  be  the  most  entire  community  of  life  between 
Jesus  and  us;  his  affairs  are  our  affairs,  and  our  affairs  are  his  affairs.  He  is  interested 
in  all  of  us.  No  step  we  t^ike  but  lie  regards  it  with  anxious  eye ;  no  true  success  we 
gain  but  what  gladdens  him  as  much  as  it  gladdens  us.  He  loves  us  all,  the  wqrst  as 
well  as  the  best.  The  true  mother  has  a  tender  heart  for  all  her  children  ;  for  the 
stubborn,  headstrong  l)oy  as  much  as  the  docile  and  yielding  one ;  for  the  vain  and 
giddy  daughter  as  much  as  the  quiet  and  gentle.  All  are  in  the  family,  and  so  are  we. 
Sometimes  we  play  sad  havoc  with  the  profession  of  believers  in  Christ  Jesus.  Some 
very  sour  grapes  appear  on  our  particular  branch.  But  Christ  will  be  very  patient  with 
us.  He  who  is  long-suffering  with  the  fruitless  fig  tree  will  be  long-suffering  with  the 
fruitless  branch. 

II.  We  MUST  LABOUR  TO  CONTINUE  IN  THIS  CONNECTION.  1.  We  are  to  receive  Jesus 
altogether.  It  will  not  do  to  take  what  we  like  and  reject  what  we  like.  We  must 
receive  him  iq  every  relation  which  he  declares  himself  to  sustain  to  us.  We  are  not. 
to  say,  when  we  come  across  any  hard  saying,  that  it  must  be  practically  expunged 
because  we  cannot  understand  it.  The  real  hardness  is  not  in  the  sayings ;  it  is  in  our 
own  heart.  Time  and  a  change  of  experience  make  a  difference  in  many  of  our  im- 
pressions ;  and  we  alter,  while  Jesus  and  the  Scriptures  remain  the  same.  There  is  a 
softening  of  the  stony  heart,  a  susceptibility  to  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come.  When 
we  feel  the  need  of  Jesus,  there  is  no  difficulty  about  taking  him  just  as  he  is. 
2.  TJiere  must  be  constant  communion.  The  first  act  of  real  prayer  makes  the  first  step 
towards  this.  A  prayerless  life  means  a  life  without  Christ,  without  faith,  without! 
■work,  without  consistency.  On  such  a  branch  the  husbandman  looks  with  suspicion. 
Christ  wants  to  shine  out  in  the  life,  so  that  people  may  say  the  branch  is  worthy  of 
the  trunk.  He  cannot  bless  us  without  our  consent,  or  without  our  active  approacli  to 
him. 

III.  The  ULTIMATE  RESULT  OF  THIS  UNION.  The  more  we  abide  in  Christ  the 
more  he  abides  in  us,  and  then  the  constant  and  powerful  influx  of  his  energy  cau.ses 
a  great  putting  out  of  fruit.  Just  as  the  sap  from  the  trunk  makes  every  day  a 
difiereuce  in  the  branch,  causing  it  to  slioot  forth  twigs,  and  buds,  and  leaves,  and  | 
flowers,  so  the  presence  of  Christ  in  our  souls  makes  us  to  grow  and  to  manifest  the 
fruit  of  that  presence. — Y. 

Ver.  9. — Abiding  in  the  love  of  Jesus.  I.  Past  satisfaction.  How  Jesus  here 
lifts  up  his  disciples  by  a  recognition  of  the  good  thing  in  them  !  The  Father  loved  the 
Son  ;  found  in  Jesus  of  Nazareth  what  he  could  not  find  in  any  other  being  of  flesh 
and  blood.  And  so  the  Son  loved  his  disciples,  finding  in  them  a  spirit  of  obedience  and 
recognition  of  himself  w-hich  promised  great  results  in  due  season.  To  us  it  may  seem 
as  if  Jesus  must  have  been  painfully  impressed  with  the  faults  of  his  friends.  In  many 
things  they  were  so  ignorant  and  slow  of  heart ;  in  many  things  their  motives  were  so 
narrow  and  unworthy.  But,  with  all  their  faults,  they  were  fundamentally  true;  better 
far  than  Pharisees;  better  far  than  the  common  run,  who  as  yet  followed  Jesus  only 
when  they  could  get  the  loaves  and  be  filled.  And  so  Jesus  loved  them  for  this.  What 
a  view  this  gives  us  of  the  aspect  of  Jesus  towards  men !  All  are  sinners  and  need 
salvation;  they  are  loved  with  the  love  of  pity;  they  have  their  share  in  that  great 
declaration  concerning  God's  love  to  the  world  (ch.  iii.  IG).  But,  so  far  as  inclination 
towards  God  is  concerned,  all  are  not  equally  loveless;  some  are  near  the  kingdom, 


296  THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING   TO   ST.   JOHN.      [ch.  xv.  1— 27. 

like  that  man  on  whom,  when  Jesus  looked,  he  loved  him.  These  disciples  still  had  far 
to  go  and  many  difficulties  to  overcome ;  but  surely  it  was  no  small  matter  to  have 
reached  the  happy  stage  when  Jesus  could  say  that,  as  the  Father  loved  him,  so  he 
loved  them.  Look  into  the  expression,  and  you  will  see  it  is  a  very  strong,  encouraging, 
appreciative  one. 

U.  Past  ministry  of  Jesus  to  his  loved  okes.  The  love  of  the  Father  to 
the  Sou  was  not  an  empty  sentiment.  The  Son  being  what  he  was,  he  became  the 
Agent  of  a  compassionating  omnipotence  to  do  good  to  men.  The  Father's  love  to  the 
Son  was  proved  by  what  he  did  for  him  and  through  him.  But  the  Father  could  not 
have  done  these  things  for  and  through  anybody.  He  could  not  have  done  through  a 
Moses,  or  an  Elijah,  or  a  John  the  Baptist,  what  he  did  through  a  Jesus.  And  as  the 
Father  found  what  he  wanted  in  the  Son,  so  the  Son  found  what  he  wanted  in  his 
disciples.  As  the  Father  loved  the  Son,  so  the  Son  loved  the  disciples ;  and  as  the 
Father  ministered  to  the  Son,  so  the  Son  ministered  to  the  disciples.  The  Son  was 
willing  aiid  able,  to  the  full,  to  receive  the  fatherly  ministry ;  and  in  like  manner  the 
disciples  were  sufficiently  able  to  receive  the  ministry  of  Jesus,  to  make  it  possible  for 
him  to  speak  with  such  complacency  of  them.  They  listened  to  his  teaching ;  they 
left  their  home  and  work  and  went  about  with  him ;  and  so  Jesus  had  been  able  to  do 
something  for  and  in  them,  more  indeed  than  as  yet  distinctly  appeared  to  any  one  but 
himself. 

in.  The  condition  of  continued  and  eicher  ministry.  What  good  the  disciples 
would  get  out  of  Jesus  in  new  and  altogether  different  circumstances  depended  upon 
themselves.  Jesus  would  be  the  same,  in  disposition  and  in  power;  the  question 
remained,  would  they  give  him  the  opiwrtunity  ?  What  a  thought,  that  the  overflowing 
love  of  Jesus,  meant  to  direct  so  much  power  and  wisdom,  should  be  serviceable  to  us 
just  as  we  choose  to  make  it  so !  A  spirit  of  docility,  obedience,  and  constant  expecta- 
tion would  open  up  to  us  treasures  of  heavenly  loving-kindness  beyond  anything  we 
at  present  possess.  The  key,  so  to  speak,  is  with  us,  yet  we  notice  it  not ;  and  mean- 
while the  lock  is  getting  all  stiff  for  want  of  frequent  use.  To  know  the  full  riches  of 
Divine  love,  we  must  live  as  Jesus  would  have  us  study  to  live. — Y. 

Ver.  15. — Servants  and  friends.  Not  at  all  unfrequently  one  who  begins  as  a 
i^ervant  advances  in  regard  till  he  becomes  a  friend.  Opportunities  arise  for  friendship, 
<ind  both  parties  make  the  most  of  them.  It  is  a  poor  business  to  make  service  a  mere 
matter  of  commercial  contract.  Jesus  must  have  noticed  again  and  again  this  beautiful 
absorption  of  the  servant  in  the  friend  ;  his  disciples,  too,  Avould  know  of  like  instances. 
Jesus  and  his  disciples  had  been  constantly  together,  and  thus  the  way  was  made  for 
friendly  feeling.  As  the  season  of  separation  drew  near,  Jesus  sought  to  set  before  his 
Iriends  the  responsibilities  and  opportunities  of  friendship. 

I.  Jesus  calls  his  disciples  friends,  but  none  the  less  were  they  servants. 
Jesus  wanted  these  very  men  for  special  service.  Many  true  and  loving  friends  he 
must  have  had  besides  them — men  like  that  Lazarus  whom  Jesus  once  described  as 
"  our  friend."  But  these  few  were  wanted  for  special  service ;  not  that  a  few  were 
enough,  but  Jesus  began  with  a  few  that  there  might  be  all  the  more  afterward.  While 
Jesus  was  in  the  limitations  of  the  flesh  he  could  only  have  companionship  with  a  few. 
But  Jesus  needs  all  the  servants  he  can  get.  The  idea  of  ample  and  efficient  sservice 
underlies  the  parable  at  the  beginning  of  the  chapter.  The  branches  are  the  servants 
of  the  vine-trunk.  Note  that  those  who  are  called  friends  do  not  therefore  feel  at 
liberty  to  speak  of  themselves  as  such.  Paul,  beginning  his  Epistle  to  the  Eomans, 
does  not  say,  "  Paul,  the  friend  of  Jesus  Christ,"  but  "  Paul,  the  servant  of  Jesus 
Christ."  The  apostle's  mind  is  full  of  the  work  he  has  to  do  as  a  servant  of  Jesus. 
Whatever  names  we  have  the  right  to  bear,  whatever  privileges  we  enter  into,  never 
let  us  forget  that  we  are  here  for  service.  He  who  is  not  the  servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  he  who  is  not  conscious  of  something  in  his  life  that  is  work  for  Jesus,  never 
can  be  the  friend  of  Jesus. 

II.  Jesus  calls  his  disciples  friends  that  they  may  be  better  servants. 
The  work  needs  the  best  qualities  in  the  highest  degree.  He  who  would  do  the  best 
work  for  Christ  must  be  likest  him.  He  serves  Jesus  best  who  serves  the  neediest  of 
men  in  their  greatest  need,  and  this  can  only  be  done  when  the  heart  is  purged  of  self- 


CH.  XV.  1—27.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  297 

seeking  in  all  its  forms.  In  all  the  work  these  disciples  had  hitherto  been  doing,  they 
were  thinking  of  themselves  rather  than  of  Jesus  and  others.  That  is  the  way  of 
service  according  to  a  worldly  spirit.  We  must  learn  to  act  as  Jesus  himself  would 
act  if  he  were  one  of  his  own  servants ;  and  that  can  only  be  done  when  we  give  Jesus 
full  opjwrtunity  of  opening  himself  to  us  as  a  man  opens  himself  to  a  friend. 

111.  Those  whom  Jesus  calls  friends  he  really  treats  as  friends.  All 
this  concluding  discourse  proves  the  depth  and  tenderness  of  the  feeling.  He  could  not 
so  have  sjwken  before.  Partly  such  words  were  best  with  a  farewell  flavour  in  them. 
Partly  the  disciples  had  to  grow  into  fitness  for  hearing  them.  And  even  when  they 
did  hear,  much  was  appreciated  in  a  very  imperfect  way.  Still,  Jesus  treats  them  as 
friends ;  for  all  things  he  has  heard  from  his  Father  he  makes  known  to  them.  His 
disciples  shall  be  sharers  in  his  purposes  and  plans  as  far  as  they  are  able.  It  is  as  if 
the  person  for  whom  a  great  house  is  being  built  should  call  together  all  who  are  to  be 
concerned  in  the  erection,  and  show  to  them  the  plan  and  explain  the  purpose.  Apostles 
and  prophets  lay  the  foundation-stone.  Thousands  of  those  whom  Jesus  honours  witii 
the  title  and  treatment  of  friend  are  joined  in  building  it,  and  then,  when  all  is  done, 
Jesus  and  his  friends  are  to  dwell  in  it  together. — Y. 

Ver.  16. — Jesus,  the  Decider  and  Provider.  "We  have  here  the  statement  of  a  plain 
historical  fact.  Jesus,  from  the  general  body  of  his  disciples,  did  pick  out  a  special 
company  for  special  work.  No  doubt  they  also  had  to  choose,  but  their  choice  simply 
amounted  to  recognition ;  they  could  not  put  any  one  else  in  the  place  which  Jesus 
held.  And  he  invites  them  here  to  a  retrospect  of  the  hour  in  which  he  had  chosen 
them.  They  would  have  liked  in  most  things,  practically  in  all  things,  to  get  their 
own  way  ;  and  this  was  just  what  they  could  not  do.  Jesus  did  not  visit  the  world  to 
fall  in  with  the  wishes  of  ignorant  and  short-sighted  men.  Underneath  all  our  choices, 
and  all  the  changes  of  our  moods,  there  is  the  purpose,  the  choice,  and  the  expectation 
of  Jesus.     We  have — 

I.  Jesus  deciding.  It  was  all  the  doing  of  Jesus.  These  men  were  to  be  stamped 
with  his  sending.  They  were  in  his  employment.  The  call  of  the  Lord  Jesus  consti- 
tuted their  authority  and  their  claim.  And  the  essence  of  this  choosing  still  remains. 
Every  one  trying  to  do  work  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  and  in  the  Name  of  Jesus  must  have 
something  of  this  feeling  that  he  has  been  chosen  ;  that  a  constraining  hand  has  been 
upon  him,  first  of  all  arresting  his  footsteps  in  the  old  way,  and  then  pointing  them 
into  a  new  one.  In  ranging  ourselves  under  Jesus,  we  indeed  cannot  escape  a  great 
decision,  but  it  will  be  made  with  a  feeling  that  we  could  not  help  making  it ;  and  this 
feeling  will  only  deepen  as  the  years  of  service  and  devotion  roll  on.  Christians  never 
have  any  misgivings  about  the  right  of  Jesus  to  grasp  and  direct.  If  any  profess 
themselves  never  to  have  felt  that  Jesus  wanted  them,  never  said  "  Follow  me,"  such 
must  be  asked  whether  the  truth  does  not  lie  here,  that  they  are  fertile  in  the  spirit  of 
excuses.  There  will  at  least  be  an  indubitable  picking  out,  by-and-by,  of  the  sheep 
from  the  goats.  Effort  and  self-denial  are  required  to  hnd  out  what  Jesus  has  a  right 
to  claim,  and  what  he  really  wants.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  having  ears  and  yet  not 
being  able  to  hear. 

II.  Jesus  providing.  As  Jesus  claims  the  right  of  deciding,  so  he  also  takes  the 
responsibility  of  providing.  He  has  so  situated  and  surrounded  his  servants,  that  they 
may  bring  forth  fruit,  and  abiding  fruit.  Every  branch  in  the  vine  has  its  own  place, 
but  all  are  provided  for  in  a  common  life  and  a  common  growth.  The  decision  and  the 
provision  go  together.  Jesus  is  not  really  Decider  unless  he  is  also  allowed  to  be 
Provider.  Each  soldier  of  the  army  is  not  allowed  to  make  provision  for  himself.  If  he 
had  this  to  do,  his  fighting  would  be  of  little  use.  The  king  who  sends  the  army  out 
makes  provision  for  the  sustaining  of  the  army.  Christians  have  to  be  more  than 
others,  do  more  than  others,  and  thus  their  resources  must  exceed  those  of  others. 
How  is  the  grape  of  the  wilderness  to  become  the  grape  of  the  vineyard,  unless  it  is 
planted  in  the  vineyard  ?  Wild  fruit,  growing  as  it  will,  can  never  become  like  the  fruit 
that  is  cultivated  and  watched. 

III.  Jesus  expecting.  The  disciples  were  full  of  vexation  because  of  hopes  and 
imaginings  overthrown  ;  but  Jesus  knew  what  would  come.  Jesus  is  above  all  clouds 
that  darken  the  present  and  prevent  a  right  view  of  the  future.     These  very  men,  so 


298  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDINa  TO   ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xv.  1—27. 

troubled  now,  would  before  long  be  joying  and  rejoicing  abundantly  that  tbey  were 
counted  worthy  to  suffer  for  their  Master.  What  great  things  may  be  expected,  what 
usefulness  and  happiness  are  at  the  dawn,  when  once  self  gets  an  effectual  crippling! 
The  branches  of  this  vine  will  be  as  the  stars  of  the  sky  for  multitude,  and  as  the  sand 
by  the  sea-shore  innumerable. — Y. 

Ver.  18. — The  world  hating  the  servants  of  Jesus.  Jesus  speaks  here  of  love  and 
bate,  and  of  no  third  thing  lying  between  them,  and  being  neither  one  thing  nor 
another.  What  looks  like  indifference  is  only  sleeping  love  or  sleeping  hate.  There 
are  those  who  only  need  sufBcient  stirring  up  in  order  to  become  devoted  lovers  of 
Jesus  and  his  cause.  And  so  with  the  stirring  up  of  hatred  to  Jesus.  Character  and 
disposition  must  in  due  season  come  out  to  the  full  light  of  day.  The  sleeping  tiger  is 
none  the  less  a  tiger  for  being  asleep. 

I.  Those  who  possibly  may  be  hated.  Christians  may  be  hated  because  of  their 
Christianity.  Private  malice  is  not  at  all  in  the  question.  Some  of  these  disciples 
may  have  had  enemies  already;  if  not,  they  were  very  likely  to  have  them  in 
abundance  soon.  Observe  how  Jesus  puts  the  thing  hypothetically.  Much  depends 
on  ourselves.  If  we  are  consistent,  resolute,  lively,  energ-tic,  perfectly  uncompromising 
and  open  in  our  attachment  to  Jesus,  we  must  make  ready  for  hatred ;  but  if,  professing 
to  love  Jesus,  we  do  not  love  him  with  all  our  heart,  and  soul,  and  strength,  and  mind, 
the  world  will  not  trouble  to  hate  us.  It  may  despise  us  and  laugh  at  us,  but  it  will 
not  hate.  W^hy  shoidd  the  world  hate  us,  if  we  do  nothing  to  inconvenience  it, 
nothing  to  peril  its  aims,  its  possessions,  and  its  pleasures  ?  This  is  a  very  astonishing 
thing,  that  the  world  should  hate  us  the  better  we  are.  If  our  hearts  are  filled  with  the 
spirit  of  love,  if  we  desire  only  the  good  of  everybody,  why  should  we  be  hated  ?  The 
truth  is,  Jesus  understands  human  nature  far  better  than  the  shrewdest  of  us.  He,  the 
best  that  ever  trod  the  earth,  was  treated  as  if  the  worst.  And  similar  experience,  in  a 
less  conspicuous  way,  happened  to  his  servants,  e.g.  Paul  at  Philippi  and  at  Ephesus. 
And,  underlying  all  these  illustrations,  there  lies  one  common  cause  for  the  hostility  in 
this — that  Jesus  must,  by  the  very  nature  of  his  light-bringing  work,  interfere  with  the 
vested  interests  of  men  in  darkness. 

II.  The  peculiar  description  of  the  hateks.  They  are  described  compendiously 
as  the  world.  They  are  not  to  be  singled  out  in  their  individual  capacity.  Individuals 
are  constantly  passing  over  from  the  world  to  the  side  of  Jesus,  but  the  spirit  of  the 
world  remains  unchanged,  unchangeable.  And  this  spirit  is  to  be  dealt  with  indirectly 
for  the  most  part.  Argument,  expostulation,  and  entreaty  are  not  the  main  weapons  of 
success.  The  victory  that  overcometh  the  world  is  mainly  to  be  gained  in  our  own 
character.  Jesus  wants  opposition  to  be  swallowed  up  in  reconciliation  to  him  and  to 
his  truth.  What  we  want  to  bear  up  against  the  world's  hatred  is :  1.  Faith.  We 
live  amidst  an  unbelieving  wcrld,  as  it  were  amidst  east  winds  and  north  winds,  and 
all  sorts  of  unfavourable  climatic  conditions.  The  colder  the  weather  is,  the  more 
must  we  look  after  everything  that  will  keep  up  vital  heat.  When  earth  is  dull  and 
stubborn  to  us,  we  must  refresh  ourselves  from  heaven.  2.  Courage.  We  must  go  on. 
So  we  shall  find  out  what  a  poor,  foundationless  thing  the  opposition  of  the  world  is. 
Its  first  appearance  is  its  best  appearance.  It  may  hurt  the  outer  skin,  but  cannot 
touch  the  heart  and  citadel  of  life.  We  must  needs  know  the  worst  of  the  world  in 
order  that  we  may  know  the  best  of  Jesus.  3.  Meekness.  Faith  and  couiage,  bathed 
and  penetrated  with  gentleness — this  is  to  win  the  world.  The  world  has  no  gentle- 
ness, unless  fair-spoken  craftiness  be  so  called.  Our  main  spirit  must  be  that  of  Jesus 
on  the  cross  :  "  Father,  forgive  them  ;  they  know  not  what  they  do." — Y. 

Vers.  26,  27. — Hie  joint  xoitnessing.  Christianity  is  not  a  religion  to  be  propagated 
by  force  or  by  sedulous  tradition.  Nothing  but  the  force  of  truth  planted  Christianity  ; 
and  only  the  force  of  truth  preserves  it,  extends  it,  and  ensures  the  prospect  of  its 
universality.  Not  without  significance  is  this  constant  reference  to  witnessing  found 
in  the  New  Testament.  Jesus  submits  his  gospel  to  the  keenest  examination.  He 
comes  before  the  world  as  a  well-equipped  suitor  goes  into  a  court  of  justice,  sure  that 
he  has  witnesses  ample  for  the  success  of  his  cause.  Christianity  presents  phenomena 
that  shirk  no  scrutiny.    It  has  no  weak  and  treacherous  places  to  be  kept  as  much  as 


CH.  XVI.  1—33.]     THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING   TO  ST.  JOHN".  299 

possible  from  view.  A  witness,  to  be  all  a  witness  ought  to  be,  must  have  nothin"'  to 
conceal,  nothing  to  avoid. 

I.  'i'HEIIK    MUST   BE    THE    RIGHT    SPIBIT    IN    THOSE    WHO    LISTEN    TO    THE    TESTIMONY. 

The  minds  of  men  may  be  set  against  truth  and  the  search  for  truth,  and  then  where 
will  the  witnesses  be?  The  gospel  presumes  ou  the  part  of  man  an  awakening  to  the 
need  of  reality,  stability,  and  continuance  in  all  that  lie  may  rightly  aim  to  make  his 
uwn.  Men  have  believed  the  world  and  believed  their  own  hearts,  and  they  have  been 
disappointed ;  and  now,  if  they  seek  Jesns,  it  is  with  the  assurance  meeting  tliem  that 
they  shall  not  be  disa])pointed  again.  If  men  fail  to  be  attracted  by  Jesus  or  profess 
to  be  disappointed  wiih  him,  it  is  because  they  are  disinclined  to  take  the  trouble  of 
seeking  deeji  enough. 

II.  Each  witness  has  his  own  testimony.  There  is  a  witnessing  by  the  Spirit 
of  Jesus  which  cannot  be  elfected  by  any  multiplication  of  human  witnesses.  And 
similarly  a  testimony  comes  by  reading  the  evangelists  and  Epistles,  which  is  felt  to  be 
something  independent  of  the  force  which  comes  on  us  by  tbe  operation  of  the  Spirit. 
How  many,  readinj;  the  New  Testament  just  with  thoughtful  earnestness,  liave  said 
to  themselves,  *'  Here  is  something  to  be  searched  into.  Here  is  a  part  of  some  great 
jiossibiiity,and  I  must  seek  for  the  other  part  "!  Careful  and  repeated  reading  of  what 
apostles  have  written  is  very  likely  to  drive  a  man  to  his  knees,  seeking  to  have  the 
lull  body  of  testimony  completed,  by  what  the  Holy  Spirit  will  impress  on  his  heart. 
We  should  ever  be  ou  the  outlook  for  testimony  to  Jesus  and  his  truth.  The  more 
we  expect  it  the  more  it  will  come,  fortifying  us  against  our  own  doubts,  cheeiing  us 
with  hopes  of  coming  certainties,  and  making  us  more  ardent  in  persuading  others  to 
like  precious  faith. 

III.  The  responsibility  thus  laid  on  us.  Unbelief  deludes  itself  with  the  plea 
that  there  is  lack  of  evidence.  Nay,  in  its  more  arrogant  forms  it  will  even  maintain 
that  the  evidence  is  the  other  way.  What  if  we  be  in  the  position  of  those  who 
clamour  for  more,  and  will  not  use  what  they  have  ?  If  we  are  not  to  be  persuaded  by 
the  joint  witnessing  of  the  Spirit  and  the  apostles,  neither  shall  we  be  persuaded  though 
one  rose  from  the  dead. 

IV.  Ouu  OWN  wiTNESS-BEARnsG.  We  may  and  ought  to  be  joined  to  the  cloud  of 
witnesses.  If  Jesus  told  the  first  company  of  disciples  that  they  were  to  be  witnesses, 
then  assuredly  there  must  be  something  of  the  witness-bearing  faculty  in  us. — Y. 

EXPOSITION. 

PTTAPTPP  -XVT  '       ^'^rs.  2,3.— They  (used  impeifeonally,  as  the 

^^-'^'^^^^  ^vi.  German  man,  or  the  French  ou)  shall  make 

Vers.   1 — 6. — (c)   The  bitter  issues  of  the  \   (or,  declare)  you   excommunicate — anocvfa- 

hoi>tiUty  of  the  world.  ydiyovs,  "  put  you  out  of  the  synagogue," 

Ver.    1.— These    things.      What    things?  expel    you    from   the    fellowship    of  "your 

Primarily  the  explanation  he  had  given  of  country's    worship  (cf.  eh.  ix.  22    and*  xii. 

the  opposition  and  hatred  of  the  world,  and  '   42) — nay,  further  (the  a\Ka  abruptlv  intro- 

tlie  vast  consolation  which  he  had  promised  duces  a  very  much  stronger  assertion)   an 

iu  the  identification  of  the  disciples  with  hour  cometh,  that — ?vo  is  here,  by  Meyer  and 

himself,  and  the  witness  which    would  be  many  others,  said  to  involve  a  Divine  order, 

borne  by  the  Paraclete ;  but  not  exclusively,  purpose,  or  destiny,  intended  by  the  drawing 

for  they  include  all  the  preparatory  instruc-  on  of  tlie  foreordained  crisis  ;  but  it  seems 

tions  based  on  his  own  Person,  his  going  to  enough  to  convey  by  it  the  contemplated 

the  Father,  his  return  in  the  power  of  the  result  (see  CanonEvans,  Expositor,  1S82) — 

Spirit.    Have  I  spoken  to  you,  that  ye  should  i   whosoever  killeth  you  will  deem  that  he  is 

not  be  offended;   that   you  should  not  be  j    offering  service — sacrificial  homage — to  God 

made  to  fall  over   the  stumbling-block  of  |    (Trpoa(pepstv  XaTpdav;  both  these  words  aro 

persecution,  and  the  refusal  of  the  people  to  j    persistently  used  with  this  meaning.   See,  for 

iiear  your  message  concerninfr  me.     For  the  ■irpo(r<t>eptiy.  Matt.   v.   23 ;  viii.   4  ;  Acts  vii. 

moment  he  passes  over  the  terrible  stumliling  42;  Hob.  v.  1).     The  well-known  quotation 

and  falling  of  that  very  night,  whose  shadows  !    from    'Bammidbar    Rabba,'    fob    329.     1, 

were  deepening  as  the  hours  moved  on,  and  I    *'  Every   one   shedding    tiie   blood    of    the 

he  anticipated  their  future  temptations  and  wicked  is  equal  to  him  who  otlers  sacrifice," 

the  source  of  their  ultimate  heroism.  !    may  throw  light  ou  the  expression.     The 


300 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvi.  1— 33. 


intensity  of  the  fanaticism  was  well  exhibited 
in  the  persecution  in  which  Stephen  fell, 
and  which  St.  Paul  deemed  worthy  service, 
and  one  which  he  ought  to  have  rendered 
(Acts  xxvi.  9 ;  Gal.  i.  13,  14).  The  curse 
was  long  and  deep  and  tragic,  and  Christ 
explains  it  by  the  awful  reiteration,  These 
things  will  they  do '  because  they  have  not 
known  theFather,  nor  me  (see  ch.  xv.22,etc.). 
He  reiterates  the  explanation  already  given 
of  the  manner  and  form  as  well  as  the  fact 
of  the  world's  hatred. 

Ver.  4. — But — the  dWa  suggests  a  kind  of 
pause,  as  if  he  had  said,  "  I  will  go  into  no 
further  details"  (Meyer)— these  things — 
these  prophecies  of  approaching  persecu- 
tion— I  have  spoken  to  you,  that  (here  'Iva 
has  its  proper  telic  force)  when  [their]  hour 
is  come,  ye  may  remember  [them]  how  that 
I  told  you.^  This  awkward  form  is  tliat 
due  to  the  perplexities  of  the  position  of 
avTwu  in  tlie  text.  Frequently  our  Lord  thus 
prepared  his  disciples  for  the  future,  called 
upon  them  to  remember  his  predictions  as 
pledges  of  his  Divine  mission,  but  still  more 
as  consolations  and  supply  of  strength  when 
they  would  most  of  all  need  it.  These  things 
I  told  you  not  from  the  beginning ;  not  "  at 
the  beginning,"  ep  dpxv,  nor  dir'  dpxv^i  but  e| 
dpxvs  (cf-  Isa.  xl.  21  ;  xli.  2G  ;  xliii.  9),  from 
the  beginning  of  my  ministry  (as  Mark  i.  1), 
and  continuously  throughout  it.  If  "  these 
things "  are  restricted  to  the  prediction  of 
cruel  persecution,  they  are  certainly  contra- 
dicted by  the  language  of  Matt.  x.  17,  21, 28 ; 
Luke  vi.  22;  Matt.  v.  10,  etc.;  xxi.  36; 
xxiv.  9 ;  Luke  xii.  4,  etc.  The  numerous 
explanationsof  the  commentators,  that  Christ 
had  now  given  a  more  detailed,  particular, 
and  tragic  outlook,  cannot  be  sustained.  Nor 
does  the  supposition  that  John  is  here  the 
corrector  of  the  synoiDtic  narrative  satisfy 
(Meyer)  ;  nor  that  of  Godet,  that  Matthew, 
in  his  tenth  chapter,  was  gathering  together 
all  that  Christ  had  said  of  this  nature, 
antedating  instructions  that  the  Lord  had 
given,  at  all  explain  the  corresponding 
passages  in  Luke's  Gospel.  The  language 
of  the  last  clause,  because  I  was  with  you, 
throws  more  light  upon  it.  This  does  not 
surely  mean  "  because  I  was  bearing  for 
you  the  brunt  of  the  opposition," — it  would 
be  unnecessary  altogether  to  say  that.     All 

'  'Tfuv, "  to  you,"  of  T.R.,  has  the  authority 
of  N,  D,  L ;  but  it  is  omitted  by  twelve  uncial 
manuscripts  and  numerous  cursives,  by 
Tregelhs,  Tischendorf (8th edit.),  R.T.,  and 
AVeatcutt  and  Hort. 

^  AiiTwv  after  &pa  is  omitted  by  X,D,  T,  A, 
and  other  uncials  and  cursives,  by  T.R.,  and 
by  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  but  inserted  by 
I'achiuanii,  Tregelles,  Westcott  and  Hort, 
uiid  E.T.,  with  A,  B,  n,  and  cursives. 


along  they  must  have  bitterly  felt  the 
antagonism  which  their  Lord  encountered. 
The  difficulty  is  removed  by  including  in 
the  ravra  of  ver.  4  what  certainly  is  involved 
in  the  ravra  of  ver.  1 ;  and  the  reference  is 
to  the  whole  of  his  instructions  touching 
his  departure  and  the  coming  of  the  other 
Paraclete,  and  the  principle  from  which  the 
hatred  of  the  world  would  spring ;  the  ex- 
planation of  the  anticipated  hostility  which 
he  had  now  offered,  and  the  way  in  which 
they  might  overcome  it.  So  long  as  he  was 
witli  them  they  could  not  be  made  to  under- 
stand the  Divine  riches  of  the  consolation 
which  was  now  so  near.  From  the  begin- 
ning he  had  not  given  all  this  class  of 
instruction,  because  he  was  with  them. 
While  at  their  tide,  it  was  premature  to 
speak  of  the  special  help  they  would  require 
in  their  bereaved  condition. 

Vers.  5,  6. — Now — at  this  very  moment — 
I  go  away  to  him  that  sent  me.  I  have 
completed  his  work,  and  none  of  you  asketh 
me,  Whither  goest  thou]  Tliis  seems  at 
variance  with  Peter's  inquiry,  "  Whither 
goest  thou?"  (ch.  xiii.  36),  and  with  Thomas's 
queotion  (ch.  xiv.  5),  "  We  know  not  whither 
thou  goest,"  etc.?  yet  they  are  only  opposed  in 
api^earance.  Peter's  question  had  obviously 
turned  the  whole  matter  back  upon  himself, 
and  the  way  in  which  the  Lord's  departure 
affected  his  own  duties  and  position;  and 
the  same  may  be  said  of  Thomas.  They 
had  both  lost  sight  of  the  "  whither  "  in  the 
pain  and  anguish  of  the  departure.  Our 
Lord  had  great  difficulty  in  inducing  them 
to  realize  the  blessedness  that  would  befall 
themselves  from  his  own  exaltation,  and 
even  now,  after  all  that  he  had  said  about 
this  great  power  and  glory  which  awaited 
him,  lie  added,  Because  I  have  spoken  these 
things  to  you — since  all  along  you  are 
taking  the  dark  side,  and  looking  on  the 
anguish  of  ray  departure  and  desolateness 
of  your  own  condition,  instead  of  the 
grandeur  of  the  new  kingdom  and  dispen- 
sation of  which  you  will  be  witnesses  and 
organs — sorrow  hath  filled  your  heart ;  the 
one  heart  which  1  throughout  have  been 
seeking  to  comfort.  You  are  not  looking 
on  the  end  of  my  departure,  or  on  the  ful- 
ness of  my  glory,  or  on  the  addition  to  your 
own  blessedness,  but  on  your  own  loss,  dis- 
appointment, and  chagrin. 

Vers.  7 — 33. — (9)  The  promise  of  the 
Paraclete. 

Vers.  7 — 11. — (a)  The  threefold  conviction 
of  the  world. 

The  extraordinary  fulness  of  suggestion 
in  the  follovring  words,  and  the  strong 
opinions  entertained  by  different  theological 
schools,  render  interpretation  a  difficult  task. 


en.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


COl 


Ver.  7. — Though  you  are  crushed  with  a 
sense  of  your  approaching  bereavement,  and 
so  imperfectly  appreliend  the  conditions  of 
your  future  power  and  tlie  method  whicli 
it  is  incu!nbunt  upon  mo  to  adopt  for  your 
consolation  and  the  completion  of  my  eartlily 
work,  nevertheless  I  tell  you  the  truth.  It 
is  wonderful  that  he  who  is  the  Truth  itself 
should  have  needed,  in  such  various  forms, 
to  have  reiterated  and  affirmed  the  suprenio 
right  he  possessed  to  claim  their  acceptance 
of  his  veracity.  The  truth,  then,  thus 
solemnly  asserted,  because  in  their  then 
frame  of  mind  it  was  so  utterly  unpalatable 
and  incredible  notwithstanding  all  that  ho 
had  said — the  truth  is.  It  is  expedient  for 
you  that  I  go  away.  The  ?ca  dire\dw  clause 
simply  defines  that  which  is  expedient, 
profitable  to  the  disciples.  Many  commen- 
tators, holding  everywhere  the  telic  force 
of  Xva,  say,  with  Meyer  and  Lange,  that 
"tva  murks  fact  considered  with  regard  to 
the  purposes  destined  to  be  accomplished 
by  it."  Here,  however,  the  protitableness 
to  the  disciples  is  the  chief  and  solitary 
thought.  "For  you  :"  here  lies  the  gist  of 
the  mystery.  Tliey  might  have  accepted  his 
own  assurance  that,  bitter  as  the  mode  of 
his  departure  must  be,  yet  they  ought  to 
and  would  rejoice  because  he  was  going 
to  the  Father.  How  was  it  possible  for 
them  to  rejoice  so  far  as  they  were  personally 
concerned  ?  He  answers  the  question,  For 
if  I  go  not  away — and  surely  this  solemn 
dep:irture  meant,  as  lie  had  recently  told 
them,  by  the  way  of  death  and  glorification 
— the  Paraclete,  of  whom  I  have  spoken,  the 
Spirit  of  truth  (see  ch.  xv.  26,  27),  will  not 
come  to  you;  but  if  I  go  (iropevda!,  to  my 
Father;  observe  the  form  of  the  two  con- 
ditional sentences,  the  degree  of  uncertainty 
as  to  the  issue,  to  be  determined  by  the 
result),  I  will  send  him  to  you  (see  notes 
on  ch.  vii.  39.  "  The  Holy  Spirit,"  as  the 
Divine  dispensation  of  grace  to  men  bring- 
ing a  renewed  humanity  into  living  incor- 
poration with  its  great  Head,  was  not  yet, 
because  Jesus  was  not  yet  (jlorifted).  Jesus 
could  not  become  the  Divine  Life-centre  of 
the  human  family,  radiating  from  himself 
the  full  glory  of  a  universal  harmony, 
until  he  had  been  taken  up,  until  he  had 
been  glorified  in  God.  Unspeakably  precious 
as  many  of  our  earthly  gifts  and  friendships 
are,  we  do  not  apprehend  them,  nor  profit 
by  them  to  the  .full,  until  they  are  taken 
from  us.  The  youth,  submitted  to  the  con- 
dition of  perfect  dependence  on  a  parent's 
care  and  guidance,  can  scarcely  ever  reach 
the  fulness  of  his  manhood  until  he  is 
thrown  back  upon  the  spirit  of  his  fatlier's 
counsel,  apart  from  that  father's  presence, 
and  brings  into  daily  practice  from  a  new 
standpoint  the  principles  he  has  learned. 


So,  without  any  hyperbole,  nothing  had  ever 
been  so  wonderful  and  blessed  to  the  liuiniiu 
spirit  as  the  fellowship  which  liail  pri-vaiU'  1 
between  the  Son  of  man  and  his  (liH(.-i|iUs. 
They  were  with  him,  they  sat  nt  his  ffi  t, 
they  watched  his  countenance,  they  ex- 
perienced a  continuous  series  of  Divine 
surprises  at  his  judgments  and  liis  nuTcits. 
They  were  walking  by  sight,  as  the  ciiildien 
of  Israel  did,  following  the  i)illar  of  tin-  ami 
cloud,  and  drinking  of  the  living  watir; 
but  they  were  nevertheless  living  by  sight. 
Nevertheless,  there  was  soimtiiing  more 
wondertul  and  gracious  still,  when,  in  his 
physical  absence,  they  would  liave  the  seusn 
of  his  spiritual  presence.  They  woidd  lo.-^e 
him  as  an  earthly  Friend,  but  tliey  would 
regain  him  as  a  Divine  Ueality  ;  tlioy  would 
discover  more  than  liis  liumanity  in  his  Go.l- 
Jlunhood.  They  would  wield  his  Divine 
Word  as  their  weapon,  and  would  becume 
the  channels  of  his  healing  and  convii\cing 
and  judging  powers.  The  promise,  "I  will 
send  him,"  is  the  guarantee  of  something 
more  than  a  "  Chri&t  after  the  flesh  "  could 
ever  be. 

Ver.  8. — And  he,  when  he  is  come  (dAdiiv). 
A  right  royal  assurance.  The  Holy  Spirit 
will  come,  as  my  grace  and  the  result  of  my 
sending.  He  will  convict  the  world.  Littlo 
doubt  is  now  entertained  that  this  f\eyxos 
implies  the  refutation  of  error,  the  discovery 
of  wrong-doing,  the  bringing  it  home  to  the 
person  convinced,  and  thus  convicted  (ch.  iii. 
20 ;  viii.  9,  46 ;  1  Cor.  xiv.  24 ;  Titus  i.  9  ; 
Jas.  ii.  9) ;  making  such  a  one  see  tliat  he 
is  open  to  the  condemnation  of  conscience,  or 
of  men,  or  of  the  Law  of  God.  This  convic- 
tion may  in  some  cases  lead  to  conversion 
and  deliverance,  but  is  distinct  from  it,  and 
sometimes  also  may  issue  after  such  a 
manifestation  in  hardness  and  impenitence. 
The  patristic  interpretation  (Authorized 
Version  and  Hengstenberg),  "  Ho  will  re- 
prove," might  pass  as  a  fair  translation 
of  the  word,  in  its  reference  to  sin,  but 
would  have  small  meaning  as  applied  to 
righteousness  or  judgment.  Meyer,  Godet, 
Luthardt,  Lange,  Westcott,  Stier,  and 
Moulton  agree  that  lAeyfet  means  more 
than  "  reprove,"  less  than  "  convince." 
The  world  is  spoken  of,  not  Jews  merely, 
or  their  leaders.  Humanity  itself,  with  its 
false  standards  of  judgment,  and  its  self- 
complacency,  is  to  be  convicted  of  being  in 
the  wrong;  all  kings,  princes,  potentates, 
priests,  and  publicans,  who  are  out  of  har- 
mony with  God,  will  be  convicted  by  the 
Paraclete.  The  conviction  of  tlio  world  is 
threefold— in  respect  of  sin,  in  respect  of 
righteousness,  and  in  respect  of  judgment. 
The  three  great  categories  of  thought, 
custom,  and  conduct ;  the  three  themes 
where  the  world  is  in  infinite  need  of  being 


302 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [en.  xvr.  1—33. 


compelled  to  see  that  it  is  altogether  in 
the  wrong.  The  disciples  are  to  overcome 
the  whole  world  by  the  intensity  with 
which  they  will  be  instrumentally  tlie 
occasion  of  this  conviction.  The  world 
under  the  depressing  and  distracting  in- 
fluence of  its  own  principles,  as  w(41  as  its 
passions,  has  misconceived  the  whole  nature 
of  "  sin,"  the  entire  mystery  of  "  righteous- 
ness," the  certainty  of  retribution,  and  the 
things  and  principles  on  which  condign 
"  judgment  "  must  fall.  The  Advocate,  the 
Divine,  indwelling  Spirit  of  the  truth,  whom 
Christ  will  send  into  liis  disciples  as  com- 
pensation for  his  own  absence,  will  through 
them  do  this  strange  and  tremendous  work. 
Our  Lord  does  not  liere  promise  the  conver- 
sion of  mankind,  but  such  a  conviction  that 
the  blessed  consequence  may  follow.  The 
fiist  great  step  will  be  taken. 

Ver.  9. — The  three  elements  of  this  con- 
viction of  the  world  are  separately  treated. 
In  respect  of  sin,  because  they  believe  not 
on  me.  Tlie  on  has  been  restricted  by 
Meyer  to  "  so  far  as,"  as  though  the  con- 
viction with  respect  to  sin  was  limited  to  a 
charge  of  specific  unbelief;  and  Hengsten- 
berg  would  render  it  "consisting  in  this, 
that,"  etc.  But  surely  the  full  causal  force 
of  the  particle  is  to  be  pressed,  "  because 
they  believe  not  on  me."  The  essence  of  all 
Bin  is  unbelief,  a  refusal  to  surrender  heart 
and  will  to  the  Divine  will  and  autiiority, 
though  the  world  generally  had  taken  dif- 
ferent views  of  it :  supposing  "  sin  "  to  be 
disobedience  to  some  particular  cla.ss  of 
duties,  or  the  neglect  of  certain  specific 
ceremonial.  Christ  declares  that  the  Spirit 
which  has  always  been  striving  with  men 
to  bring  them  into  reconciliation  with  God, 
will  now  convict  the  world  that  its  sinful 
tendencies  and  principles  have  reached 
their  highest  and  most  wilful  expression  in 
imbfclicf  els  ffj.€,  towards  me.  The  most 
compli  te  manifestation  of  God  has  received 
from  the  world  the  most  utter  and  insensate 
repudiation.  The  very  nature  of  sin  thus 
stands  revealed,  the  leprosy  of  sin  will 
come  out  on  the  smiling  self-complacency 
of  the  world.  It  will  no  longer  be  able  to 
charge  upon  Adam,  nor  the  devil,  nor  upon 
nature,  nor  upon  temptations  of  the  flesh, 
the  blame  of  sin ;  but  will  take  the  guilt 
home,  and  see  that,  in  this  crowning  act  of 
human  folly,  unbelievers  have  rendered 
themselves  personally  liable  to  condemna- 
tion, and,  by  rejecting  infinite  love  as  well 
as  eternal  law,  have  left  themselves  without 
excuse. 

Ver.  10. — In  respect  of  righteousness, 
because  I  go  to  the  Father,'  and  ye  behold 

'  The  fiov  of  T.R.  is  omitted  by  E.T.,  Tisch- 
endorf,  etc.,  on  the  authority  of  X,  B,  D,  etc. 


me  no  more.     Not  merely  that  the  world 
will  be  led   to   form  a  new  conception  of 
righteousness,  seeing  that  God  has  exalted 
him  whom  they  have  condemned  as  a  male- 
factor,—that  would  really,  with  Liicke  and 
Meyer,   limit    this    "  righteousness "    to    a 
judgment    concerning   the   guiltlessness  of 
Christ ;  nor  can  we,  with  Luther,  etc..  regard 
it  as  equivalent  to  the  BiKatocrvvri  of  Rom. 
i.  17,  the  righteous  attribute  and  righteous 
process   by  which   God  is  able  to  treat  as 
righteous  those  who  believe.     This  is  the 
only  place   in   the  Gospel  where  the  word 
occurs,  and  it  can  scarcely  bear  the  tech- 
nical  significance  of  the  great  theological 
discussions   with  which    it  was   afterwards 
associated.      Schaif  has  called  attention  to 
the  Vulgate   translation  jusiitia,  which  is 
represented  in  the  Eheims  English  Version 
by  "justice,"   and  reminds  us  how  Arch- 
deacon  Hare   urges   that   "  righteousness " 
and   "justice"    correspond    to    the    entire 
theology  of  the  Protestant   and   Romanist 
Churches.     The  Protestant  sees  in  "right- 
eousness" an  ideal  never   reached  by  the 
human    will    in    its    own    strength ;     the 
Romanist,  by  the  term  "justice,"  embodies 
itself  in  outward  acts.     The  idea  of  right- 
eousness involves  the  demand  for  purity; 
the  idea  of  justice,  one  for  cleanness.     But 
seeing    that   Christ  had   all   along    called 
urgent  attention  to  the  fact  that  that  which 
I  is  highly  esteemed  among  men  is  abomina- 
tion in  the  sight  of  God,  and  that  the  right- 
eousness of  his  kingdom  must  exceed  "  the 
righteousness  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees," 
it  becomes  clear  that  his  exaltation  to  the 
right  hand   of    the   Father   would   exhibit 
God's  ideal  of  righteousness;    and  by  the 
aid  of  tlie  Holy  Spirit  working  through  the 
word  of  the  apostles,  the  world's-  view  of 
these  things  would  be  utterly  subverted,  the 
world  would  be  silenced,  convicted  of  being 
utterly  in  the  wrong  in  its  idea  of  right- 
eousness as  well  as  in  its  judgment  upon 
the  nature  of  sin.     The  idea  of  righteous- 
ness will  be  expanded  and  transfiguied;  the 
idea  of  sin  will  be  deepened  and  intensified 
and  brought  home.     Stier  has,  with  great 
eloquence  and  power,  pressed  the  other  view, 
which    makes    the    e A. 67x0s   of    the    Holy 
Ghost  nothing  short  of  this — that  there  is 
no  other  righteousness  for  men   than   the 
righteousness  of    God    in   Christ   and   the 
righteousness  of  Christ  before  God.    Notice, 
nevertheless,   the    occasions  on    which   the 
world  was  brought  to  recognize  the  triumph 
of  Christ's  righteousness  and  confusion  of  its 
own   prejudices  (Acts  ii.  27,  31 ;   iii.    14 ; 
vii.  52). 

Ver.  11. — In  respect  of  judgment,  because 
the  prince  of  this  world  is  judged.  The 
conviction  of  sin  will  have  a  peculiarly  and 
specially  subjective  cause;  that  of  judgment 


CH.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE    GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.   JOHN. 


303 


will,  like  that  of  righteousness,  be  preceded 
by  two  stupendous  objective  facts — the  exal- 
tation of  Christ  and  the  judgment  of  Satan. 
The  glorificixtion  of  the  Son  of  man,  to  the 
extent  of  his  being  declared  to  be  the  Son 
of  God  with  power,  will  be  the  grand 
event  which  human  nature  will  be  power- 
less to  counteract  or  ultimately  to  resist. 
"Know  assureiily  that  this  tame  Jesus 
whom  you  have  crucified  is  both  Lord  and 
Christ."  The  judgment  of  the  prince  of 
this  world  is  also  a  fact  lying  outside  the 
politics  of  the  world,  which  may  fume  and 
rage  as  it  will ;  it  is  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  philosophy  or  literature,  the  courts  or 
armies,  the  fashions  or  the  force,  of  this 
world.  Tlie  central  prince  and  spirit  of 
the  world  is  judged  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
condemned ;  and  the  time  is  coming  when 
the  old  standard  of  judgment  will  be  cast 
out,  and  the  world  will  be  compelled  to 
admit  that  it  has  been  vanquished  (ch.  xii. 
31).  The  conviction  concerning  sin,  right- 
eousness, and  judgment,  by  the  aid  of  the 
Advocate  whom  Christ  will  send,  will  be- 
come the  great  work  of  the  apostles  and  of 
the  Church,  until  he  comes  again  in  his 
glory.  While  commenting  upon  this  sub- 
lime assurance  the  awful  process  must  not 
be  forgotten,  nor  the  fact  that  the  prince  of 
the  world  dies  hard.  The  atrocious  wicked- 
ness which  burst  out  after  the  exaltation  of 
Christ  among  the  people  who  had  rejected 
their  Lord,  and  the  consummation  of  the 
mystery  of  iniquity  in  the  Roman  empire,  was 
a  part  of  the  providential  conviction  of  the 
world.  Archdeacon  Hare,  in  his  '  Mission  of 
the  Comforter,'  insists  that  the  entire  con- 
viction of  judgment,  righteousness,  and  sin 
must  be  the  work  of  "  the  Comforter; "  that 
all  the  objective  facts,  all  the  teaching  of 
example,  all  the  thunder  of  prophecy,  nay, 
all  the  outward  demonstration  of  sin,  right- 
eousness, and  judgment,  made  in  and  by  the 
incarnation  and  sacrifice  of  Christ,  must  be 
complemented  by  the  grace  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  on  individuals,  nations,  and  humanity 
at  large ;  and  that  it  is  in  the  capacity  of 
human  "  Comforter,"  or  "  Advocate,"  that 
tliis  conviction  is  wrought. 

Vers.  12 — 1.5. — (6)  The  power  of  the  Para- 
clete on  (he  disciples  themselves.  From  the 
twelfth  to  the  fifteenth  verse  the  relation 
of  the  Paraclete  to  the  disciples  themselves 
makes  yet  more  evident  the  expediency  of  the 
glorification  of  the  Son  of  man,  and  demon- 
strates the  authority  of  the  apostolic  teaching. 

Ver.  12. — Notwithstanding  tlie  abundance 
of  the  revelations  which  Christ  had  given, 
still,  said  lie,  I  have  many  things  yet  to  tell 
you,  but  ye  cannot  bear  them  now  {apn) ;  i.e. 


at  this  epoch  of  your  training.  Christ  (ch. 
siv.  18,  etc.,  in  a  passage  which  ho  proceeds 
to  enlarge  and  deepen)  has  already  said 
that  the  coming  to  them  of  the  Paraclete 
would  be  one  method  of  his  own  Divine 
approach  to  them  for  purposes  of  consola- 
tion and  instruction  ;  consequently  he  does 
not  now  allow  them  to  suppose  that,  though 
separated  from  them  by  death,  he  would 
ever  cense  to  instruct  them.  They  could 
not  in  their  present  condition,  and  before 
the  great  events  should  liave  happened — 
events  on  which  so  mucli  revealing  fact 
would  turn — bear  the  revelation  of  these 
"  many  things."  Pentecost  will  enable  them 
to  appreciate  the  full  mystery  of  love.  The 
word  useil  for  "  bear  "  is  that  which  is  used 
(ch.  xix.  17)  to  describe  the  bearing  of  the 
cro^s  by  Christ  himself.  Some  have  found 
in  these  "  many  things "  new  articles  of 
doctrine  which  have  been  preserved  by 
tradition ;  and  otiiers,  a  development  (if 
truths  already  presented  in  germ ;  and  others, 
again,  much  of  the  future  order  of  the 
world  and  Ihe  Church,  such  as  gradually 
evolved  itself  to  the  vision  and  insight 
and  spiritual  wisdom  of  apostolic  men.  But 
they  could  not,  on  the  eve  of  the  Passion, 
have  borne  the  full  mystery  of  the  atone- 
ment, or  sufficiently  have  comprehended  the 
glory  of  the  enthroned  King. 

Ver.  13.— Howbeit  when  he,  the  Spirit  of 
truth,  is  come.  This  points  to  the  definite 
promise  already  made  (conditionated  by 
his  own  deimrture,  and  so  rendering  that 
departure  "  expedient  ")  wTien  the  Spirit  of 
truth  is  come,  having  been  sent  by  me  from 
the  Father.  He  will  be  your  Guide  (so  that 
you  will  not  be  mere  passive  instruments, 
but  living  agents.  "  Things "  may  be 
transported,  but  "  persons "  only  can  be 
"  guided."  The  pillar  of  tire  and  cloud  led 
the  way,  and  Israel  struck  its  camp  and 
followed)  into  the  truth  in  all  its  pans.' 
As  Godet  says,  "  The  reading  els  suits 
dSriy-fjiTfi  better  than  iv."  A  most  glorious 
promise  this,  for  as  days  of  darkness  and 
perplexity  draw  on,  fresli  needs  will  arise. 
The  "  many  things  "  which  would  tlius  be 
said  must  be  presumed  to  have  been  said  on 
highest  authority;  and  hence  theunappro:icli- 
able  dignity  of  the  apostles  themselves; 
hence  the  secret  of  all  their  binding  and 
loosing  power ;  hence  the  revelations  they 

'  The  great  bulk  of  the  uncial  manuscripts 
read  els  iraa'av  Ti]v  aKrideiav,  with  T.R.  and 
R.T.,  etc.,  "into  all  (the)  trutli."  Tre- 
gelles,  Lange,  Westcott  and  Hort,  read  els 
TTji'  dx-^deiav  Traeroc,  with  A  and  B,  "  into 
truth  in  all  its  parts"  (Tregclles,  §  154).  I) 
and  L  read  ev  rrj  arjKdeia  Triio't],  witli  Ti- 
8chendorf(Sth  edit.);  H,  iy  rfi  a.\rideta.  West- 
cott and  Hort  put  it  in  the  margin. 


304: 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [en.  xvi.  1—33. 


have  been  able  to  supply  with  reference 
to  Christ  and  salvation,  glory,  duty,  and 
eternal  life,  and  all  the  laws  of  the  king- 
dom. From  this  vast  promise  we  see  the 
sufficiency  of  the  apostolic  teaching,  and  by 
implication  the  portion  of  it  which  is  com- 
mitted to  writing.  Our  Lord  had  delivered 
to  his  disciples  "nothing  but  the  truth;" 
but  from  the  nature  of  the  case  they  must 
wait  for  the  truth  in  its  conipleteness,  the 
whole  truth  of  salvation  and  deliverance. 
But  our  Lord  proceeds  to  show  that  the 
infallibility  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  that 
he  will  be  a  secondary,  or  tertiary,  or  inde- 
pendent Divinity.  Like  Christ,  the  Son 
of  God,  who  was  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father 
(see  ch.  vii.  17,  18;  viii.  28),  so  he  who 
proceedeth  from  the  Father  will  not  speak 
from  himself,  as  from  any  spontaneous,  in- 
dependent source.  He  is,  in  his  gracious 
operations,  no  rival  Deity,  but  the  Spirit  of 
the  Father  and  the  Son  (comp.  ch.  viii.  44, 
where  the  essence  of  the  lie  is  that  the 
devil  speaketh  of  his  own),  and  whatsoever 
things  he  shall  hear'  (or,  heareth,  or,  shall 
have  heard),  that  shall  he  speak.  The  verb 
"  hear "  is  used  absolutely,  and  has  been 
variously  completed  with  the  words,  "of 
me  "  or  "  of  the  Father,"  whether  verbally 
supplemented  or  not.  We  learn  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  limited  by  ,the  revelation 
already  involved  in  the  great  fact  of  the 
Incarnation.  "  He  will  speak  "  of  that  which 
he  hears,  and  he  will  declare  to  you  the 
things  that  are  coming.  The  revelation 
will  concern  Christ  and  the  future.  The 
whole  New  Testament,  so  far  as  it  is 
apostolic,  is  here  declared  to  be  the  work 
inspired  by  the  Spirit's  guidance  of  tlie 
apostles'  mind  into  the  truth  in  all  its 
completeness  and  in  all  its  parts.  Some, 
like  Westcott,  refer  the  epxo/xfva  to  "the 
constitution  of  the  Christian  Church ;  "  but 
the  most  satisfactory  view  is  that  the  Spirit 
would  himself  be  the  Source  of  the  pro- 
phetic hope  and  wondrous  vision  of  the 
future  which  pervades  the  apostolic  writings. 
Hengstenberg  runs  here  into'  great  detail. 
His  remark  is  of  deep  interest — that  such 
a  promise  should  be  found  in  the  Fourth 
Gospel,  preluding  those  sublime  premoni- 
tions which  the  beloved  disciple,  when  "  in 
the  Spirit,"  received  and  recorded  concem- 
iii"-  the  things  which  are  and  are  to  come 
(Rev.  i.  19).  Not  only  in  the  writings  of 
John,  but  of  Peter,  and  in  the  proplietic 
spirit  given  to  Paul,  we  see  how  the  Lord 
the  Spirit  fulfilled  the  promise. 

Ver.  14. — He  shall  glorify  me.    Christ  has 

'  X,  L,  and  33  read  uKovfi,  with  Tischen- 
dorf  (8th  edit.),  Westcott  and  Hort ;  B,  D, 
E,  1,  and  435,  read  aKova-ei,  with  Tregelles 
and  R.T. ;  A  and  A  read  dv  dKoixrij,  with  T.R. 


spoken  of  being  straightway  glorified,  lifted 
into  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead,  glorified  in 
God  himself  (ch.  xiii.  32).  This  statement 
is  partly  explanatory  of  that,  bat  is  also  an 
addition  to  the  previous  assurance.  The 
Spirit  will  glorify  the  God-Man,  will  aug- 
ment the  lustre  of  his  blessed  Name,  will 
crown  him  with  honour,  and  multiply  the 
mirrors  of  his  majesty  and  the  subjects  of 
his  power ;  and  the  reason  is  given  :  For  he 
shall  take  of  mine,  and  (for  the  second  time, 
avayyeXf'i  vfiiv)  declare  it  to  you.  Christ  is 
here  profoundly  conscious  of  the  abum  lance 
of  truth  and  reality  involved  in  himself  and 
in  his  functions,  in  the  work  he  is  doing  and 
will  continue  to  do.  He  is  mournfully  alive 
to  the  fact  that  the  disciples  were  not  able 
to  perceive  what  there  was  in  him  without 
supernatural  aid.  The  Spirit  of  God  will 
augment  Christ's  glory  in  the  Church,  seeing 
that  he  will  reveal  to  men  the  Person  and 
glory  of  the  Christ,  by  inward  processes,  by 
vivid  spiritual  intuitions,  by  mental  exercises 
which  we  are  quite  ready  to  confess  are  far 
beyond  the  compass  of  logic,  and  break 
through  all  laws  of  induction  or  evolution. 
This  is  the  high  function  of  the  Spirit  in 
inspiration — to  take  of  that  which  belongs 
to  the  Son  of  God,  and  so  to  quicken  the 
spiritual  faculty  of  men  that  they  can  and 
do  understand  it.  "The  Spirit  searcheth 
all  things,  even  the  depths  of  Deity,"  and 
reveals  them  to  those  who  receive  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Our  Lord  declares  that  all 
truth  is  implicitly  contained  in  himself.  In 
ch.  xiv.  he  said,  "  I  am  the  Truth "  about 
God  and  about  man,  and  aboiit  the  relation 
of  man  to  God.  The  Spirit  will  draw  aside 
the  veils  which  hide  this  truth,  will  draw 
forth  the  hidden  harmonies  contained  in 
this  wondrous  Personality.  Such  continuous 
revelation  is  from  glory  to  glory  (2  Cor. 
iii.  17,  18).  St.  Paul  at  the  close  of  liis 
ministry  was  aware  of  unfathomed  treasures 
still  hidden  in  the  Christ,  and  he  put  before 
himself,  as  the  goal  of  his  highest  ambition, 
"  that  I  may  know  him  "  (Phil.  iii.  10). 

Ver.  15. — In  this  verse  our  Lord  makes 
a  still  more  superlative  claim.  All  things 
which  the  Father  hath  (Sa-a  exei)  are  mine. 
Perhaps  no  sentence  recorded  by  St.  John 
is  more  difficult  to  reconcile  with  the  mere 
humanity  of  our  Lord,  even  of  the  loftiest 
kind.  The  "mine''  of  the  previous  verse 
is  declared  to  embrace  something  more  than 
the  mystery  of  his  Person  and  sacrifice. 
"  All  that  the  Father  hath,"  all  his  fulness 
of  being,  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
knowledge,  all  the  power,  all  the  eftulgence 
of  the  glory  of  the  Father,  of  the  human 
race,  and  of  all  things,  "are  mine."  This 
makes  a  spiritual  apprehension  of  Christ 
include  a  perfect  revelation  of  all  the 
Father's  character  and  work.    Therefore  said 


CH.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


305 


I,  that  he  (the  Spirit  of  truth,  in  being  your 
Guide  into  all  the  truth) '  taketh  of  mine, 
and  will  declare  (it)  unto  you.  Because 
"  miiio  is  the  Father's,  and  the  Father's  is 
mine ; "  because,  i.e.,  he,  is  the  Centre,  and 
Agen  t,  and  Motive,  and  Force  in  all  tiie  D  i  v  ino 
self-revelation,  and  because  he  possessed  as 
his  own  this  vast  range,  tiiis  infinite  fulness 
of  Divine  operations,  he  promised  them  this 
spiritual  teaching,  and  assured  them  that 
his  highest  glory  was  simply  to  bo  made 
known  as  he  is.  C.dvin,  "  We  see  how  the 
greater  part  of  men  deceive  themselves ;  for 
they  pass  by  Christ,  and  go  out  of  the  way 
to  seek  God  by  circuitous  paths." 

In  these  verses  we  have  a  very  abundant 
exhibition  of  the  unity  of  the  Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Spirit,  coupled  with  a  very  remark- 
able setting  forth  of  the  tripersonality.  The 
Father  "  hath  "  (exet)  that  which  is  in  very 
essence  the  Son's  (e^io) ;  and  the  Spirit,  whose 
purpose  is  to  glorify  the  Son  by  making  him 
known  to  men  (xauMffi),  takes  of  "  mine  " 
and  will  declare  it  (see  Stier,  Schaff,  note  to 
Lange).  Luthardt  once  thought  with  Stier, 
but  now  limits  the  reference,  without  giving 
any  reason  for  it,  to  what  he  calls  '"  the 
deposit  of  Divine  truth  in  the  humanity 
of  Jesus."  The  sum  of  this  astonishing 
assurance  is  that  the  Holy  Spirit  of  truth, 
an  essential  element  if  not  Personality  in 
the  Godhead,  will  lead  these  apostles  into 
the  fulness  of  truth,  and  of  knowledge 
of  the  future,  by  takin;;;  up  the  essential 
realities  of  the  Christ  in  the  fulness  of  his 
being  and  work,  and  disclosing  them  by 
spiritual  insight  and  supernatural  quicken- 
ing. These  realities  of  the  Christ  will 
prove  to  be  the  fulness  of  the  Father's 
heart — all  that  the  Father  hath.  Again  we 
ask — Does  St.  John  even  heretravcl  beyond 
his  prologue? 

Vers.  16 — 24. — (c)  The  mrrow  turned  into 
joy.  In  these  verses  he  approaches  the  final 
farewell,  in  which  the  whole  body  of  the 
disciples  are  introduced  as  inwardly  or 
among  themselves  perturbed  by  the  special 
diflSculty  of  the  words.  Before  the  Spirit 
can  do  all  this,  a  separation  must  be  ex- 
perienced. 

'  A^»|/«TO(,  with  X'=,  A,  K,  n.  and  several 
vcr.-ions,  is  the  reading  of  T.R.  and  Gries- 
bach ;  but  Kafj.$dv(i,  with  B  and  eleven  other 
uncials  and  Svriac  Version,  is  the  reading 
of  Tregelles,  tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Il.T., 
and  Westcott  and  Hort. 

JOHK — U. 


Ver.  16. — A  little  while.  A  phrase  re- 
peated seven  times  in  this  brief  passagi>, 
emphatically  encouraging  his  own  discipU's 
to  rise  above  the  limitations  of  time,  uiid 
enjoy  the  habits  of  eternity.  Ye  behold  ma 
no  more.  The  first  puzzle  of  tliis  utt  r.uio;) 
lies  in  this — that  (ch.  xiv.  19)  he  had  told 
them  that,  though  the  world  would  see  liiiu 
no  more,  they  would  beiiohl  him  in  the  power 
of  the  Spirit,  and  that  they  would  moreover 
have  adequate  preparation  for  sucli  si)iritiuil 
beholding  in  tlie  resurrection ;  yet  now  lie 
says,  "  Ye  behold  me  no  more."  True,  ho 
has  as30ciatt'd  this  phrase  already,  in  ver.  10, 
witli  the  conviction  of  the  world  toucliins; 
true  righteousness  and  his  "  going  to  tlio 
Father,"  so  that  henceforth  he  would  Ix) 
hidden  in  God ;  but  now  he  iucreasis  the 
perplexity  by  adding.  And  again,  a  little 
while,  and  ye  shall  see  me.  The  commen- 
tators differ  greatly  as  to  the  reference,  but 
(with  Hengstenberg,  Weiss,  Stiir,  Westcott, 
Ebrard,  Ewald)  the  most  obvious  explanation 
is  that  he  is  referring  to  the  resurrtction, 
which  in  itself  would  be  in  part  a  glorifica- 
tion of  Christ,  and  which,  from  its  entire 
method  of  manifestation  to  thi  ni,  would 
prove  a  preparation  for  the  spiritual  sense  ot 
his  continual  presence.  This  was  perfected 
at  Pentecost,  and  will  be  completed  when 
he  sliall  come  again  in  his  glory.' 

Ver.  17.— Then  said  (some)  of  his  disciples 
one  to  another,  not  daring  to  utter  it  to  liira. 
What  is  this  that  he  saith  to  us,  A  little 
while,  and  ye  behold  me  not :  and  again,  a 
little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me :  and,  Be- 
cause I  go  to  the  Father  ?  This  clause  now 
aggravates  their  difficulty,  whether  they 
associate  it  with  the  idea  already  uttered, 
or  whether  they  repeat  the  Lord's  word 
(oTt  may  be  simply  the  "that"  of  quf)tation). 
The  programme  of  the  future — e.g.  (1)  deatli 
and  momentary  absence,   (2)   resurrection 

*  The  clause,  "  and  because  I  go  to  the 
Father,"  is  believed  by  most  modern  editors — 
by  Tischendorf  (8th.  edit.),  Meyer,  Tregelles, 
Westcott  and  Hort,  and  R.T. — to  be  a  gloss 
taken  from  ver.  17,  as  it  is  not  found  in  N,  B, 
D,  L,  Origen,  etc.  Hengstenberg  dwells  at 
length  upon  the  fact  that  their  insertion  here 
occasions  the  perplexity.  But  the  remem- 
brance of  ch.  xiv.  19  is  sufficient  to  account 
for  the  mental  confusion  of  the  disciples,  to 
say  nothing  of  their  difficulty  in  realizing 
tlie  fact  of  the  resurrection — a  consummation 
which,  we  learn  from  other  passages,  they 
were  net  as  yet  prepared  to  understand. 
The  disciples  do  insert  the  clause  into  their 
own  quotation,  as  a  reminiscence  of  ver.  10; 
but  Chri.st  docs  not  requote  it  in  his  reply, 
and  it  looks  as  though  the  words  had  been 
inserted  to  account  for  their  presence  in  the 
following  verse. 


30d 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvi.  1—33. 


and  transitory  presence,  (3)  departure  to 
the  Father  and  abiding  presence — form  a 
group  of  ideas  very  difficult  even  for  us  now 
to  realize  or  "to  know"  fully  wliat  he  saith. 
^Vl^o  need  wonder  that  these  disciples  should 
liave  been  in  doubt,  since  one  of  their  number 
intimately  acquainted  with  them  and  their 
state  of  feeling  records  it  of  them? 

Ver.  IS.— They  said,  What  is  this  little 
while  whereof  he  speakethi'  (\(yer,  Vul- 
gate, elicit).  (The  R.T.  and  Westcott  and  Hort 
invert  the  tovto  and  ri,  and  thus  greatly 
increase  the  simplicity  of  the  passage.) 
What  are  these  two  short  periods  of  which 
he  speaks,  so  full  of  mysterious  significance  ? 
We  know  not  what  he  saith  (\a\u;  Vul- 
gate, loquitur).  We  do  not  apprehend  the 
wonderful  interchange  of  vision  and  blank 
darkness  —  of  presence  and  absence  and 
presence  again ! 

Ver.  19. — Now  *  Jesus  knew  (perceived  by 
his  Divine  penetration  of  human  thought 
here  quickened  by  their  anxious  look  and 
hurried  whisjjerings)  that  they  were  wish- 
ing to  question  him,  and  he  said  to  them, 
Are  you  iaquiring  among  yourselves  con- 
cerning this  that  I  said,  A  little  while,  etc.  ? 
In  his  repetition  he  does  not  quote  the 
clause  which  they  had  added — i.e.  added 
if  the  clause,  ver.  16,  is  not  genuine.  He 
proceeded  to  meet  their  difficulties. 

A'^er.  20. — There  is  no  exact  or  categoric 
reply  to  the  very  inquiry  which  he  has  heard 
and  cited,  but  there  is  more  of  prophecy  and 
help  than  it  he  had  said,  "  To-morrow  I  die 
and  shall  be  laid  in  the  grave,  and  on  the 
third  day  I  shall  rise  again."  He  had  often 
said  this,  and  they  refused  to  understand. 
It  was  not  merely  a  resurrection  of  the  body, 
but  the  glorification  in  the  Father  of  his 
entire  Personality,  for  which  he  wished  them 
to  be  prepared.  A  simple  restoration  like 
that  of  Lazarus  would  not  have  secured  him 
from  the  malice  of  those  who  sought  to  put 
Lazarus  al.-o  to  death.  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you,  that  weep  and  lament  you  shall, 
and  the  world  shall  rejoice.  Here  is  his 
own  account  of  the  effect  upon  them  of  that 
he  said,  "A  little  while,''  and  you  tcill  be- 
liold  me,  as  you  think,  no  more.  The  world 
will  rejoice,  because  to  some  extent  it  will 
be  the  world's  doing,  and  it  will  fancy  for  a 
little  while  that  it  has  got  its  way  and 
succeeded  excellently  well.     The  world  will 


'  Tot/To  Ti  kcTTiv  is  the  reading  of  A,  D,  r, 
A,  etc.,  and  some  versions,  T.R.,  Tischendorf 
(8th  edit).  Ti  eVrt  tovto  is  that  of  X,  B,  D, 
L,  and  many  other  manuscripts  and  versions, 
Lachmanu,  Tregelles,  E.T.,  and  Westcott 
and  Hort. 

*  05i/  6,  omitted  by  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.) 
and  E.T.,  with  N,  B,  D,  L,  1,  33. 


roll  a  stone  to  his  sepulchre,  and  make  it 
as  sure  as  they  can,  sealing  the  stone  and 
setting  a  watch.  Pharisaism  will  exult  that 
this  demand  for  a  higher  righteousness  than 
its  own  is  for  ever  hushed  ;  Sadduceeism 
will  rejoice  that  this  troublesome  witness  to 
unseen  and  eternal  things  is  silenced ;  the 
hierarchy  will  boast  that  now  no  danger 
prevails  of  tije  Romans  taking  away  their 
place  and  nation  ;  the  world  will  praise  the 
deed  of  blood ;  but  all  this  rejoicing  will 
last  "  a  little  while."  Christ  reaffirms  their 
grief,  and  even  for  "  a  little  while  "  justifies 
it,  so  long  as  they  can  hear  the  jubilate  of 
the  world  over  their  personal  burden  of 
unutterable  sorrow.  He  continues:  Yon  shall 
be  sorrowful,  but  in  a  little  while  your 
sorrow  shall  be  (ey€veTo  eh.  Acts  iv.  11;  v. 
36)  turned  into  joy.  Clearly  because  "  you 
shall  see  me."  It  cannot  be  said  that  our 
Lord  here  positively  asserts  his  resurrection ; 
but  when  we  remember  how  "the  disciples 
were  glad  when  they  saw  the  Lord,"  how  Mary 
ran  "  with  great  joy  to  bring  his  disciples 
word,"  we  feel  that  here  was  the  simple 
solution  of  the  mystery,  and  that  our  Lord's 
intercourse  with  them  in  his  resurrectfon- 
body  was  the  great  prelibation  of  the  method 
of  his  continuous  abiding  with  them  in  the 
power  of  his  Spirit  and  the  glorification  of 
his  body — we  cannot  doubt  that  this  was 
his  meaning  and  the  purpose  of  the  evange- 
list in  recording  it. 

Ver.  21. — The  next  illustration  is  very 
remarkable,  and  surely  cannot  be  a  simple 
analogy  of  the  supervening  of  joy  on  sorrow. 
The  woman  (the  article  does  not  point  to  any 
special  ywri,  but  refers  to  a  universal  fact 
and  law  of  womanhood,  cf.  6  Sov\os,  ch.  xv. 
15)  when  she  is  in  travail  hath  sorrow,  be- 
cause her  hour  is  come.  So  now  there  are 
the  travail-pangs  of  the  new  humanity,  the 
new  theocracy,  bitter  and  terrible.  But  as 
soon  as  she  has  brought  forth  the  child, 
she  rememhereth  no  longer  the  anguish,  for 
the  joy  that  a  man  is  bom  into  the  world. 
The  old  prophets  often  compared  the  grief 
of  Israel  or  her  peril  to  the  pangs  of  a 
travailing  woman  preluding  deliverance 
(Isa.  xxi.  3  ;  xxvi.  17 ;  Ixvi.  6,  7  ;  Hos.  xiii. 
13)  and  even  joy — the  joy  of  bringing 
manhood  into  the  world  and  the  new  con- 
sciousness of  maternity.  Meyer  and  others 
rebel  against  any  meaning  beyond  that  of 
the  following  of  joy  upon  sorrow ;  but 
Tholuck,  De  Wette,  Ebrard,  and  Moulton 
see  here  the  obvious  reference  to  those 
"travail-pangs  of  death"  with  which  St. 
Peter  (Acts  iii.  24)  said  that  the  Holy  One 
could  not  be  restrained,  agonies  in  which  for 
a  while  every  apostle  must  have  wept  and 
lamented,  dying  and  being  crucified  with 
him,  and  to  the  glorious  deliverance  of  all 
who  suffered  with  him,  when  they  live  again 


OH.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


307 


in  uewness  of  life  by  the  power  of  his  re- 
surrection. 

Ver.  22. — And,  so  ho  continues,  ye  there- 
fore '  indeed  now  have  sorrow — your  hearts 
aro  tmubleil,  you  weep  and  lament  to-ni^ht, 
your  dosohition  for  "a  little  while"  will  bo 
utter  collapse  and  dismay — bnt  I  shall  see 
you  again.  He  does  not  repeat,  '•  Ye  shall 
behold  me  "  {OfwpuTe  /xf,  cf.  ch.  xiv.  li)),  but 
"  I  shall  see  you  (otpofxat  vfias)."  The  same 
word,  however,  is  used  repeatedly  in  the 
record  of  the  resurrection,  and  in  ver.  19  he 
had  said  6\p€aee  fie.  The  point  of  the  vision 
is  his  own  consciousness  of  their  human 
need  filling  all  the  forty  days  with  its 
glory.  The  occasional  manifestations  of 
his  Person  during  that  interval  helped  them 
in  a  wonderful  way  to  recognize  the  fact 
that  he  was  ever  watching  them,  and  was 
at  their  side  under  all  the  circumstances  of 
human  life.  And  your  heart  shall  rejoice, 
and  this  joy  of  yours  no  one  taketh  (present 
in  the  fidl  sense  of  a  realized  future)  from 
you.  The  u^o/uat  yjuaj  lends  itself  to  the 
larger  conception  which,  by  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  they  at  length  fully  appre- 
hended, that  he  was  with  them  always,  even 
to  the  end  of  the  world.  That  conviction 
was  forced  upon  them  before  Pentecost  (see 
Matt,  xxviii.  19,  20,  and  the  account  in 
this  Gospel  of  the  spiration  and  communica- 
tion of  the  Holy  Ghost,  ch.  xx.  22),  before 
he  came  as  the  sound  of  a  rushing  mighty 
wind,  or  sat  in  tongues  of  flame  on  their 
heads.  Your  joy  in  the  sense  of  my  constant 
presence  no  one,  neither  man  nor  devil, 
taketh  away  from  you.  That  presence  will 
not  be  any  further  exposed  to  Jewish  malice 
or  treachery,  nor  darkened  by  persecution, 
nor  destroyed  by  death  ;  though  with  bodily 
eyes  ye  see  me  not,  yet,  fully  realizing  that 
my  eye  is  on  you,  "  you  will  rejoice  with 
joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory  "  (I  Pet. 
i.8). 

Ver.  2.S. — And  in  that  day — that  long  and 
blessed  period  beginning  at  the  Resurrection 
with  jour  vision  of  me,  and  being  ever  more 
and  more  enhanced  in  blessedness  by  your 
intense  conviction  that  "  I  am  with  you " 
and  "  see  you,"  though  you  see  me  not — in 
that  day  ye  shall  put  me  no  question,  as  in 
the  old  method  of  confidential  intercoiu-se 
of  man  with  man.  That  period  passes  away 
with  this  solemn  night.  Not  in  this  way 
will  the  intercourse  be  carried  forward. 
"  That  day  "  starteil  from  Easter  morning, 
and  it  is  not  yet  noon.  Perhaps  one  reason 
for  this  statement  is  that  the  illumination 
of  the  Spirit  would  render  such  questioning 
unnecessary,  but  a  more  certain  explanation 
is  that  they  would  themselves  stand  in  new 
relations  with   the    Father    through    him. 

'  All  modem  editors  here  insert  oSv. 


Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  yon.  Whatsoever  ' 
thing  ye  shall  ask  (aiVrjo-TjTe)  the  Father,  he 
will  give  it  you  in  my  Name.  The  modern 
editors,  by  placing  the  iv  T<f  oydfiari  ixov  ("  in 
my  Name  ")  after  hucxfi  v/xlv,  or  as  Tischeu- 
dorf  (8th  edit.),  in  a  clause  commencing  with 
Sciffei,  suggest  that  in  this  particular  clause 
the  Name  of  Christ  is  not  only  the  medium 
by  which  the  disciples  approach  the  Father 
(which  is  obvious  enough  from  ver.  24),  but 
the  manifestation  and  ministry  by  which 
not  only  is  the  prayer  heard,  but  the  gift  or 
answer  bestowed.  As  sentence  after  sentence 
follows,  the  disciples  are  led  up  to  the 
heart  of  the  Father  himself. 

Ver.  24. — Hitherto — up  to  the  present 
period — ye  asked  (^  TJTrjo-oTf,  the  common 
word  for  petition  and  request  made  by  the 
inferior  to  the  superior,  tlie  man  to  his 
Maker)  nothing  in  my  Name.  The  disciples 
bad  not  comprehended  the  fulness  of  that 
Name  of  the  well-beloved  Son,  filling  their 
minds  with  the  revelation  of  God  made  in 
it,  and  feeling  it  to  be  the  great  inducement 
and  guarantee  of  acceptable  prayer.  Ask 
(continuously,  habitually,  for  this  is  no 
longer  in  aorist,  but  in  the  present  tense), 
and  ye  shall  receive  (iVa  here  not  telic,  but 
indicates  "  contemplated  result "),  that  your 
joy  may  be  fulfilled  [^rendered  complete  and 
full]  (comp.  ch.  XV.  11 ;  ver.  22);  the  joy  of 
your  love  to  one  another  and  to  me  may 
reach  its  highest  expression.  There  may  be 
reference  to  their  unanimity  in  the  Holy 
Spirit,  the  Pentecostal  outburst  of  perfect 
love  which  casts  out  fear. 

*  T.R.  reads  oti  Stra  &v,  with  ten  uncials ; 
A  reads  g  n  &i/ ;  B,  C,  D,  Italic,  and  Origen, 
hv  T£ ;  K,  oTi  6  av  ;  R.T.,  &>/  ti,  "if  ye  shall 
ask  anything  whatsoever." 

*  These  two  verbs,  curtu  and  epwrow,  are 
represented  alike  by  ''  ask,"  both  by  the 
translators  of  1(511  aud  1881.  'EpwrdcDm  ver. 
23  clearly  points  back  to  ver.  19,  and  refers 
to  the  inquiries  they  might  have  hitherto 
made  from  him ;  while  aiVeoi,  peto,  is  the 
submissive,  suppliant  tone  of  the  mendi- 
cant for  alms  (Acts  iii.  2),  of  the  inferior  to 
the  superior  (Acts  xii.  20),  of  the  child  to 
the  parent  (Matt.  vii.  9  ;  Luke  xi.  11),  of  the 
subject  to  the  ruler  (Ezra  viii.  2),  of  man 
from  God  (Matt.  vii.  7  ;  Jas.  i.  5 ;  1  John  iii. 
22).  'EpcDTaw  is  equivalent  to  rogo,  iuterrogo, 
its  only  meaning  in  classical  Greek  implying 
in  the  request  a  certain  footing  of  equality. 
So  our  Lord  never  uses  a'tTeicxOai  or  aire?!/  in 
speaking  of  his  own  petitions  on  behalf  of 
his  disciples,  but  epwraw.  Martha  does  (ch. 
xi.  22),  revealing  her  fuilure  to  apprehen<l 
the  full  dignity  of  his  Person.  In  no  single 
place  do  we  find  ipwrav  used  of  the  prayer 
of  man  to  God  (see  Trench,  '  Syn.  of  N.  T.,' 
§  xl.). 


20S 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvi.  1— 33. 


Vers.  25 — 33. — (d)  The  final  conviction 
icroitght  that  Jesus  icas  what  he  had  said 
that  he  was.  The  joy  of  Christ,  with  its  note 
of  iimrninf). 

Ver.  25. — These  things  I  have  spoken  to 
you  in  proverbs  (see  ch.  x.  6) ;  i.e.  in  con- 
centrated and  to  some  extent  enigmatical 
utterances,  "  in  dark  sayings  upon  a  harp," 
in  words  which  subsequent  events  and 
higher  enlightenment  would  interpret  (cf. 
here  Christ's  distinction  between  his  dis- 
til ilos  ^^^  t^6  multitude  in  the  matter  of 
parables,  Matt.  xiii.).  He  used  the  parable 
to  the  stupefied,  that  they  might  thus 
8.  parate  between  those  who  were  suscep- 
tible to  his  teaching  and  those  who  were 
)iot.  To  his  disciples  he  interpreted  his 
parables,  still  leaving  much  which  might 
be  regarded  as  rrapoifjiiai,  condensed  word- 
utterances,  in  which  words  stood  for  higher 
things  than  in  their  ordinary  usage.  Thus 
the  similitudes  adopted  throughout  ch.  ix., 
X.,  xi.,  xii. — xvi.,  are  numerous,  intended  to 
draw  the  disciples  on  from  their  ordinary 
ideas  to  the  heights  of  his  thought  and  the 
mystery  of  his  Person.  The  dW  is  omitted 
by  modem  editors.  The  hour  cometh — the 
great  climacteric  period  of  my  revelation — 
when  I  shall  no  longer  speak  to  you  in 
proverbs,  when,  indeed,  the  sound  of  my 
voice  will  be  hushed,  and  words  will  no 
longer  be  needed,  when  Divine  spirations 
and  heavenly  pulsations  shall  convey  to 
you  what  my  parabolic  teaching  and  my 
paroimic  interpretations  have  failed  to  im- 
part, when  I  shall  be  with  you  and  in  you, 
and  by  the  energy  of  the  Paraclete  I  shall 
declare  '  (to  you)  plainly,  with  clearness  and 
openness,  in  the  fulness  of  spiritual  light, 
without  reserve,  circumlocution,  or  parable, 
concerning  the  Father.  This  promise  de- 
clares that  the  glorious  revelations  of  Pen- 
tecost and  the  teaching  of  those  who  received 
the  Holy  Ghost  will  be  verily  and  indeed  our 
Lord  Christ's  own  most  personal  and  frank 
and  outspoken  revelations  of  the  Father. 

Ver.  26. — In  that  day — pointing  to  "  the 
hour  "  of  these  open  declarations — ye  shall 
ask  {make petitions,  not  ask  or  demand  of  me, 
in  the  tone  of  equality)  in  my  Name.  The 
opportunity  will  come  when  all  my  Name 
will  be  appreciated  by  you,  and  your 
spiritual  reception  of  me  will  teach  you  to 
approach  the  Father,  who  is  thus  revealed  to 
you.  Calvin  in  these  verses  calls  attention 
to  the  familiarity  of  Israel  with  the  idea 

'  'Airayye\w  of  N,  A,  B,  is  preferred  to 
avayyiKu,  of  E,  G,  H,  by  Titchendorf  (8th 
edit.),  Westcott  and  Hoii,  and  R.T.  The 
former  word  lays  emphasis  upon  the  source, 
and  the  latter  on  tlie  destination,  of  the 
utterance.  The  vfuv  is  omitted  by  R.T.  and 
other  modem  editors,  with  N,  B,  C,  D 


of  a  Mediator,  one  by  whom  they  drew  near 
to  God,  and  that  Christ  places  himself  here 
in  the  stead  of  the  whole  propitiatory 
service  and  ritual  of  the  temple.  "  His 
Name  "  was  the  Divine  equivalent  of  all  the 
work  of  the  high  priest  from  one  Day  of 
Atonement  to  another  and  for  evermore. 
And  I  do  not  say  to  you,  that  I  will  make 
my  request  to  the  Father  concerning  you 
(see  note  on  (paiTaw  and  aiTe'o,  ver.  23, 
etc.).  It  will  not  do  to  argue,  with  Grotius, 
that  this  is  just  as  if  he  had  said,  "  To  say 
nothing  of  my  own  intercessions  for  you,"  or, 
"  You  may  take  these  for  granted;"  because 
the  very  next  verse  gives  his  reason  for  the 
assertion.  Nor  is  it  satisfactory  to  say,  with 
Meyer,  that  the  "prayers"  of  which  he 
speaks  (ch.  xiv.  16;  xvii.  9,  20)  are  before 
the  gift  of  the  Paraclete,  and  not  inconsistent 
with  the  higher  condition  of  the  disciples 
after  the  Paraclete  should  have  been  given  ; 
because  John  had  received  the  Paraclete 
when  he  wrote,  "  We  have  an  Advocate  with 
the  Father"  (1  John  ii.  1).  Nor  can  we 
suppose  that  the  great  utterances  of  Eom. 
viii.  34  and  Heb.  ix.  25  are  vain  imagina- 
tions, and  that  there  is  no  sense  in  whic-h 
the  Lord  does  augment  and  complete  our 
prayers,  taking  them  upon  his  heart  and 
going  in  his  high-priestly  prerogative  into 
the  holy  place  with  his  own  blood  ;  but  the 
words  must  nevertheless  be  prer^sed,  and 
their  meaning  held  to  be  compatible  with 
what  Paul  and  John  say  of  the  "  intercesaon 
of  Christ."  They  reveal  the  perfect  access 
to  the  Father's  heart  which  he  has  secured 
for  his  disciples,  the  full  reconciliation 
effected  as  well  as  devised  and  consummated 
by  the  Father's  own  love  (cf.  Eph.  ii.  18, 
"  By  Christ  we  both  [Jew  and  Gentile]  have 
access  (irpoffayooyrjv)  in  one  «j32Vi<  to  the 
Father  ").  The  end  of  the  whole  ministry 
of  Christ  is,  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost's 
revelation  of  him,  to  bring  men  to  the 
Father  and  let  them  know  it.  There  is  no 
need  that  Christ  should  {tpairuv)  make 
special  prayer  to  the  Father,  as  though  he 
were  merciful  and  the  Father  needed  to  be 
appeased  towards  those  for  whom  he  had 
prepared  so  great  a  salvation  (see  Eom.  viii. 
34,  where  Philippi,  Calvin,  and  others  show 
that  Christ's  evTvyxaveli'  is  the  tffect  of  his 
own  glorious  and  eternal  work).  His  appear- 
ance in  the  presence  of  God  for  us  is 
the  perpetual  pledge  of  the  completeness 
of  his  saciiiice.  These  very  passages  in 
Hebrews  and  Romans  have  to  be  interpreted 
in  harmony  with  this  great  statement  of 
Iiis  own,  viz.  that  there  is  no  reason  to  aak 
the  Father  concerning  them ;  all  has  been 
asked  and  answered,  the  intercession  is  com- 
plete ;  his  whole  work  will  have  reconcih'd 
the  Father  with  his  children,  and  that  by 
reason  of  the  Father's  own  love. 


CH.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


30!t 


Ver.  27. — For  the  Father  himself  loveth 
you  (4)i\«7),  with  lovo  of  a  fatherly  affection, 
such  as  mine  to  you,  becaose  ye  have  loved 
me  (the  perfect  preterite,  in  the  sense  of  the 
realized  past  in  the  present  which  shall  then 
be),  and  have  believed  that  I  came  forth  from 
the  side  of  (iropa)  the  Father.'  In  their  be- 
lief of  this  transcendent  fact  is  the  hope  of 
the  world.  It  was  wrought  in  them  by  the 
strengthening  pulses  of  a  deepening  love, 
and  to  this  love  God  himself  responds  with 
a  personal  tender  affection  that  encourages 
boundless  prayer.  The  disciple  and  lover 
of  Jesus,  having  Jesus  in  the  heart,  united 
to  him  by  living  faitli,  will  find  in  Christ 
that  there  is  a  perpetual  pledge  of  reciprocal 
love  between  the  Father  and  himself.  Christ 
■will  not  (^ipwTav)  ask  the  Father,  because 
his  entire  position  as  Mediator  establishes  a 
continual  appeal,  is  a  perpetual  funv^ts,  a 
continuous  drawing  near  and  appeal  to  God 
on  our  account,  a  pledge  and  guarantee  of 
our  own  fellowship  with  and  access  to  the 
Father.  Our  English  word  "intercession," 
though  apparently  corresponding  with  the 
Latin  and  with  the  Greek  word,  does  not 
now  represent  its  original  meaning.  That 
meaning  is  by  no  means  equivalent  to  the 
kind  of  prayer  which  is  here  excluded 
(Trench, '  Syn.  N.  T.,'  §  li.). 

Ver.  28.  —In  these  words  our  Lord  gathers 
sublimely  up  a  record  of  his  entire  self- 
manifestation.  I  came  forth  out  of  the 
Father  (where  f^e\6ov  e'/c,  in.stead  of  Trapo,  is 
the  new  and  better  reading),  as  from  the 
Divine  Source  of  my  pre-existent  glory,  I 
have  come  into  the  world,  incarnat&  in  hu- 
manity, "  the  Word  was  made  flesh,"  "  the 
Light  lighting  every  man  has  come  into 
the  world."  Again,  I  am  leaving  the  world 
behind  me,  though  for  a  little  while  you 
may  behold  me,  and  I  am  going  on  a  great 
mission,  with  a  goal  in  view,  to  the  Father. 
"  Recapitulationem  maximam  liabct  hie  ver- 
sus" (Bengelj.  Christ  had  taid  all  this 
before,  but  tliey  have  never  seen  it  as  a 
whole.  The  several  parts  had  been  so  im- 
pressive, tliat  the  whole  truth  had  been  con- 
cealed from  them. 

Ver.  29. — His  disciples  say  to  him,  Behold, 
even  now  thou  speakest  (KaXtls) ;  thy  utter- 
ance is  with  plainness  and  clearness^  and 
speakest  (Atyeu)  no  proverb.^  The  promise 
made  so  recently  (ver.  25)  seems  to  them  al- 
ready fulfilled.    Some  beam  of  the  heavenly 

'  T.R.  reads  Qfod  with  N*"^'",  A,  C,  A,  A,  n, 
60  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.)  ;  but  R.T.,  Lach- 
mann,  Westcott  and  Hort,  and  Tiegelles  read 
tlarpos,  with  {<■=',  B,  C*,  D,  L,  and  many 
Fathers. 

'  Webtcott  and  Hort  and  Tischendorf  (8th 
edit.)  here  read  h  before  ira^^-na-'ia,  but  not 
the  R.T. 


light  has  begun  to  irradiate  the  whole  of 
this  sublime  but  partially  realized  revela- 
tion of  God  in  Christ.  The  doubts  vaiii.>,h 
in  this  sunshine. 

Ver.  30. — Now  know  we  that  thou  knowest 
all  things.  He  had  answered  their  unutter- 
able yearning.  That  which  stirred  them 
very  deeply  on  many  occasions  was  this 
proof  that  nothing  in  their  hearts  was  hid- 
den from  him.  Nathanael  was  one  of  them, 
and  now  he  saw  "  angels  of  God  ascending 
and  descending  on  the  Son  of  man."  "Thou 
knowest  all  things. "  The  idea  in  their  minds 
does  not  embrace  the  full  range  of  human 
inquiry,  nor  the  depths  of  Deity,  but  all  the 
things  which  are  in  their  hearts  to  ask  him. 
Their  word  is  true  even  if  in  their  intention 
they  fall  short  of  ascribing  omniscience  to 
their  Lord.  And  thou  hast  no  need  that  any 
one  should  put  to  thee  these  inquiries.  Thou 
hast  sounded  the  depths  of  our  hearts,  and 
found  out  the  unutterable  and  unuttered 
within  us.  When  we  were  afraid  to  ask 
thee  concerning  "the  little  while,"  thou 
didst  discern  our  unspoken  yearning,  and 
now  thou  art  so  establishing  thy  Divine 
claim  upon  our  reverence  and  affection,  that 
we  can  trust  thee  to  give  us  all  needful  illu- 
mination when  we  most  require  it.  In  this 
fact,  in  this  consideration  just  stated,  we  find 
our  justification  and  the  cause  of  our  faith. 
We  believe  that  thou  earnest  forth  from  (a.iT6) 
God  (oLTTo  differs  from  the  solemnity  of  the 
Trapd  or  the  €K  of  ver.  28.  Though  Lange 
makes  the  on  equivalent  to  "  because,"  yet 
generally  John  gives  to  the  Sn  which  fol- 
lows a  verb  after  iv  rovrif  the  sense  of 
"  that,"  thus  introducing  the  object  of  the 
verb,  though  in  one  place,  1  John  iv.  13, 
both  constructions  are  seen  in  the  same  sen- 
tence. The  objective  force  of  "  that "  is  to  be 
preferred  here).  We  believe  that  thy  whole 
ministry  and  message  is  a  revelation  of  God, 
a  coming  near  to  us  of  the  Father.  Thy 
name  is  "  Immanuel,  God  with  us."  A 
question  arises  whether  the  disciples  in  this 
gush  of  faith  said  more  than  they  resUy 
meant,  and  deserved  reproof,  or  whether  they 
had  reached  an  elevation  of  thought  from 
which  they  never  would  absolutely  recede. 

Ver.  31. — Jesus  answered  them,  Now,  at^ 
this  stage  in  my  self-revelation,  do  ye  be-' 
lieve?  It  seems  as  though  the  whole  of 
Christ's  ministry  turns  on  their  acceptance 
of  his  claims.  If  he  should  pass  from 
the  world  and  return  to  the  Father,  and 
leave  behind  him  none  who  had  discovered 
and  become  intensely  convinced  of  his 
Divine  nature,  the  whole  work  he  had 
done  would  be,  humanly  speaking,  a  failure. 
An  almost  womanlike  passion  of  desire 
breathes  through  the  inquiry,  "  Do  ye 
now  believe  ? "  or,  as  some  commentators 
(Godet  and  Meyer)  translate  it  indicativtdy, 


310 


THE  GOSPEL   ACCOKDING  TO  ST.   JOHN.     [ch.  xvi.  1— 33. 


"Now  ye  believe."  There  is  truly  no 
essential  difference  whether  it  be  taken  in- 
terrogatively or  indicatively.  Both  forms 
mean,  "  I  have  at  length  brought  you  to  the 
point  of  faith.  The  kingdom  of  God  is  now 
established,  and  the  prince  of  this  world 
cast  out.  But  a  terrible  trial  awaits  the 
new-born  faith."  Christ  had  warned  them 
of  the  treachery  of  the  absent  one,  of  the 
approaching  denial  of  the  foremost  of  their 
number,  and  he  now  gives  them  another 
warning  of  the  severity  of  the  trial  which 
awaited  them  all.  The  power  and  perma- 
nence of  their  faith  may  be  open  to  doubt, 
but  not  its  essential  quality.  Their  faith 
may  not  stand  firm  on  tbat  awful  night,  but 
it  will  ultimately  prevail,  and  Christ  rejoices 
in  the  fact  that  his  words  have  at  last 
evoked  this  genuine  response.  In  the  prayer 
which  follows  (ch.  xvii.  8)  he  thanks  God 
"  that  they  have  known  verily  that  I  came 
forth  from  thee,  and  have  believed  that  thou 
hast  sent  me." 

Ver.  32. — Behold,  the  hour  cometh,  [yea]  ' 
is  come,  that  (see  ver.  2.  The  effort  made  by 
some  to  preserve  the  telic  force  of  ha  here 
breaks  down.  It  has  very  little  more  than 
the  power  of  "  when,"  and  the  bringing  in 
of  the  notion  of  a  purpose  or  Divine  counsel 
encumbers  the  sense)  yon  shall  be  scattered 
(i.e.  the  fact  is  as  good  as  already  enacted) 
every  man  to  his  own,  and  shall  leave  me  alone. 
The  a-KopKKrdjjTe  points  back  to  Zech.  xiii.  7, 
and  reminds  us  of  our  Lord's  recent  quotation 
of  this  very  prophecy,  and  his  application  of 
it  to  the  disciples  (IVIatt.  xxvi.  31,  32).  This 
falling  away  from  Jesus  as  he  rises  more 
and  more  into  the  greatness  of  his  work  is 
one  of  the  witnesses  of  his  Divine  mission 
into  sucli  a  world  as  this.  First  the  Gali- 
Isean  hosts  and  the  multitudes  who  shouted 
"  Hosanna!"  then  his  own  brethren,  then  all 
except  the  twelve,  then  all  the  authorities, 
are  openly  hostile.  Even  Joseph  and  Nico- 
demus  and  Lazarus  are  silent,  Judas  is 
treacherous ;  but  the  eleven  still  cling  to 
him.  Soon  Christ  selects  from  the  faithful 
few  the  faithfullest  for  the  watch  over  his 
last  agony,  but  one  of  these  denies  him,  and 
they  all  forsake  him  and  flee.  John  and 
his  mother,  who  follow  within  earshot  of  the 
'cross,  are  sent  to  their  own  home,  and  there 
is  a  moment  when  he  is  absolutely  alone. 
He  even  says,  "  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast 
thou  forsaken  me  ?  "  But  as  in  this  agony 
he  can  still  say,  "  Father,  into  thy  hands," 
so  here  he  anticipates  the  Divine  oversha- 
dowing presence,  and  adds,  Yet  I  am  not 
alone,  because  the  Father  is  with  me.    The 

'  The  vvv  of  T.R.  is  omitted  by  Tischeu- 
dorf  (8th  edit.),  Westcott  and  Hort,  and 
K.T.  Godet  preserves  it,  seeing  a  motive  for 
the  omission,  and  translates  it  "  already." 


sublimest  word  of  all,  charged  with  conso- 
lation. 

Ver.  33.  —  These  things  have  I  spoken 
(ravTu ;  all  the  farewell  discourses.  The 
tone  of  these  last  triumphant  words  reminds 
them  of  the  finest  and  noblest  of  his  previous 
assurances,  his  promises  of  peace,  courage, 
and  victory  over  all  the  evil  and  power 
of  this  world)  to  you,  that  in  me  ye  might 
have  peace  (see  note,  ch.  xiv.  27,  28). 
The  entire  issue  of  the  discourse  is  the  con- 
ference ou  his  disciples  of  his  own  secret 
of  peace — the  adequate  support  amid  the 
crushing  force  and  vehement  hostility  of 
the  world  (cf.  Ps.  xlvi.  2—4,  "  Though  the 
earth  be  removed  .  .  .  there  is  a  river,"  etc.). 
Peace  is  the  balance  of  equilibrating  forces  ; 
and  man  needs  a  Divine  force  behind  and 
within  him  to  encounter  the  tremendous 
odds  arrayed  against  him,  in  mysteries  of 
life,  temptation  of  the  devil,  infirmity  of  the 
flesh,  and  antagonism  of  the  world,  so  that 
we  need  not  be  surprised  to  hear  him  say. 
In  the  world  ye  have  '  tribulation.  It  is  the 
fundamental  condition  of  Divine  life  in  this 
world.  Christ's  disciples  may  take  that  for 
granted  (see  1  Thess.  i.  6 ;  iii.  4),  but  the 
most  striking  and  unique  note  of  the  true 
faith  is  that  this  sorrow  is  blended  with  an  in- 
ward rapture  which  transforms  it  into  peace. 
The  blending  of  fear  and  love,  of  law  with 
promise,  of  righteousness  with  mercy,  of  the 
sense  of  sin  with  that  of  pardon,  of  a  great 
peace  with  a  crushing  tribulation,  is  one  of 
the  most  constant  tokens,  signs,  or  marks  of 
the  mind  of  Christ.  But  be  of  good  courage. 
This  is  the  practical  uprising  of  the  soul  into 
the  joy  of  the  Lord  (cf.  also  ch.  xiv.  1,  28). 
(The  word  itself  is  an  a7ra|  \ey6/ievov  in 
John,  though  found  in  Matt.  ix.  2  and  Mark 
X.  49.)  '£70;,  I — very  emphatic — have  over- 
come the  world.  "  A  vous  encore  le  combat, 
a  moi  des  a  present  la  victoire  !  Mais  en  moi 
la  meme  victoire  a  vous  vous  aussi "  (Reuss). 
The  royal  sublimity  of  this  last  word,  on 
the  eve  of  the  Passion,  became  one  of  the  per- 
petually recurring  thoughts  of  John  (1  John 
V.  4  and  Rev.  ii.,  iii.,  where  the  6  vUuv  is 
again  and  again  referred  to).  Christ's  vic- 
tory already  assured  to  him  becomes  theirs. 
So  " by  similar  anticipation  we  have  ev'iK-qaav 
in  Rev.  xii.  11,  and  ^  viKiiaatra  in  1  John  v. 
4."  The  victory  had  been,  however,  already 
achieved  over  the  world's  temptations,  and 
over  the  bitterness  of  internal  treachery,  and 
the  vast  sum  of  human  ingratitude ;  and  this 
may  in  part  explain  the  use  of  the  perfect 
tense,  "  I  have  overcome." 

'  X,  A,  B,  C,  L,  X,  many  Fathers  and 
versions,  justify  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.), 
Tregelles,  Westcott  and  Hort,  and  R.T.,  in 
reading  ex^'''^  instead  of  i^ere  of  T.R.,  which 
appears  to  rest  on  D,  69,  and  several  Fathers. 


CH.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  311 


HOMILETICS. 

Vers.  1 — 4. — A  warning  of  future  persecutions.  Having  spoken  of  the  guilt  of  the 
persecutors,  our  Lord  refers  now  to  the  sufferings  of  the  disciples. 

I.  The  design  ok  the  warning.  "  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  you 
should  not  be  offended."  1.  The  obstinate  unbelief  of  the  Jews  loouhl  be  not  only  a 
great  surprise  to  the  (tpostles,  but  a  jirofound  disappointment.  They  always  lived  in  the 
expectation  of  a  national  conversion  of  Israel.  2.  It  was  therefore  necessary  to  prepare 
them  by  timely  warnings  for  a  fact  so  unexpected  and  so  tragical  iii  its  results. 

II.  liELIGIOUS   ZEAL   THE   PRETENCE   OK   KUTURE    PERSECUTIONS.        "  Tlicy    shall     put 

you  out  of  their  synagogues :  yea,  the  hour  cometh,  that  whosoever  killeth  you  will 
think  he  ofiTereth  worship  to  God."  1.  The  persecutions  tvould  either  take  the  form  of 
(1)  excommunication  or  (2)  death.  2.  Fanatical  religious  zeal  would  prompt  the  most 
extreme  action,  as  it  did  in  the  case  of  Saul  the  persecutor,  who  thought  he  ought  to  do 
many  things  contrary  to  the  Name  of  Christ.  3.  The  ciuse  or  ground  of  this  persecuting 
zeal.  "  And  these  things  will  they  do  unto  you,  because  they  have  not  known  the 
Father,  nor  me."  (1)  Blindness  and  hatred  often  go  haud-in-hand.  (2)  The  Jews 
were  not  guiltless  of  cruelty  on  the  ground  of  their  ignorance,  because  they  had  the 
amplest  opiwrtunities  for  knowing  Christ  and  his  Father. 

III.  OuE  Lord's  prediction  ok  coming  persecutions  ought  to  be  a  ground  of 
FAITH.  "But  these  things  I  have  foretold  you,  that  when  their  hour  shall  come,  ye 
may  remember  that  I  told  you  of  them."  1.  Our  Lord  will  not  allow  Jiis  disciples  to 
go  forward  into  suffering  without  being  prepared  and  trained  to  meet  it.  2.  He  had 
hitherto  spared  them  this  disclosure  of  coming  evil.  "  These  things  I  said  not  unto  you 
from  the  beginning,  because  I  was  with  you."  (1)  He  had  often  spoken  of  persecutions 
as  awaiting  them,  but  not  in  such  close  connection  with  their  relationship  to  himself 
and  the  manner  in  which  they  were  to  be  encountered  in  the  comfort  and  strength  of 
the  Spirit's  witness.  (2)  So  long  as  Christ  was  with  the  disciples,  the  rage  of  the  Jews 
was  directed  against  himself,  and  not  against  them. 

Vers.  5 — 11. — Tlie  victory  of  the  disciples.  Jesus  now  describes  the  power  which 
will  gain  their  victory  over  the  world. 

I.  The  power  which  will  give  the  victory.  1.  The  disciples  were  too  absorbed 
by  the  sorrows  of  the  approaching  separation  to  think  of  anything  but  themselves. 
"  But  now  I  go  my  way  to  him  that  sent  me ;  and  none  of  you  asketh  me,  Whither 
goest  thou?  But  because  I  have  said  these  things  unto  you,  sorrow  hath  filled 
your  heart."  (1)  They  were  so  absorbed  with  the  thought  of  their  own  immediate 
loss  that  they  missed  the  meaning  of  his  departure  for  themselves.  (2)  They  ought 
not  to  have  so  greatly  lamented  his  bodily  absence  and  overlooked  all  the  spiritual 
advantages  that  would  accrue  to  themselves  from  his  ascension  to  heaven  and  his 
participation  in  his  Father's  glory.  2.  The  expediency  of  his  departure  from  the 
world.  "It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away  :  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter 
will  not  come  unto  you;  but  if  I  depart,  I  will  send  him  unto  you."  (1)  Our  Lord's 
departure  the  Church's  gain.  It  would  lead  to  truer  conceptions  of  Christ's  Person  and 
work,  (a)  A  great  man's  greatness  is  usually  increased  by  death.  The  removal  of 
Christ  would  dissolve  the  illusion  of  familiarity.  He  could  only  be  truly  under- 
stood after  he  was  gone.  (J)  The  souls  of  the  apostles  were  greatly  quickened 
after  his  departure.  Their  faith,  hope,  charity,  were  increased  after  Pentecost.  (2) 
Our  Lord's  departure  was  the  condition  of  the  Spirit's  advent,  (a)  He  left  the 
earth  to  return  as  a  quickening  Spirit.  Christ  after  the  flesh  must  disappear,  to 
make  way  for  Christ  after  the  Spirit.  (6)  The  vicarious  sacrifice  of  Christ  stands  to 
the  mission  of  the  Comforter  in  the  relation  of  cause  and  effect,  (c)  The  dispensa- 
tion of  the  Spirit  is  superior  to  the  dispensation  of  "  Christ  come  in  the  flesh,"  for  the 
following  reasons :  (a)  Jesus  in  the  flesh  could  not  be  present  in  every  place  or  in  all 
the  households  of  the  world  ;  but  Christ  by  his  Spirit  can  dwell  in  the  hearts  of 
millions  at  the  same  moment  of  time  as  the  Hope  of  glory.  (/3)  If  Christ  were  still  iu 
the  flesh,  his  presence  would  only  be  temiwrary  and  occasional;  but  Christ  by  his 
Spirit  can  be  always  everywhere  at  the  same  moment  of  time.    (7)  As  a  matter  of  fact, 


512  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvi.  1—33. 

he  was  never  but  in  one  spot  of  earth — Palestine — and  never  out  of  it.  "We  revere 
Palestine  as  the  home  of  our  Lord,  but  we  must  rise  above  the  mere  sentiment  of  local 
association  in  the  experience  of  communion  with  an  everywhere-present  Lord.  (5)  Mere 
contact  with  Christ  in  the  flesh  would  have  no  necessarily  saving  efficacy.  The  Jews 
were  not  converted  by  seeing  him  in  the  flesh.  (3)  Practical  conclusions,  (o)  Let  us 
rejoice  in  our  Lord's  exaltation.  (6)  Let  us  guard  against  the  worship  of  the  outward. 
(c)  Let  us  learn  that  the  Lord  never  takes  away  one  blessing  but  he  leaves  a  greater  in 
its  place. 

II.  The  effects  op  the  Spirit's  coming.  "  And  when  he  is  come,  he  will 
convince  the  world  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment."  1.  The  Spirit  will 
convict  the  world  of  the  sin  of  unbelief.  "  Because  they  believe  not  on  me."  The  sin 
of  the  Jews  was  essentially  unbelief;  for  (1)  they  withstood  all  the  evidence  of  ancient 
prophecy ;  (2)  they  withstood  the  evidence  of  his  remarkable  life,  (3)  his  remarkable 
discourses,  (4)  his  remarkable  miracles.  2.  He  will  convict  the  world  of  righteousness. 
"  Because  I  go  to  my  Father,  and  ye  see  me  no  more."  (1)  His  sufferings  and  death  were 
the  pathway  by  which  he  returned  to  his  Father.  (2)  By  righteousness  our  Lord  under- 
stands, not  the  mere  justice  of  his  cause,  but  the  righteousness  which  he  wrought  out  in 
his  atoning  death  for  his  people.  He  regards  his  death  as  the  true  righteousness  of  his 
people.  His  incarnation  and  death  were  designed  to  bring  in  this  everlasting  righteous- 
ness. 3.  Be  will  convict  the  world  of  judgment.  "  Because  the  prince  of  this  world  is 
judged."  (1)  He  does  not  refer  to  any  judgment  on  Satan  for  his  primordial  fall,  nor  for 
his  deceptive  temptations  so  fatally  exercised  against  man.  (2)  He  refers  to  the  subver- 
sion of  Satan's  empire,  to  the  abrogation  of  his  usurped  rights  over  man.  The  death  of 
Christ  effected  this  result  in  the  following  way.  (a)  As  sin  was  put  away  by  the 
sacrifice  of  himself  (Heb.  ix.  26),  the  supreme  Judge  discharged  the  guilty,  (h)  The 
accuser  of  the  brethren  could  not  demand  their  condemnation  (Rom.  viii.  1).  (c)  Christ 
broke  the  power  of  death  "  by  destroying  him  that  had  the  power  of  death  "  (Heb.  11. 14). 

Vers.  12 — 15. — The  SpiriVs  office  is  not  confined  to  the  conviction  of  the  world.  It 
has  relation  to  the  needs  of  the  Church  as  well  as  the  world. 

I.  Our  Lord's  consideration  for  the  spiritual  incapacity  of  his  disciples. 
"  I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  to  you,  but  ye  cannot  bear  them  now."  1.  He  had 
already  told  them  many  things  which  they  could  hardly  understand.  The  communica- 
tions of  his  truth  were  the  marks  of  his  loving  confidence  (ch.  xv.  15).  2.  Other  truths 
were  yet  to  he  imparted,  which,  in  the  present  stage  of  their  spiritual  growth,  would  he 
quite  unintelligihle.  They  were  the  truths  concerning  his  incarnation  and  death,  the 
relation  of  grace  to  the  Law,  the  inclusion  of  the  Gentiles  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  the 
final  apostasy,  the  destiny  of  the  Church  till  its  end.  3.  It  is  a  mark  of  our  Lord's 
wisdom  and  tenderness  to  adapt  his  lessons  to  the  growing  capacity  of  his  disciples. 

II.  The  office  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  1.  IJis  personal  guidance.  "When  he,  the 
Spirit  of  truth,  is  come,  he  will  guide  you  into  all  the  truth."  (1)  The  Spirit  is  a 
Divine  Person,  not  a  mere  influence  or  energy  of  God.  (2)  He  gives  expression  to 
the  truth ;  for  he  is  "  the  Spirit  of  truth."  (3)  He  is  the  Guide  to  Ziou's  travellers, 
leading  them  past  the  byways  of  error  and  the  quagmires  of  subtle  deception,  till  he 
places  them  in  the  land  of  truth.  (4)  This  truth  is  not  all  truth  abstractly,  but  "  all 
the  truth"  concerning  Christ's  Person,  work,  and  kingdom.  2.  The  test  of  his  true 
guidance.  "  For  he  shall  not  speak  of  himself,  but  whatsoever  he  shall  hear,  that  shall 
he  speak :  and  he  shall  announce  to  you  things  to  come."  (1)  His  teaching  is  not  self- 
originated,  like  that  of  Satan  (ch.  viii.  44).  He  shares  in  the  intellectual  fellowship 
of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  is  initiated  into  the  Divine  scheme  of  salvation,  and  is  thus 
enabled  to  make  known  the  revelation  which  "  God  gave  to  Jesus  Christ "  (Rev.  i.  1). 
(2)  His  teaching  lifts  apostolic  inspiration  above  the  region  of  mere  spiritual  illumina- 
tion enjoyed  by  all  saints.  It  was  an  instruction  as  to  things  not  yet  disclosed  or 
known  on  earth  (ver.  12).  (3)  His  teaching  lifts  the  veil  of  the  future,  (a)  The 
things  to  come  are  the  destiny  of  the  Church  till  its  final  consummation,  (b)  The 
Holy  Spirit  thus  declares  beforehand  the  inspiration  of  the  Epistles  and  the  Apocalypse. 

III.  The  glorification  of  Christ  the  definite  work  of  the  Spirit.  "He 
shall  glorify  me :  for  he  shall  take  of  what  is  mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto  you." 
1.  Mark  the  interrelation  of  the  Divine  Persons.     The  Son  glorifies  the  Father ;  the 


CH.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  313 

Spirit  glorifies  the  Son.  2.  The  method  of  glorification  was  hy  the  manifestation  of 
the  truth.  3.  Our  Lord  has  a  full  consciousness  of  the  grtatness  of  his  Ferson  and  his 
truth.  "All  that  the  Father  hath  is  mine:  therefore  said  I,  he  shall  take  of  mint', 
and  shall  show  it  unto  you."  It  has  been  well  said,  "  There  is  nothing  Chrisiian 
that  is  not  Divine,  nothing  Divine  which  is  not  Christian."  4.  The  personality  (f  t/tc 
Holy  Spirit  is  set  forth  in  the  use  of  iKuyos  in  relation  to  one  described  by  a  neuter 
noun  all  through  this  discourse. 

Vers.  16 — 22. — TJie  departure  of  Jesus,  with  its  experiences  of  sorrow  and  joy  to  the 
disciples.     They  were  soou  to  stand  in  a  new  relation  to  Christ. 

I.  The  departure  and  the  return  of  Christ.  "A  little  while,  and  ye  shall 
see  me  no  more :  then  a  little  while  more,  and  ye  shall  see  me,  because  I  go  to  the 
Father."  1.  Our  Lord  foresees  and  declares  his  deuth  as  almost  at  hand.  That  would 
for  the  time  sever  him  from  the  sight  of  his  disciples.  2.  Ne  foresees  and  declares  his 
return,  tvhich  would  have  three  stages.  (1)  At  his  resurrection ;  (2)  at  Pentecost ;  (3) 
at  the  day  ot  judgment.  His  ascension  to  the  Father  would  restore  him  spiritually  to 
his  disciples  through  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

II.  The  perplexed  and  sorrowful  curiosity  of  the  disciples.  They  could  not 
understand  his  words.  1.  If  he  were  going  to  found  an  earthly  kingdom,  why  should 
he  depart  f     2.  If  not,  why  should  he  return  f 

III.  OuB  Lord's  satisfaction  of  their  curiosity.  1.  Jle  gives  them  a  last  proof 
of  his  omniscience ;  for  "Jesus  knew  that  they  were  desirous  to  ask  him."  2.  His 
explaivition  turns  upon  the  various  emotions  that  ivill  he  excited  in  their  breasts  by 
his  departure  and  his  return.  (1)  His  death  will  be  the  signal  for  great  sorrow.  "  Ye 
shall  weep  and  lament,  but  the  world  shall  rejoice :  and  ye  shall  be  sorrowful,  but 
your  sorrow  shall  be  turned  into  joy."  (a)  The  condition  of  the  scattered  disciples 
after  his  death,  and  the  tears  of  Mary  Magdalene,  explain  the  first  statement,  (b)  That 
death,  however,  would  be  a  source  of  joy  to  the  world,  which  had  triumphed  in  the 
riddance  of  earth  of  a  dangerous  Teacher.  (2)  His  return  will  be  the  signal  for  great 
joy.  (a)  The  grief  would  be  short,  like  the  sufferings  of  a  woman  in  travail,  (b)  The 
joy  which  would  follow  would  spring  out  of  the  grief,  (c)  The  joy  would  touch  the 
deepest  springs  of  the  heart.  "  And  your  heart  shall  rejoice."  (d)  It  would  be  beyond 
the  power  of  man  to  check  or  destroy  it.    "  And  your  joy  no  man  taketh  from  you." 

Vers.  23 — 30. — The  consequences  of  Christ's  ascension  to  the  Father.  I.  Fulness  of 
knowledge.  "  And  in  that  day  ye  shall  no  more  question  me  in  anything."  1.  Our 
Lord  was  always  ready,  in  the  days  of  his  flesh,  to  answer  the  questions  of  Iris  disciples. 
Yet  their  questions  often  showed  (1)  ignorance,  (2)  curiosity,  (3)  and  often  perverse- 
ness  of  understanding.  2.  Hereafter  there  ivould  be  no  need  for  further  questioning ;  for 
the  Holy  Spirit  would  solve  all  their  difficulties. 

II.  Fulness  of  power.  "  Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the  Father  in  my  Name,  he  will 
give  it  you.  Hitherto  have  ye  asked  nothing  in  my  Name :  ask,  and  ye  shall  receive, 
that  your  joy  may  be  made  full."  The  power  of  prayer  would  give  them  a  participation 
in  omnipotence  itself.  1.  The  apostles  could  not  pray  in  Christ's  Name  while  he  was 
still  with  them  in  the  flesh.     They  had  often  prayed  to  him,  but  never  in  his  Name. 

2.  His  return  to  heaven  would  restore  the  broken  link  between  e'lrth  and  heaven.  The 
way  would  be  henceforth  and  for  ever  open  for  the  downpouring  of  heavenly  blessing. 

3.  The  command  of  Jesus — '^ask" — (1)  implies  that  the  Lord  is  always  at  hancf; 
(2)  that  the  praying  is  to  be  continuous  {cunlTe).  4.  The  ultimate  result  of  the  prayer. 
"  That  your  joy  may  be  made  full."  There  is  no  spiritual  joy  apart  from  the  exercise 
of  spiritual  prayer. 

III.  The  clearer  revelation  will  lead  to  greater  confidence  in  prayer. 
1.  Jesus  had  hitherto  imparted  much  kiiowledge  by  proverbs,  on  account  of  the  weakness 
of  their  receptive  capacity.  2.  Hereafter  the  Spirit  ivould  impart  truth  in  all  its  plain- 
ness. The  clearer  insight  came  to  the  disciples  alter  Pentecost.  3.  The  truth  was 
mainly  concerning  their  relation  to  the  Father  as  his  adopted  children.  4.  Their  con- 
fidence would  rest,  not  upon  his  own  intercession  so  much  as  upon  their  direct  connection 
with  the  Father.  (1)  He  does  not  repudiate  his  intercessorship  on  their  behalf,  though 
he  says,  "  I  say  not  unto  you^  that  I  will  pray  the  Father  about  you."     (a)  It  is  a 


314  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDINa  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvi.  1—33. 

blessed  truth  that  "  if  any  man  sin,  we  have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ 
the  Righteous"  (1  John  ii.  1,2).  (b)  Yet  it  would  not  be  necessary,  as  he  here  says,  to 
inquire  {epwrav)  what  was  the  Father's  will,  with  the  view  of  laying  the  case  before  him, 
(2)  The  Fatlier's  own  love,  without  any  pleading  on  the  Son's  part,  would  secure  every 
blessing  for  them.  "  The  Father  himself  loveth  you,  because  ye  have  loved  me,  and 
have  believed  that  I  came  out  from  God."  (a)  The  Father's  love  is  connected  with 
the  disciples'  love  to  Jesus.  "  He  that  loveth  me  shall  be  loved  of  my  Father  "  (ch.  xiv. 
21).  (h)  Their  love  was  conuected  with  their  faith.  They  believed  (a)  in  Christ's 
Divine  mission,  as  well  as  in  (jS)  the  unity  of  bis  essence  with  the  Father.  "  I  came  out 
from  God."  (7)  Jesus  assures  them  of  his  approaching  ascension.  "  I  leave  the  world, 
and  go  to  the  Father."  The  Ascension  is  explained  by  the  Incarnation.  Four  facts  are 
plainly  revealed — his  mission,  incarnation,  death,  ascension. 

IV.  The  satisfaction  of  the  disciples.  "  Lo,  now  speakest  thou  plainly,  and 
speak  est  no  proverb."  1.  Tliey  recognize  his  Divine  mission  in  their  experience  of  his 
omniscience.  "  Now  we  know  that  thou  knowest  all  things."  2.  This  experience  was 
enough  for  their  want ;  for  the  Lord  would  satisfy  it  in  his  own  time  and  way. 

Vers.  31 — 33. — Tlie  faith  now  acknowledged  was  destined  to  he  severely  tried.  I.  The 
faith  of  the  disciples  was  genuine,  but  incomplete.  "  Now  ye  believe."  1.  Trial 
is  needed  to  test  the  existence  and  strength  of  faith.  2.  It  was  a  mark  of  our  Lord^s  love 
and  vnsdom  to  warn  the  disciples  of  coming  trial.  3.  Their  desertion  of  their  Master 
here  foretold  must  have  been  incredible  to  their  minds.  "  Behold,  the  hour  cometh  .  .  . 
that  ye  shall  be  scattered  every  man  to  his  own,  and  shall  leave  me  alone."  (1)  The 
thought  must  have  been  painful  to  our  Lord.  (2)  The  desertion  was  foretold  in  Old 
Testament  Scripture  (Zech.  xiii.  7).  (3)  The  prediction  almost  implies  in  it  the  pardon 
beforehand  of  their  weakness  and  unfaithfulness.  4.  Our  Lord  had  a  consolation  in 
prospect  of  their  desertion.     "  And  yet  I  am  not  alone,  because  the  Father  is  with  me." 

II.  The  design  of  our  Lord's  parting  address  to  his  disciples.  ''  These  things 
have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  in  me  ye  might  have  peace."  1.  The  precious  legacy  of 
Christ  to  his  people  is  peace.  (1)  It  is  peace  by  the  cross  (Col.  i.  20).  (2)  It  is  peace 
perfectly  consistent  with  severe  trial,  sore  affliction,  and  bloody  persecution.  "  In  the 
world  ye  shall  have  tribulation."  (3)  It  is  peace  in  himself.  2.  Tlie  guarantee  of 
peace.  "  Be  of  good  cheer ;  I  have  overcome  the  world."  (1)  The  world  is  the  centre 
of  disturbance  to  the  peace  of  God's  people.  It  is  the  sphere  of  tribulation.  (2)  The 
summons  to  have  "  good  courage  "  suggests  the  faith  which  is  to  have  overcoming 
power.  "  This  is  the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world,  even  our  faith  "  (1  John  v.  4). 

HOMILIES   BY  VARIOUS  AUTHORS. 

Vers.  2,  3. —  "Persecution  foreseen  and  foretold.  The  great  aim  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  in 
his  final  conversations  with  his  apostles,  was  to  convince  them  of  their  perfect  union 
with  himself.  They  were  the  branches  of  the  living  Vine  ;  they  were  his  beloved  and 
confidential  friends.  Were  these  revelations  made  merely  to  assure  them  of  privilege, 
merely  to  make  them  happy  in  the  consciousness  of  an  honourable  and  inseparable 
relation?  Certainly  not.  This  spiritual  fellowship  was  to  be  the  power  for  holy 
service  and  the  motive  to  patient  endurance.  It  is  in  this  last  respect  that,  in  the 
verses  before  us,  our  Lord  relied  upon  the  revelation  already  made  as  sufficient  to  secure 
his  disciples  from  being  "  offended "  with  him.  He  felt  that,  having  explained  the 
community  of  hfe  and  interest  subsisting  between  himself  and  his  own,  he  might  open 
up  before  them  the  prospect  of  persecution.  Forewarned,  they  would  thus  be  fore- 
armed. He  treated  them  herein  not  as  children,  but  as  soldiers  in  a  spiritual  war,  whose 
allegiance  he  did  not  doubt,  and  of  whose  fortitude  he  was  perfectly  assured. 

I.  The  nature  of  persecution.  It  was  no  new  thing  in  the  world  that  men  should 
be  pursued  with  bitter  hostility  for  their  devotion  to  truth,  to  duty,  to  righteousness, 
to  God.  The  history  of  Israel  contained  but  too  many  illustrations  of  the  enmity 
with  which  the  good  have  been  assailed  by  those  to  whom  their  life  and  testimony  were 
a  rebuke.  And  Jesus  foresaw  that  confessors  and  martyrs  were  to  render  a  service  in 
l]is  kingdom,  both  by  establishing  the  faith  upon  a  basis  of  hard  trial  and  proof,  and 


en.  XVI.  1-^3.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  315 

by  exten(1ing  the  truth  amongst  unbelievers.  Jesus  here  refers  to  two  ways  in  which 
his  disciples  should  experience  the  hostility  of  an  unbelieving  world.  1.  Ecclesiastical 
censure  and  excommunication.  Doubtless  the  reference  here  is  to  the  Jews.  Even 
during  our  Lord's  ministry,  those  who  confessed  him  were  in  some  instances  excluded 
from  the  syuagosues.  And  when  the  Church  was  constituted  by  tlio  descent  of  the 
Spirit,  and  especially  when  the  broad  designs  of  Christianity  as  a  religion,  not  for  Israel 
only,  but  for  mankind,  were  clearly  exhibited,  then  the  hostility  of  the  bigoted  among 
the  Jewish  leaders  and  the  Jewish  populace  knew  no  hounds.  Reverencing  everything 
connected  with  the  Law  and  the  prophets,  the  preachers  of  Christ  would  fain  have 
resorted  to  the  synagogues  as  of  old,  would  fain  have  reasoned  out  of  the  Scriptures 
with  a  view  of  proving  that  Jesus  was  the  Messiah,  and  of  showing  how  his  religion 
realized  all  the  types  and  predictions  of  Judaism.  But  the  merit  and  the  glory  of 
Christianity  was,  in  the  eyes  of  legalists  and  formalists,  its  chief  offence;  and  a  sharp 
line  was  drawn,  over  wjiich  the  followers  of  the  Nazarene  were  not  suffered  to  step. 
2.  Temporal  and  corporal  infliction,  reaching  even  to  death.  The  Jews  did,  as  we  know 
from  the  record  of  the  Acts,  even  very  early  in  the  history  of  the  Christian  faith, 
carry  their  enmity  so  far  as  to  inflict  capital  punishment  upon  a  Christian  advocate. 
But  it  seems  as  if  our  Lord,  in  this  prediction,  looked  forward  to  events  which  should 
follow  the  proclamation  of  the  gospel  among  the  Gentiles.  The  annals  of  the  Church 
of  Christ  are  rich  indeed  in  instances  of  martyrdom.  And  it  has  passed  into  a  proverb, 
that  "  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the  Church." 

II.  The  motive  to  peksecution.  Our  Lord  admitted  that  the  motive  to  much  of 
the  persecution  that  should  assail  the  professors  of  the  faith  was  a  conscientious  and 
even  a  religious  motive.  Events  have  confirmed  this  attribution  of  motive.  No  doubt 
there  have  been  persecutors  who  have  acted  from  interested,  selfish  motives.  But  there 
have  been  those  who  have  persecuted  Christians  in  the  belief  that  they  were  doing  God 
a  service,  offering  to  him  an  acceptable  sacrifice  in  the  blood  of  the  "  faithful  unto  death." 
The  Jews  particularly  were,  in  many  instances,  influenced  in  their  hostility  to  Christians 
by  a  reverence  for  what  they  believed,  however  erroneously,  to  be  the  perfect  religion, 
capable  of  no  addition,  no  improvement.  The  professions  and  claims  made  first  by 
Jesus,  and  afterwards  by  his  servants  on  his  behalf,  were  of  a  very  high  and  authorita- 
tive character.  Christ  was  either  the  Son  of  God  or  he  was  a  blasphemer;  and  we 
know  that  the  latter  view  was  taken  by  many  of  the  Jewish  unbelievers.  It  is  no 
justification  of  evil  conduct  that  those  guilty  of  it  are  sincere ;  yet  sincere  ignorance 
is  an  extenuation,  though  not  a. vindication,  of  guilt.  Alas !  what  evils  have  been 
wrought  in  the  name,  not  only  of  liberty,  but  of  religion ! 

III.  The  explanation  of  persecution.  Our  Lord  was  a  Revealer  of  all  hearts. 
He  looked  below  the  profession,  and  even  below  the  belief.  He  penetrated  deep  into 
the  spiritual  nature  of  men,  and  was  familiar  with  the  hidden  springs  of  thought  and 
of  action.  There  was  a  reason,  not  in  every  case  known  to  the  agents  themselves,  for 
the  actions  which  they  committed.  The  Lord  Jesus  was  able  to  account  for  conduct 
by  searching  the  inner  nature.  And  so  doing  he  discovered,  in  the  spiritual  ignorance 
of  the  persecutors,  the  true  and  all-sufficient  reason  for  their  attitude  and  proceedings. 
"  They  have  not  known  the  Father,  nor  me."  They  cannot  "  know  "  Christ  by  the 
knowledge,  that  is,  of  spiritual  appreciation  and  sympathy,  who  persecute  and  slay  his 
friends  and  the  promulgators  of  his  faith.  They  must  utterly  misunderstand  him,  his 
character,  and  his  mission,  if  they  suppose  that  God  can  be  pleased  when  Christians 
are  persecuted.  For  it  is  not  to  be  believed  that  the  Father  can  look  with  satisfaction 
upon  injuries  done  to  his  own  Son  in  the  person  of  his  followers.  Had  the  Jews  known 
Christ,  they  would  not  have  slain  the  Lord  of  glory.  And  none  who  truly  knew  our 
Lord  could  have  persecuted  his  faithful  people  in  order  to  do  his  Father  service. — T. 

Vers.  5,  6. — The  absorbing  power  of  sorrow.  There  was  sympathy  between  our  Lord 
and  his  apostles,  but  that  sympathy  was  not  perfect.  Even  in  the  latest  of  the  quiet 
conversations  between  the  Master  and  the  disciples,  it  is  evident  that  the  perception  of 
the  learners  was  now  and  again  very  dull,  and  that  their  response  to  his  communication 
was  very  inadequate.  There  is  a  tone  of  expostulation,  almost  of  upbraiding,  in  this 
as  in  other  portions  of  the  recorded  discourse. 

I.  The  chaeactee  of  the  bevelations  which  Chbist  here  bbfebs  to.    1.  Con- 


316  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvi.  1—33. 

cerning  himself.  Jesus  had  uttered  language  which  both  perplexed  and  distressed  his 
friends.  He  had  spoken  of  his  approaching  departure — a  prospect  which  could  not  but 
grieve,  and  which  clearly  did  depress  his  hearers.  Their  life  was  bound  up  in  his  life, 
and  separation  could  not  be  faced  without  sinking  of  heart.  2.  Concerning  them,  the 
Lord  had  opened  up  a  prospect  which  dismayed,  or  at  least  disconcerted,  them.  He  had 
plainly  told  them  that  they  should  be  both  hated  and  persecuted.  Such  an  outlook 
as  this  was  very  gloomy.  They  were  not  prepared  to  endure  such  tribulation,  especially 
when  deprived  of  the  presence  and  support,  visible  and  tangible,  of  their  Chief. 

IL  The  effect  of  these  revelations  upon  the  minds  of  the  apostles.  "Sorrow," 
said  Jesus,  "hath  filled  your  heart."  He  had  opened  the  conversation  by  bidding  them 
trust  in  him,  and  dismiss  fear  and  trouble  from  their  mind.  And  he  had  given  them 
reasons  for  confidence,  grounds  for  hope,  motives  to  peace.  But  they  were  conscious  of 
their  feebleness,  their  dependence.  They  had  accordingly  no  thought  but  for  themselves. 
As  they  looked  one  at  another,  they  must  have  felt  that  there  was  among  them  no  one 
upon  whom  they  could  lean  in  the  absence  of  their  Lord.  And  he  was  going,  and  going 
soon.  How  were  they  to  keep  together?  And  if  they  should  keep  together,  what  was 
there  for  them  to  do  ?  Had  not  the  Master  done  everything  ?  Without  him,  where 
would  be  the  meaning  of  their  fellowship — the  purpose  of  their  life  ?  It  is  a  proof  of 
the  reality  of  their  attachment  to  Jesus,  of  the  bitterness  of  their  disappointment  at  his 
departure,  that  in  this  hour  their  souls  should  be  burdened,  and  all  but  overwhelmed 
with  grief. 

III.  The  effect  of  sorrow  to  turn  away  the  mind  from  inquiries  which  may 
LEAD  TO  CONSOLATION.  The  apostlcs  were  absorbed  in  their  own  grief  and  trouble. 
Hence  the}'  were  prevented  by  their  own  depression  from  inquiring  further  into  the 
Lord's  departure.  Not  that  they  were  altogether  incurious  and  careless  concerning  this ; 
some  of  them  had  put  questions  suggested  by  the  Lord's  words.  But  they  sank  back 
at  once  ujwn  their  own  condition  and  prospects.  If  they  had  turned  away  from  their 
own  loss,  if  they  had  followed  Christ's  declarations  concerning  himself  with  interest  and 
faith,  if  they  had  asked  for  further  revelations,  they  would  both  have  forgotten  their 
j-^rsonal  distress,  and  they  would  have  received  inspiration  and  fortitude  as  they  realized 
the  victory  which  should  follow  the  Saviour's  humiliation,  and  as  they  understood  that 
in  that  victory  they  themselves  should  share. 

IV.  The  general  principle  is  thus  reached,  that  the  best  and  most  helpful 
habit  of  the  religious  life  is  the  concentration  of  thought  and  feeling 
RATHER  UPON  OUR  Saviour  THAN  UPON  OURSELVES.  Experience  has  shown  that  it 
is  a  most  deleterious  practice  to  direct  thought  too  much  inwardly  upon  our  own 
sorrows  and  perplexities,  or  even  upon  our  joys  and  comforts.  Religious  progress  is 
made  by  fixing  the  gaze  of  the  heart  upon  him  who  is  infinite  Excellence  and  infinite 
Faithfulness.  Let  our  chief  interest,  our  most  earnest  questioning,  our  most  ardent 
atfection,  be  directed  towards  him;  and  then  sorrov?  will  vanish  and  peace  will 
reign. — T. 

Ver.  7. — The  advantages  of  Christ's  departure.  The  world  enjoyed  many  benefits 
by  reason  of  Christ's  presence :  he  healed  the  sick,  and  taught  the  ignorant,  and  was 
a  kind,  wise,  and  faithful  Friend  to  all  men.  How  much  more  were  the  disciples  of 
Jesus  indebted  to  that  presence !  His  intimate  friends  owed  their  all,  their  very 
selves,  to  him,  and  could  not  look  forward  to  losing  him  without  dismay. 

"  My  Saviour,  can  it  ever  be, 
That  I  should  gain  by  losing  thee  ?  " 

Yet  our  Lord  taught  that  it  was  really  for  his  people's  good  that  he  should  leave  them, 
and  the  experience  of  the  Christian  centuries  has  proved  the  wisdom  of  his  teaching. 

I.  The  dispensation  of  personal  presence  was  thus  succeeded  by  the 
DISPENSATION  OF  SPIRITUAL  POWER.  The  asccnsion  of  Christ  was  the  occasion  of  the 
descent  of  the  Comforter.  The  Holy  Spirit  was  indeed  no  stranger  to  our  humanity 
even  before  our  Lord's  coming,  but  his  infiuences  were  to  be  more  widely  difi'used  and 
more  powerfully  active  than  in  the  earlier  ages.  Why  the  coming  of  the  Spirit  was 
made,  in  the  wise  counsels  of  God,  dependent  upon  the  departure  of  Jesus,  we  can  only 
partially  understand.     But  the  events  of  Pentecost  are  matter  of  Scripture  history. 


CH.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  317 

The  records  of  this  dispensation  inform  us  how  the  Spirit  has  convinced  the  world  of 
sin,  of  rii^hteousness,  of  judjjment.  The  Church  has  never,  since  our  Lord's  ascension, 
ceased  to"enjoy  the  enlip:hte;iins,  quickenino;,  sanctifying  inHuences  of  its  Comforter. 

II.  The  life  of  sight  was  thus  kei'laced  by  the  higher  life  of  faith. 
It  was  necessary  that  the  Soa  of  God  and  the  Saviour  of  mankind  should  dwell  upon 
earth,  and,  by  the  deeds  of  his  ministry  and  his  death  of  sacrifice,  reveal  God  to  his 
sinful  children,  and  furnish  a  basis  for  the  spiritual  life  of  humanity.  A  revealed  Object 
of  faith  was  thus  provided.  But  when  the  manifestation  was  complete,  it  was  withdrawn. 
The  special  excellence  of  the  Cliristian  religion  lies  here  :  it  is  a  religion  which  calls  for, 
justifies,  and  encourages  faith — faith  in  an  unseen,  but  mighty,  ever-present,  and  ever- 
gracious  Redeemer  and  Lord.  "  In  him,  though  now  we  see  him  not,  yet  believing  we 
rejoice." 

III.  Christianity  was  thus  made  no  local  religion,  but  a  religion  for 
humanity.  So  far  as  we  can  see,  the  bodily  presence  of  Jesus  upon  earth  could  not 
but  limit  his  reign ;  it  could  not  well,  in  such  case,  be  other  than  partial,  local, 
national.  But  the  purposes  of  the  Eternal  were  comprehensive  in  benevolence.  It  was 
designed  that  "all  the  ends  of  the  earth  should  see  the  salvation  of  our  God."  The 
going  away  of  Jesus  assure!  to  the  new  humanity  a  Divine  and  heavenly  Head.  By 
iiis  Spirit  the  ascended  and  glorified  Lord  is  equally  present  in  every  part  of  his 
dominions.  Thus  all  local  limitations  are  transcended,  and  provision  is  made  for  the 
extension  to  all  mankind  of  the  blessings  of  our  Saviour's  spiritual  presence,  authority, 
and  grace. 

IV.  The  fioPE  of  Christians  is  thus  removed  from  earth  to  heaven'.  If 
Jesus  were  still  on  earth,  who  would  not  be  content  to  live  and  loth  to  die?  What 
prospect  would  have  reconciled  his  friends  to  death  ?  But  our  Divine  Friend  has  gone 
on  before  us,  and  we  can  only  join  him  upon  the  condition  of  the  taking  down  of  this 
perishable  tent  in  which  we  dwell.  It  is  the  prospect  of  going  to  him  who  has  gone 
away  from  earth  which  lends  brightness  to  tne  Christian's  future.  His  prayer  has 
secured  that,  where  he  is,  there  also  his  friends  and  disciples  shall  be.  Accordingly  an 
apostle  could  speak  of  removing  hence  as  being  "  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better."' 
And  there  is  no  prospect  so  dear  to  the  Christian's  heart  as  that  of  ever  being  with  the 
Lord.— T. 

Vers.  8,  9. — Conviction  of  sin.  Looking  forward  to  the  dispensation  of  the  Spirit, 
the  Lord  Jesus  described  by  anticipation  the  work  of  the  Spirit  in  the  world.  It 
cannot  be  overlooked  that  this  work  has  been,  and  ever  must  be,  connected  with  the 
publication  of  the  gospel  of  salvation  through  the  Divine  Redeemer.  It  is  not  to  be 
supiyised  that  we  exalt  the  office  of  the  Spirit  when  we  neglect  or  depreciate  the  Word 
with  which  and  through  which  the  Spirit  acts. 

I.  The  sin  of  which  the  Spirit  convicts  the  world.  By  the  world  we  understand 
humanity  at  large,  as  alienated  from  God,  and  as  in  rebellion  against  him.  Our  race 
has  been  the  prey  of  sin.  However  the  form  of  sin  has  varied,  the  principle  has 
remained  the  same.  But  the  most  striking  and  the  most  awful  proof  of  the  presence 
and  the  power  of  sin  in  the  world  is  its  rejection  of  Christ.  "  They  believe  not  on  me." 
For  Christ  was  goodness  incarnate ;  a  greater  sin  it  was  not  within  the  power  of  man 
XjO  commit  than  to  reject  the  Holy  One  and  the  Righteous.  Jesus  foresaw  how  he  was 
about  to  be  treated  by  his  fellow-countrymen  the  Jews,  and  by  the  Romans. 

II.  The  manner  in  which  the  Spirit  convicts  the  world  of  sin.  In  the 
Mosaic  dispensation  very  much  was  done  to  introduce  into  men's  minds  the  Divine 
estimate,  the  Divine  abhorrence,  of  sin.  The  Law  and  the  prophets  ever  kept  this 
in  view,  and  their  work  was  doubtless  that  of  the  Spirit.  But  in  the  later  and 
completer  dispensation  the  Spirit  has  made  manifest  in  many  ways  the  exceeding  sin- 
fulness of  sin.  We  may  instance  the  emphatic  condemnation  of  sin  in  our  Lord's  words, 
in  which  it  is  comjiared  to  darkness,  to  bondage,  to  death  ;  and  yet  more  in  the 
contrast  presented  to  a  sinful  world  by  the  spotless  character  and  perfect  moral 
example  of  the  Son  of  man.  Yet  to  the  Christian  mind  the  world's  sin  is  brought 
home  most  effectively  by  the  provi.-ion  of  redemption.  Jesus  was  the  Sin  Offering;  he 
condemned  sin  in  the  flesh  ;  he  redeemed  the  sinner  at  the  priceless  cost  and  lansom  of 
his  life.     The  Spirit,  accompanying  the  gospel  which  conveys  these  tidings,  has  rendered 


318  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN",    [en.  xvi.  1— 33. 

sin  obviously  and  flagrantly  sucb  in  the  view  of  all  who  are  capable  of  judging. 
Especially  the  sin  of  unbelief,  of  wilfully  rejecting  the  Saviour,  has  been  charged  upon 
the  human  conscience  in  such  a  manner  as  to  lead  multitudes  to  contrition  and 
repentance. 

III.  The  results  which  have  followed  the  conviction  of  the  sinful  world 
UY  the  Spirit  of  Christ.  There  is  something  paradoxical  in  attributing  such  a  result 
as  conviction  of  sin  to  the  Paraclete,  the  Comforter.  Yet  it  is  not  to  be  questioned  that 
the  consciousness  of  sinfulness  is  essential  in  order  to  its  forgiveness.  It  is  the  Spirit  of 
God  who  renders  the  sinner  not  merely  aware  of  his  state  and  of  his  danger,  but  contrite 
and  penitent;  whilst  contrition  and  penitence  are  necessary  and  indispensable  in  order 
to  pardon  and  acceptance.  There  is  for  the  sinner  no  true  consolation  which  does  not 
come  by  way  of  conviction. — T. 

Vers.  8,  10. — Conviction  of  righteousness.  In  order  to  moral  improvement  there  must 
be  a  sense  of  sin  and  its  degradation  and  misery,  and  there  must  be  some  apprehension 
of  righteousness  and  holiness  accompanied  by  both  admiration  and  aspiration.  It  is  an 
evidence  of  the  divinely  wise  provision  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  that  there  is  secured 
for  man,  in  the  influences  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  not  only  a  power  which  dissatisfies  men 
with  sin,  but  a  power  which  impels  men  to  righteousness. 

I.  There  is  a  close  connection  between  conviction  of  sin  and  conviction  of 
RIGHTEOUSNESS.  The  knowledge  of  the  Law  gives  the  knowledge  of  sin.  Obedience  and 
disobedience  are  correlative.  The  good  man  by  his  goodness  enforces  the  excellence  of 
the  Law  he  obeys,  and  at  the  same  time  suggests  the  flagrant  enormity  of  'defying  and 
despising  that  Law.  There  is  nothing  inconsistent  in  the  performance  by  the  same 
Spirit  of  this  twofold  office.  In  a  world  where  sin  abounds  the  functions  cannot  be 
separated. 

II.  The  Holy  Spirit  convinces  of  righteousness  in  the  record  of  Christ's 
JUST  AND  holy  LIFE.  The  narratives  of  the  evangelists  are  expressly  attributed  to  the 
Spirit  of  Christ,  who  brought  all  that  it  concerned  the  Church  and  the  world  to  know 
concerning  Jesus  to  the  minds  of  the  inspired  and  sympathetic  writers.  What  a  record 
these  memoirs  constitute !  Jesus  fulfilled  all  righteousness,  magnified  the  Law,  was 
holy,  harmless,  and  undefiled,  was  actively  and  benevolently  good.  It  is  one  thing  for 
righteousness  to  be  expressed  in  the  Law ;  another  thing  for  it  to  be  embodied  in  a  life. 
Wherever  the  record  of  our  Saviour's  ministry  is  read,  there  the  Spirit  testifies  to  the 
reader's  heart  of  a  righteousness  faultless  and  peerless,  fitted  to  command  reverence  and 
adoration. 

III.  The  departure  and  ascension  of  Christ  were  the  occasion  of  this 
CONVINCING  witness  OF  THE  Spirit.  His  going  to  the  Father  and  his  consequent 
concealment  from  the  bodily  eyes  of  men  were  mentioned  by  himself  as  thus  connected 
with  the  conviction  of  the  world.  How  this  was  so  we,  as  a  matter  of  fact  and  history, 
can  see.  A  completed  life  was  crowned  by  a  sacrificial  death  and  by  a  triumphant 
ascension ;  the  Representative  and  Saviour  of  man  was  accepted  by  the  Father ;  his 
work  was  secured  beyond  all  possibility  of  failure.  The  personal  animosity  which 
beset  the  Incarnate  One  came  then  to  an  end ;  the  protest  against  sin,  and  the 
exhibition  of  righteousness,  both  of  which  were  perfected  in  Christ,  were  now  presented 
to  men  with  a  completeness  which  was  impossible  during  bis  ministry.  Righteousness 
had  been  resented  and  rejected  when  it  conflicted  with  personal  interests,  when  it 
visibly  and  audibly  set  itself  against  individual  and  national  sins.  It  was  necessary 
that  this  should  be  so  for  a  season.  But  the  time  came  when  the  protest  of  Christ  was 
heard  from  heaven  as  the  authoritative  voice  of  God  himself.  The  Holy  Spirit  works 
with  this  now  historical  and  ideal  exhibition  of  righteousness,  in  order  to  make  it  a 
mighty  factor  in  the  moral  life  of  humanity. 

IV.  The    Holy    Spirit  has  been  during  this  dispensation    convicting    the 

WORLD    OF   ITS    SIN   IN   REJECTING   THE   SUPREMELY   RiGHTEOUS.      The  JeWS  WOuld  nOt 

have  this  Man  to  reign  over  them ;  bis  justice,  his  truth,  his  purity,  his  spirituality, 
were  an  offence  to  them ;  they  slew  him  whose  presence  was  to  them  a  perpetual 
rebuke.  But  to  how  many  was  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  by  the  apostles  a  con- 
vincing of  sin  ?  When  these  fearless  heralds,  under  the  guidance  of  the  Divine  Spirit, 
charged  upon  the  nation  their  sin  and  guilt,  many  were  "  pricked  to  the  heart,"  feeling 


CH.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  319 

as  if  tbeir  own  hands  had  slain  the  Prince  of  Life ;  many  sought  mercy  for  their  unjust 
and  fearful  sin.  They  saw  the  righteousness  of  the  Redeemer  in  a  new  light.  The  sick 
had  slain  their  Physician,  the  enslaved  their  Liberator.  Thus  did  the  Spirit  bring  the 
enemies  of  righteousness  to  seek  for  themselves  the  righteousness  they  had  despised 
when  it  had  come  to  them  in  the  Person  of  the  Son  of  God.  And  in  this  the  action  of 
these  aroused,  repentant  Israelites  was  an  earnest  of  the  turning  unto  God  which  should 
follow  upon  the  preaching  of  Christ  to  the  Gentiles  also. 
V.  It  is  the  gracious  office  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ  to  lead  the  world  to 

SEEK   AND  TO   APPROPRIATE   THE    RIGHTEOUSNESS   IT  HAS   SCORNED.      It   WOUld  not  have 

been  in  harmony  with  the  character  of  our  Redeemer  to  have  laid  stress  upon  righteous- 
ness as  rejected,  and  to  have  lost  sight  of  righteousness  as  acquired  and  appropriated. 
The  Holy  Spirit  does  indeed  convince  men  that  they  have  violated  righteousness  in 
their  denial  and  contempt  of  Christ.  But  in  this  is  no  gospel.  And  Christ  died,  and 
the  Holy  Spirit  was  given,  for  the  good  of  man,  for  the  salvation  and  not  for  the 
condemnation  of  the  sinner..  Accordingly,  it  is  by  these  heavenly  influences  exerted  by 
the  Spirit  of  God  that  men  are  led  not  only  to  lament  their  deficiency,  but  to  seek  that 
that  deficiency  may  be  supplied.  Jesus  becomes  to  us  who  believe  "  the  Lord  our 
Righteousness ;  "  he  is  "  made  unto  us  of  God  Righteousness."  And  it  is  for  the  Spirit 
that  we  must  give  thanks  for  leading  us  into  the  possession  and  enjoyment  of  "the 
righteousness  which  is  by  faith." — T. 

Vers.  8,  11. — Conviction  of  judgment.  It  is  usually  said  that  the  sin  of  which  the 
Spirit  convicts  is  the  sin  of  the  world  ;  that  the  righteousness  is  that  of  Christ;  and  that 
the  judgiient  is  the  judgment  of  Satan.  In  this  last  reference  our  Lord's  language 
must  be  regarded  as  anticipatory.  Satan's  power  was  never  so  awfully  evinced  as  in  the 
condemnation  and  crucifixion  of  the  Son  of  God ;  yet  the  hour  of  his  apparent  triumph 
was  in  reality  the  hour  of  his  fall.  Translated  into  ordinary  language,  this  grand  say- 
ing of  Jesus  afiirms  that  the  Holy  Spirit  convinces  those  who  ponder  the  facts  upon 
which  the  Christian  religion  is  based,  that  the  world  is  indeed  beneath  a  moral  govern- 
ment, and  that  the  righteous  rule  of  the  Eternal  has  been  and  will  be  vindicated. 

I.  The  moral  necessity  there  was  that  the  prince  or  ruler  of  this  world 
SHOULD  be  judged.  1.  The  power  of  evil  had  already  had  a  long  and  prosperous  course. 
In  the  lapse  of  centuries  and  millenniums  every  possible  form  of  sin  had  flourished  in 
one  community  or  another.  Satan  had  had  things  almost  his  own  way.  2.  Yet  the 
ruler  of  this  world  de  facto  was  not  its  ruler  de  jure ;  he  was  a  usurper  meeting  with  too 
ready  a  submission  on  the  part  of  men.  3.  Neither  the  operation  of  natural  laws  nor  the 
occasional  judgments  and  interpositions  of  the  Supreme  had  been  sufficient  to  arrest  the 
downward  progress  of  humanity.  The  laws  of  society,  the  Law  given  by  Moses,  nay, 
the  very  law  embodied  in  the  constitution  of  human  affiiirs,  had  been  efl'ective  chiefly 
as  a  protest  against  disobedience  and  iniquity. 

II.  The  fact  that  the  prince  of  this  world  was  judged  in  the  crucifixion 
AND  RESURRECTION  OF  Christ.  It  is  a  grand  and  solemn  hour  when  an  evil  ruler  or 
an  unjust,  perfidious  prince  is  brought  to  trial  and  to  the  block.  How  great  is  the 
solemnity  and  awe  attached  to  the  scene,  the  time,  when  the  power  of  evil  was  met  on 
the  field,  discomfited,  and  crippled  by  the  irresistible  might  of  God's  own  Son  1  This 
was  the  issue  of  the  combat,  as  foreseen  by  Christ  himself.  As  the  struggle  approached, 
the  Lord  Jesus  realized  its  momentoug  character  and  its  glorious  results.  He  saw 
Satan  as  lightning  fall  from  heaven.  "Now,"  said  he,  "  is  the  judgment  of  this  world  ; 
now  is  the  prince  of  this  world  cast  out."  The  hour  of  Christ's  death  was  the  hour 
when  he  "destroyed  him  that  had  the  power  of  death."  In  his  resurrection  Jesus  led 
captivity  captive,  and  robbed  death  of  its  sting.  The  sinful,  unbelieving  world  was 
judged  in  its  prince.  The  sentence  against  the  prince  of  darkness  was  pronounced ; 
the  execution  of  that  sentence  should  follow. 

III.  The  OFFICE  of  the  Spirit  was  to  convince  the  world  that  its  ancient 
USURPER  HAD  DEEN  DETHRONED  BY  CiiRiST.  The  two  kingdoms — that  of  siu  and  dark- 
ness, and  that  of  light  and  holiness — could  not  exist  side  by  side.  The  stronger  must 
needs  prevail  over  the  weaker.  Immediately  upon  the  resurrection  and  ascension  of 
Jesus,  and  upon  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  kingdom  of  Christ  began  to  prosper,  and 
to  prevail  against  that  of  the  adversary.    The  demoniacs  who  were  set  free  from  Satanic 


320  THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvi.  1—33. 

possession  were  the  earnest  of  the  liberation  of  the  ransomed  humanity.  When  the  idols 
were  abolished,  the  kingdom  of  error  and  of  sin  felt  the  blow.  When  worshippers  of 
cruelty  and  lust  transferred  their  homage  to  the  holy  Saviour,  the  contest  issued  in 
victory  for  God.  And  every  human  soul  in  which  the  Spirit  has  wrought  the  work  of 
enlightenment  and  enfranchisement  is  a  new  trophy  won  for  Christ.  The  day  shall 
surely  come  when  every  foe  shall  be  beneath  tbe  Master's  feet,  when  "  the  kingdoms  of 
this  world  shall  become  the  kingdoms  of  om:  God  and  of  his  Christ." — T. 

Vers.  13,  14. — The  guidance  of  the  Spirit.  In  the  preceding  verses  our  Lord  has 
described  the  work  of  the  Spirit  in  reference  to  the  world ;  he  here  very  fully,  though 
succinctly,  declares  what  is  the  work  of  the  Spirit  on  behalf  of  the  Church. 

I.  It  is  kot  the  office  of  the  Spirit  to  originate  and  embody  truth.  This 
is  an  error  into  which  Christians  of  different  Churches  and  different  tendencies  have 
fallen — an  error  sometimes  designated  "mysticism."  Good  men  have  often  looked  to 
the  enlightenment  of  the  Spirit  for  a  manifestation  of  new  truth.  Light  proceeds  from 
a  visible  object  directly  or  by  reflection,  and  by  the  light  we  see  the  object  and  its 
visible  qualities ;  but  the  object  must  be  there  in  order  that  the  light  may  reveal  it. 
So  is  it  in  the  spiritual  realm.  The  Spirit  does  "not  speak  from  himself;  "  this  is  not 
his  office.  The  truth  is  embodied  in  revelation,  in  the  Law,  the  Gospel,  especially  in 
the  Lord  Jesup,  who  is  "  the  Truth."  If  men  turn  away  from  the  revelation  and  look 
to  the  Spirit  alone  for  illumination,  they  will  mistake  their  own  tastes  and  prejudices 
for  the  truth  of  God. 

II.  It  is  the  office  of  the  Spirit  to  lead  the  mind  to  recognize  and  appre- 
ciate Divine  truth.  The  words  here  used  by  Jesus  concerning  the  Spirit  are 
decisive  upon  this  point ;  he  will  "  guide  "  and  "  show."  The  truth  exists  in  the 
revealed  counsels  of  God,  and  especially  in  the  character  and  the  mediation  of  Jesus 
Christ.  But  for  the  ignorant,  the  untaught,  the  unspiritual,  the  truth  is  as  though  it 
were  not.  The  work  of  the  Spirit  is  to  witness  to  the  soul,  i.e.  to  bring  the  soul  into 
harmony  with  the  Divine  revelation,  to  remove  the  dulness,  the  coldness,  the  sin,  which 
would  prevent  men  from  realizing  God's  truth.  A  landscape  in  the  dark  midnight  can 
afford  no  man  pleasure,  however  artistic  and  sympathetic  he  may  be  by  nature ;  but 
when  the  sun  arises  and  irradiates  the  scene,  and  pours  the  light,  in  aU  its  power  to 
reveal  the  beauties  of  form  and  colour,  into  the  eyes  of  the  beholder,  then  his  pleasure 
is  perfected.  So  is  the  case  with  the  soul  of  man,  which  needs  Divine  illumination  in 
order  to  value  and  enjoy  Divine  truth. 

III.  The  special  office  of  the  Spirit  is  to  reveal  and  thus  to  glorify  Christ 
himself.  He  knows  the  way,  and  guides  God's  people  into  it ;  he  hears  the  truth, 
and  repeats  it  in  the  spiritual  hearing  of  the  susceptible;  he  receives,  and  what  he 
receives  he  imparts  to  those  who  are  prepared  to  accept  it.  In  these  verses  the  sub- 
stance of  the  revelation  is  represented  in  three  different  lights.  There  is  the  Person 
Christ,  only  to  be  apprehended  by  the  spiritual  quickening  which  enables  the  mind  to 
discover  in  him  the  Gift  of  God  himself.  There  is  the  truth,  all  gathered  up  in  Christ, 
and  made  in  him  an  object  of  faith  and  delight  to  the  soul.  There  are  the  things  that 
are  to  come,  the  unfolding  of  the  counsels  of  the  Mediator  in  the  growth  of  the  Church 
and  the  universality  of  the  kingdom. — T. 

Ver.  20. — Qrief  and  gladness.  Our  Lord  gave  his  apostles  to  understand  that  he 
was  no  enemy  to  the  emotions  that  are  characteristic  of  humanity.  By  becoming  his 
disciples  men  did  not  exempt  themselves  from  the  common  sorrows,  nor  did  they  forfeit 
the  common  joys,  of  human  life.  But  these  emotions  were  to  be  excited  by  greater 
and  worthier  occasions  than  those  met  with  in  ordinary  experience.  To  be  a  Christian 
is  to  know  profounder  sorrow,  and  to  rise  to  loftier  joy,  than  falls  to  the  lot  of  the 
unspiritual.  And  our  Lord's  first  disciples  were  to  prove  this  at  the  very  outset  of 
their  spiritual  life. 

I.  The  grief  occasioned  by  the  Lord's  absence.  Probably  had  the  twelve  been 
perfectly  informed,  perfectly  sympathetic,  and  perfectly  patient,  they  would  not  have 
undergone  all  the  distress  which  came  upon  them  when  their  Lord  was  seized,  insulted, 
and  crucified,  and  whilst  his  body  lay  in  Joseph's  tomb.  But  as  it  was,  their  experience 
was  more  like  our  own,  and  therefore  more  inbtructive  and  helpful.     1.  The  disciples 


CH.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  321 

sorrowed  because  of  their  own  loss.  Jesus  was  everything  to  them,  and  they  were 
about  to  lose  him ;  this  they  knew,  and  the  consciousness  of  this  loss,  wliich  was 
imminent,  seems  to  have  occupied  and  absorbed  their  souls,  to  the  exclusion  of  con- 
siderations which  might  have  brought  consolation.  Thus  it  has  often  been  with  all 
of  us ;  grief  is  so  close  to  the  heart  that  it  shuts  out  the  vision  of  aught  beyond.  2. 
The  disciples  sorrowed  through  sympathy  with  the  sorrow  of  their  Lord.  He  was  to 
be  hated,  to  be  persecute<i,  to  lay  down  his  life.  Yet  he  was  not  only  innocent,  he  was 
the  Friend  and  Benefactor  of  men.  The  treatment  he  received  from  the  world  was  a 
proof  of  monstrous  ingratitude.  Those  who  were  nearest  to  him,  and  who  knew  him 
best,  could  not  but  sympathize  with  him,  and  in  some  measure,  though  very  imjx'r- 
fectly,  share  his  grief.  3.  The  disciples  sorrowed  because  of  the  cloud  which  gathered 
over  their  hopes.  These  hopes  were  to  some  extent  indefinite ;  yet  they  looked  fur- 
ward  to  a  Messianic  kingdom  of  which  their  Master  should  be  the  Head,  and  in  which 
they  should  hold  place  and  sway  and  honour.  They  trusted  that  he  should  redeem 
Israel ;  and  they  could  not  understand  how  such  a  fate  as  that  which  was,  according  to 
his  own  words,  about  to  overtake  him,  could  be  reconciled  with  the  prospect  which  they 
had  been  cherishing.     Hence  their  weeping  and  lamentation. 

IL  The  gladness  to  be  created  by  the  Lord's  retpkn.  There  was  only  one 
antidote  to  sorrow  such  as  that  which  was  oppressing  the  apostles'  hearts,  and  which 
was  to  deepen  into  anguish  and  terror.  If  their  Lord  was  all  to  them,  their  minds 
could  only  be  relieved  by  the  prospect  of  reunion  with  him.  1,  Jesus  promised  that 
after  "  a  little  while  "  his  friends  should  again  behold  his  form  and  hear  his  voice. 
How  this  prospect  was  consistent  with  the  assurance  that  he  was  about  to  be  slain, 
these  inexperienced  and  bewildered  friends  of  Jesus  could  not  see.  But  events  were  to 
teach  them.  That  the  Resurrection  came  upon  them  as  a  surprise,  the  narrative  makes 
abundantly  clear.  But  the  disciples  were  "  glad  when  they  saw  the  Lord."  2.  Thi& 
fellowship  for  a  brief  season  to  be  accorded  to  the  disciples  was  an  earnest  of  a  spiritual 
communion  never  to  cease,  and  of  a  final  and  perfect  reunion  in  a  higher  state  of  being. 
There  were  in  our  Lord's  last  discourses  and  conversations  many  intimations  of  this 
glorious  prospect.  Very  inadequately  did  these  simple  learners  grasp  truths  so  great 
and  so  new,  that  only  time,  experience,  and  the  Holy  Spirit's  teaching  could  possibly 
bring  them  home  to  their  hearts.  The  revelation  was  too  grand  to  be  grasped  at  once. 
Yet  it  was  a  revelation  which  was  to  nourish  the  foith,  impel  the  consecration,  and 
inspire  the  patience,  of  the  Church  of  Christ  through  the  long  ages  of  the  spiritual  dis- 
pensation. What  joy  the  spiritual  fellowship  with  the  unseen  Saviour  enkindled  in 
the  souls  of  his  faithful  people,  we  know  from  their  recorded  experience  and  from  their 
confident  admonitions.  "  Juy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory  "  was,  in  the  view  of  the 
apostles,  the  proper  portion  of  those  who  believed  in  Jesus.  "  Rejoice  evermore  1 "  was 
the  exhortation  with  which  gloom  was  rebuked,  with  which  privilege  and  hope  of 
immortal  progress  were  indissolubly  connected. — T. 

Ver.  22. — "I  will  see  you  again."  The  sympathy  and  the  wisdom  alike  of  our  Lord's 
declarations  and  promises  to  his  disciples  upon  the  eve  of  his  departure,  command  our 
warmest  admiration.  He  both  felt  for  those  who  were  about  to  pass  through  a  trial  so 
severe,  and  he  knew  how  to  minister  to  their  heart's  necessities.  What  a  knowledge 
of  human  nature  is  apparent  in  this  simple  but  most  significant  promise ! 

I.  The  occasions  upon  which  this  promise  was  fulfilled.  1.  Upon  our  Lord's 
resurrection.  Had  he  not  taken  this  very  early  opportunity  of  again  seeing  his  own, 
it  is  not  obvious  how  their  faith  and  courage  could  have  been  sustained.  They  were 
depressed  almost  to  despondency  by  their  Lord's  Passion  and  burial.  Had  he  not 
appeared  when  he  did,  it  would  seem  that  their  confidence  in  him  must  have  been 
shaken,  and  their  mutual  unity  must  have  been  dissolved.  But  when  he  saw  them, 
gladness  took  the  place  of  sorrow,  attachment  was  strengthened,  and  hope  banishci.- 
despair.  2.  The  descent  of  the  Spirit  was  a  richer  and  fuller  accomplishment  of  om 
Lord's  designs  of  grace  towards  his  Church.  He  had  promised  the  Comforter,  whoso 
coming  should  keep  them  from  being  orphans,  abandoned,  and  friendless  in  the  world. 
And  in  the  Spirit  he  himself  came  again  to  his  own,  visiting  them  in  showers  of 
spiritual  blessing.  3.  The  return  at  the  second  advent  must  also  have  been  in  the 
Master's  mind  when  he  uttered  these  gracious  words  of  friendly  assurance.     His 

JOHN — II.  X 


C22  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xvi.  1—33. 

parables  and  his  direct  discourses  alike  animated  the  breasts  of  the  disciples  with  this 
blessed  hope.  All  the  more  did  they  rejoice  in  this  prospect,  because  they  were  taught 
that  he  who  had  come  the  first  time  in  humiliation  and  obedience  would  come  the 
second  time  to  judge  and  to  reign. 

II.  The  fulness  of  import  and  blessing  which  this  promise  contains.  1. 
The  assurance  that  Christ  will  see  his  people  is  even  more  precious  and  welcome  than 
the  assurance  given  (in  previous  verses)  that  they  shall  see  him.  Our  religion  teaches 
us  to  look  away  from  ourselves  to  God,  to  rest  on  his  declarations,  his  faithfulness,  his 
love.  Unless  we  are  in  a  morbid,  self-conscious  state,  it  will  give  us  strength  and 
comfort  to  forget  ourselves  in  order  to  concentrate  our  thoughts  and  desires  upon  him 
who  holds  us  dear,  and  who  will  never  forget  and  never  forsake  his  own.  2,  That 
Christ  will  see  his  people,  involves  an  accession  to  their  happiness.  To  know  that  the 
eye  of  our  dearest  friend  is  resting  upon  us,  and  that  with  interest  and  approbation, 
what  so  fitted  as  this  to  send  a  thrill  of  joy  throus^h  all  our  nature?  We  are  encouraged 
by  the  language  of  the  text  to  think  of  Christ  thus  affectionately  and  (so  to  speak)  in 
a  manner  so  truly  human.  3.  That  Christ  will  see  his  people,  assures  them  of  the 
supply  of  all  their  wants.  Can  our  dearest  and  mightiest  Friend  see  us  in  danger,  and 
not  deliver  us?  in  temptation,  and  not  succour  us?  in  sorrow,  and  not  console  us? 
in  need,  and  not  minister  to  us  ?  For  a  Being  so  sympathizing,  to  see  is  to  pity  ;  for 
a  Being  so  mighty,  to  pity  is  to  aid. — T. 

Vers.  26,  27. —  Tlie  Father's  love.  The  time  here  referred  to  must  be  the  dispensation 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  A  great  purpose  of  the  gift  of  the  Comforter  and  the  establishment 
of  the  Church  on  earth  was  that  a  new,  intimate,  and  happy  relation  might  be  con- 
stituted uniting  the  eternal  God  by  personal  and  spiritual  bonds  to  those  who,  made 
in  bis  image,  should  become  by  grace  partakers  of  his  character. 

I.  The  objects  of  the  Father's  love.  The  description  given  of  such  as  the 
Father  regards  with  affection  is  very  definite  and  very  instructive.  1.  They  are  those 
who  love  Christ.  Undoubtedly,  the  apostles,  to  whom  these  words  were  originally 
•■jpoken,  did  love  their  Master ;  events  proved  the  sincerity  of  their  attachment.  Yet 
this  qualification  is  one  which  may  exist  in  those  who  have  not  seen  Jesus  in  the 
body,  but  only  with  the  eye  of  faith.  Christians,  who  are  such  in  reality  and  not 
merely  in  name,  cherish  a  warm  and  grateful  aflection  towards  the  Son  of  God,  who 
himself  loved  them  and  bought  them  with  his  precious  blood.  Their  love  does  not 
evaporate  in  sentiment;  it  displays  itself  in  their  reception  of  his  doctrine,  their  obedience 
to  his  commands,  their  imitation  of  his  holy  example.  2.  They  are  those  who  believe 
in  Christ's  Divine  mission.  If  any  man  thinks  of  Christ  as  of  One  who  is  "  of  the 
earih,"  who  is  a  merely  human  development,  who  has  no  special  and  Divine  authority 
to  save  and  to  rule,  such  a  one  is  not  described  in  this  language,  and  shuts  himself  out 
from  the  blessing  which  is  accessible.  But  he  who  thinks  of  Jesus  as  of  the  Being 
who  came  forth  from  the  Father,  commissioned  and  equipped  by  the  Father  to  be  the 
Saviour  of  men,  and  who  not  only  thinks  of  him  aright,  but  acts  towards  him  in  such 
a  way  as  this  belief  authorizes,  he  may  be  encouraged  to  regard  himself  as  the  object 
of  the  Divine  Father's  love.  Thus  love  and  belief  are  both  necessary.  In  this  passage 
love  takes  precedence ;  but  some  belief  concerning  Christ  must  come  before  love, 
though  unquestionably  the  loving  soul  learns  to  believe  more  richly  and  fully  con- 
cerning the  Divine,  incomparable  Friend. 

'  II.  The  character  of  the  Father's  love.  1.  It  originates  in  his  benevolent 
nature.  His  love  is  not  caused  by  ours.  "  We  love  him,,  because  he  first  loved  us." 
But  the  love  of  Divine  pity  revealed  in  Christ  enkindles  the  flame  of  love  upon  our 
hearts.  2.  It  manifests  itself  in  the  mediation  of  the  Son.  The  love  of  God  is  not 
caused  by  the  intercession  of  our  Divine  Advocate  and  Eepresentative.  3.  It  is, 
towards  those  who  believe  in  Christ,  the  love  of  satisfaction  and  complacency.  Beginning 
(if  we  may  use  language  so  human)  with  pity,  the  Divine  love  goes  on  to  approval. 
The  Father  recognizes  in  the  friends  and  followers  of  Christ  the  same  moral  features 
and  expressions  which  he  looks  upon  with  delight  in  his  Son.  This  is  a  view  of  God 
which  is  eminently  and  distinctively  Christian.  The  God  whom  we  worship  is  a  God 
who  can  love  man,  whose  love  flows  forth  in  streams  of  compassion  towards  all  men,  but 
whose  favour  is  revealed  to  those  who  display  moral  sympathy  with  his  own  beloved  Son. 


en.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  323 

III.  Tire  PROOF  OF  THE  Father's  lovk.  1.  The  objects  of  this  Divine  affection  are 
encouraged  to  ask  for  what  they  need  from  him  who  is  able  to  supply  their  many  and 
varied  wants.  What  greater  evidence  can  there  be  of  fatherly  and  filial  feeling  than 
when  a  son  is  at  liberty  to  prefer  requests  to  a  parent  who  has  confidence  in  his  child 
and  has  the  means  of  satis^fying  and  of  pleasing  him  ?  Such  are  the  relations  between 
the  heavenly  Father  and  those  whom  he  adopts  into  his  family.  2.  The  spontaneous 
disposition  of  the  Father  is  to  grant  the  requests  of  his  children.  This  language  casts 
light  upon  the  Scripture  doctrine  of  intercession.  Christ  is  the  Advocate  with  God, 
but  his  advocacy  does  not  consist  in  persuading  an  unwilling  Deity  to  relent  from  his 
severity  and  to  act  with  generosity.  On  the  contrary,  the  advocacy  is  the  appointment 
of  Divine  love  and  the  channel  of  Divine  favour.  Christ  does  not  mean  that  he  will 
not  pray  the-  Father  for  us;  but  that  this  fact  of  intercession  is  not  the  point  upon 
which  he  is  now  dwelling.  He  is  anxious  that  his  friends  should  understand  that  the 
Father's  love  is  free,  that  his  liberality  is  such  as  to  secure  to  his  Son's  friends  the 
enjoyment  of  all  good.  And,  as  a  consequence,  every  Christian  is  encouraged  to  bring 
his  petitions  to  God,  in  the  Name  of  Christ  indeed,  yet  with  the  assurance  that  there 
is  now  nothing  on  the  part  of  the  Father  to  hinder  the  bestowal  of  all  needed  and 
desirable  blessings. — T. 

Ver.  33. —  Words  of  cheer.  These  last  words  of  our  Lord's  last  discourse  must  have 
rung  melodiously  in  the  ears  of  those  who  were  privileged  to  listen  to  them.  No  more 
cheering  tones,  no  brighter  vision,  could  Jesus  have  left  with  his  bereaved,  but  not 
orphaned,  not  comfortless,  disciples. 

I.  Christ's  people  must  endure  tribul.\tion.  1.  This  is  the  consequence  of  their 
remaining  for  a  season  in  a  world  where  sin  and  sorrow  still  prevail.  2.  It  is  involved 
in  their  participation  in  their  Master's  lot.  If  he  was  hated  and  persecuted,  how  can 
his  followers  escape  ?  As  the  world  treated  the  Lord,  so  in  a  measure  will  it  treat 
those  who  are  faithful  to  him,  and  who  tread  in  his  steps.  3.  This  lot  is  not  one  of 
tmmixed  evil.  Tribulation  is  discipline ;  the  wheat  is  threshed  in  order  that  it  may 
be  set  free  from  the  husks  and  straw,  and  the  character  of  Christians  is,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  refined  and  purified  by  the  winnowing  of  afiliction  and  persecution. 

it.  Christ  has  consolation  and  encouragement  for  his  people  when  they 
endure  the  tribulation  of  the  world.  1.  His  words  bring  peace.  The  whole 
of  the  discourse  which  here  concludes  breathes  of  peace.  His  revelations  of  the  present 
and  of  the  future  are  alike  fitted  to  soothe  the  mind  perturbed  by  the  distresses  and 
the  disasters  of  this  life.  2.  His  sympathy  brings  courage.  It  seems  to  have  been 
a  favourite  saying  of  our  Lord,  "Be  of  good  cheer!"  Be  courageous  and  confident! 
It  was,  however,  a  saying  always  accompanied  by  his  own  Divine  presence  and  voice. 
It  was  powerful  because  it  came  from  his  lips,  from  his  tender  heart,  because  with  it 
there  went  out  from  him  to  his  afflicted  ones  the  spiritual  power  which  enabled  them 
to  endure  and  strive  and  hope.  3.  His  conquest  brings  victory.  Even  now,  before  he 
was  overwhelmed  with  the  baptism  of  sacrificial  sorrow,  he  could  speak  of  himsolf  as 
having  overcome  the  world.  But  a  few  hours  had  yet  to  elapse,  and  the  world  should 
lie  at  his  feet,  purchased, vanquished,  subdued!  And  Christ  overcame,  not  for  himself, 
but  for  his  people ;  that,  fighting  by  his  side  on  earth,  they  might  reign  with  him 
above ;  that,  overcoming  in  and  with  him,  they  might  sit  down  with  him  upon  his 
throne.— T. 

Ver.  7. — The  expediency  of  Chrtsfs  departure.  We  shall  elucidate  the  truths  of  the 
text  by  the  following  remarks. 

I.  That  the  mission  of  the  Holt  Spirit  was  essential  to  the  great  plan 
OF  redemption.  "  The  Comforter  will  not  come,"  imj>lying  that  his  coming  was 
essential  to  the  carrying  on  of  the  good  work  in  them  and  through  them.  1.  As  the 
Divine  Revealer.  Christ  revealed  the  Father;  the  Spirit  was  to  reveal  Christ.  This 
revelation  involves :  (1)  Inward  lifjht.  The  illumination  of  the  soul,  the  mind,  the 
intellect,  the  heart,  and  con.^cience.  (2)  Outward  light.  The  great  truths  concerning 
Jesus,  and  all  the  facts  of  redemption,  would  be  presented  in  a  new  and  clearer  light  by 
the  ministry  of  the  Sjiirit.  (3)  Inward  apjilication.  He  not  only  sheds  fresh  light 
upon  the  great  facts  of  redemption,  but  specially  and  directly  applies  them  to  the  soul. 


324  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN,    [en.  xvi.  1—33. 

As  the  Spirit  of  truth,  capable  of  inspiring  and  influencing  directly  the  springs  of 
action  and  choice,  he  is  specially  adapted  for  this  inward  application  without  which 
the  revelation  is  incomplete.  2.  As  the  Divine  Begenerator.  The  Creator  of  the  new 
life,  the  new  heart,  the  new  man,  and  the  new  world,  and  the  Builder  of  the  spiritual 
temple.  This  new  creation  is  an  essential  part  of  the  plan  of  redemption,  and  is  the 
department  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  3.  As  the  Divine  Sanctifier.  CaiTying  on  the  good 
work  gradually  unto  perfection.  4.  As  the  Divine  Comforter.  As  such  he  is  introduced 
by  our  Lord.  This  was  their  special  need,  as  well  as  the  special  need  of  all  believers 
in  all  ages. 

n.  That  the  departure  of  Jesus  was  essential  to  the  coming  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  "  If  I  go  not  away,"  etc.  1.  His  departure  was  essential  to  the  completion  of 
his  own  work  and  the  fulfilment  of  his  mission.  He  could  say  with  propriety,  "  If  I 
go  not  away,  I  cannot  finish  the  work  given  me  to  do."  This  involved :  (1)  A  perfect 
atonement  for  sin.  It  is  true  the  atonement  was  begun  in  his  life ;  for  "  he  is  the 
Atonement ; "  but  completed  by  his  voluntary  and  self-sacrificing  death,  and  it  was 
through  death  he  was  to  depart  and  by  death  complete  the  atonement.  (2)  His  perfect 
example.  (3)  His  perfect  and  glorified  life.  Only  in  consequence  of  his  departure 
by  death  these  were  attainable.  He  was  made  perfect  through  sufferings.  2.  The 
completion  of  his  work  was  essential  to  the  coming  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  "If  I  go  not 
away,  the  Comforter,"  etc.  (1)  The  Holy  Spirit  could  not  come  without  a  complete 
commission.  In  all  the  Divine  proceedings  there  is  perfect  order.  There  is  nothing  done 
at  random  or  by  accident,  but  all  according  to  the  strictest  laws  of  order  and  fitness. 
When  Christ  came,  he  came  with  a  complete  commission,  in  the  fulness  of  time,  and 
in  the  fulness  of  his  Father's  love.  The  Spirit  could  only  come  in  the  same  way.  (2) 
He  could  not  obtain  his  full  commission  until  the  triumphant  arrival  of  Jesus  at  home. 
Then  his  commission  would  be  complete  in  the  completed  work  of  Christ.  Its  con- 
ditions were  then  fulfilled  and  its  substance  then  perfect,  ready  for  use.  (3)  The 
departure  of  Jesus  was  not  only  essen  tial  in  relation  to  the  commission  of  the  Spirit, 
but  also  in  relation  to  the  disciples  themselves.  The  remaining  of  Christ  with  them  in 
the  flesh  was  incompatible  with  the  full  enjoyment  of  the  Spirit.  He  had  to  ascend  on 
high,  not  only  to  receive  the  gift  of  the  Spirit,  but  also  to  make  room  for  him  in  their 
heart  and  faith.  In  a  sense  there  was  no  room  for  both  at  the  same  time.  3.  The 
completion  of  his  work  would  result  in  the  certain  coming  of  the  Spirit.  "  If  I  go 
away,  I  will  send,"  etc.  This  certainty  lies :  (1)  In  the  finished  work  and  glorified  life 
of  Christ.  This  deserved  and  even  demanded  the  coming  of  the  Spirit.  The  latter  is 
the  natural  result  of  the  former.  (2)  In  his  personal  and  official  influence  with  the 
Holy  Spirit.  This  was  the  result  of  their  oneness  of  nature,  sympathy,  will,  and  work. 
He  was  fully  conscious  of  the  Spirit's  readiness  to  come  at  his  request.  (3)  In  the 
unerring  fidelity  of  the  Divine  promises.  The  promise  of  the  Father  to  Jesus  and  that 
of  Jesus  to  his  disciples :  "  I  will  send  him,"  etc.  He  could  not  forget  his  promise,  nor 
fail  to  send  him.  The  struggles  and  agonies  of  the  past  would  remind  him,  the 
infinite  price  paid  and  the  importance  of  his  coming  would  remind  him,  the  tender  and 
eternal  love  he  bore  them  would  make  him  careful  to  send  him.  They  had  the  earnest 
when  he  breathed  upon  them.  Let  him  go  away,  and  the  Spirit  would  come  in  his 
Divine  fulness. 

III.  That  the  ministry  op  the  Holy  Spirit  would  be  more  beneficial  to  thk 
disciples  and  all  believers  than  the  personal  ministry  of  Jesus.  "  It  is  expe- 
dient," etc.  1.  The  personal  ministry  of  Jesus  was  local ;  that  of  the  Spirit  is  universal. 
Christ  could  not  be  personally  present  in  more  than  one  place  at  the  same  time ;  the 
Spirit  can  be  everywhere.  2.  The  personal  ministry  of  Christ  was  outward ;  that  of  the 
Spirit  is  inward.  Christ  appealed,  with  words  and  voice,  to  man  through  his  physical 
senses ;  but  the  ministry  of  the  Spirit  is  inward,  appealing  directly  to  the  human  heart, 
will,  and  conscience.  3.  The  personal  ministry  of  Chrid  had  a  tendency  to  keep  alive 
and  foster  the  material  and  temporal  ideas  of  his  reign  ;  that  of  the  Spirit  had  a  direct 
tendency  to  foster  and  establish  spiritual  ideas  of  his  kingdom.  While  he  remained 
with  his  disciples,  they  tenaciously  clung  to  the  idea  of  a  temporal  king  and  a  temporal 
kingdom,  and  this  idea  would  last  as  long  as  his  personal  presence ;  but  his  departure 
by  death  had  a  direct  tendency  to  destroy  this  notion  and  blast  this  hope  for  ever,  and 
prepare  them  for  the  advent  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  would,  on  the  ruins  of  the  tern- 


CH.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  325 

poral  kingdom,  establish  a  spiritual  one,  a  kingdom  of  God  within.  So  that  to  the 
adveut  of  the  Spirit,  in  consequence  of  the  personal  departure  of  Jesus,  they  were 
indebted  for  true  notions  of  the  nature  of  his  kingdom.  4.  The  personal  ministry  of 
Jesus  was  essentially  temporary  ;  that  of  the  Spirit  is  permanent.  Ho  came  only  for 
a  time,  and  under  human  conditions  was  subject  to  persecutions  and  death,  and  would 
ever  be  so,  therefore  his  ministry  could  only  be  temporary ;  but  the  Spirit  came  to 
remain  with  and  in  his  people  for  ever,  and  was  personally  above  any  physical  injury 
from  the  wicked  world.  Christ,  like  the  Baptist,  was  only  a  temporary  herald  in  the 
world.  As  soon  as  his  mission  was  fulfilled,  he  disappeared ;  but  the  Spirit  is  a  settled 
Minister,  and  his  charge  he  will  never  relinquish.  5.  Christ,  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  was 
more  really  and  efficiently  present  ivith  his  disciples  than  he  would  be  by  his  continual 
personal  presence.  So  that  he  went  away  in  order  to  come  nearer  to  them,  and  come 
in  a  higher  and  diviner  form ;  not  in  weakness,  but  in  power ;  not  in  shame,  but  in 
glory ;  not  in  the  shadow  of  death,  but  in  the  halo  of  a  "  Divine  and  glorified  life ;  "  not 
in  the  flesh,  but  in  the  Spirit ;  not  outside,  but  within  them ;  so  that  his  departure 
resulted  to  them  in  more  of  Christ  and  the  ministry  of  the  Spirit  as  well.  6.  By  the 
ISjjirit,  not  only  he  could  be  more  to  them,  but  they  also  could  he  more  to  him  and  to 
his  purposes  of  grace.  More  to  themselves  in  the  progress  and  development  of  their 
spiritual  nature  and  character.  More  to  the  human  family  in  their  conversion  and 
progress  in  holiness.  With  Christ's  ministry  of  reconciliation,  his  perfect  example,  the 
inspiration  of  his  devoted  life,  and  self-sacrificing  and  atoning  death,  with  the  indwell- 
ing and  accompanying  influences  of  the  Spirit,  they  could  do  infinitely  more  for  Christ 
than  if  he  were  alone  to  remain  personally  with  them.  This  was  demonstratively 
proved  after  Pentecost.  They  were  better  missionaries,  better  heralds  of  the  gospel  of 
peace,  and  more  heroic  and  enduring  soldiers  of  the  cross.  In  fact,  in  this  way  alone 
Christ  could  fulfil  his  purposes  in  them,  and  through  them  in  the  world. 

Lessons.  1.  All  the  teaching  of  Jesus  to  his  disciples  was  absolutely  true.  "  I  tell 
you  the  truth."  He  never  told  a  falsehood ;  he  was  incapable  of  this.  He  knew  the 
truth,  so  that  he  could  not  mistake.  He  was  true — the  Truth,  so  that  he  would  not 
deceive.  It  would  be  as  easy  for  darkness  to  proceed  from  light  as  for  falsehood  to 
proceed  from  him  who  is  the  Truth.  2.  He  told  them  the  truth,  although  he  knew  it 
to  be  at  the  time  most  unpalatable.  "  Nevertheless,"  etc.  This  truth  concerning  his 
departure  was  so.  Nothiug  could  be  more  distasteful  to  their  feelings  and  sentiments. 
Still  he  told  them.  He  was  most  tenderly  careful  of  their  feelings.  Still  these  were 
not  the  chief  regulators  of  his  revelations.  3.  Some  truths  which  at  the  time  are  most 
unpalatable  prove  at  the  end  most  benefcial  and  joyous  when  fully  understood  and 
realized.  The  departure  of  Jesus  was  such.  It  filled,  at  the  moment,  their  heart  with 
sorrow,  but  filled  it  afterwards  with  spiritual  joy.  4.  Christ,  in  all  his  sayings,  deeds, 
and  movements,  was  ever  actuated  by  the  supreme  good  of  his  disciples.  "  It  is 
expedient  for  you,"  etc.  Not  what  was  best  or  most  convenient  for  him,  but  what 
would  best  serve  their  spiritual  interest  and  that  of  the  world. — B.  T. 

Ver.  28. — An  epitome  of  Christ's  history.     Notice — 

I.  Whekce  he  came.  "  I  came  out  from  the  Father."  This  implies :  1.  Unity 
or  oneness  of  nature.  It  is  not  "  I  came  from  the  presence  of  the  Father,"  or  "  from 
a  near  point  to  him,"  but  "I  came  out  from  him" — au  expression  which  would  be 
highly  improper  to  be  used  by  any  one  but  by  him  who  is  equal  and  one  with  the 
Father,  one  in  nature  and  essence.  It  is  clearly  the  language  of  an  equal,  and  not  of 
an  inferior.  2.  Nearness  of  relationship.  The  human  relationship  which  best  expresses 
the  relationship  of  the  "eternal  Word"  to  the  Godhead  is  that  of  father  and  son,  and 
this  is  used.  It  must  not  be  carried  too  far,  but  we  are  grateful  for  it,  as  it  sheds  some 
light  on  Christ  with  regard  to  the  Godhead  ;  he  stands  in  the  most  near  and  natural 
relationship  to  him,  and  this  relationship  is  not  outward,  accidental,  and  transient,  but 
inward,  essential,  and  everlasting — the  relationship  of  nature  and  essence.  3.  TJie  most 
intimate  fellowship  and  acquaintance.  The  Divine  nature  is  social.  We  like  the 
idea  of  the  unity  of  God,  one  supreme  Being  fulfilling  the  idea  of  perfect  oneness;  and 
we  like  also  the  idea  of  a  Trinity  which  deprives  mere  unity  of  its  dreariness,  loneli- 
ness, and  monotony,  and  fills  it  with  the  joys  and  delights  of  society — the  royal  and 
Divine  society  of  the  Divine  nature.    '*  I  came  out  from,"  etc.    Their  fellowship  must 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvi.  1—33. 


be  most  intimate,  inspiring,  and  pure,  and  their  acquaintance  pv^rfect.  4.  77ie  warmest 
friendship.  What  must  be  the  mutual  friendship  of  the  Father  of  love  with  the  Son 
of  his  love?  It  must  be  the  warmest,  intensest,  sweetest,  and  most  deli«;htful.  The 
purest  and  most  loving  human  friendships  fade  before  this.  5.  The  most  diynified  and 
glorious  position.  "'From  the  Father."  The  most  glorious  position  in  the  universe. 
His  position  was  equal  with  that  of  the  eternal  Father,  his  glory  was  as  resplendent, 
his  throne  as  majestic,  his  sceptre  as  universal,  and  his  throne  as  dignified.  6.  A 
Divine  procession.  It  is  difBcult,  in  human  language,  to  describe  the  Divine  move- 
ments, and  to  add  anything  in  explanation  to  the  simple  statement  of  our  Lord,  which 
to  him  was  quite  plain.  "  I  came  out,"  etc.  But  there  must  be  a  special  movement 
of  the  Divine  nature  on  the  part  of  the  Son,  a  coming  out  from  the  Father,  a  partial 
but  temporary  separation,  and  a  procession  of  him  whose  goings  forth  have  been  from 
of  old. 

IT,  Whitheb  he  came.     As  we  see  the  first  movement  of  the  eternal  Son,  we  are 
inclined  to  ask  whither  will  he  go?     Doubtless  to  one  of  the  largest  planets,  in  one  of 
the  most  glorious  systems  in  the  universe.     No ;  but  he  came  into  the  world.     He  was 
in  the  world  before,  but  now  came  to  it,  and  came  into  it  in  a  usual,  natural  way,  by 
birth.     This  implies:  1.  A  great  distance.     From  the  Father  into  the  world.     The 
physical  distance  must  be  great,  but  the  moral   distance   greater   still.     From  the 
Divine  to  the  human,  from  the  sphere  of  Divine  glory,  purity,  and  life,  to  the  sphere 
of  shame,  sin,  sorrow,  and  death.    The  distance  was  infinite,  and  the  journey  was  long. 
2.  A  great  change.     There  is  a  change  of  air,  from  the  pure  air  of  the  Father's  presence 
to  the  foul  air  of  this  world.     A  change  of  sceneries,  of  society,  of  associations,  of 
relationships.     The  old  ones  were  only  partially  left,  but  new  ones  were  formed.     A 
new  nature  was  assumed ;  new  conditions,  circumstances,  and  employments  under- 
taken.    The  nature  of  the  creatvue  was  assumed  by  the  Creator,  the  nature  of  the 
sinner  was  assumed  by  Divine  purity,  and  the  nature  of  weakness  was  assumed  by 
infinite  power.     The  Son  of  God  became  the  Son   of  man,  the  form  of  God  was 
exchanged  for  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  the  Lord  of  heaven  became  the  tenant  of  this 
wretched,  insignificant,  and  rebellious  world.     What  a  change !     What  a  change  from 
the  throne  to  the  manger,  from  the  crown  to  the  cross,  from  the  society  of  the  Father 
and  angels  to  that  of  the  rebellious  children  of  the  Fall,  from  the  sweet  music  of  heaven 
to  the  malignant  execrations  of  earth !     3.  A  great  mission.     "  Am  come  into  the 
world."    This  suggests  that  he  came  as  an  Ambassador ;  and  the  very  fact  that  he  came 
from  the  Father  into  the  world  proves  that  he  came  upon  a  most  important  mission — ■ 
a  mission  which  deeply  affected  the  very  heart  of  the  King,  the  honour  of  his  throne, 
and  the  well-being  of  his  subjects.     His  important  mission  was  to  effect  reconciliation 
between  earth  and  heaven  ;  to  condemn  sin  and  save  the  sinner  ;  to  conquer  for  ever  the 
prince  of  this  world  and  the  powers  of  darkness,  and  create  a  new  heaven  and  a  new 
earth.     His  mission  affected  not  merely  this  world,  but  the  whole  tmiverse.     4.  A  great 
sacrifice.     This  was  required  to  meet  the  demands  of  justice  and  law,  and  the  need  of 
the  world.     And  his  mission  was  a  sacrifice  from  beginning  to  end ;   from  the  first 
movement,  the  coming  out  from  the  Father,  the  coming  into  the  world,  his  life  in  it, 
and  his  departure  from  it  through  the  ignominious  death  of  the  cross, — all  this  was  an 
infinite  sacrifice  sufficient  to  answer  the  purposes  of  Divine  love  involved  in  the  mission 
of  the  Son  in  the,  world.     5.  A  great  fact.    What  is  this  ?     That  the  Son  of  God  was 
incarnate  in  this  world,  and  it  includes  all  the  great  facts  of  his  earthly  history,  which 
are  summed  up  here  in  one,  "  Am  come  into  the  world."     This  is  the  greatest  in  this 
world's  history — the  fact  of  the  greatest  glory,  interest,  and  consequences  in  all  its 
annals.     It  has  made  this  world  a  centre  of  interest,  meditation,  and  wonder  for  all  the 
intellif'ent  universe.     6.  A  great  resiwnsilility.     If  the  Son  of  God  was  in  this  world, 
and  for  it  lived  and  died  in  order  to  bring  it  into  allegiance  with  heaven,  in  the  face  of 
such  a  condescension,  expense,  and  sacrifice,  its  responsibility  is  infinite. 

III.  Whither  he  went.  1.  He  left  the  world.  (1)  His  stay  here  was  not  intended 
to  he  long.  When  he  came,  he  came  only  for  a  short  time.  He  was  a  pilgrim  in  the 
land  rather  than  a  permanent  resident.  He  came  as  an  Ambassador,  to  perform  a 
special  work,  and  his  hard  work  bespoke  a  short  stay.  (2)  He  accomplished  his  u-ork 
here.  He  came  to  the  world,  not  to  enjoy,  but  to  work  ;  not  to  rest,  but  to  toil ;  not 
to  live,  but  rather  to  die.     He  worked  hard,  and  finished  his  work  eariy  ;  then  he  left 


CH.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  327 

— there  was  no  more  to  do  here.  The  world  tried  to  send  him  away  before  his  work 
was  finished,  but  failed.  Not  before  he  cried,  "  It  is  finished  !  "  he  p;ave  up  the  ghost. 
(3)  He  had  a  work  to  do  in  another  place — within  the  veil.  He  could  not  do  that  work 
here.  He  could  not  bo  idle.  If  there  was  no  work  here,  he  would  j^o  where  it  was. 
He  was  bound  to  time  and  siiecial  employments.  2.  He  went  to  the  Father — to  the  same 
place  as  he  came  from.  (1)  This  was  in  the  original  plan.  It  was  one  of  the  con- 
ditions of  his  departure  that  he  should  soon  return  to  the  same  place  and  to  the  same 
glory.  The  inhabitants  could  not  be  long  happy  without  him.  Heaven  was  not  the 
same  during  his  absence.  (2)  His  mission  was  fulfilled  to  the  Father's  entire  satisfac- 
tion. Jesus  was  fully  conscious  of  this,  otherwise  he  would  not  speak  with  such  con- 
fidence and  delight  of  returning  to  his  Father.  This  is  the  last  thing  a  disloyal  and 
inefficient  ambassador  will  do.  The  sweet  voice  ever  rang  in  his  soul,  "  I  have  botii 
glorified,  and  will  glorify  thee."  (3)  His  return  was  most  natural  and  sweet  to  him, 
to  the  Father,  and  to  all.  He  was  never  so  far  and  so  long  from  home  before,  and  his 
return  was  most  gratifying  to  the  Divine  heart,  and  it  fulfilled  the  Divine  love.  Never 
had  a  conquering  hero  sucii  welcome  on  his  return.  Welcome  was  the  language  of  all  the 
happy  family,  and  the  sweet  burden  of  every  strain  which  streamed  from  harps  of  gold. 
It  was  specially  delightful  to  him.  After  the  hardships  of  his  earthly  campaign,  liome 
must  be  indeed  sweet ;  but  all  the  suflferings  he  forgot  in  the  ecstasy  of  Divine  welcome 
and  the  delight  of  triumph. 

Lessons.  1.  All  the  promises  of  Christ  to  faith  will  be  fulfilled.  He  had  promised 
it  plainer  revelations  of  the  Father,  and  the  text  is  the  first  instalment.  Christ's  light 
is  ever  in  proportion  to  the  strength  of  the  eye,  and  his  revelatiians,  in  substance  and 
language,  suitable  to  the  capacities  of  faith— now  in  proverbs,  now  in  plainer  language 
and  with  greater  confidence,  introducing  to  it  deeper  mysteries  and  brighter  visions. 
2.  All  the  movements  of  Christ  in  connection  loith  the  great  scheme  of  redemption  were 
purely  voluntary.  Those  indicated  in  these  words  were  so.  "  I  came  out  from  the 
Father,"  etc.  He  had  perfect  control  over  all  his  movements,  and  they  were  invariably 
the  results  of  his  sovereign  and  free  will.  3.  When  he  went  to  the  Father  be  took  the 
cause  of  the  world,  especially  that  of  his  disciples,  luith  him — in  his  nature,  in  his  heart, 
and  ivill  never  leave  nor  forget  it.  4.  When  he  left  the  world  he  left  the  lest  part 
of  himself  behind.  He  left  the  j^recious  results  of  his  life  and  death,  his  example, 
his  pardoning  love,  his  Spirit,  his  blessed  gospel  with  all  its  rich  contents.  5.  As  he 
went  to  the  Father,  this  indicates  the  direction  we  should  go,  and  ever  look  for  him. 
We  know  where  he  is.  He  left  not  his  disciples  in  ignorance  of  his  destination  ;  he  left 
his  full  address,  and  in  its  light  we  have  a  Father,  and  an  Almighty  Advocate  with 
him.— B.  T. 

Vers.  29 — 32. — Faith  in  calm  and  storm.     Notice — 

I.  The  confession  ok  faith.  "  By  this  we  believe,"  etc.  This  indicates :  1.  Faith 
in  the  proper  Object.  "  We  believe  that  thou,"  etc.  They  believed  in  his  Person  and 
character,  and  in  the  Divinity  of  his  mission.  Their  faith,  even  at  this  time,  had  not 
nade  much  progress  in  spiritual  elevation  and  grasp  of  its  Object;  still,  this  fresh  con- 
fession of  it  was  encouraging.  If  not  much  progress  is  made,  it  is  cheering  to  know 
there  is  no  retrogression.  2.  Faith  is  founded  upon  intelligent  basis.  "By  this  we 
believe,"  etc.  (1)  The  plainness  (f  his  speech.  In  his  last  words  there  was  no  proverb. 
The  revelation  is  clear.  He  had  promised  them  this,  and  now  it  is  partly  fulfilled,  and 
fulfilled  sooner  than  they  expected.  This  prompt  fulfilment  of  his  promise  gives  new 
life  to  faith.  (2)  The  Divinity  of  his  knowledge.  They  are  struck  with  its  Divine 
extensiveness :  "  all  things ; "  and  with  its  Divine  quality.  It  is  not  derived  through 
the  ordinary  human  channels  of  answers  to  questions,  but  it  is  independent  of  these, 
and  the  inherent  produce  of  his  own  mind.  And  this  they  had  learnt,  not  from  hearsay 
and  observation,  but  from  experience.  He  revealed  and  satisfied  their  most  secret 
wants  and  wishes  without  any  questions.  3.  Its  confession  is  very  confident.  "  Now 
we  know,"  etc.  This  knowledge  is  experimental,  and  such  knowledge  is  the  confidence 
of  faith.  Knowledge  is  helpful  to  faith,  and  faith  is  helpful  to  knowledge.  Knowledge 
is  the  resting-place  of  faith,  and  the  steps  over  which  it  climbs  the  alpine  heights  of 
Divine  truth.  4.  Its  confession  is  enthusiastic.  "  Lo,  now  speakest  thou,"  etc.  This  is 
the  glow  cf  faith  on  emerging  from  darkness  into  li^ht,  its  first  blush  at  the  sight  of  a 


328  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvi.  1—33. 


new  vision,  its  enthusiasm  on  the  hill  of  a  newly  acquired  knowledge'.  The  plainer 
revelation  of  Jesus  was  sudden,  and  produced  in  the  disciples  a  triumphant  outburst  of 
confidence  in  the  Divinity  of  his  mission.  The  confession  has  some  light,  but  more 
heat.  5.  Its  confession  is  united.  "By  this  we,"  etc.  There  is  not  a  dissentient 
voice.     One  spoke  for  all,  and  all  spoke  in  one.     It  is  the  chorus  of  young  faith. 

II.  The  examination  of  faith.  1.  It  is  examined  by  Jesus.  He  is  the  Object  of 
faith,  and  its  only  infallible  Examiner ;  the  examination  is  short,  but  very  thorough  and 
improving.  "  Do  ye  now  believe?"  (1)  This  question  is  very  important.  Important 
to  the  Master  and  the  disciples.  Every  true  master  feels  an  interest  in  the  success  of 
his  pupils.  Jesus  was  intensely  desirous  that  they  all  should  pass  in  faith  successfully. 
His  reputation  as  a  Master  and  a  Saviour  was  at  stake,  and  he  trained  them  for  service 
which  he  required,  and  for  which  faith  was  essential.  It  was  still  more  important  to 
them.  "  Do  ye  believe  ?  "  This  is  the  first  and  greatest  lesson  of  Christianity,  and  the 
crucial  question  of  Christ  to  his  disciples.  (2)  This  question  naturally  anticipates  an 
affirmative  answer.  Indeed,  it  had  been  enthusiastically  answered  in  the  affirmative 
in  the  confession  just  made.  And  this  was  quite  natural  and  true.  Their  faith  was 
genuine,  and  ought  to  be  strong  and  firm ;  they  had  great  advantages,  and  Jesus  had 
taken  infinite  pains  with  them.  (3)  This  question  is  very  searching.  Do  you  believe, 
and  believe  now  ?  And  not  merely  Jesus  by  this  question  searches  them,  but  inspires 
them  to  searcli  themselves.  This  was  highly  characteristic  of  him  as  a  Teacher.  He 
did  not  cram  his  disciples  with  his  own  thoughts,  but  rather  inspired  and  helped  them 
to  think  themselves.  He  set  the  mental  and  spiritual  machinery  in  motion,  and  this 
simple  question  is  highly  calculated  to  inspire  them  to  think  and  reflect  and  search 
themselves,  and  to  look  about  within  as  to  the  real  and  present  state  of  faith.  (4)  This 
question  is  as  tender  and  sympathetic  as  it  is  searching.  Worthy  of  the  great  Master 
and  suitable  to  the  condition  of  his  disciples.  His  patience  and  compassion  were  Divine. 
He  does  not  upbraid  them  with  slowness,  imperfection,  and  vacillation  of  faith  in  spite  of 
all  his  tuition.  He  does  not  break  out  into  a  storm  of  impatience  and  recrimination, 
but  tenderly  for  the  moment  leaves  the  question  to  them,  and  gradually  sends  more 
light  so  as  to  bring  it  fully  home  to  them.  (5)  This  question  involves  joy  and  sorrow. 
The  joy  and  soitow  of  perfect  knowledge.  He  knew  that  their  faith  was  genuine  and 
would  be  ultimately  triumphant :  this  was  a  source  of  joy.  He  knew  as  well  that  at 
present  it  was  weak,  too  weak  to  withstand  the  impending  storm :  this  was  a  source  of 
sorrow.  And  in  this  short  question  the  sad  and  joyous  notes  are  distinctly  heard.  2. 
Faith  is  examined  by  Christ  in  connection  with  a  most  extraordinary  trial.  His  own 
trial,  the  great  tragedy  of  his  crucifixion,  which  also  would  be  the  trial  of  faith.  This 
is  foretold.  (1)  It  is  foretold  as  being  very  near.  "Behold,  the  hour  cometh,"  etc. 
They  were  within  the  hour  and  already  within  the  vortex  of  the  terrible  whirlpool. 
(2)  It  is  foretold  as  being  certain.  There  was  no  doubt  about  it,  and  this  they  would 
readily  believe  from  the  new  glimpse  they  profess  to  have  had  of  his  perfect  knowledge 
of  all  things.  (3)  It  is  foretold  in  the  interest  of  faith.  Not  to  discourage  and  damp 
its  ardour, "but  rather  to  break  its  inevitable  fall  from  the  height  of  present  confidence 
to  the  depths  of  momentary  doubt  and  darkness.  Over  the  ladder  of  his  revelation  it 
had  climbed  up,  and  ought  to  remain  there ;  but  knowing  that  it  would  not,  he  furnishes 
it  with  another  ladder  to  descend,  so  as  not  to  be  destroyed  if  somewhat  daunted.  It 
was  foi  etold  in  the  present  and  future  interest  of  faith. 

III.  The  temporary  failure  of  faith.  "Ye  shall  be  scattered,"  etc.  1.  Its  failure 
happened  wheii  it  was  thought  to  be  strong.  Think  of  their  enthusiastic  confession  a 
short  time  ago.  The  gloom  of  doubt  is  often  at  the  heels  of  the  glow  of  faith.  The 
fire  often  blazes  brightly  just  before  it  is  partially  extinguished.  When  we  are  weak 
we  are  strong,  and  when  we  are  strong  we  are  weak.  2.  Its  failure  happened  when  it 
ovqlit  to  be  firm,  and  when  it  teas  most  needed  by  them  and  the  Saviour.  When  was  it 
needed  more  than  when  its  Object  needed  symjiathy?  It  was  one  thing  to  be  loud  in 
their  professions  of  faith  in  him  during  the  palmy  days  of  his  triumph  and  miracles, 
but  quite  another  to  cling  to  him  in  his  apparent  defeat.  They  left  him  in  the  storm, 
when  their  adherence  would  be  most  important  and  valuable.  "  A  friend  in  need  is  a 
friend  indeed."  3.  The  manner  of  its  failure  reveals  its  real  cause.  "  Every  man  to 
his  own."  The  cause  of  the  failure  of  faith  was  selfishness.  Faith  in  Christ  is 
essentially  a  denial  of  self,  but  in  this  hour  of  severe  tiial  faith  for  a  moment  left 


CH.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  329 

Christ  and  clung  to  self.  Is  not  this  a  true  picture  of  weak  and  iniperfect  faith  in  all 
ages?  4.  Its  failure  is  very  melancholy  in  its  immediate  results.  (I)  A  temporary 
separation  from  one  another.  "  Every  man  to  his  own."  Weakness  of  faith  in  Christ 
tends  to  dissolve  society.  Genuine  faith  in  Christ  sends  every  man  out  of  himself  to 
his  fellow,  and  finds  strength  and  happiness  in  union.  (2)  A  temporary  separation 
from  Christ.  "  And  shall  leave  me  alone."  What  weakness,  inconsistency,  and 
cowardice!  And  what  a  sad  failure  of  even  genuine  faith  at  the  beginning  of  its 
glorious  career !  And  this  will  appear  especially  when  we  think  that  he  was  a  Divine 
volunteer  from  the  other  world  come  to  fight  and  conquer  their  foes.  They  left  him 
in  the  grip  of  the  enemy,  and  fled.  What  British  soldier  would  behave  so  towards  his 
general  ?  But  such  was  the  sad  failure  of  the  bravest  soldiers  of  the  cross  in  the  ever- 
memorable  battle  between  self  and  benevolence.  5.  Tfiis  temporary  but  sad  failure  of 
faith  engages  his  sympathy.  We  describe  it  as  base  and  cowardly,  and  so  it  was;  and 
so  it  is  in  us  often  under  less  trying  circumstances.  But  not  a  harsh  word  drops  from  his 
lips,  but  words  of  encouragement  and  comfort.  In  order  that  they  might  not  be  too 
depressed  on  account  of  their  cowardly  conduct  in  leaving  him  alone,  he  tenderly  adds, 
"  Yet  I  am  not  alone,"  etc. 

Lessons.  1.  Faith  may  be  genuine,  yet  iveak,  inconsistent,  and  temporarily  eclipsed. 
It  was  so  in  the  case  of  the  first  disciples.  It  miserably  gave  way  in  the  hour  of  trial ; 
yet  it  was  genuine,  as  the  sequel  amply  proves.  We  must  not  judge  too  soon  with 
regard  to  the  reality  of  faith  and  its  ultimate  fate.  2.  A  severe  trial  is  a  test  of  the 
strength  of  faith.  But  in  judging  the  partial  failure  of  faith  we  must  take  into  account 
the  severity  of  the  trial.  The  most  heroic  faith  will  often  be  bafiled  in  a  terrible  storm. 
Such  was  the  storm  in  which  the  disciples'  faith  was  now.  3.  Genuine  faith,  however 
weak,  will  benefit  by  its  own  failures.  This  was  the  case  with  regard  to  the  disciples. 
Their  faith  never  gave  way  afterwards.  4.  The  partial  failure  of  genuine  faith  often 
culminates  in  a  most  glorious  triumph.  Genuine  faith  seldom  sank  lower  than  in  the 
case  of  the  disciples  here,  but  certainly  never  rose  higher  in  heroism  and  victory  than 
in  their  after-life.  5.  Although  genuine  faith  may  sometimes  leave  Jesus,  he  never  leaves 
genuine  faith.  Hence  its  ultimate  triumph.  In  his  first  disciples  he  nursed  faith  with 
the  patience  and  tenderness  of  a  mother,  and  in  its  greatest  weakness  and  shame  cast 
on  it  a  teuder  look  of  love.  Faith  can  only  live  on  Divine  love.  And  although  he  set 
the  highest  mark  before  his  disciples,  and  ever  encouraged  and  inspired  them  on  to  it, 
yet  he  was  most  sympathetic  with  their  failings,  and  ever  treated  them  as  human. 
And  so  successful  was  bis  tuition,  that  eleven  out  of  twelve  passed  with  honours,  and 
the  only  failure  was  the  son  of  perdition.  This  is  the  greatest  encouragement  to  the 
weakest  faith  in  him. — B.  T. 

Ver.  32. —  Christ  alone,  and  not  alone.     Notice — 

I.  Christ  alone.  "Shall  leave  me  alone."  Through  the  great  tragedy  which 
followed,  of  which  Gethsemane  was  but  a  short  prelude,  and  of  which  the  visible  was 
but  a  small  part,  Christ,  as  far  as  this  world  was  concerned,  was  alone.  1.  lie  tvas 
socially  alone.  He  could  really  say,  "And  of  the  people  there  was  none  with  me." 
The  world  was  against  him,  and  even  the  existing  Church  was  against  him,  its  chief 
magnates  being  the  ringleaders  in  his  crucifixion.  And,  more  than  all,  he  was  alone 
as  to  the  adherence  of  his  most  faithful  followers,  which  he  might  naturally  expect  and 
would  so  much  appreciate.  At  this  very  time  one  of  them  was  in  the  city  betraying 
him  to  his  most  inveterate  foes ;  another  was  about  to  deny  him  in  the  most  determined 
manner;  all  were  about  to  leave  him  in  terror.  So  that  from  Gethsemane  to  the  cross 
he  was  socially  alone — alone  amidst  such  a  vast  throng  of  men.  2.  He  was  mentally 
alone.  He  was  ever  so.  Even  when  his  disciples  were  with  him,  his  mental  conceptions 
towered  above  them ;  they  could  not  understand  his  thoughts,  comprehend  fully  his 
mission  in  the  world,  nor  grasp  the  meaning  of  his  life  and  death.  The  Baptist,  who 
hitherto  had  the  highest  conception  of  him  when  he  exclaimed,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of 
God!"  was  gone,  and  even  the  few  glimpses  which  his  disciples  caught  of  his  scheme 
were  now  extinguished.  His  mind  had  no  associate,  and  there  was  no  mental  reciprocity 
between  him  and  any  human  being.  He  stood  in  the  world  of  thought  the  lonely  Thinker. 
3.  He  was  spiritually  alone.  He  was  the  only  sinless  Being  in  the  world,  and  there 
was  not  a  single  soul  in  full  spiritual  harmony  with  his.     His  disciples  still  clung  to 


330  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvi.  1—33. 

the  idea  of  a  tcmi>oral  kingdom.  Peter  manifested  his  sympathy  in  a  clumsy  attempt 
to  fight  his  foes  with  a  sword,  which  was  to  liim  a  greater  insult  than  help.  And  even 
the  wail  of  the  tender-hearted  women  at  the  cross  was  misapplied,  lacked  spiritual 
virtue,  and  did  not  rhyme  with  the  agonizing  wail  of  his  soul  for  sin.  In  the  yearnings 
and  struggles  of  bis  holy  nature,  and  the  spiritual  conceptions  and  purposes  of  his  heart, 
he  stood  the  lonely  King  and  Saviour.  4.  To  a  great  extent  he  was  necessarily  alone. 
In  a  great  portion  of  his  work  no  one  could  help.  He  drank  a  cup  of  which  no  one 
could  drink  a  drop,  and  carried  a  burden  of  which  no  one  could  carry  an  atom — the  cup 
of  our  curse  and  the  burden  of  our  sin.  When  making  an  atonement,  satisfying  justice 
and  honouring  Law,  and  manifesting  Divine  love  in  sacrifice,  he  was  necessarily  alone. 
He  fought  the  powers  of  darkness,  vanquished  death  and  the  prince  of  this  woild  in  a 
single  combat.  He  trod  the  wine-press  alone.  No  one  could  help  him,  and  he  did  not 
expect  it.  But  he  expected  the  allegiance  of  his  friends.  But  even  this  was  denied  him 
for  a  time,  not  for  want  of  genuine  love,  but  for  want  of  intelligent  and  courageous 
laith  and  self-sacrificing  adherence  and  spiritual  discernment.  He  does  not  complain 
of  this  ;  still,  he  keenly  felt  it,  and  it  pained  him.  What  pain  was  it?  (1)  The  pam  of 
perfect  and  tender  sociality  at  being  alone.  To  be  left  alone  would  not  affect  an  unsocial 
lieiTnit,  a  cold  misanthrope ;  such  would  be  in  their  element.  But  Jesus  was  the  most 
social  of  beings ;  he  would  associate  with  the  poor,  and  would  appreciate  the  least  kind- 
ness. The  desertion  of  friends  would  specially  pain  such  a  nature.  (2)  The  pain  of 
perfect  humanity  in  the  total  absence  of  genuine  sympathy  in  suffering.  It  is  not  more 
natural  for  the  thirsty  flower  to  look  to  heaven  for  its  dew  than  for  man  to  look  to  his 
friend  for  sympathy  in  suffering.  But  this  was  denied  Jesus.  When  he  cried, "  I  thirst," 
there  was  only  the  rough  and  unsympathetic  hand  of  a  foreigner  to  give  him  a  sip  of 
drink.  (3)  'I'he  pain  luhich  perfect  benevolence  feels  at  ingratitude,  fie  felt  this  with 
regard  to  the  nation,  and  with  regard  to  hundreds  in  that  crowd  whom  he  had  personally 
benefited,  and  all  of  whom  he  had  sought  to  benefit ;  but  especially  with  regard  to  his 
disciples,  whom  he  had  loved,  and  loved  to  the  end.  But  they  deserted  him  while  fighting 
their  battle  and  the  battle  of  the  world.  (4)  The  pain  of  an  absolutely  pure  and  loving 
being  at  the  terrible  and  universal  sinfulness  and  selfishness  which  his  loneliness  indicated. 
He  was  face  to  face  with  this  as  he  was  never  before.  From  it  there  was  not  so  much 
as  a  weak  discii^le  to  shelter  him.  "Everyman  to  his  own,"  and  he  alone  for  all. 
(5)  The  joam  of  perfect  sympathy  with  the  weakness  of  friends.  He  loved  tliem  still. 
Hence  the  special  pain  caused  by  their  desertion.  The  betrayal  of  Judas  was  to  him 
more  poignant  than  the  nails  of  steel,  the  denial  of  Peter  keener  than  the  spear  of  the 
Roman,  and  the  flight  of  his  friends  more  painful  than  all  the  cruel  treatment  of 
his  foes. 

II.  Christ  not  alone.  "  Yet  1  am  not  alone,  because  the  Father,"  etc.  He  had 
the  fellowship  of  his  Father,  1.  This  fellowship  was  essential.  Being  one  in  nature 
and  essence,  nothing  could  separate  him  from  this.  It  was  one  of  the  special  and 
essential  privileges  of  nature  and  relationship.  2.  This  fellowship  was  deserved,  and 
hestoived  upon  him  as  a  Divine  favour  for  his  perfect  obedience.  It  was  not  interrupted 
by  his  incarnation,  but  fully  enjoyed  by  him  in  human  nature  and  under  human 
conditions.  It  was  the  reward  of  his  voluntary  sacrifice  and  his  perfection  as  a 
Mediator  and  tlie  Author  of  eternal  salvation.  He  did  nothing  to  forfeit  it,  but  every- 
thing to  deserve  and  secure  it  in  the  fullest  measure.  3.  This  fellowship  ivas  continuous 
and  unbroken.  It  is  not  "  The  Father  was,"  or  "  will  be,"  but  "  is  with  me  " — with  me 
now  and  always.  He  was  fully  conscious  of  his  Father's  cheering  and  smiling  presence 
in  every  emotion  he  felt,  every  thought  he  conceived,  every  word  he  uttered,  every 
purpose  he  executed,  every  act  he  performed,  and  in  every  suffering  he  bore.  His 
whole  life  was  such  a  manifestation  of  his  Father's  character  and  love,  such  an  execu- 
tion of  his  will  and  purposes,  that  he  was  ever  conscious  of  his  loving  and  approving 
fellowship.  It  is  true  that  at  that  darkest  moment  on  the  cross  he  exclaimed,  "  My 
God,  my  God,"  etc. — the  full  meaning  of  which  we  probably  can  never  know.  When 
drinking  the  very  dregs  of  the  cup  of  our  curse,  he  could  not  describe  his  experience 
better  than  by  saying  that  he  felt  as  if  the  Father  had  for  a  moment  hid  his  face  from 
him.  But  he  was  still  conscious  of  his  fellowship,  addressed  him  as  his  God,  and  soon 
committed  his  Spirit  unto  his  loving  care.  4,  This  fellowship  ivas  to  him  now  specially 
sweet  and  precious.    It  was  ever  precious,  but  specially  so  now.     He  could  not  bear 


cii.  XVI.  1—33.]     THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  «31 


the  opposition  of  foes,  and  especially  the  desertion  of  friends,  were  it  not  for  the 
continued  fellowship  of  the  P'ather.  And  who  can  render  such  help  and  solace  in  tho 
hour  of  trial  as  an  able  and  a  kind  father?  Jesus,  the  most  lonely  of  human  bcin^^s, 
especially  now,  was  yet  not  alone;  deserted  by  the  best  human  fellowship,  he  still* 
enjoyed  the  Divine,  and  the  human  desertion  made  the  Divine  all  the  more  precious  and 
sweet.  This  was  his  support  in  trial,  his  light  in  darkness,  and  his  safety  from  utter 
loneliness.     He  enjoyed  the  best  and  Divinest  society. 

Lessons.  1.  There  was  one  thing  vMch  neither  friends  nor  foes  could  do  to  Jesus, 
viz.  deprive  him  of  Divine  feUoicship.  From  the  greatest  human  loneliness  he  could 
say,  "I  am  not  alone,  because  the  Father  is  with  me."  Neither  earth  nor  hell  can 
interfere  with  Divine  fellowship  with  regard  to  Jesus  or  believers.  2.  We  should  not 
he  disaj^pointed  or  despair  if  in  the  hour  of  trial  we  are  deserted  hy  the  best  of  friends. 
Think  of  Jesus.  3.  True  fellowship  ivith  the  Father  hy  faith  in  Christ  can  only  2)rese)-ve 
us  from  utter  loneliness.  We  can  bear  every  loneliness  but  that  in  relation  to  our 
Father.  4.  When  deserted  by  friends  and  by  all,  Ood  comes  nearest  to  «s.  The  least 
of  man  the  most  of  God,  often ;  furthest  from  earth  the  nearest  to  heaven.  5.  The 
fellowship  of  the  Father  will  more  than  compensate  for  all  the  desertions  of  earth.  One 
day  in  his  courts  is  better  than  a  thousand.  6.  Let  us  cultivate  thefelloivship  of  Christ, 
especially  in  his  loneliness,  then  we  shall  enjoy  with  him  the  fellowship)  of  his  Father. 
Let  us  prepare  for  human  desertions,  for  they  will  certainly  come  ;  but  let  them  cume 
upon  us  in  the  best  society — that  of  the  Father.  To  be  left  alone  by  him  is  tho  most 
horrible  loneliness,  but  his  fellowship  will  be  sufficient  in  all  circumstances,  even  in 
death  itself.— B.  T. 

Ver.  33. — In  Clirist  and  in  the  tvorld.    Notice — 

I.  That  the  Christian  in  the  present  state  is  both  in  the  world  and  in 
Chbist.  1.  He  is  in  the  tvorld.  (1)  He  is  in  the  Tnaterial  world.  In  virtue  of  his 
connection  with  the  material  world  he  is  a  man,  and  in  it  he  finds  the  present  essential 
sources  and  elements  of  his  physical  life.  (2)  He  is  in  the  social  world.  He  is  a 
member  of  society,  and  subject  to  its  various  laws,  arrangements,  relationships,  and 
obligations.  He  eats  his  bread  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow.  (3)  He  is  in  the  wicked 
world.  We  mean  that  he  lives  among  wicked  men  ;  for  the  world  in  itself  is  good  and 
beautiful,  but  there  are  in  it  many  wicked  inhabitants.  As  a  subject,  he  may  have  a 
tyrannical  sovereign.  As  a  citizen,  he  may  have  oppressive  and  persecuting  laws,  which 
interfere  with  his  rights  as  a  man  and  as  a  Christian.  As  a  member  of  a  Church,  he 
may  have  more  than  one  Judas  to  deal  \vith.  The  world  is  full  of  ignorance,  carnality, 
selfishness,  pride,  hypocrisy,  bigotry,  and  intolerance.  He  may  have  to  do  with  men 
who  deem  it  a  sacred  duty  and  a  Divine  service  to  take  away  his  life.  2.  He  is  also  in 
Christ.  He  is  united  by  faith  to  him.  As  his  physical  life  is  in  the  world,  his  spiritual 
life  is  in  Christ.  (1)  As  to  its  source  and  authorship.  (2)  As  to  its  support.  (3)  As 
to  its  Example  and  Model.  (4)  As  to  its  continuance  and  safety.  (5)  As  to  lis  present 
and  final  end.  He  is  in  Christ,  and  Christ  is  in  him.  But  although  he  is  the  world, 
the  world  is  not  in  him.  lie  is  a  mere  pilgrim  in  the  world ;  his  home  is  in  Christ. 
3.  He  is  in  the  world  and  in  Christ  at  the  same  time.  He  is  a  member  of  society  and  a 
member  of  Christ ;  a  citizen  of  earth  and  a  citizen  of  heaven  ;  the  subject  of  an  earthly 
sovereign  and  a  loyal  subject  of  the  King  of  kings ;  carries  on  business  in  this  world 
and  in  another;  deals  with  different  men  and  perhaps  different  nations,  and  deals  with 
angels  and  God  ;  his  feet  walk  this  earth,  and  his  conversation  is  in  heaven  at  the  same 
time.  He  is  two,  and  yet  one.  He  has  physical  and  spiritual  life,  human  and  Divine 
nature,  and  has  to  do  with  two  different  spheres  at  the  si\me  moment.  4.  lie  was  in 
the  world  bffore  he  was  in  Christ,  not,perhaj>s,  in  all  its  relationships,  hut  he  was  certainly 
in  the  wiched  wf/rld,  and  the  wicked  world  to  a  inore  or  less  extent  in  him.  From  the 
world  are  all  those  who  are  in  Christ.  Some  of  them  were  about  to  i)as8  out  of  the 
world  when  they  passed  b}'  faith  into  Christ.  A  second  birth  prisuppuses  a  first,  and 
the  first  is  a  birth  into  the  world,  and  the  second  into  Christ.  5.  He  will  be  in  Christ 
after  he  has  Uft  the  world.  If  the  world  had  him  first,  Christ  will  have  him  last. 
The  world  will  soon  expel  him,  but  Christ  never.  The  world  shall  ultimately  pasa 
away,  but  Christ  shall  remain.  The  world  shall  vanish,  that  Christ  and  all  in  him  may 
appear  and  enjoy  each  other  all  the  more.      The  Christian  was  burn  into  tho  world 


332  THE  GOSPEL  ACCOKDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvi.  1— 33. 

soon  to  die,  but  born  into  Christ  to  live  for  ever.  When  lost  from  the  world  he  will 
be  found  still  in  Christ.  His  connection  with  the  world  is  temporal,  but  bis  connection 
with  Christ  is  eternal.  The  requirements  of  physicil  life  will  soon  be  at  an  end,  but 
those  of  spiritual  life  are  coeval  with  the  life  of  Christ  himself.  Circumstances  will 
inevitably  break  our  connection  with  this  world ;  but  "  who  shall  separate  us  from  the 
love  of  Christ?  "etc. 

II.  That  which  the  Christian  has  in  the  world  is  very  different  from 
WHAT  he  has  in  Christ.  1.  He  has  tribulation  in  the  world.  Not  in  the  material 
world.  This  is  as  kind  to  him,  and  perhaps  more  so,  than  to  any.  The  material  world 
has  ere  this  been  rather  partial  to  the  Christian,  This  is  very  natural.  He  is  on  the 
side  of  and  friendly  with  its  Author,  Proprietor,  and  Ruler,  and  has  special  capacities  to 
really  appropriate  and  enjoy  it.  The  world  in  which  he  has  tribulation  is  the  wicked, 
ignorant,  religious,  ecclesiastical,  bigoted,  and  intolerant  world.  This  is  the  world 
which  worried  the  patriarchs,  killed  the  prophets,  martyred  the  apostles,  and  persecuted 
and  butchered  believers  through  many  ages.  And  the  wicked  world  is  still  full  of  the 
genius  of  tribulation.  2.  He  has  peace  in  Christ.  There  is  no  peace  in  the  world ;  there 
is  no  tribulation  in  Christ,  but  unmixed  peace.  One  of  his  names  is  the  Prince  ot 
Peace,  and  the  motto  of  his  kingdom  is  "  Peace  on  earth,  and  good  will."  He  is  the 
Author,  Medium,  and  Supporter  of  Divine  peace  to  all  connected  with  him  by  faith. 
3.  He  has  tribulation  in  the  world  because  he  has  peace  in  Christ.  (1)  The  passage 
between  the  world  and  Christ  is  rough.  In  a  sense  it  is  but  a  narrow  sea,  but  the 
hostile  world  and  its  prince  from  within  and  without  manage  to  make  it  generally 
stormy.  Many  have  commenced  the  voyage  and  almost  reached  the  shore,  but  were 
swept  back  by  the  storm.  That  young  man  who  came  to  Christ  asking,  "What  must 
I  do,"  etc.,  almost  had  reached  "  the  Rock  of  aaes,"  but  was  dashed  back  by  an  awful 
wave  of  worldliness,  and  was  disheartened.  (2)  The  passage  through  the  luorld  in  Christ 
is  rough.  He  is  safe  in  Christ,  but  cannot  reach  the  desired  haven  without  storms  and 
hurricanes.  If  a  man  is  in  Christ,  he  must  steer  through  the  same  course,  and,  if  so, 
must  go  through  tribulation,  shame,  persecution,  and  perhaps  martyrdom.  Whoever 
has  invariably  fine  weather  on  the  Christian  voyage  may  well  question  whether  he  is  in 
the  right  vessel  and  in  the  right  course.  For  "  through  much  tribulation  ye  must,"  etc. 
Some  may  fare  better  than  others,  but  it  is  ever  true  that  "  whoever  will  live  godly  in 
Christ  Jesus  shall  suffer  persecution."  The  nearer  to  Jesus  the  greater  the  tribulation  of 
the  world.  4.  Tlie  Christian  has  peace  in  Christ  because  he  has  tribulation  in  the  world. 
Those  who  have  the  world's  frowns  have  Jesus'  smiles.  At  every  point  the  world  troubles 
Jesus  has  provided  special  peace.  At  every  stage  of  the  voyage  there  is  a  harbour  of 
refuge,  and  at  every  port  there  is  a  "  Sailors'  Home."  When  persecuted  in  Christ  we  can 
bless  our  persecutors;  when  misjudged  by  a  selfish  world  we  can  well  wait  in  him  for 
the  day  of  revelation  and  redress.  When  the  Christian  has  most  tribulation  in  the 
world  then  he  has  m(5st  peace  in  Christ — then  he  needs  and  is  driven  for  it.  It  was 
never  so  dark  with  Stephen  as  when  under  that  terrible  shower  of  stones ;  but  it  was 
never  so  bright  between  him  and  above, — then  he  saw  heaven  opened,  and  the  "  Son  of 
man,"  etc.  When  Paul  and  Silas  were  in  chains  in  the  world,  then  they  sang  in 
Christ.  When  the  world  banished  the  beloved  disciple,  then  he  was  received  into 
Christ's  inner  court  of  revelation  and  peace. 

III.  That  all  which  Christ  said  and  did  on  earth  was  in  order  that 
HIS  peace  should  outweigh  the  tribulation  of  the  world.  "  These  things," 
etc.  Notice  :  1.  What  he  said  as  a  source  of  peace.  (1)  He  foretold  the  tribulation  of 
the  world.  He  faithfully  drew  the  map  of  their  pilgrimage,  and  indicated  their  suffer- 
ings in  red  lines  and  marks.  No  tribulation,  however  severe,  could  take  them  by 
surprise.  And  to  be  forewarned  is  to  be  forearmed.  (2)  He  explained  to  them  its 
nature,  degree,  causes,  and  effects,  and  how  to  behave  in  it.  He  describes  the  tribulation 
as  only  limited  and  temporary,  and,  under  his  gracious  direction  and  influence,  sanctifying 
and  spiritually  advantageous.  It  is  a  tonic  to  the  soul,  a  furnace  to  purify,  a  storm  to 
blow  them  from  the  material  to  the  spiritual,  and  ultimately  from  a  foreign  and  hostile 
land  to  their  peaceful  home.  (3)  He  pointed  them  to  an  infinite  Source  of  comfort. 
"  That  in  me  ye  may,"  etc.  Himself  as  a  Source  of  peace,  he  describes  as  never  failing, 
ever  near,  and  most  communicative  and  satisfying.  The  cruellest  storms  of  tribulation 
can  only  drive  the  Christian  nearer  to  the  Source  of  peace,  and  its  last  wave  can  only 


CH.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  333 

cast  him  on  the  shores  of  the  pacific  ocean  of  endless  life  and  love.  Every  word  of 
Christ,  especially  his  last  words,  is  a  pipe  through  which  the  oil  of  peace  flows  to  the 
believing  heart,  and  a  golden  pitcher  with  which  to  draw  water  from  the  wells  of 
salvation.  2.  What  he  did  as  a  Sowce  of  comfort.  "  I  have  overcome  the  world." 
This  is  a  source  of  something  more  than  peace.  It  is  a  source  of  joy.  "  Be  of  good 
cheer,"  etc.  What  good  cheer  is  this?  (I)  I'he  good  cheer  of  a  complete  victory  over 
the  greatest  foe.  The  wicked  world  is  the  greatest  foe  of  God  and  man.  Christ  over- 
came it  completely  in  all  its  corrupt  elements  and  forces,  temptations  and  destructive- 
ness,  including  its  prince.  He  gained  a  complete  victory  over  the  great  empire  of  evil. 
The  world  was  the  champion  before  Christ  appeared,  but  he  is  the  Champion  now. 
His  followers  have  only  a  conquered  foe  to  fight.  (2)  The  good  cheer  of  a  complete 
victory  ever  the  world  for  us.  It  certainly  would  be  some  source  of  comfort  in  fighting 
the  wicked  world  to  know  that  it  had  been  conquered  at  all,  but  this  comfort  rises  into 
a  cheer  when  we  know  that  it  has  been  conquered  for  us.  This  Christ  did  :  (a)  As  our 
Substitute.  He  fought  and  conquered  for  us.  This  is  self-evident.  He  was  infinitely 
above  the  world,  and  would  be  eternally  happy  apart  from  our  destiny ;  but  in  his  love 
he  took  up  our  cause,  (b)  As  our  Example.  In  our  nature  and  in  our  circumstances, 
tempted  in  all  things  as  we  are,  but  without  sin,  he  has  shown  us  in  his  own  life 
that  there  is  something  in  us  that  is  superior  to  the  wcn-ld,  superior  to  sufl'ering  and 
death ;  that  we  can  live  a  spiritual  life  independent  of  this,  and  can  conquer  every 
element  opposing  our  progress.  He  conquered  the  world  to  show  us  the  way  to  conquer 
it  ourselves,  (c)  As  our  Inspiration.  All  he  said,  and  especially  what  he  did,  cheers  us 
in  the  battle.  (3)  The  good  cheer  of  a  certain  victory  in  and  through  him.  "  I  have 
overcome  the  world,"  and  it  is  unquestionably  understood,  "you  will  also  overcome  in 
me."  Those  who  fight  the  world  in  him,  his  presence  is  theirs,  his  substitution  is 
'.neirs,  his  example  is  theirs,  his  good  cheer  is  theirs,  and  his  conquest  will  be  theirs. 
He  throws  all  he  said,  and  did,  and  does,  and  will  do  into  the  balance  on  their  side,  and 
the  result  will  be  certain  victory  over  the  world. 

Lessons.  1.  The  great  difficulty  of  a  Christian  life  is  to  live  in  the  world  and  in 
Christ  at  the  same  time.  It  would  be  easy  to  live  in  the  world  in  complete  agreement 
with  it,  and  it  would  be  easy  to  live  in  heaven  as  a  perfect  saint ;  but  to  live  in  the 
world  and  in  Christ  means  a  conflict  with  the  former,  and  it  is  the  difficulty  totriunii)h. 
2.  This  is  alone  possible  by  vital  union  with  him.  In  him  alone  there  is  peace,  and 
through  him  alone  there  is  victory.  3.  Then  the  certainty  of  victory  depends  entirely 
upon  our  union  with  him.  There  is  a  great  danger  of  misappropriating  the  greatest 
truths.  "  I  have  overcome  the  world."  This  may  be  developed  into  a  delusive  con- 
fidence ;  still  it  is  highly  intended  to  cheer  the  weakest  but  honest  faith.  Let  the 
practical  side  of  his  substitution  inspire  us  to  make  an  honest  effort  in  our  spiritual 
conflict  with  the  world;  and  let  its  meritorious,  vicarious,  and  gracious  side  keep  us 
from  despair,  even  in  our  failures,  but  even  down  under  the  foe's  feet  let  us  cling  and 
look  to  Christ,  ever  remembering  the  infinite  possibilities  of  his  complete  victory  for  us, 
and,  if  we  fail,  we  will  fail  in  faith  in  him,  and  not  in  victory  over  the  world  in  him. — B.  T. 

Ver.  14. — The  Christ  glorified  by  the  Spirit.  "  He  shall  glorify  me :  for  he  shall  receive 
of  mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto  you."  Thus  our  Lord  siuns  up  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  within  the  Church.  He  had  just  said  that  the  Comforter  is  not  to  come  as  it 
were  on  an  isolated  and  independent  mission.  "  He  shall  not  speak  of  himself."  For, 
though  he  is  another  Comforter,  he  is  not  a  second  Mediator  between  God  and  man. 
He  is  not  a  second  Redeemer,  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King.  No  ;  there  is  but  one  Name 
under  heaven  given  among  men  whereby  we  must  be  saved.  The  office  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  to  reveal  to  us  that  Name.  He  is  to  limit  himself,  if  we  may  so  speak,  to 
bearing  witness  concerning  Christ.  This  may  be  said  with  perfect  reverence.  Doubt- 
less to  the  infinite  Spirit  of  the  Eternal  all  secrets  of  creation  and  providence,  and  all 
the  most  hidden  things  of  the  Divine  counsels,  lie  open ;  they  are  all  his  own.  But 
mark!  it  is  not  to  reveal  these  that  he  comes  as  the  Church's  Comforter,  the  one 
economy  of  grace  that  is  the  sphere  of  his  mission,  the  one  mystery  of  godliness  that  he 
has  taken  upon  himself  to  disclose.  He  is  to  continue  Christ's  own  instructions.  He 
is  to  guide  the  disciples,  step  by  step,  "  into  all  the  truth,"  the  whole  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus. 


334  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xvi.  1—33. 

• 

T.  This  promise  was  laroely  fulfilled  in  the  ministry  of  the  apostles  them- 
selves AFTER  Pentecost.  They  kaew  all  the  facts  of  our  Lord's  history  already — his 
birth  of  a  virgin,  his  death  on  the  cross,  and  his  resurrection  and  ascension  into  glory. 
But  they  were  not  left  to  themselves  to  interpret  these  facts  and  explain  their  spiritual 
meaning.  Far  from  it ;  their  eyes  were  opened,  and  their  understandings  guided  from 
above.  They  and  the  Apostle  Paul,  who  was  ere  long  to  be  added  to  their  company, 
had  the  mighty  work  entrusted  to  them  of  explaining  to  all  ages  the  true  significance 
of  the  mission  of  Christ  in  the  flesh.  They  were  inspired  to  do  this.  A.  wisdom  not 
their  own  was  given  to  them.  They  were  no  longer  "  fools  and  slow  of  heart  to  believe 
all  that  the  prophets  had  spoken."  Formerly  they  had  been  like  children ;  now  they 
were  mm  of  full  age,  and  became  the  authoritative  heralds  and  expounders  of  the 
gospel.  Paul  was  fully  conscious  of  this  when  he  said,  "God,  who  commanded  the 
light  to  shine  out  of  darkness,  hath  shined  in  our  hearts,"  etc.  (2  Cor.  iv.  6).  It  is 
important  to  observe  the  order,  so  to  say,  of  the  Spirit's  revelations  concerning  Christ. 
The  great  outstanding  facts,  as  just  noted,  of  our  Lord's  manifestation  to  men  are  (1) 
his  incarnation ;  (2)  his  cross ;  (3)  his  crown.  It  is  around  these  that  all  the  doctrines 
of  the  faith  are  clustered ;  out  of  these  facts  they  may  be  said  to  grow.  From  the  very 
first — that  is  to  say  from  Pentecost — the  Holy  Spirit  bore  a  certain  witness  concerning 
them  all.  But  in  what  order  did  he  bring  them  into  prominence  ?  "Which  did  he  first 
show  forth  in  light  and  glory  to  the  eyes  of  men  ?  Plainly  it  was  not  the  birth  of 
Christ,  but  his  exaltation  to  the  right  hand  of  God.  This  was  the  great  and  urgent 
theme  of  Pentecost  and  of  the  days  which  immediately  followed  (see  the  Book  of  Acts). 
The  words  of  the  Apostle  Peter, "  God  hath  made  that  same  Jesus  whom  ye  have  cruci- 
fied both  Lord  and  Christ," — these  words  were  the  beginning  of  the  ministry  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  And  then,  as  time  went  on,  the  full  meaning  of  the  cross  was  unfolded, 
and'the  Apostle  Paul,  who,  above  all  things,  preached  Christ  crucified,  was  inspired  to 
declare  it  as  no  one  else  had  done.  And,  last  of  all,  the  deep  mystery  of  Christ's  incar- 
nation, how  "  the  Word  was  made  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us," — that  in  its  turn  was 
chiefly  explored  by  the  beloved  disciple  John.  Thus,  through  the  illumination  of  the 
same  Spirit,  the  crown  shed  its  light  upon  the  cross,  and  the  cross  and  the  crown  shed 
their  united  light  on  the  cradle.  The  ripe  fruit,  the  imperishable  record  of  all  this,  is 
to  be  found  in  the  Scriptures  of  the  New  Testament.  How  did  the  Spirit  of  truth 
glorify  Jesus  in  guiding  and  inspiring  their  human  authors !  What  a  revelation  do  they 
contain  of  the  Person  and  work,  the  mind  and  heart,  of  the  Holy  One,  never  to  be 
superseded  by  any  newer  Testament  so  long  as  the  world  lasts  I 

II.  This  promise  has  been  further  fulfilled  in  the  subsequent  history  and 
LIFE  OF  THE  Ohurch.  It  was  bv  no  means  exhausted  when  the  eye-witnesses  and  first 
ministers  of  the  Word  had  gone  to  their  rest,  leaving  behind  them  the  memory  of  their 
oral  teaching  and  the  Books  of  the  New  Testament.  So  far  from  this,  it  has  ever  been 
by  the  Spirit  of  truth  that  the  voice  of  Christ,  even  in  the  Scriptures,  has  continued  to 
be  audible  and  mighty,  and  that  his  presence  in  any  of  the  means  of  grace  has  been 
realized.  We  are  warned  that  the  letter  killeth  ;  and,  alas !  there  have  been  Churches 
whose  candlestick  has  been  removed  out  of  its  place.  But  in  each  living  Christian 
community  there  are  men  whose  lips  and  hearts  are  touched  by  fire  from  God's  altar, 
that  they  may  interpret  the  gospel  to  their  own  times  and  their  own  brethren.  Like 
householders,  they  bring  forth  out  of  their  treasures  things  new  and  old.  By  their 
spoken  words,  by  their  written  treatises,  perhaps  by  their  hymns  of  faith  and  hope, 
they  declare  afresh  to  those  around  them  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  In  irs 
essence  and  substance  their  message  is  still  the  same — "  That  which  was  from  the 
beginning ; "  in  its  form  and  expression  it  varies  with  the  aspects  of  providence  and  the 
problems  of  human  life.  In  Christ  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge, 
and  the  age  will  never  come  when  these  treasures  shall  be  exhausted,  or  the  Spirit's 
ministry  of  revelation  shall  cease.  "  The  world  will  come  to  an  end  when  Christianity 
shall  have  spoken  its  last  word"  (Vinet).  Great,  indeed,  is  the  responsibility  of  Chris- 
tian pastors  and  teachers,  called  as  they  are  to  be  fellow-workers  with  God.  The  means 
of  gi-ace,  the  lively  oracles,  are  committed  especially  to  their  trust.  It  is  theirs  to  trim 
the  lamps  of  life  in  a  dark  world ;  it  is  theirs  to  feed  the  flock  of  Christ,  to  stand  by 
the  wells  of  salvation  and  draw  water  for  every  one  that  is  athirst.  And  who  is  suffi- 
cient for  these  things?     But  it  is  the  Master's  work,  and  here  is  the  promise  which  ha 


CH.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  335 

has  given  for  the  encouragement  of  all  his  servants.     Light  and  power  from  on  high 
are  assured  by  it,  and  God  will  give  his  Spirit  to  them  tliat  ask  him. 

111.  This  promise  is  constantly  fulfilled  in  all  true  Chuistian  experience; 
for  ill  the  case  of  each  individual  believer  the  Holy  Spirit  takes  of  the  things  of  Christ, 
and  shows  them  to  his  soul.  It  is  no  doubt  true  that  the  gospel  record  is  the  common 
pro{>erty  of  all  mankind,  and  that  any  man  in  the  mere  exercise  of  his  natural  intelli- 
gence can  see  clearly  enough  how  the  great  doctrines  of  the  faith  are  founded  on  the 
record,  and  grow  out  of  it.  And  thus,  in  point  of  fact,  there  are  thousands  who  look 
upon  Christ  as  a  great  historical  Teacher,  and  content  themselves  with  making  what 
we  may  call  an  intellectual  study  of  his  own  words  and  those  of  his  apostles.  But  his 
true  disciples  go  further,  much  further  than  this.  How  shall  we  express  the  thoughts 
of  their  hearts  about  Christ  ?  May  we  not  say  that  these  correspond  to  his  own  words, 
"Behold,  I  am  alive  for  evermore ;"  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  to  the  end  of 
the  world  "  ?  They  think  of  him  not  as  a  Being  separated  from  them  by  eighteen  long 
centuries  of  time,  but  as  One  who  is  really,  though  spiritually,  present  with  them,  at 
once  human  and  Divine.  They  habitually  rejoice  in  his  exaltation  as  "  Lord  of  all." 
They  feel  a  present  peace  in  the  blood  of  his  cross.  They  bow  before  the  mystery  of 
his  taking  on  him  our  nature.  Ilis  authority  over  them  is  supreme,  and  altogether 
welcome.  His  example  is  ever  immeasurabl}'  in  advance  of  them,  though  they  humbly 
seek  to  follow  it;  and  his  words  are  like  no  other  words — spirit  and  life  to  their  hearts. 
And  we  may  say  that  these  feelings  and  convictions  of  Christ's  disciples  are  altogether 
reasonable — that  is  to  say,  they  are  entirely  in  accordance  with  the  supernatural  fact 
that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God.  But  whence  came  these  convictions?  Whence  their 
depth  and  their  permanence  and  their  power  ?  There  is  but  one  explanation,  and  we 
find  it  in  the  promise  before  us :  "  The  Spirit  of  truth  shall  receive  of  mine,"  etc. 
Kot  that  he  brings  any  fresh  tidings  from  the  invisible  world  concerning  Christ,  or 
adds  a  single  fact  or  truth  to  what  the  Scriptures  contain  ;  but  to  those  who  resist  not 
his  teaching  he  manifests  what  is  already  known  in  its  reality  and  glory.  He  opens 
their  eyes,  i)urges  their  vision,  sweeps  away  the  veil  that  comes  between  them  and  their 
Lord.  And  it  is  ever  the  same  Christ  that  the  Spirit  of  truth  reveals  to  the  soul  of 
man;  and  yet  under  his  teaching  what  room  there  is  for  variety  and  progress  of  spiritual 
apprehension !  The  same  sun  puts  on  a  different  glory  every  hour  of  the  longest  day. 
His  light  is  as  various  as  the  lands  on  which  he  shines ;  and  so  it  is  with  Christ,  our 
unchanging  Sun  of  Righteousness — himself  "the  same  yesterday,  and  to-day,  and  for 
ever."  He  has  an  aspect  for  every  period  of  life,  and  for  all  life's  great  vicissitudes,  to 
those  who  believe.  In  childhood  he  may  chiefly  appear  as  a  gentle  Shepherd,  in  youth 
as  an  earnest  Counsellor,  in  manhood  as  a  mighty  King,  and  in  the  evening  of  life, 
when  its  battles  are  well-nigh  over,  and  its  companions  scattered,  as  a  faithful,  never- 
dying  Friend.  What  is  the  result  of  this  teaching  of  the  Spirit  of  truth?  Under  his 
illumination  the  soul  cannot  remain  unchanged.  It  is  true  that  here  below  Christians 
see  through  a  glass  darkly — not  yet  face  to  face.  Still,  amid  all  the  imperfections  of 
the  life  of  faith,  what  they  do  see  of  the  glory  of  Christ  makes  them  see  all  things  in  a 
new  light,  and  judge  all  things  by  a  new  standard.  The  world  cannot  be  to  them  what 
it  was  before,  for  their  horizon  widens  out  far  beyond  its  frontiers.  Self  can  no  longer 
be  their  idol,  for  they  have  become  conscious  of  a  Presence  which  raises  them  above 
themselves.  In  their  own  measure  and  degree  "they  have  the  mind  of  Christ."  Grandly 
and  powerfully  does  the  Apostle  Paul  describe  the  ultimate  effect  of  the  Spirit's  teach- 
ing ;  "  We  all,  with  open  face  beholding  as  in  a  mirror  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  are 
changed,"  etc.  (2  Cor.  iii.  18). 

IV.  In  conclusion,  who  shall  put  bounds  or  limits  to  the  fulfilment  of  this 
PROMISE  in  the  future?  We  know  that  men  shall  be  blessed  in  Christ,  and  all 
nations  shall  call  him  blessed.  On  this  earth,  where  he  was  despised  and  rejected,  he  is 
yet  to  be  crowned  with  glory  and  honour  from  the  rising  to  the  setting  sun.  Human 
life  in  all  its  departments  is  to  be  gladdened  by  his  presence,  inspired  by  his  example, 
moulded  by  his  will.  Through  what  means,  or  after  what  convulsions  or  shakings  of 
the  nations,  this  is  to  be  brought  about  we  cannot  tell ;  but  it  will  not  be  by  human 
might  or  jwwer,  but  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Holy  One,  that  the  grand  result  will  be 
achieved.  It  is  written  that  "  he  will  destroy  in  this  mountain  the  face  of  the  covering 
cast  over  all  people,  and  the  veil  that  is  spread  over  all  nations ;  "  and  when  that  veil 


336  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvi.  1— 33. 

is  rent  from  the  top  to  the  bottom,  then  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  revealed,  and 
all  flesh  shall  see  it  together. — G.  B. 

"Ver.  1. — Concerned  for  the  stumhling-blocks.  The  disciples  of  Jesus  evidently  enter- 
tained many  expectations  which,  though  plausible  and  excusable  enough,  were  not 
reasonable ;  and  hence  inevitably,  sooner  or  later,  there  must  be  a  crushing  collapse  of 
their  hopes.  Indeed,  the  sooner  such  a  collapse  came  the  better.  Terrible  and  over- 
whelming was  the  experience,  but  it  was  brief;  and  once  over,  it  did  not  return.  And 
all  the  while  we  can  see  that  Jesus  had  these  experiences  constantly  in  mind. 

I.  The  figure  here  employed.  Jesus  would  speak  words  of  such  a  kind  as  that, 
by  attending  to  them,  the  disciples  would  escape  offence.  The  allusion  is  to  something 
coming  in  our  way  which  may  cause  us  to  stumble,  perhaps  to  fall.  This  agrees  with 
the  whole  spirit  of  the  discourse,  in  which  Jesus  again  and  again  speaks  of  his  disciples 
as  making  progress  in  a  particular  way.  And  what  Jesus  wants  is  to  take  out  of  the  way 
all  difficulties  coming  from  wrong  notions  and  expectations.  We  all  have  difficulties 
enough  in  our  Christian  life,  what  we  may  call  external  difficulties,  without  adding  to 
them  difficulties  of  our  own  making.  And  surely  in  that  same  spirit  Jesus  deals  with 
us  still.  He  seeks  to  spare  us  the  stumbling-blocks.  Others  may  have  stumbled,  but 
that  is  no  reason  why  we  should  stumble  too.  And  just  as  we  put  up  signals  of  ail 
sorts  to  catch  eye  and  ear  in  dangerous  places,  so  Jesus  does  the  same.  If  any  one  has 
to  do  with  guarding  against  the  main  dangers  that  beset  human  life,  surely  it  is  he 
who  is  eminently  called  the  Saviour.  He  who  leaves  the  ninety  and  nine  to  bring  back 
the  wanderer  will  take  all  possible  means  to  keep  him  from  wandering  again. 

IT.  Tue  effect  of  such  an  intimation  on  our  minds.  1.  A  continuous  feeling  oj 
self -distrust.  We  must  never  forget  how  easy  it  is  to  go  wrong.  The  longer  we  live 
the  more  reason  we  have  for  distrusting  ourselves.  We  need  a  wisdom,  a  foresight,  a 
largeness  and  depth  of  view,  altogether  beyond  our  own.  Our  hesitating,  vacillating 
actions  come  often  just  because  we  listen  too  entirely  to  the  suggestions  and  prophecies 
coming  out  of  our  own  hearts.  Our  natural  boldness  and  our  natural  fearfulness  are 
equally  without  reason.  We  must  not  listen  too  readily  either  to  the  suggestions  of  self 
or  the  suggestions  of  others.  Be  warned  by  the  experiences  of  these  first  disciples.  All 
their  notions  had  to  be  upset,  all  their  dearest  fancies  dissipated,  before  they  could  get 
at  the  truth.  2.  A  continuous  regard  to  Jesus.  Jesus  must  be  ever  in  the  foreground 
if  self  is  to  be  ever  in  the  background.  Stumbling  begins  the  moment  the  hand  of 
Jesus  is  let  go.  We  are  but  of  yesterday,  and  know  nothing ;  Jesus  is  of  eternity, 
and  knows  everything.  He  who  seeks  to  sweep  all  stumbling-blocks  out  of  our  way 
never  stumbled  himself.  We  can  only  take  a  step  at  a  time,  and  it  must  be  just 
where  Jesus  tells  us  to  plant  it.  That  is  the  secret  of  safe  progress,  and  progress  always 
in  the  right  direction. — Y. 

Ver.  7. — Absent  in  the  body,  present  by  the  Spirit.  I.  The  need  of  a  strong 
ASSERTION.  Jesus  says,  "  I  tell  you  the  truth."  Jesus  never  says  anything  but  the 
truth,  and  yet  we  can  see  here  clearly  what  need  there  was  for  the  most  solemn  and 
emphatic  mode  of  statement.  For  what  an  antecedent  improbability  there  was  that 
his  absence  could  ever  be  better  than  his  presence !  For  him  to  vanish  from  the  natural 
sight  of  his  disciples  might  well  be  reckoned  the  greatest  of  calamities,  until  actual  and 
abundant  experience  showed  it  to  be  one  of  the  greatest  of  blessings.  Jesus  had  to 
make  it  clear  that  he  meant  exactly  what  he  said,  nothing  else  and  nothing  less.  Until 
v/e  become  wiser,  it  is  *he  natural,  the  inevitable  view  that  to  lose  what  we  can  see  is 
a  loss  never  to  be  made  up  from  some  unseen  source.  Not  without  reason  did  these 
disciples  set  value  on  the  incarnate  life  of  Jesus. 

II.  Look  at  the  assertion  in  the  light  of  historical  confirmation.  It  is  clear 
to  us,  looking  at  all  the  facts  in  their  connections,  that  the  departure  of  Jesus  was  an 
advantage  to  the  disciples.  If  we  had  been  numbered  among  them  we  should  have 
said  beforehand,  "Impossible  !  "  And  now  looking  back  on  all  in  the  light  of  history, 
it  is  plain  that  what  caused  at  the  time  such  exquisite  grief  opened  wide  the  door  to 
joys  and  blessings  unspeakable.  It  is  also  plain  what  a  boon  the  death  of  Jesus  was 
to  himselt,  delivering  him,  as  it  did,  from  all  further  exposure  to  pain  of  body  and  grief 
of  heart.    But  what  Jesus  would  ever  have  us  comprehend  is  how  his  departure  is  dis- 


CH.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  337 

tinctly  an  advantage  to  his  people.  He  wants  us  to  feel  how  much  better  the  spiritual 
is  than  the  natural ;  how  much  better  it  is  to  have  the  invisible  Jesus  doing  good  to  our 
inner  life  than  the  visible  Jesus  doing  good  to  our  outward  life.  If  ever  the  visible  is  to 
be  made  better,  it  will  be  through  the  invisible.  He  who  made  the  outside  made  the 
inside  also,  and  to  get  the  inside  thoroughly  pure  and  strong  is  the  only  way  to  make 
the  outside  the  same.  We  are  but  extending  the  great  principle  which  Jesus  laid 
before  Nicodemus,  when  we  say  that  flesh  can  only  minister  to  flesh,  spirit  only  to 
spirit.  Even  as  the  old  dispensation  was  preparatory  to  the  new,  so  the  manifestation 
of  Jesus  in  the  flesh  was  preparatory  to  the  manifestation  of  Jesus  in  the  spirit. 

III.  An  illustration  of  how  the  plans  of  Heaven  are  better  than  the 
WISHES  OF  earth.  Well  was  it  that  Jesus  did  not  leave  his  disciples  to  decide.  They 
would  all  have  said,  "  Stop  with  us  longer ;  "  but  who  of  them  could  have  said  how 
much  longer?  That  would  have  sent  their  thoughts  in  a  direction  by  no  means 
pleasant  to  follow  out.  If  Jesus  must  be  more  to  humanity  than  any  one  else  who 
ever  trod  the  earth  in  human  form,  it  can  only  be  by  having  a  diflerent  end  to  his  life 
and  a  different  result  of  it.  Fancy  Moses  or  Elijah  (those  two  names  which  are  so 
eminently  coupled  with  Jesus)  saying  that  it  was  expedient  for  the  people  they  had  to 
do  with  that  they  should  go  away.  When  we  consider  what  we  owe  to  the  Paraclete, 
when  we  consider  all  his  deep  and  abiding  ministries,  here  is  a  fresh  cause  of  profound 
thankfulness  to  Jesus  that  he  accepted  the  sufferings  of  death  that  the  Paraclete  might 
come.  The  Day  of  Pentecost  was  not  easily  achieved ;  other  days  had  to  go  before — 
the  day  when  he  sweat  as  it  were  great  drops  of  blood,  the  day  when  he  stood  among 
the  soldiers  with  the  thorny  crown,  and  was  afterwards  nailed  to  the  cross. — Y. 

Vers.  8 — 11. — Tlie  convicting  work  of  the  Spirit.  Here  surely  is  the  true  and  abidin<T 
blessing  for  those  who  labour  to  look  under  the  surface,  and  see  Jesus  dealing  with  the 
deep,  ancient,  and  malignant  causes  of  all  human  trouble.  Jesus  came  teaching,  pro- 
claiming the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  all  manner  of  disease  and  all  manner 
of  sickness.  The  blessing  of  his  incarnate  ministry  was  just  as  deep,  just  as  shallow, 
as  the  recipient  chose  to  make  it.  But  when  the  incarnate  Jesus  departs  to  make  room 
for  the  Paraclete,  the  work  must  be  deep,  or  practically  it  is  nothing.  You  shall  know 
the  Spirit's  blessing  only  as  you  accept  the  two-edged  sword  piercing  even  to  the 
dividing  of  soul  and  spirit,  and  joints  and  marrow,  and  discerning  the  thoughts  and 
intents  of  the  heart.  The  Spirit  can  only  bless  as  it  works  into  the  very  depths  of  the 
conscience  and  aS'ections. 

I.  Note  with  whom  the  Spirit  has  to  deal.  His  work  is  with  all  who  are  com- 
prised under  that  wondrous  and  frequent  word  in  this  Gospel,  "  the  world."  Elsewhere 
Jesus  speaks  of  the  world  hating  the  disciples.  But  that  very  world  which  hates  is  not 
merely  to  have  its  malignitits  warded  off;  its  hatred  must,  if  possible,  be  changed  to 
friendship,  its  opposition  must  give  way  to  support.  The  spirit  of  the  world  in  all  of 
us  is  to  be  beaten  down  and  starved  out  by  the  persuasions  of  a  nobler  S|)irit  ever 
striving  to  make  friends  with  the  conscience  within.  This  word  "  reprove,"  or  "convict," 
is  a  grand  word.  It  shows  us  what  noble  thoughts  God  has  of  us.  There  is  no  true 
submission  to  God  in  Jesus  unless  through  persuasion.  The  door  of  the  heart  must  ever 
be  opened  from  inside. 

II.  The  objects  of  his  convincing  work.  (1)  Sin;  (2)  righteousness;  (3)  judg- 
ment. The  connection  of  these  three  words  is  obvious.  The  presence  of  sin  is  the 
absence  of  righteousness,  and  vice  versa.  And  the  possibility  of  sin  and  the  possibility 
of  righteousness  mean  the  coming  of  a  judgment  which  shall  settle  with  authority 
whether  sin  has  overcome  righteousness  or  righteousness  overcome  sin.  The  Spirit 
comes,  making  it  clear  to  men  what  is  the  deep,  underlying  cause  of  all  human  unrest 
and  weariness.  The  work  of  conviction  as  to  sin,  righteousness,  and  judgment  all  goes 
on  together.  It  is,  of  course,  not  so  much  an  appeal  to  the  intellect,  though  the  intellect 
cannot  be  left  out  of  the  operation.  The  process  is  one  in  which  there  goes  on  contem- 
poraneously a  revelation  of  self  and  a  revelation  of  Jesus.  Old  words  have  to  be  emptied 
of  old,  insufficient  meanings.  When  the  Holy  Spirit  brings  the  word  "  sin,"  he  brings  no 
new  word.  The  old  covenant  was  full  of  it,  the  thoughts  of  men  were  full  of  it,  but  as 
of  something  which  could  be  easily  put  away  by  the  blood  of  some  slain  animal.  The 
Holy  Spirit  makes  us  ask  the  question  why  we  are  so  different  from  Jesus.    The  image 

JOHN— II.  ft 


338  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvi.  1—33. 

of  Jes'.is  to  our  understandings  should  always  be  a  rebuking  image,  filling  us  with  a 
deep  sense,  in  no  way  to  be  removed  by  mere  lapse  of  time,  of  our  shortcomings  and 
pollutions.  The  greatest  miracle  about  Jesus  is  his  pure  and  perfect  character,  and  the 
more  intense  becomes  our  desire  after  likeness  to  him  in  this  respect  the  more  it  is 
evident  that  the  convicting  work  of  the  Spirit  is  going  on  in  us.  Ever  the  humbler  we 
become  at  the  sight  of  ourselves,  the  more  hopeful  shall  we  become  at  the  sight  of  Jesns. 
For,  as  Jesus  goes  on  to  say  in  a  sentence  or  two  later,  the  Spirit's  work  is  not  only  a 
revelation,  but  a  guidance. — Y. 

Ver.  13. — How  to  get  at  the  fulness  of  truth.  Jesus  said,  "  I  am  the  Truth."  Hence 
it  is  just  the  thing  to  be  expected  that  he  should  talk  again  and  again  concerning  the 
blessing  to  men  which  is  so  bound  up  with  his  being.  The  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  must 
become  truth  in  us.  What  glorious  aims  he  has  with  respect  to  his  friends  !  He  wants 
us  to  master  the  whole  truth  of  what  every  human  being  ought  to  experience.  We  cannot 
look  ahead  to  the  fulness,  but  Jesus  can.  He  sees  the  end  toward  which  we  are  to  be 
guided,  and  he  points  out  the  Guide.  He  cannot  do  things  all  in  a  hurry,  in  grace,  any 
more  than  in  nature. 

I.  Look  at  the  possibility  here  set  before  us.  We  may  be  led  into  the  whole 
truth.  He  wants  us  thoroughly  to  know  the  fulness  of  which  we  already  know  the  part. 
What  we  need  above  everything,  and  what  is  quite  possible  if  only  we  choose  to  make 
it  possible,  is  to  get  the  full  benefit  meant  to  come  to  every  human  being  from  the 
entrance  ot  Jesus  into  the  world.  We  are  already  better  off  in  an  indirect  way.  But 
indirect  benefit  must  always  be  superficial  benefit.  Jesus,  having  great  expectations 
for  us,  wants  us  also  to  have  great  expectations  for  ourselves ;  expectations  going  out 
after  the  true  crown  and  glory  of  humanity.  Our  own  wish  surely  ought  to  be  to  know 
all  a  human  being  can  know  about  this  wondrous  Jesus,  and  have  all  the  transactions 
with  him  that  a  human  being  can. 

II.  The  way  in  which  this  whole  truth  is  to  be  gained.  1.  There  is  the  signi- 
ficant word  about  being  guided.  We  may  be  among  those  taking  things  just  as  they 
come,  following  our  own  inclination  when  we  can,  and,  when  we  cannot,  submitting  to 
necessity ;  or  we  may  be  distinctly  conscious  that  we  are  led — led  as  by  one  in  authority, 
whom  we  feel  that  we  ought  to  follow.  In  lesser  things  it  makes  all  the  difference 
whether  we  are  led  or  not  led.  The  child  left  to  grow  up  pretty  much  as  it  likes,  with- 
out any  attempt  to  guide  it  and  put  something  like  order  into  its  life,  is  sure  to  suffer. 
We  always  gain  in  being  led  by  those  who  are  competent  to  lead.  Those  whom  we  call 
pioneers,  who  seem  to  have  found  out  a  way  for  themselves,  have  often  been  under  some 
overmastering  impulse  which  has  really  amounted  to  a  leading.  And  if  the  loss  of 
leading  be  so  serious  a  loss  in  lower,  visible  affairs,  what  must  it  be  in  dealing  with  the 
unseen  and  eternal !  2.  The  Guide  is  pointed  out. ,  The  Spirit  of  the  truth  will  lead  us 
into  the  whole  truth.  The  process  is  a  gradual,  persuasive,  and  certain  one.  The  Spirit 
of  Jesus  did  for  these  disciples  what  Jesus  in  the  flesh  was  never  able  to  do.  The 
Resurrection  came  to  lift  the  obscuring  film  from  their  eyes.  Their  thoughts  were  sent 
into  a  new  channel.  The  ordinary  objects  of  human  ambition  became  very  paltry  and 
worthless.  What  a  difference  between  the  Peter  of  the  Gospels  and  the  Peter  of  the 
First  Epistle !  These  men  were  actually  guided  into  a  firm  and  satisfying  grasp  of  the 
whole  truth  ;  and  we  want  the  same.  We  want  a  power  all-sufficient  to  guide  our 
feelings  and  behaviour  every  day  of  life.  The  influence  of  the  unseen  and  eternal 
must  swallow  up  the  influence  of  the  seen  and  temporal.  And  this  is  all  secured 
by  submitting  to  the  leadership  and  absolute  disposition  of  the  Spirit  promised  by 
Jesus. — Y. 

Ver.  24. — The  ground  of  successful  prayer.  The  presence  of  the  Lord  Jesus  in  the 
land  of  his  sojourn  during  his  incarnate  life  made  a  great  difference  to  many  dwellers  in 
that  land.  It  made  a  great  deal  of  difference  in  point  of  resource  and  hope  to  all  suffer- 
ing from  afflicted  bodies.  And  thus  also  Jesus  brought  a  great  change  in  the  region  of 
religious  need  and  duty.  He  did  not  come  into  the  midst  of  a  land  all  unused  to  prayer. 
The  quality  of  the  prayer  may  have  been  very  defective,  but  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt 
that  the  quantity  would  be  great.  And  now  Jesus  comes  to  make  a  difference,  an 
abiding  difference,  in  prayer.     To  pray  with  a  knowledge  of  Jesus  in  our  minds,  and 


CH.  XVI.  1—33.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  339 

yet  withont  the  constant  thought  of  him  mingling  in  every  element  of  the  prayer,  is 
really  not  to  pray  at  all. 

I.  Observe  exactly  what  Jesus  here  speaks  about.  He  is  dealing  with  a  part 
of  prayer — the  petitionary  part,  the  part  where  need  should  be  deeply  felt  and  clearly 
expressed.  And  yet,  after  all,  in  what  part  of  prayer  can  the  sense  of  need  be  absent  ? 
For  instance,  it  will  not  be  pretended  that  it  is  an  easy  thing  to  give  adequate  utter- 
ance to  adoration.  As  we  go  on  in  the  spiritual  life,  wc  shall  more  and  more  feel  that 
bU  true  prayer,  from  the  very  beginning  to  the  end,  has  asking  lying  under  it.  Though 
there  be  not  always  petitionary  lorm,  there  will  be  petitionary  reality.  The  spiritual 
man  is  not  one  whit  less  needy  than  the  natural  man.  The  further  he  advances,  the 
more  do  his  own  needs  and  the  needs  of  the  world  press  upon  him.  Left  to  himself,  he 
is  very  likely  to  become  confused  among  a  multitude  of  perplexing  thoughts.  Now, 
here  is  a  recommendation  and  promise  of  Jesus  which  most  assuredly  will  simplify  and 
concentrate  prayer. 

IL  "What  it  is  to  pray  in  the  Name  of  Jesus.  No  particular  name  can  be  said 
here  to  be  meant.  All  the  names  are  needed,  and  even  then  there  is  not  enough  to 
indicate  the  fulness  of  the  person  named.  We  must  get  underneath  names  to  things. 
Asking  in  the  Name  of  Jesus  means  fundamentally  asking  in  connection  with  him. 
Think  of  yourself  habitually  as  the  servant  of  Jesus,  bound  to  attend  to  his  interests, 
bound  to  consult  his  wishes,  bound  to  carry  out  his  purposes,  and  then  you  will  get 
wonderful  light  as  to  what  things  you  should  pray  for,  and  wonderful  help  in  making 
them  really  subjects  of  prayer.  A  banker  honours  immediately  all  cheques  that  a 
servant  presents  signed  by  his  master.  The  self-willed  and  the  self-indulgent  cannot 
truly  pray  ;  their  cry  may  be  genuine  and  intense  enough  ;  but  it  is  only  the  cry  of  exas- 
peration and  disappointment.  No  prayer  is  worth  the  breath  it  is  uttered  with  that 
leaves  the  Lordship  of  Jesus  out  of  the  question. 

in.  There  must  be  a  real  connection  with  Jesus.  It  will  never  do  to  go  by  our 
own  notions  of  what  Jesus  wants.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  unwittingly  presenting 
forged  cheques  at  the  bank  of  heaven.  Each  of  us  must  be  like  a  hand  of  the  living 
Jesus,  in  immediate  and  flexible  connection  with  his  will.  We  must  be  really  at  his 
disposal,  ready  and  ready  ever  for  the  doing  of  his  will  and  his  will  only.  There  must 
come  a  time  in  the  history  of  the  heart  when  everything  less  than  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus  will  fail  to  command  us. — Y. 

Ver.  32. — The  loneliness  of  Jesus.  I.  A  premature  boast.  Faith  is  necessary,  faith 
is  possible  ;  but  a  deep-rooted  faith  that  shall  itself  be  trustworthy  is  not  easy.  Jesus 
knew  that  in  due  time  he  would  have  full  power  over  the  devotion  of  his  disciples,  but 
their  hearts  had  yet  to  be  won  from  that  fear  of  the  world  which  bringeth  a  snare.  A 
faith  that  shall  be  superior  to  all  conceivable  temptations  must  be  the  result  of  much 
humble  and  patient  watchfulness.  It  is  for  Jesus  rather  than  for  us  to  say  when  true 
faith  is  attained.  Faith  must  show  itself  by  its  fruits.  Not  he  that  commendeth  him- 
self is  commended,  but  whom  Jesus  commends. 

II.  How  THE  LONELINESS  OF  Jesus  COMES  ABOUT.  By  the  departure  of  those  who 
professed  to  be  his  own.  It  is  plain  that  as  yet  there  had  been  no  real  Kotvwvta.  There 
had  been  outward  companionship  ;  service  of  a  certain  sort ;  generous  intentions ;  but 
the  disciples  had  not  yet  entered  into  the  aims  of  Jesus;  and  directly  their  lives  seemed 
to  be  in  peril,  they  showed  how  fragile  was  the  bond  that  united  them  to  him.  They 
showed  that  they  could  not  believe  in  Jesus  whatever  happened.  As  long  as  Jesus  bade 
a  calm  defiance  to  the  worst  plots  of  the  Jews,  as  long  as  he  escaped  out  of  their  hands, 
as  long  as  he  went  on  adding  one  wondrous  deed  to  another,  they  seemed  to  believe. 
But  when  the  hour  and  power  of  darkness  came  they  lost  at  once  what  little  presence 
of  mind  they  ever  had.  Hence  we  see  that  the  loneliness  of  Jesus  did  not  begin  with 
that  hour  when  his  disciples  forsook  him  and  fled.  No  one  ever  knew  more  of  what  it 
is  to  be  alone  in  a  crowd  than  Jesus  did.  With  regard  to  many,  the  solitude  is  simply 
that  of  the  stranger  ;  in  proportion  as  they  become  acquainted  with  others,  the  solitude 
passes  away.  But  the  more  Jesus  mingled  with  men,  the  lonelier  in  a  certain  sense  he 
became.  The  nearer  they  drew  to  him,  the  plainer  it  became  what  an  immense  change 
must  take  place  in  them  before  they  could  look  on  all  things  just  as  he  looked  at  them. 
He  said  he  was  like  the  seed,  abiding  alone  till  it  is  planted  in  the  ground.     But  the 


340 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvii.  1—26. 


seed  cannot  feel,  and  Jesus  had  to  know  the  loneliness  that  conies  from  having  higher 
aims  than  all  round  about  him.     Moses  and  Elijah  had  the  same  feeling. 

III.  The  loneliness  was  only  relative.  In  one  sense  Jesus  did  not  know  near 
so  much  of  loneliness  as  John  the  Baptist.  He  was  a  great  deal  in  society ;  he,  the 
loneliest  of  beings,  was  also,  after  a  fashion,  the  least  lonely.  Jesus  always  had  One 
with  him  whom  the  world  knew  not,  whom  his  own  disciples  knew  not.  Jesus  con- 
tinually carried  about  with  him  the  essentials  of  heaven.  When  men  showed  themselves 
furthest  from  him,  God  was  nearest.  The  wide  gulf  that  separated  Jesus  from  even  his 
closest  companions  was  well  made  manifest,  for  so  it  was  also  made  manifest  that  he 
had  resources  far  beyond  any  that  human  intercourse  could  supply.  Jesus  meant  his 
disciples  not  to  reflect  too  hardly  on  themselves  when  they  came  to  look  back  on  their 
leaving  him  alone.  They  were  but  showing  the  weakness  Jesus  expected  them  to  show. 
It  is  well  for  us  that,  so  far  as  human  support  was  concerned,  we  should  see  Jesus  alone; 
for  so  it  becomes  clearer  and  clearer  to  us  that  through  those  hours  of  seemin?  solitude 
a  presence  gloriously  superhuman,  and  full  of  all  possible  strength  and  comfort,  must 
have  been  with  him. — Y, 


EXPOSITION. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Vers.  1 — 26.-4.  The  high-priestly  interces- 
sion. Audible  communion  of  the  Son  with  the 
Father.  The  prayer  which  now  follows  re- 
veals, in  the  loftiest  and  sublimest  form,  the 
Divine  humanity  of  the  Son  of  man,  and  the 
fact  that,  in  the  consciousness  of  Jesus  as  the 
veritable  Christ  of  God,  there  was  actually 
blended  the  union  of  the  Divine  and  human, 
and  a  perfect  exercise  of  the  prerogatives  of 
both.  The  illimitable  task  which  writers 
of  the  second  century  must  have  set  them- 
selves to  accomplish,  if  they  had  by  some 
unknown  process  conceived  such  a  stupen- 
dous idea  without  any  historical  basis  to 
support  it,  has  actually  been  so  effected, 
that  a  representation  is  given  which  ade- 
quately conveys  such  a  synthesis.  The 
author  of  the  Gospel  does,  however,  draw 
rather  upon  his  memory  of  that  night  than 
upon  his  philosophical  imagination  for  a 
passage  which  surpasses  all  literature  in  its 
setting. forth  the  identity  of  being  and  power 
and  love  in  the  twofold  personality  of  the 
God-Man.  "We  are  brought  by  it  to  the 
mercy-seat,  into  the  heaven  of  heavens,  to 
the  very  heart  of  God ;  and  we  find  there  a 
presentation  of  the  most  mysterious  and 
incomprehensible  love  to  the  human  race, 
embodied  in  the  Person,  enshrined  in  the 
words,  of  the  only  begotten  Son.  It  need 
not  perplex  those  who  believe  that  we  have 
the  words  of  Jesus,  that  this  prayer  of  sublime 
victory  and  glorious  promise  should  be  fol- 
lowed by  the  agony  and  the  bloody  sweat  of 


Gethsemane,  where  the  glorification  of  the 
Son  of  man  passed  into  the  advanced  stage 
of  his  willing  and  perfect  surrender  to  the 
Supreme  Will.  Hengstenberg  finds  explana- 
tion of  John's  silence  touching  that  agony 
in  the  supplemental  character  of  the  Gos- 
pel, which  does  not  repeat  a  description 
of  a  scene  already  familiar  to  all  readers 
of  the  synoptic  narrative.  This  may  ac- 
count for  the  mere  form  of  the  record,  but 
does  it  meet  the  perplexity  that  arises  as  to 
whether  the  scene  of  Gethsemane  could 
possibly  follow  John's  narrative?  Is  not 
such  a  conception  incompatible  altogether 
with  the  cry,  "  If  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup 
pass  from  me  "  ?  Our  answer  is  a  reference 
to  ch.  xii.  27,  where  there  is  the  exact 
counterpart  of  the  scene  in  the  garden.  Nor 
is  a  mysterious  troubling  of  the  Redeemer's 
soul  elsewhere  absent  from  the  Johannine 
narrative.  At  the  grave  of  Lazarus,  as  well 
as  when  the  Greeks  wrung  from  his  lips  the 
cry,  "  Father,  save  me  from  this  hour,"  fol- 
lowed by  "  Father,  glorify  thy  Name,"  we 
have  the  blending  of  an  utterly  indescribable 
affliction  with  a  triumphant  acceptance  by 
him  of  the  Divine  purpose  of  his  mission 
and  the  will  of  his  Father.  Throughout 
these  discourses  he  is  meditating  his  de- 
parture with  all  its  accompanying  grief  and 
agony.  He  describes  the  way  he  is  about  to 
take  as  one  which  would  be  like  the  travail- 
pang  of  a  new  humanity;  but  in  his  capacity 
of  living  in  the  light  of  the  Father's  will, 
he  treats  the  whole  mystery  of  the  cross, 
the  grave,  the  resurrection,  the  ascension,  aa 


CH.  XVII.  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


341 


abeady  achieved.  Throughout  this  prayer 
he  regards  the  work  as  finished,  and  the 
new  order  of  things  as  already  existent. 
Thus  he  had  prayed  for  Lazarus  and  for 
his  restoration  from  the  grave,  and  he  knew 
then  that  Gpd  heard  him ;  but  still  he  wept, 
and,  groaning  within  himself,  came  to  the»se- 
pulchre.  It  should  also  be  remembered  tliat 
(ch.  xiv.  30)  he  had  expressly  said  that  lie 
was  then  about  to  encounter  the  prince  of 
this  world.  The  perfect  humanity  of  Jesus, 
on  which  John  continually  insists,  does  en- 
tirely justify  the  rapid  changes  of  mood  and 
the  vehemence  of  the  emotions  which  were  in 
their  conflict  issuing  in  sublime  courage  and 
perfect  peace.  The  scliool  of  Kenan,  Strauss, 
and  others,  following  the  lead  of  Bret- 
schneider,  see  insuperable  difiiculties,  because 
they  have  an  idea  of  Christ's  Person  which 
would  render  it  inconceivable  and  incredible 
(eee  Introduction,  p.  cvi.). 

Vers.  1 — 5. — (1)  With  reference  to  himself. 

Ver.  1. — Jesus  spake  these  things;  i.e.  the 
discourse  which  precedes,  and  then  turned 
from  his  disciples  to  the  Father.  The  place 
where  the  prayer  was  offered  is  compara- 
tively unimportant,  yet  it  must  have  been 
uttered  somewhere.  It  has  been  well  sug- 
gested that  the  Lord,  with  the  disciples, 
sought  the  comparative  quiet  of  the  Father's 
house,  and  in  some  of  the  courts  of  the 
temple,  within  sight  of  the  golden  gate  with 
its  mighty  vine,  had  enacted  all  that  is 
recorded  in  ch.  xv. — xvii.  This  does  not 
inter.'ere  with  the  idea  that  the  starry  sky 
was  visible  to  them,  and  that  from  some 
portion  of  the  temple-courts  our  Lord  should 
have  lifted  his  eyes  to  heaven;  for  the 
heavens  are  the  perpetual  symbol  of  the 
majesty  of  God,  and  show  that  side  on  which, 
by  instinctive  recognition  of  the  fact,  men 
may  and  do  look  out  upon  the  intinite  and 
theetermil.  And  having'  lifted  up  his  eyes  to 
heaven — or,  lifting  (Revised  Version)  up  his 
eyes  to  heaven — he  said,  in  a  voice  which  the 
wondering,  believing,  and  troubled  disciples 
might  hear  (see  ver.  13),  and  from  which 
they  were  intended  to  learn  much  of  the 
relation  between  their  Lord  and  the  eternal 
Father.  There  is  a  twofold  division  of  the 
prayer :  From  vers.  1 — 5  he  offers  prayer  for 
himself,  but  in  special  relation  to  his  own 

'  The  reading  itrdpai  instead  of  iirripe,  and 
the  omission  of  Kai  before  fltrev,  is  preferred 
by  Tischendorf,  Mever,  Westcott  and  Hort, 
the  R.T.  on  the  authority  of  X,  B,  C,  D,  L, 
X.  numerous  cursives,  Italic,  Vulgate,  and 
Coptic 


power  over  and  his  own  grace  to  the  children 
of  men ;  from  vers.  6 — 19  he  contemplates  the 
special  interests  of  his  disciples,  in  their 
present  forlorn  condition,  in  their  work, 
conflict,  and  ultimate  triumph;  from  vers. 
19 — 2G  he  prays  for  the  whole  Church, 
(a)  for  its  unity,  (6)  for  its  expansion,  (c)  its 
glory.  "  For  himself  he  has  little  to  ask 
(vers.  1 — 5),  but  as  soon  as  his  word  takes 
the  form  of  intercession  for  his  own  (vers. 
6 — 26),  it  becomes  an  irresistible  stream  of 
the  most  fervent  love.  Sentence  rushes  upon 
sentence  with  wonderful  power,  yet  the 
repose  is  never  disturbed  "  (Ewald).  Father; 
not  "my  Father,"  nor  "our  Father,"  the 
prayer  given  to  his  disciples,  nor  "  my  God  " 
as  afterwards  upon  the  cross ;  nor  was  it 
the  customary  address  to  "  God  "  of  either 
Pharisee  or  publican;  but  it  recalls  the 
"  Abba,  Father  "  of  the  garden,  which  passed 
thence  into  the  experience  of  the  Church 
(Rom.  viii.  15 ;  Gal.  iv.  6).  The  hour  which 
has  so  often  presented  itself  as  inevitable, 
but  which  so  often  has  receded,  and  which 
even  now  delays  its  full  realization  (ch.  ii., 
vii.,  xii.,  xiii.)  as  part  of  a  Divine  plan  con- 
cerning him,  the  hour  of  the  fiery  baptism, 
of  the  solemn  departure,  of  the  conflict  with 
the  prince  of  tliis  world,  and  of  complete 
acceptance  of  the  Father's  will,  has  come ; 
glorify  thy  Son,  that  (thy*)  the  Son  may 
(also  ')  glorify  thee.  Lift  thy  Son  into  the 
glory  which  thou  hast  prepared,  that  the 
Son  whom  thou  hast  sanctified  and  sent  into 
the  world  may  glorify  thee.  It  is  very 
noticeable  that  he  speaks  of  himself  in  the 
third  person.  This  is  justified  by  the  fact 
that  he  here  conspicuously  rises  out  of  him- 
self into  the  consciousness  of  God,  and  loses 
himself  in  the  Father.  The  glorification  of 
the  Son  is  first  of  all  by  death  issuing  in  life. 
He  was  crowned  with  glory  in  order  that  he 
might  taste  death  for  every  man.  The  con- 
flict, the  victorious  combat  with  death,  was 
the  beginning  of  his  glory.  In  taking  upon 
himself  all  the  burden  of  human  sorrow,  and 
exhausting  the  poison  of  the  sting  of  death, 
he  would  "glorify  God"  (cf.  ch.  xxi.  19). 
This  does  not  exhaust  the  meaning,  but  the 
further  forms  and  elements  of  his  glory  are 
referred  to  afterwards. 

Ver.  2.— Even  as  thou  gavest  him  authority 
— an  indefeasible  claim  of  inflmnce  and  inti- 
mate organic  relations  with  humanity — over 
all  flesh.  [This  phrase  answers  to  (col  bosor) 
the  Old  Testament  term  for  the  whole  of  hu- 
manity, the  entire  race,  and  is  one  adopttsd 
by  New  Testament  writers  (Matt.  xxiv.  22 ; 
Luke  iii.  6  ;  1  Cor.  i.  29 ;  Gal.  ii.  16).]     This 

'  The  second  (tov  and  Kai  are  omitted  by 
theR.T.,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  etc.,  on  the 
authority  of  K,  B,  C,  47,  64.  Godet  urges  the 
retention  of  the  /coi. 


342 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  x\ai.  1—26. 


authority  was  implied  in  his  incarnation  and 
sacrifice,  and  in  the  recapitulation  of  all 
things  in  him.  St.  Paul  says,  "  Because  he 
tasted  death  for  every  man,  God  has  highly 
exalted  him,  and  given  him  the  Name  that  is 
above  every  name,"  etc.  These  opening 
words  reveal  the  universality  and  world-wide 
aspects  of  the  mission  and  authority  and 
saving  power  of  tiie  Son  of  God.  He  holds 
the  keys  of  the  kingdom  and  city  of  God. 
The  government  is  upon  his  shoulder. 
Through  him  all  the  nations  on  earth  are 
to  be  blessed.  But  the  dependence  of  "  all 
flesh  "  upon  a  Divine  gift  of  eternal  life 
through  him  is  no  less  conspicuous ;  hence 
the  hopelessness  of  human  nature  as  it  is 
and  apart  from  grace.  The  end  of  this 
glorification  of  the  Son  in  the  Father  is 
that,  in  the  exercise  of  this  authority,  he  may 
give  eternal  life  to  all  whom  thou  hast  given 
him.  The  construction  is  unusual,  and  lite- 
rally rendered  would  be,  that  with  reference  to 
the  whole  of  that  which  thou  hast  given  him, 
to  them  he  should  give  eternal  life.  The 
clause,  irav  '6  SeSooKas,  may  be  a  nominative 
or  accusative  absolute,  which,  by  the  defining 
avrols,  is  subsequently  resolved  into  indi- 
vidual elements.  The  redeemed  humanity 
of  all  time  has  been  given  to  the  incarnate 
Son,  and  is  undoubtedly  different  from  the 
(iroo-a  adpO  "  all  flesh "  of  tbe  previous 
clause,  but  it  is  further  explained  to  mean 
the  individual  men  and  women  who  receive 
from  him  eternal  life.  The  bestowment  of 
eternal  life  on  those  thus  given  to  him  is 
the  method  in  which  he  will  glorify  the 
Father  (see  notes  on  ch.  vi.  37,  where 
tlie  Father  is  said  to  draw  men  to  himself 
by  means  of  the  unveiling  of  his  own  true 
character  in  the  Son,  and  where  this  drawing 
is  seen  to  be  another  way  of  describing  the 
Father's  gift  to  the  Son).  Those  who  are 
given  to  Christ  are  those  who  are  drawn  by 
the  Father's  grace  to  see  his  perfect  self- 
revelation  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ,  of 
whom  Jesus  says,  "  I  will  by  no  means  cast 
them  out "  (ch.  vi.  37),  and  concerning  whom 
he  avers,  "  No  one  cometh  unto  the  Father 
but  by  me  "  (ch.  xiv.  6).  Zdri  aliivios,  life  eter- 
nal, is  frequently  described  as  his  gift.  From 
the  first  the  evangelist  has  regarded  (diTi  as 
the  inherent  and  inalienable  prerogative  of  the 
"  Logos,"  and  the  source  of  all  the  "  light " 
which  has  lighted  men.  This  "  life,"  which 
is  "  light,"  came  into  the  world  in  his  birth, 
and  became  the  head  of  a  new  humanity. 
It  is  clearly  more  than,  and  profoundly 
different  from,  the  principle  of  unending 
existence.  Life  is  more  than  perpetuity  of 
being,  and  eternity  is  not  endlessness,  nor 
is  "eternal  life"  a  mere  prolongation  of 
duration;  it  refers  rather  to  state  and 
quality  than  to  one  condition  of  that  state  ; 
it  is  the  negation  of  time  rather  than  in- 


definite or  infinite  prolongation  of  time- 
That  which  Christ  gives  to  those  who  believe 
in  him,  receive  him,  is  the  life  of  God  him- 
self. It  is  strongly  urged  by  many  that  this 
eternal  life  is  a  present  realizable  possession, 
that  he  that  hatli  the  Son  hath  life,  and  that 
we  are  to  disregard  the  future  in  the  con- 
scious enjoyment  of  this  blessedness;  but 
we  must  not  forget  that  our  Lord  obviously 
refers  the  life  eternal  to  the  future  in  Matt, 
xix.  29 ;  Mark  x.  30 ;  Luke  xviii.  30 ;  Matt. 
XXV.  46.  Nor  are  these  statements,  as  some 
have  said,  incompatible  with  the  representa- 
tions of  this  Gospel  (see  ch.  vi.  40,  54;  xi. 
25 ;  xii.  25).  The  aionian  blessedness  may 
have  a  partial  realization  here  and  now,  but 
not  till  our  vision  is  less  clouded  and  our 
perils  are  less  severe  shall  we  fully  ap- 
prehend it.  Nor  ia  this  inconsistent  with 
ver.  3. 

Ver.  3. — The  life  eternal,  of  which  Jesus 
has  just  spoken,  is  this  (cf.  for  construction, 
ch,  XV.  12;  1  John  iii.  11,  23;  v.  3),  that' 
they  might  know — should  come  to  know — 
thee,  the  only  veritable  God.  All  ideas  of 
God  whicii  deviate  from  or  fall  short  of 
"  the  Father  "  revealed  to  us  by  Christ,  are 
not  the  veritable  God,  and  the  knowledge 
of  them  is  not  life  eternal.  The  Father  is 
here  set  forth  as  the  fons  Deitatis.  Tliia 
does  not  exclude  "  the  Son,"  but  is  incon- 
ceivable without  him.  The  Fatherhood 
expresses  an  eternal  relation.  The  one  ele- 
ment involves  the  other  as  integral  to  itself : 
"I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  me." 
There  is  a  knowledge  of  the  Father  possible 
even  now.  "Henceforth,  he  has  said,  ye 
have  seen  him,  and  known  him; "  yet  not  till 
the  veil  is  lifted,  and  we  see  face  to  face, 
shall  we  know  as  we  are  known  (I  Cor.  xiii. 
12  ;  1  John  iii.  2),  shall  we  see  him  as  he  is. 
And  him  whom  then  didst  send,  Jesus  the 
Christ  (not  Jesus  to  be,  or  as  Christ,  but 
rather  '•  Jesus  the  Christ,"  as  the  expansion 
and  explanation  of  the  more  indefinite  term, 
"  him  whom  thou  didst  send  ").  Why  does 
our  Lord  add  to  this  expression  one  that  at 
first  sight  seems  so  incompatible  with  the 
idea  of  tliis  prayer  ?  It  has  led  so  carelul 
and  reverential  a  commentator  as  Westcott 
to  remove  the  difiiculty  by  supposing  that 
the  whole  verse  is  a  gloss  of  the  evangelist, 
expressing  the  sense  of  what  our  Lord  may 
have  uttered  at  greater  length.  We  are 
loth  to  admit  this  method  of  exegesis,  espe- 
cially as  the  sole  reasons  for  it  are  the  sup- 
posed strangeness  of  our  Lord's  here  using 
a  phrase  so  unaccustomed,  and  thus  giving 
himself  not  only  his  Personal  Name,  but 
his  own  official  title.  It  is  unusual.  The 
phrase  does  undoubtedly  belong  to  a  later 

'  "iva  here  has  the  defining  force  to  the 
predicate  avrij. 


CH.  XVII.  1—26.]    THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


843 


period  for  its  cnrrent  and  constant  use.  Yet 
it  must  not  be  forgotten  (1)  that  this  is  a 
unique  moment  in  his  carcor,  and  unique 
expressions  may  be  anticipated;  (2)  that  it 
was  calculated  to  strengtiien  liis  disciples, 
to  allow  them  to  hear  once  from  his  own  lips 
the  solemn  claim  to  Mcssiahsliip(seo  Godet); 
(3)  that  John  himstdf  at  once  adopted  it  as 
his  own  (Acts  iii.  6,  20;  1  J"hn  i.  3;  ii.  1, 
22;  iii.  22;  iv.  2,  3 ;  v.  1,  20;  Rev.  i.  1, 
2,  5) ;  moreover,  (4)  in  1  Jolin  v.  20  Jesus 
Christ  is  himself  lifted  up  into  the  region  of 
the  dXriOtvos,  and  the  apostle  adds,  "  This  is 
the  true  God,  and  eternal  life  "  (Hengsten- 
berg).  It  is  from  these  very  words  that  some 
critics  imagine  that  the  evangelist,  rather 
than  the  Lord  himself,  framed  the  clau>e ; 
(5)  yet  it  is  quite  as  rational  to  suppose  that 
the  words  uttered  by  Jesus  dwelt  like  a 
strain  of  sacred  music  in  tlie  memory  of  the 
apostle.  Moreover,  (6)  the  knowledge  of 
the  only  true  God  is  really  conditionated  by 
the  knowledge  of  him  wlio  was  indeed  the 
great  Revelation,  Organ,  and  Effluence  of  the 
Father's  glory.  The  fulness  of  this  know- 
ledge is  the  end  of  all  Christian  striving. 
Paul  said,  "  I  count  all  things  but  loss  for 
the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ 
Jesus  .  .  .  and  that  I  may  know  liim"  (Phil, 
iii.  10).  How  much  is  there  yet  to  know !  (7) 
Finally,  as  our  Lord  is  rising  more  and  more 
into  the  glory  of  an  utter  self-abandonment, 
and  into  the  glory  which  he  had  with  the 
Father  from  eternity,  the  human  nature 
which  he  still  inhabits  becomes  almost  an 
appendage  of  his  Divine  Personality,  and 
he  might  with  awful  significance,  when 
referring  to  the  object  of  human  faith  and 
knowledge,  say,  "Him  whom  thou  hast 
sent — Jesus  the  Christ"  Moreover,  on  any 
hypothesis  of  the  composition  or  framing  of 
an  intercessory  prayer  for  the  Logos  Christos 
to  utter,  there  is  an  equal  difficulty  in  the 
insertion  into  sucli  prayer  by  St.  John  of 
this  reference  to  himself  as  the  Christ.  The 
knowledge  of  the  Father  as  the  only  true 
God,  in  opposition  to  the  heatlien  traditions 
and  philosophical  speculations  of  the 
world,  coupled  with  a  corresponding  know- 
ledge of  the  only  adequate  expression  of 
the  Father's  heart  and  nature,  sent  forth 
from  him,  as  One  promised,  consecrated, 
and  empowered  to  represent  him,  is  life — 
eternal  life. 

Ver.  4. — He  continues  the  prayer  which 
he  is  offering  for  himself:  I  glorified  thee 
on  the  earth,  having  finished '    the  work 

'  TfKfiticras  is  preferred  by  Tregelles, 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Meyer,  Westcott 
and  Hort,  and  R.T.,  on  the  authority  of 
X,  A,  B,  C,  L,  and  1,  33,  43,  witli  numerous 
other  cursives  and  quotations,  to  irfKeiaxra 
of  T.R.,  which  rests  on  later  uncials  and 


which  thou  hast  given  me  to  do.  Many 
ex|>ositors  urge  a  proleptical  or  anticii>atory 
assertion  of  the  completion  of  his  earthly 
work,  as  though  tho  Passion  were  already 
over,  and  he  were  now  uttering  tlie  consum- 
viatum  e»t  of  the  cross.  This  is,  however, 
included  in  the  next  cla'nse.  The  night  lias 
come  when  the  earthly  ministry  is  at  an 
end.  The  Jesus  Christ,  whom  the  Father 
has  sent,  has  completed  his  task.  The 
whole  work  of  the  earthly  manifestation  of 
tlio  Word  was  at  an  end.  Suffering  remains, 
the  issues  of  the  conflict  with  evil  have  to 
be  encountered  ;  but  the  die  is  cast — the 
thing  is  done.  The  godly  life,  as  well  as 
the  atoning  death,  are  correlative  parts  of 
the  merits  and  work  of  Christ,  and  have 
gloritied  the  Father.  But  what  a  self- 
consciousness  beams  forth  in  these  simple 
words  1  St.  Paul,  on  the  verge  of  his  martyr- 
dom, in  tho  midst  of  the  horrors  of  the  Nero- 
nian  persecution,  exclaimed,  "I  have  fought 
a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course." 
But  our  Lord  is  unconscious  of  any  coming 
short  of  tlie  glory  of  God ;  and  he  even 
counts  on  higher  power  to  glorify  God  by 
returning  to  a  position  which  he  had  for  a 
while  vacated. 

Ver.  5. — And  now  {vvv) — the  very  point  of 
time  has  come — glorify  thou  me,  0  Father,  ex- 
plaining the  opening  of  the  prayer,  "Glorify 
thy  Son."  He  identifies  his  own  Person- 
ality— "  me  " — with  that  of  "  the  Son,"  and 
"thy  Son."  With  thy  own  self  (Trapo  (xtavTci); 
in  closest  connection  and  fellowship  with  thy- 
self— a  relation  which  has  been  arrested  or 
suspended  since  J  have  been  "Jesus  Christ," 
and  glorifying  thee  amid  the  toil  and  sorrow 
of  tliis  earthly  pilgrimage.  This  immediate 
glorification  of  the  Son  embraces  the  glory 
of  vicarious  death,  the  triumphant  resurrec- 
tion, the  mystery  of  ascension  in  the  strength 
of  his  human  memories  to  the  riglit  hand 
of  God  (ch.  xiii.  31,  32).  He  still  further 
defines  this  wondrous  prospect,  as  with  the 
glory  which  I  had  with  thee  before  the 
world  was — before  the  being  of  the  k6<tixos 
trapa  creavrcS  .  .  .  iropo  croi.  Tlapa  in  John 
represents  local  relationships  (see  ch.  i. 
40  ;  iv.  40 ;  xiv.  25 ;  Rev.  ii.  13)  or  intimate 
spiritual  associations  (ch.  xiv.  23).  So  our 
Lord  remembers  and  anticipates  a  "  glory 
with  the  Father."  That  which  ho  refers  to 
as  before  the  existence  of  the  world  has 
been  softened  down  by  Grotius,  Weltstein, 
Schleiermacher,  and  some  moderns  to  mean 
the  glory  of  the  Divine  thought  and  desti- 
nation concerning  him  ;  but  the  expression 
Trapd  croi  is  far  from  being  exhausted  by  such 
a  rendering.  He  wh<j  wrote  the  prologue  (ch. 
i.  2,  18)  meant  that,  as  the  Logos  had  been 

numerous  quotations  from  Cyril,  Basil,  and 

Athanasius. 


344 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvn.  1—26. 


Trphs  rhv  Qiov  and  tls  rhv  kSKitov  rod  XlarpSs, 
aud  at  a  special  epoch  "  became  flesh,"  the 
beamings  forth  of  his  glory  on  earth  were 
those  which  belonged  to  human  life,  to  the  form 
of  a  servant,  and  were  profoundly  different 
from  that  /itop^  0eoD  in  which  his  innermost 
eelf-consciousness,  the  centre  of  his  Person- 
ality, originally  dwelt.  And  now  he  seeks  to 
carry  this  new  appanage  of  his  Sonship,  this 
God-glorifying  humanity,  up  into  the  glory 
of  the  pre-existeut  majesty  (cf.  Phil.  ii.  9  ; 
1  Tim.  iii.  16;  Heb.i.  8, 13).  The  5o'|o  which 
was  visible  to  the  disciples  on  earth  (ch.  i. 
14)  was  glory  limited,  coloured,  conditioned, 
by  human  life  and  death  ;  but  so  complete 
was  the  Lord's  union  with  the  Logos,  that 
it  did  not  quench  his  memory  of  the  glory 
of  his  omnipresent,  eternal  Being,  nor 
his  remembrance  of  absolute  coexistence 
with  the  Father  before  all  worlds.  He 
would  lift  humanity  to  the  very  throne  of 
God  by  its  union  with  his  Person.  This 
stupendous  claim  both  as  to  the  past  and 
future  would  be  utterly  bewildering  if  it 
stood  alone ;  but  the  Old  Testament  has 
prepared  the  mind  of  the  disciples  for  this 
great  mystery  (Prov.  viii.  ;  Isa.  vi.).  The 
theophanies  generally,  and  ch.  viii.  25  and 
Heb.  i.,  with  numerous  other  passages,  sus- 
tain aud  corroborate  the  conception  that  the 
Logos  of  God  was  throughout  all  human 
hibtory  on  the  verge  of  manifestation  in  the 
flesh.  The  record  of  the  extraordinary 
God-consciousness  of  Jesus  does  transcend 
all  human  experience,  and  baffles  us  at 
every  turn  ;  but  the  human  consciousness  of 
Jesus  appears  gradually  to  have  come  into 
such  communion  with  the  Logos  who  had 
become  flesh  in  him,  that  he  thought  the 
veritable  thoughts  and  felt  the  emotions  of 
the  eternal  Gud  as  though  they  were  abso- 
lutely his  own.  In  addition  to  this  idea  of 
his  resumption  of  his  own  eternal  state, 
Lange  and  Moulton,  in  opposition  to  Meyer, 
lay  emphasis  on  the  answer  to  this  prayer, 
consisting  in  such  a  manifestation  of  the 
premundane  glory  in  his  flesh,  that  it  should 
perfectly  establish  the  relation  between  the 
glory  of  the  Father  before  all  worlds,  and 
the  glory  of  utter  and  complete  self-sacrifice 
for  the  redemption  of  the  world.  The  glory 
(jf  omnipotence  and  omnipresence  is  lost  in 
the  greater  glory  of  infinite  love.  Thus 
tlie  glory  which  he  had  with  the  Father 
would  be  best  seen  in  the  completion  of  his 
{ignny,  the  rereKiCTTai  of  the  cross. 

Vers.  6— 19.— (2)  The  prayer  for  his  dis- 
ciples. 

Vers.  6 — 8. — Here  the  Divine  Intercessor 
turns  from  himself,  and  from  the  approach- 
ing glory  of  his  own  mediatorial  Person  and 
position,  to  meditate,  for  the  ailvantage  of 
Ids  disciples,  on  what  liad  already  been  done 
for   them,   in  them,  to  them.     He   clothes 


these  meditations  in  the  form  of  a  direct 
address  to  the  eternal  God,  and  makes  the 
series  of  facts  on  which  he  dwells  the 
groundwork  of  the  prayer  which  follows  for 
his  disciples,  as  representative  of  all  who, 
like  them,  have  come  into  relations  with 
the  Father  through  him.  I  mamfested  thy 
Name  (((pavfpona-a  here  corresponds  to  iSd^aaa 
TfKeidcras  of  ver.  4.  The  force  of  <pav4poo>  is 
different  from  aTfoKaXvirTO)  or  ifi((>dvi(a> ;  see 
on  ch.  xiv.  21).  "I  poured  light  upon,  and 
thus  made  appreciable,  apprehensible,  thy 
Name."  This  Name  was  but  partially  and 
imperfectly  understood  before.  The  Name 
of  God,  the  compendium  of  all  his  excel- 
lences, the  essential  features  of  his  substan- 
tial Being  which  Christ  has  thus  illuminated, 
is  "the  Father."  "Whatsoever  is  made 
manifest  is  light."  This  light  is  the  eff'ul- 
gence  of  the  glory  of  the  Fatlier.  By  being 
and  living  on  earth  as  Son  of  the  Father, 
the  Father  was  revealed.  A  full  revelation 
of  the  Father  involves  and  is  involved  in 
a  manifestation  of  his  own  Sonship.  The 
relation  between  the  Father  and  the  Son  is 
one  of  infinite  complacency  and  mutual 
affection,  and  the  revelation  of  it  demon- 
strates the  fact  of  the  eternal  and  essential 
love  of  the  Divine  Being.  Thus  the  fact 
that  "  God  is  love  "  is  manifested  in  the  life 
of  the  Son  of  man,  who  was  in  himself  a 
revelation  of  the  Son — the  Son  of  God.  "  I 
manifested  thy  Name,"  said  Jesus — showing 
that  he  regarded  his  work  of  self-manifesta- 
tion and  God-revelation  as  virtually  complete 
— to  the  men  whom  thou  gavest '  me  (cf. 
here  ch.  vi.  44  and  x.  29).  The  Father's 
"  giving  "  of  the  sons  of  men  to  Christ  refers 
primarily  to  the  men  that  were  made  suscep- 
tible of  his  special  grace  and  revelations, 
who  in  seeing,  saw,  in  hearing,  heard,  who, 
being  drawn  by  inward  monitions  and 
Divine  grace,  and  verily  taught  of  God, 
came  to  Christ.  Thus  the  Father  gave 
them  to  Christ.  The  first  monitions,  sus- 
ceptibilities of  soul  for  Christ,  which  are 
found  throughout  the  world  and  the  Church, 
are  God's  way  of  giving  men  to  Christ. 
The  supremacy  and  monergy  of  grace  is 
involved  in  the  whole  of  this  representation. 
Out  of  the  world.  They  were  in  the  world, 
but  have  been  drawn  out  of  it  by  the  re- 
velation of  the  Father.  Thine  they  were, 
and  thou  gavest'  them  me.  So  that  the 
approach  even  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  draw- 
ing to  Christ  and  to  the  blessed  revelation 
of  the  Father,  was  preceded  by  a  previous 
condition — "  Thine  they  were."     Before  the 

»  Tregelles,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  and 
R.T.  read  iSwKas  here,  in  place  of  the 
SfSwKtis  of  T.R.,  in  the  first  clause,  with 
t<,  A,  B,  D,  K,  n,  and  Fathers.  Tregelles 
still  reads  diSwKas  in  the  second  clause. 


CH.  xvn.  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


346 


process  of  giving  and  drawing  was  begun, 
there  was  a  sense  in  which  tliey  boro  this 
great  designation.  Their  position  as  crea- 
tures, or  as  Israelites,  or  as  believers  in  the 
Old  Testament  manifestation  of  the  Name, 
seems  to  fall  short  of  the  solemn  assertion, 
"  Thine  they  were."  There  were  in  every 
case  spiritual  predispositions.  They  were 
"  of  God "  (ch.  viii.  47) ;  "  doers  of  the 
truth"  (oh.  iii.  21);  "willing  to  do  the 
will  of  God  "  (ch.  vii.  17) ;  they  were  of 
the  truth  (ch.  xviii.  37;  vi.  37,  44).  All 
these  expressions  reveal  an  extraordinary 
rehition  of  human  8<iul8  to  the  Father,  which 
is  presupposed,  and  precedes  the  power  over 
them  and  advantage  to  them  of  the  grace 
of  Christ.  This  may  throw  light  on  the 
work  of  grace  in  pre-Christian  and  non- 
Christian  times  and  places.  Thine  they 
were,  and  thou  gavest  them  me,  and  they 
have  kept  thy  Aoyov — the  sum  total  of  thy 
revelation  or  Word  to  them.  They,  these 
men,  these  special  representative  men,  have 
been  true  to  their  light,  and  know  of  the 
doctrine  whether  it  be  of  God.  Their  own 
quickened  conscience  has  been  strong  enough 
to  justify  all  my  StSaxv,  niy  ^^/naro,  as 
Divine  assurances.  To  Christ's  eyes  they 
have  already  come  out  of  their  fiery  trial 
faithful  and  true.  Now,  at  this  point  in 
their  training,  they  have  known,  by  a  strong 
experience,  by  tasting,  handling,  seeing, 
trusting,  by  vivid  flashes  of  light,  by  keen, 
clear  intuition  of  the  reality,  that  all  things 
whatsoever  which  thou  hast  given  me,  are 
from  thee.  There  is  no  tautology  here ;  the 
Zcra  are  the  truths,  the  fresh  revelations, 
the  glorious  communion  of  the  Son  of  man 
with  the  Father,  which  he  made  known  to 
the  disciples — truths  which  have  a  world- 
wide bearing,  and  also  a  direct  bearing  upon 
themselves — are /rom  thee  (iropa  <rov,  not  irapa 
aoi).  This  obscure  utterance,  in  its  mystic 
vagueness,  is  clearly  expounded  in  the  next 
sentence,  which  is  the  echo  of  the  grand 
assertion  of  ch.  xvi.  30,  which  drew  from  the 
breaking  heart  its  loud  and  sublime  note  of 
triumph.  Because  the  words,  the  various 
sayings,  utterances  of  Divine  reality,  which 
thou  gavest  to  me,  I  have  given  to  them. 
This  blessed  recital  and  exposition  of  his 
previous  ministry  is  followed  by  the  record 
of  the  effect,  without  which  the  whole  Chris- 
tian dispensation  would  that  very  niglit 
have  come  to  an  abrupt  end.  They  believed 
that  all  Christ's  words,  works,  energies,  reve- 
lations, warnings,  promises,  like  Christ  him- 
self, came  from  the  eternal  Father,  there- 
fore represented  the  supreme  reality,  more 
certain  than  demonstration,  more  vivid  than 
intuition.  Tliey  have  rendered  invincible 
assent  to  them  as  the  Divine,  ab.solute,  un- 
changeable, irrevocable,  eternal  truth.  In 
this  overwhelming  and  satisfying  conviction 


was  laid  the  foundation  of  the  Church  of 
Christ.  And  they  received  them.'  This  was 
a  direct  consequence  of  the  Divine  giving  and 
of  the  Divine  drawing.  And  they  came  to 
know — discerned,  i.e.  by  personal  experience 
— and  truly  that  I  came  out  from  thee-,  and 
believed  that  thou  didst  send  me.'  This 
knowledge  and  belief  is  the  germ  of  the  com- 
munication to  others  of  the  Divine  mani- 
festation ;  it  is  the  Lord's  reward  for  all  the 
toil  and  sacrifice  and  Divine  humiliation  of 
his  earthly  ministry  (ch.  xvi.  30).  The  in- 
carnate Word  is  recognized  as  such,  the  only 
begotten  Son  of  the  Father  is  known  to  be 
the  Brightness  of  his  glory.  We  see  in  this 
great  utterance  the  true  origin  of  the  evan- 
gelist's own  words  (ch.  i.  14 — 18;  1  John  i. 
1 — 5).  This  thought  of  Christ's  has  now  be- 
come their  voluntary,  spontaneous,  assured 
conviction.  The  inward  reason  corresponds 
with  the  objective  facts. 

Ver.  9. — I — very  emphatic — am  praying 
for  them  (for  this  use  of  epwru,  see  note,  ch. 
xvi.  23).  We  must  remember  that  this  is 
perfectly  consistent  with  the  fact  that,  in 
the  day  of  the  spiritual  manifestation  to  the 
disciples,  when  both  the  Father  and  Son. 
came  to  them,  the  disciples  would  ask  the 
Father  for  the  gifts  which  his  love  to  them 
was  waiting  to  supply  ;  and  he,  Christ  him- 
self, would  hear  them  if  they  asked  in  his 
Name;  and  that  then  there  would  be  no 
need  that  he  should  pray  the  Father  for 
them.  That  time  had  not  yet  come,  though 
it  was  coming.  Both  statements  are  also 
perfectly  consistent  with  his  "  intercession  " 
for  us.  Not  concerning — or,  not  for — the 
world  am  I  praying.  Surely  this  is  not  an 
assertion  that  he  would  never  pray,  or  that 
he  had  uot  already  prayed,  for  the  world. 
Nay,  his  entire  ministry  is  the  expression 
of  the  Father's  love  to  the  whole  world  (ch. 
iii.  IG).  He  came  as  Jehovah's  Lamb  to 
take  away  its  sin  (ch.  i.  29),  he  bade  his 
disciples  (Matt.  v.  44)  pray  for  their  enemies, 
and  he  cried  at  the  last  for  a  blessing  on 
his  murderers.  He  "  came  to  seek  and  save 
the  lost,"  to  "  call  sinners  to  repentance," 
"not  to  condemn,  but  to  save  the  world." 
Moreover,  in  this  prayer  (ver.  21)  he  does 
pray  for  those  who  should  ultimately,  though 
they  do  not  now,  believe  on  him  through 
the  word  of  the  disciples  ;  therefore  it  is  in- 
conceivable that  he  should  here  dogmatic- 
ally limit  the  range  of  his  gracious  desire. 
Calvin  here  observes,  "  We  are  commanded 
to  pray  for  all  (1  Tim.  ii.  1),"  and  quotes 
Luke  xxiii.  34  that  Christ  prayed  for  his 
murderers.     "  We  ought  to  pray  that  thia 

'  The  historical  aorists,  f\a$ov,  tyvwaav, 
i^fiKOov,  iiriaTivaav,  a.wfirTft\as,  are  well 
worthy  of  notice,  contrasted  with  the  per- 
fects, TfTTipiiKaa't,  SeSw/cas.  Sc'Scdko. 


346 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOUN.    [ch.  xvii.  1—26. 


man  and  that  man  and  every  man  may  be 
saved,  and  thus  include  the  whole  human 
race,  because  we  cannot  distinguish  the 
elect  from  the  reprobate."  Calviu  implies 
tliat  Christ  is  here  within  the  sanctuary,  and 
places  before  his  eyes  the  secret  judgments 
of  the  Father.  Lampe  goes  much  furtlior. 
Luther  says,  "  In  the  same  sense  in  which 
he  prays  for  the  disciples,  he  does  not  pray 
for  the  world."  But  the  best  explanation 
is  that  the  high-priestly  intercession  at  this 
supreme  moment  is  concerned  with  tliose 
who  were  already  given  to  him,  and  who 
have  come  to  believe  in  his  Divine  Person 
and  commission.  He  expressly  and  divinely 
commends  to  the  Father  those  whom  thou 
hast  given  me — the  burden  of  the  thought 
is  contained  in  the  motive  he  suggests  for 
this  commendation,  viz. — because  they  are 
thine;  i.e.  though  thou  hast  given  them  to 
me,  though  they  have  "  come  to  me," 
through  thy  drawing,  they  are  more  than 
ever  "  thine."  This  most  fervent  yielding 
to  the  attraction  of  Jesus,  and  utter  moral 
surrender  to  his  control,  do  not  alienate  the 
heart  from  the  Father,  but  make  it  more 
than  ever  his. 

Ver.  10. — And  all  things  that  are  mine 
are  thine ;  whether  they  be  these  souls,  or 
these  powers  that  I  wield,  or  these  words 
that  I  utter,  or  these  works  that  I  do, — all 
are  thine.  This  statement  is  in  perfect  har- 
mony with  all  his  teaching,  and  is  not  in- 
compatible with  the  reverential  sentiment 
that  auy  servant  of  God  might  utter ;  but  he 
adds  words  to  show  that  the  union  between 
him  and  the  Fatlier  is  much  closer  than 
this,  and  quite  unique.  And  thine  are 
mine.  Luther  observed, "  No  creature  could 
say  this."  Perhaps  he  went  too  far,  be- 
cause we  are  .  taught  to  believe  that  "  all 
things  are  ours,"  etc.,  and  the  Tracra  covers 
much  (see  1  Cor.  iii.  21).  In  the  full  con- 
fidence of  filial  relation  we  can  believe  it 
true  that  the  heavenly  Father  says  to  every 
one  of  his  veritable  children,  "All  that  I 
have  is  thine."  Here  the  words  must  not 
be  drawn  out  of  their  connection ;  it  is 
liuman  souls  who  are  of  God,  and  ara  there- 
fore Christ's.  The  dogmatic  lesson  is  that 
every  one  who  has  heard  and  learned  of  the 
Father  does  come  to  him.  Such  an  assurance 
gives  a  sublime  hope  to  the  world.  And  I 
(have  been  and)  am  glorified  in  them.  Once 
more  the  Divine  Saviour  rejoices  in  the 
victory  he  lias  won  in  securing  the  faith  of 
the  disciples.  How  much  he  loved  and 
trusted  them ! 

Ver.  11. — And  I  am  no  more  (no  longer) 
in  the  world  (cf.  cli.  xvi.  28).  The  earthly 
ministry  is  over  ;  for  a  while  he  must  leave 
them  in  the  pitiless  storm,  bereft  of  his  care 
and  counsel,  exposed  to  infinite  peril  and 
temptation.   Headloss,  scattered,  tempted  to 


believe  that  all  he  had  said  to  them  was  one 
huge  delusion.  And  these  are  in  the  world, 
without  me,  without  visible  sight  of  the 
mirror  in  which  thy  glory  has  been  reflected, 
and  I  come — I  return — to  thee.  These  are 
the  conditions  on  their  part  and  on  mine, 
which  justify  this  prayer  for  them  ;  and  my 
prayer  is,  Holy  Father,  keep — or,  guard — 
them.  This  grand  title  stands  here  in  soli- 
tary grandeur  (though  let  ver.  25.  irdrtp 
Si/coie,  be  noticed,  and  the  fact  that  Piev.  vi. 
10  speaks  of  "  the  Holy  and  True,"  and  1 
John  ii.  20  of  "  the  Holy  One  ").  The  very 
holiness  of  the  Father  is  appealed  to  as  the 
surest  basis  of  the  petition.  They  have 
already  been  taught  to  pray,  "  Hallowed 
[made  holy]  be  thy  Name."  The  eternal 
holiness  and  righteousness  of  God  is  involved 
in  the  saving  and  sanctification  of  the  be- 
liever in  Jesus.  "  Keep  them,  holy  Father  " 
(says  our  Lord),  in  and  by  thy  Name,  those 
whom  thou  hast  given  me.  Ovs  Se'SoiKos  /u<" 
is  the  reading  of  the  T.R.,  on  the  very  feeble 
authority  from  the  codices,  simply  D^,  69, 
and  some  versions.  It  is  also  thus  quoted 
by  Epiphanius  twice ;  but  the  reading  of  all 
the  best  uncial  manuscripts,  N,  A,  B,  C,  L, 
Y,  r.  A,  n,  etc.,  numerous  versions  and  quo- 
tations, is  o)  SfSccKcis  KOI.  Some  very  unim- 
portant manuscripts  read  h,  which  Godet 
prefers  as  practically  equivalent  to  ovs,  re- 
garded as  a  unity,  "that  which,"  and  as 
calculated  to  explain  the  ep  of  the  uncials, 
and  the  reading  ovs.  Lachmann,  Tischen- 
dorf  (8th  edit.),  Tregelles,  Meyer,  Westcott 
and  Hort,  and  R.T.  all  read  ^,  which  is 
thrown  by  attraction  to  6v6fj.ari  into  the 
dative,  and  requires  the  translation.  Keep 
them  (in  or  by)  in  the  power  of  thy  Name 
which  thou  hast  given  me.  And  since  6  is  a 
resolution  of  the  attraction,  it  is  quite  as 
likely  that  it  is  a  correction  of  a  as  that 
the  reverse  process  should  have  taken  place. 
The  expression  is  very  peculiar,  but  not  in- 
explicable. Phil.  ii.  9  is  the  best  illustra- 
tion of  the  clause.  It  reads,  according  to  the 
true  text,  "He  hath  bestowed  on  him  the 
Name  (rh  dvofj-a.)  which  is  above  every  name," 
i.e.  the  eternal  Name,  the  incommunicable 
Name  (cf.  Rev.  ii.  17  ;  xix.  12)  of  Jehovah. 
Meyer  objects  to  this  that  the  Father's 
Name  was  simply  given  him  as  an  ambas- 
sador or  for  purposes  of  revelation  and  mani- 
festation. This  may  be  a  partial  limitation 
of  the  thouglit.  He  has  already  said,  "I 
have  manifested  tliy  Name,  thy  fatherhood 
to  the  men,"  etc.  And  now  he  adds,  "  Keep 
them  in  the  power  and  grace  of  this  glorious 
Name,  of  which  my  Person  and  message  have 
been  the  full  expression."  That  they  may 
be  one,  united,  formed  into  a  unity  of  being, 
even  as  we  are,  not  losing  their  personality, 
but  blending  and  interchanging  their  in- 
terests and  their  affections  after  the  Divine 


CH.  xviL  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


347 


pattern  of  the  Father  and  Son.  The  rela- 
tions between  Christians,  wliich  constitute 
the  essential  unity  of  their  corporate  beins?, 
are  of  the  same  kind  as  those  which  pertain 
to  Christ  and  God,  and  prevail  between  tliem, 
therefore  lying  far  behind  the  shifting 
phases  of  organization  and  human  order, 
in  the  essence  and  substance  of  spiritual 
life.  Some  writers  have  found  in  this 
analogy  between  tho  union  of  believers  and 
the  liypostatic  union  of  the  Persons  of 
the  Goilhead,  either  a  species  of  trithcism 
in  the  Godhead,  or  a  minimizing  of  the 
entire  conception  to  what  is  called  moral 
union  between  the  Father-God  and  his 
Son  Jesus  Christ.  But  the  effect  of  the 
utterance  is  rather  to  lift  the  idea  of  the 
unity  of  the  body  of  Christ  to  a  superlative 
height,  and  to  interpret  still  further  the 
nature  of  its  oneness  with  the  Father  and 
Son  (see  ver.  23). 

Ver.  12.— While  I  was  with  them  (in  the 
world  ').  He  speaks  of  the  earthly  ministry 
as  completed,  and  reviews  the  whole  of  his 
influence  over  them.  I  kept  them  in  thy 
Name  which  thou  hast  given  me.  The  very 
process  that  I  can  no  longer  pursue,  and  the 
cessation  of  which  becomes  the  ground  of 
tlie  plea  for  the  Father's  Trjprians.  This  an 
earthly  father  might  say,  witliout  irreverence, 
of  children  whom  he  was  about  to  leave,  but 
the  quality  of  the  keeping  is  characterized 
by  the  Divine  Name  which  was  given  him, 
and  that  manifested  the  Sonship  which 
carried  with  it  all  the  revelation  of  the 
Father.^  And  I  guarded  (them) — ir-ljpovv 
signifies  watchful  observation;  f(pv\a^a, 
guardianship  as  behind  the  walls  of  a 
fortress — and  not  one  perished — went  to  de- 
struction— except  that  the  son  of  perdition 
(has  perished).  Christ  does  not  say  that  the 
son  of  perdition  was  given  him  by  the 
Father  and  guarded  from  tlie  evil  one,  and 
yet  had  gone  to  his  own  place ;  the  excep- 
tion refers  simply  to  the  "  not  one  perished." 
Ei  fih  has  occasionally  a  meaning  not  exactly 
equal  to  dA.A.a,  but  expresses  an  exception 
which  does  not  cover  the  whole  of  the  ideas 
involved  in  the  previous  clause  (see  Matt.  xii. 
4  ;  Luke  iv.  26,  27  ;  Gal.  i.  19,  etc.).     This 

'  The  clause,  iv  tw  Koa-fiw,  of  T.R.  is  want- 
ing in  K,  B,  C,  D,  L,  and  is  rejected  by  Lach- 
mann,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  R.T.,  and 
Westcott  aud  Hort. 

*  The  reading  of  <?  instead  of  oZs  is  not 
so  strongly  supported  in  this  place.  05s  is 
read  by  A,  C,  D,  X,  Y,  aud  other  uncials, 
by  Vulgate,  Gothic,  Syriac,  ami  by  Lach- 
mann  ;  and  not  only  Godet,  but  Meyer  and 
Lange  here  prefer  o5r.  Tischendorf  (8th 
edit,),  Westcott  and  Hort,  R.T.,  and  Tre- 
gelles  not  only  adopt  the  cliauge  of  oOs,  T.R., 
into  w,  but  read  <f  StSwKds  fioi,  Kal  i<pii\a^a. 


awful  Hebraistic  phrase  is  used  by  St.  Paul 
(2  Thcss.  ii.  3 ;  cf.  2  Sam.  xii.  5)  for  anti- 
christ, and  numerous  phrases  of  tho  kind 
show  how  a  genitive  following  vihs  or  rtKvov 
expresses  the  full  characteristic  or  the  chief 
feature  of  certain  persons  (thus  cf.  vih%  yft- 
vris,  TfKva  (parros,  Karapas,  etc.).  This  victim 
of  perdition,  this  child  of  hell,  has  completed 
his  course :  even  now  he  has  laid  his  plana 
for  my  destruction  and  his  own.  He  has  so 
perished  in  order  that  the  Scripture  might  be 
fulfilled.  Even  if  tho  full  telic  force  of  Wis 
preserved  here,  he  does  not  free  the  "  son  of 
perdition  "  from  the  responsibility  of  his  own 
destruction.  The  Scripture  portraiture  of 
Messiah  has  been  realized.  Ps.  xii.  9,  which 
has  alrea<ly  been  quoted  by  our  Lord  in  ch. 
xiii.  18,  is  probably  still  in  his  mind  (cf.  also 
Isa.  Ivii.  12, 13).  Some  commentators— Arch- 
deacon Watkins,  Dean  Alford — press  the 
fact  that  the  "  son  of  perdition  "  must  have 
been  among  those  who  were  given  to  Christ 
by  the  Father,  who  were  watched,  guarded, 
taught  by  God ;  but  that  Judas  nevertheless 
took  his  own  way  and  went  to  his  own 
place.  Thoma  compares  the  lost  disciple 
with  the  lost  sheep  of  the  synoptists,  as 
though  we  had  a  reference  to  a  true  repro- 
bate, a  son  of  Belial,  Apollyon,  and  the 
like.  Mouiton  justly  protests  against  any 
countenance  being  found  here  for  tho  irrevo- 
cable decree.  But  if  the  interpretation  of 
the  ii  HT]  given  above  is  sound,  there  is  no 
inclusion  of  the  traitor  among  those  who  are 
"of  the  truth,"  etc. ;  but  he  was  one  who,  not- 
withstanding boundless  opportunity,  went  to 
his  own  place  in  the  perversity  of  his  own  will. 

Ver.  13. — But  now  come  I  to  thee.  So 
that  the  condition,  the  shielding  protection 
of  my  love  is  removed,  thou,  O  my  Father, 
must  be  their  Sun  and  Shield.  And  these 
things  I  am  uttering  in  the  world ;  uttering, 
i.e.  in  their  hearing  before  my  last  step  is 
taken,  and  perhaps  in  the  very  midst  of  the 
machinations  which  are  going  on  against 
me.  That  they  might  have  the  joy  that  is 
mine  fulfilled,  fully  unfolded  aud  completed, 
in  '  themselves.  By  overhearing  the  high- 
pricstly  prayer,  they  would  be  assured  of  the 
Divine  guardianship,  and  would  receive  the 
transfer  of  even  his  joy  as  well  as  of  his 
peace.  They  would  find  the  higlier  joy  also 
of  the  return  of  their  Lord  to  the  bo.som  of 
the  Father.  Christ  has  taught  his  disciples 
to  desire  such  joy  and  peace  as  he  found  oa 
the  night  of  the  Passion. 

Ver.  14. — I  have  given  them  thy  word 
(StSwKo,  a  permanent  endowment) ;  aud  the 

'  Tregelles,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  West- 
cott and  Hort,  and  R.T.,  with  N,  A,  B,  X, 
n,  read  eV  tauTo7r ;  while  T.U.  and  Lach- 
maun  read  iv  aOroh,  with  C*,  D,  and  other 
authorities. 


548 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvii.  1—26. 


implication  is  that  they  have  received  it 
(ver.  8).  The  phrase  is  rather  more  con- 
densed than  before,  and  carries  all  the  con- 
sequences previously  mentioned,  and  others 
as  well  to  which  the  Lord  had  referred  (ch. 
xvi.  1 — 5).  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  world 
hated  them,  because  they  are  not  of  the  world, 
even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world.  This  con- 
stant contrast  between  the  mind  of  Christ 
and  the  si:)irit  of  the  world  pervades  the 
New  Testament.  Christ  had  exposed  its 
hypocrisies,  and  denounced  its  idols,  and  in- 
verted its  standards,  and  repudiated  its 
emile,  and  condemned  its  prince,  and  was 
now  indift'erent  to  its  curse.  His  disciples, 
as  far  as  they  shared  his  sentiments,  came  in 
also  for  its  malediction  and  hatred  (cf.  the 
conflict  with  the  Pharisees  in  the  synoptic 
narrative). 

Ver.  15. — The  prayer  of  Jesus  based  on 
this.  I  pray  (epcorw,  not  alrfu  ;  see  ver.  9 ; 
the  iVo  here  defines  the  contents  of  the 
prayer)  not  that  thou  shouldest  take  them 
away — lift  them  up  and  out — out  of  the 
world,  as  thou  art  taking  me  by  death.  This 
natural  desire  on  the  part  of  some  of  them 
is  not  in  harmony  with  the  highest  interests 
of  the  kingdom.  Those  interests  it  would 
henceforth  be  their  high  function  to  sub- 
serve. There  is  much  testimony  for  them  to 
bear,  there  are  many  great  facts  for  them 
completely  to  grasp,  many  aspects  of  truth 
■which  they  must  put  into  words  for  the  life 
and  salvation  of  souls,  individuals  for  them 
to  teach  and  train,  victories  for  them  to  win, 
examples  which  they  must  set  before  the 
world.  If  they  are  all  to  vanish  from  the 
eyes  of  men  as  Christ  will  do,  the  end  of 
the  manifestation  will  be  sacrificed.  The 
Lord  prays,  not  that  they  should  be  taken 
out  of  the  world,  but  that  thou  shouldest  keep 
them  (TTjprjcrjjs,  not  (pvxd^ris)  from  the  evil. 
The  e/f  Tov  irovrjpov  is  different  from  Matt. 
vi.  13,  oTro  rov  iTovr]pov,  and  may  pos- 
sibly mean  "  from  the  evil  one."  Reuss, 
Meyer,  and  Revised  Version  accept  the  same 
translation  here  in  virtue  of  1  John  ii.  13 ; 
iii.  12 ;  v.  18 ;  Rev.  iii.  10,  where  the  devil 
is  regarded  as  dominating,  the  realm,  the 
atmosphere,  the  spirit,  and  the  kingdom  of 
this  world.  Over  against  this  kingdom  the 
Lord  Christ,  as  the  devil's  great  Rival,  rules 
in  the  kingdom  of  grace.  Luther,  Calvin, 
Hengstenberg,  Godet,  Authorized  Version, 
and  numerous  other  commentators,  have  re- 
garded TOO  izovr\pov  as  neuter,  as  referring 
to  the  great  characteristic  and  all-subduing 
temper,  the  far-reaching  glamour  and  the 
godless  disposition  of  the  world.  Th  wovfipov 
includes  6  irovrjpos. 

Ver.  16. — They  are  not  of  the  world,  even 
as  of  the  world  I  am  not.  This  verse  simply 
repeats,  with  alteration  of  order,  the  clause  of 
ver.  14  as  the  basis  of  the  next  great  petition. 


Ver.  14  draws  the  comparison  between  Christ 
and  the  disciples ;  ver.  16  lays,  by  a  trans- 
position of  words,  the  greater  emphasis  on 
"the  world."  Alas  that  this  great  utter- 
ance should  so  often  be  utterly  ignored ! 
How  often  in  our  own  days,  is  other-worldli- 
ness  and  unworldliness  derided  as  a  pestilent 
heresy,  and  "  a  man  of  the  world,"  instinct 
with  its  purpose  and  saturated  with  its 
spirit,  lauded  as  the  true  man  and  ideal 
leader  of  a  Christian  state  ! 

Ver.  17. — Sanctify  them ;  consecrate  them 
(cf.  ch.  X.  36,  of  the  sanctitication  of  the  Son 
by  the  Father  to  the  work  of  effecting  human 
redemption),  separate  them  from  the  evil  of 
the  world,  as  for  holy  purposes.  Devote  them 
to  the  glorious  cause.  Let  them  be  sacrifices 
on  tlie  altar.  The  ayidCo^,  to  sanctify,  is 
not  synonymous  with  Ka0api(a),  to  purify; 
hyios  is  not  a  contradiction  of  the  defiled  so 
much  as  of  the  purely  natural,  and  involves 
the  higher  ends  of  grace  (Exod.  xxix.  1,  36  ; 
xl.  13).  The  sanctification  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment is  a  ritual  process  effected  by  cere- 
monial observance ;  the  sanctification  of  the 
New  Testament  is  a  spiritual  process  passing 
over  heart  and  conscience  and  will,  and  is 
the  work  of  the  Divine  Spirit.  Meyer,  West- 
cott,  and  others  translate  the  next  clause,  in 
the  truth,'  as  the  atmosphere  in  which  the 
disciples  dwell ;  but  a  large  number  of  com- 
mentators, with  Godet,  take  eV  ry  a\r)6ela  as 
equivalent  to  "  by  the  aid  of,"  with  the  instru- 
mentality of, "  the  truth : "  consecrate  them,  by 
revealing  to  them  the  reality,  making  known 
to  them  the  truth.  If  they  see  the  truth 
they  will  be  discharged  from  the  illusions 
of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil.  (Luther 
takes  eV  t?^  a\r]f)iia  adverbially,  and  as  equi- 
valent to  "  verily  and  indeed ;  but  this  can- 
not well  be,  seeing  the  article  is  present,  and 
taking  account  of  the  subsequent  definition 
of  aK-qdeia,  it  becomes  improbable.)  But  what 
is  "truth"?  what  is  the  full  expression  of 
reality  ?  how  are  we  to  know  where  to  find 
it  ?  Thy  Logos  (thy  Word),  the  utterance  of 
thy  thought,  is  truth.  If  we  can  ever  cog- 
nize what  is  the  Divine  thought  about  any- 
tiiing,  we  shall  reach  the  absolute  truth. 
What  God  troweth  is  truth  per  se.  The 
Logos  of  God,  the  full,  God-chosen  utter- 
ance of  the  reality  of  truth,  is  the  nearest 
approach  to  truth  that  we  possess.  This  reve- 
lation of  God  is  the  closest  correspondence 
•with  the  reality.  God  sanctifies  his  children, 
consecrates  them  to  the  service  of  his  kingdom 
by  revealing  the  truth,  by  making  known  the 
otherwise  transcendental  facts  of  his  king- 
dom. A  long  controversy  has  prevailed  in 
the  Church  as  to  whether  the  Spirit's  gracious 

'  The  (TOV  is  omitted  by  a  great  group  of 
uncials,  though  N  omits  the  whole  clause 
from  ffou  to  dATjfleto. 


en.  XVII.  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN. 


349 


operations  are  or  are  not  limited  by  the 
operation  of  truth  on  the  mind.  Numerous 
assurances  of  the  New  Testament  seem  thus 
to  limit  the  grace  of  God,  or  to  measure  it 
by  the  ordinary  effect  produced  on  the 
understanding:  by  Divine  trutli ;  e.g.  "  Of  liis 
own  will  bepit  he  us  by  the  Word  of  truth ;  " 
the  parable  of  the  sower,  and  otlier  Scrip- 
tures. But  seeing  that  the  regeneration, 
the  conference  of  new  and  supernatural  life, 
is  set  forth  by  images  of  resurrection  and 
new  creation,  and  as  a  purification  of  taste, 
bias,  and  desire,  the  gift  of  a  new  heart  and 
right  spirit,  the  voice  of  a  heavenly  sunship 
crying  within  us,  "Abba,  Father,"  and  see- 
ing tiiat  the  ministration  of  tlio  Spirit  is 
variously  directed  and  operative,  and  that 
there  is  shadowed  fortii  an  immediate  work  on 
the  heart, "  back  of  consciousness  "  itself,  and 
that  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  and  the  teach- 
ing and  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost  are 
continually  referred  to. — we  are  loth  to 
accept  the  dogma.  The  Spirit  of  God  is  not 
limited  to  the  normal  operations  of  tlie  Word. 

Ver.  18. — As  thou  didst  send  me  into  the 
world  from  the  glory  wliich  I  had  with  thee 
before  the  world  was — a  primal  fact  in  the 
earthly  consciousness  of  the  Lord  Christ,  and 
one  on  which  he  repeatedly  laid  emphasis  (ch. 
X.  36 :  xvii.  8) — even  so  I  sent '  them  into  rhe 
world;  i.e.  from  that  higlier  sphere  of  thought 
above  tlie  world  to  which  I  had  called  them. 
"  They  are  not  of  the  world,"  but  I  sent  them 
from  the  unworldly  home  and  from  the  high 
place  of  my  intimate  friendship,  from  the 
ground  of  elevated  sympathy  with  myself,  into 
the  world,  with  my  message  and  the  power  to 
claim  obedience.  Christ  gave  this  apostolic 
commission  near  the  commencement  of  his 
ministry  (see  Matt.  x.  5,  etc.,  and  Mark  iii. 
14,  "Iva  Sicri  yuer'  aiiTov  Kal  'Iva  airoffriWri 
avTovs  Kr\p{)(T<rtiv),  and  that  first  act,  the 
type  of  the  whole  apostolic  commission, 
which  was  finally  confirmed  (Matt,  xxviii. 
19,  20 ;  ch.  XX.  21,  22),  is  here  descrited  in 
the  timeless  force  of  the  aorist,  so  that  the 
word  embraces  the  entire  ministerial  function 
of  all  who  believe  in  the  mission  of  the  Son. 

Ver.  19. — And  for  their  sakes— on  their 
behoof — I  sanctify,  consecrate,  myself.  The 
Father  had  c^jnsecrated  him  and  sent  him 
into  the  world,  but  over  and  above  all  this 

'  In  ch.  XX.  21,  "  Even  as  the  Father  hath 
sent  me,  I  also  send  (nf/jnTu)  you."  'Av6- 
rrT(KKa)  and  irt/jiwo}  may  differ,  as  the  former 
suggests  "commission"  for  special  purposes 
and  the  latter  "mission,"  which  calls  into 
prominence  the  authority  of  the  "Sender" 
and  the  obedience  of  tlie  "sent"  (Moulton, 
in  loco).  In  twenty  verses  of  this  Gospel 
our  Lord  employs  irffiirw  of  himself,  and 
often  the  two  words  are  used  in  close  con- 
nection (ch.  V.  36,  37;  vii.  28,  29). 


there  were  special  and  sacrificial  nets  of  lovo 
and  devotion  whicli  he  made  on  behalf  of 
his  own.  He  went  up  voluntarily  into  the 
wilderness  to  be  tempted  for  them ;  he 
wrought  for  them  while  it  was  yet  day.  He 
now  was  ready  to  commend  himself  to  tho 
supreme  will  of  the  Father,  and  to  offer 
himself  through  the  Si)irit  in  his  perfected 
humanity  without  spot  of  sin  to  God. 
'A7io^oi  is  equivalent  Trpo(r(pfpa>  ffol  6v<rlav, 
as  Chrysostom  says,  and  it  is  used  for  E"ipn 
(Exod.  xiii.  2 ;  Deut.  xv.  19).  Christ  is  ti.e 
Priest  and  the  Victim,  and  the  dedication 
of  himself  to  this  climax  of  his  consecrated 
life  is  for  the  sake  of  the  disciples  (so  Lange, 
Meyer,  Godet,  and  Westcott).  That  they  also 
may  be  sanctified  indeed — truly  or  veritably. 
(1)  We  have  to  notice  that  tho  passive  form 
of  the  second  clause  shows  that  that  which 
the  Lord,  in  its  highest  form,  effeets  for 
himself,  they  receive  as  a  work  wrought  in 
them  by  another.  (2)  Using  the  woid 
07m ^eic  in  the  same  sense  in  both  clauses, 
the  consecration  effected  in  the  disciples 
must  correspond  with  Christ's  consecration 
in  self-sacrificial  love,  in  abandonment  to 
the  power  of  the  Word  which  has  revolu- 
tionized their  wiiole  being,  in  entire  equip- 
ment for  their  calling,  even  to  the  point  of 
hatred  and  antagonism  from  the  world,  and 
death  for  his  sake.  They  are  indeed  to  drink 
of  his  cup,  and  be  baptized  with  his  baptism. 
They  must  be  crucified  with  him  and  buried 
with  him,  and  rise  again  with  him,  in  the 
activity  of  their  faith.  (3)  'Ef  aAr/eeice, 
without  the  article,  has  the  sense  of  "  verily 
and  indeed"  (Matt.  xxii.  IG;  2  Cor.  vii.  14; 

1  John  iii.  18,  etc.).     It  is  not  certain  tliat 

2  John  1  or  3  John  1  can  be  thus  translated, 
but  the  classical  usage  of  this  phrase,  and 
also  of  tir'  a.\r]0elas,  leaves  little  doubt  about 
its  use  here. 

Vers.  20— 26.— (3)  Prayer  for  the  Church 
Catholic  in  all  time. 

Ver.  20.— Neither  do  I  pray  {epoirSi)  for — 
concerning — these  alone,  but  also  for  those 
who  believe '  on  me  through  their  word. 
The  Lord  summons  tho  future  into  the  pre- 
sent. He  speaks  of  having  once  for  all  sent 
them,  and  he  sees  rising  bcfoie  his  eye  the 
multitudes  in  all  ages  who  would  believe 
their  testimony  as  if  already  doing  so.  The 
universal  Church  rejoices  in  tlie  fulness  of 
his  love  and  the  greatness  of  his  wish  con- 
cerning the  individuals  who  believe.  The 
prayer  is  an  eternal  intercc  ssion. 

Ver.  21.— That  they  all  may  be  one.  My 
prayer  is  that  the  many  may  become  one, 

'  Tliffrev6vT<iiv  is  here  preferred  to  mffrfv 
ainTwu,  on  the  authority  of  nineteen  uncials 
and  numerous  cursives  and  vereions,  by  Tre- 
gelles,  Westcott  and  Uort,  Tiachendorf  (8th 
edit.),  and  R.T. 


850 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvii.  1—26. 


form  one  living  glorious  unity ; — every  part 
of  which  spiritual  orgiinism,  wliile  living  a 
separate  and  differentiateil  life,  is  yet  a  part 
of  a  whole.  In  the  natural  sphere,  as  the 
parts  of  a  whole  organism  are  more  and 
more  developed,  and  increasingly  resemble 
individualities  in  their  separation,  they  are 
in  the  same  proportion  dependent  on  the 
whole  for  the  life  that  is  in  them.  Even  in  a 
highly  organized  community,  as  the  separate 
individuals  have  more  and  more  personal 
consciousness  of  special  function,  they  be- 
come the  more  dependent  on  the  whole,  and 
in  one  sense  lost  in  the  unity  to  which  they 
belong.  The  branches  in  the  vine  form 
together  one  vine ;  the  members  of  a  body, 
being  many,  are  one  body  and  members  of 
one  another.  It  is  open  to  discussion 
whether  the  KaOws  clause,  which  here 
follows,  characterizes  the  above  statement, 
as  Meyer  and  many  others  urge,  or  whether, 
with  Godet,  the  sentence,  "  That  they  all 
may  be  one,"  should  not  be  taken  as  a 
general  statement,  to  be  followed  by  the 
Kadus  clause,  which  characterizes  the  follow- 
ing words.  The  first  method  is  a  more 
rational  interpretation,  nor  does  the  sen- 
tence drag.  According  as  thou,  Father,  (art) 
in  me,  and  I  (am)  in  thee ;  i.e.  the  relation 
between  the  Father  and  Son,  the  manner  in 
which  the  Father  lives  in  the  Son,  as  in  his 
organ  or  instrument  of  manifestation  and 
object  of  supreme  affection,  and  as  the  Son 
is  in  the  Father,  abiding  ever  in  the  light 
of  his  glory,  in  the  power  of  his  Name,  and 
as  these  two  are  thus  One  in  being,  so,  or 
similarly,  the  believers  are  to  live  in  and 
for  each  other,  becoming  a  unity,  just  as  the 
Father  and  Son  are  unity.  Li  order  that 
they  themselves  also  may  be  [one ']  in  us. 
This  IVo  does  not  ofiFer  a  parallel  sentence 
in  apposition  with  the  former,  nor  is  the 
"that"  to  be  inverted,  with  Godet,  who 
translates,  "  that  according  as  thou  .  .  .  they 
also  may  be  one  in  us ;  "  but  it  is  the  climax 
of  the  whole  unifying  process,  after  the 
likeness  of  the  union  between  the  Father 
and  the  Son,  viz.  that  they  themselves  may 
be  included  in  this  unity.  Though  they 
are  thus  to  be  lost  in  God,  yet  they  do  not 
lose  their  own  individuality.  Nay,  in  pro- 
portion to  their  organic  relation  to  the  ful- 
ness of  the  Godhead  and  the  completeness 

*  The  ev  is  omitted  by  Tischendorf  (8th 
edit.),  and  by  Meyer,  Westcott  and  Hort,  on 
authority  which  does  not  convince  Lach- 
mann  or  Godet,  who  regard  it  as  essential 
to  the  meaning.  For  the  omission,  B,  C*, 
D,  a,  b,  c,  and  numerous  quotations ;  while 
€v  is  found  in  N,  A,  C,  and  numerous  other 
uncials  and  cursives.  Westcott  regards  the 
idea  of  unity  more  thoroughly  confirmed  by 
the  omission  than  by  the  presence  of  the  ev. 


of  their  own  spiritual  fellowship  with  one 
another,  will  this  personal  consciousness  of 
theirs  become  more  and  more  pronounced. 
There  is  yet  a  further  process  contemplated, 
viz.  in  order  that  the  world  may  believe 
(iritTTcwj,  as  in  the  next  verse;  yivcixTK-p,  in 
the  present  subjunctive,  rather  than  the 
aorist)  that  thou  didst  send  me.  The 
spiritual  life  and  unity  of  the  Church  will 
produce  an  impression  on  the  world  which 
now  rejects  the  Christ  and  does  not  appre- 
ciate his  Divine  commission.  The  union 
which  springs  from  the  blended  life  of  the 
various  and  even  contradictory  elements  in 
the  Church  will  prove  the  reality  of  its 
origin.  The  world  will  believe, — this  is  the 
final  purpose  of  the  intercession  concerning 
the  disciples ;  so  though  above  he  did  not 
pray  for  the  world  as  the  then  immediate 
object  of  his  intercession,  the  poor  world  is 
in  his  heart,  and  the  saving  of  the  world 
the  end  of  his  incarnation.  If  the  union 
between  the  Father  and  'the  Son  is  the 
sublime  type  of  the  union  between  those 
who  shall  believe,  it  is  not  the  union  of  a 
great  society  in  accordance  with  certain 
invincible  rules  of  affiliation  and  govern- 
ment. The  union  between  the  Father  and 
Son  is  not  a  visible  manifestation,  but  a 
spiritual  inference.  The  common  indwell- 
ing in  the  Father  and  Son,  the  identity  of 
the  spiritual  emotion  and  purpose  in  r  11  who 
have  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  will 
convince  the  world  by  producing  a  similar 
inference.  Alford :  "  This  unity  is  not  mere 
outward  uniformity,  nor  can  such  uniformity 
produce  it.  At  the  same  time,  its  effects 
are  to  be  real  and  visible,  such  that  the 
world  may  see  them." 

Ver.  22. — Our  Lord  now  proceeds  to  record 
how  he  has  already  contributed  to  produce 
this  result.  I  also — very  emphatic— have 
given  to  them — that  is,  to  my  disciples — the 
glory  which  thou  gavest  me.  Numerous 
interpretations  of  this  "  glory "  have  been 
suggested,  as  e.g.  the  glory  into  which  he  is 
about  to  enter  in  his  glorified  body ;  but  the 
emphatic  perfect  SeScc/co,  in  connection  with 
the  iSooKcis,  viz. :  "  I  have  given  and  am  now 
and  still  giving,"  renders  this  improbable. 
Meyer,  who  does  not  accept  Baumgarten- 
Crusius's  view  that  StSduai  here  means  "  to 
destine,"  yet  comes  very  much  to  the  same 
thought,  and  regards  it  as  the  heavenly 
glory  of  which  he  had  eternal  experience, 
and  would  ultimately  share  with  his  penple. 
But  the  view  variously  set  forth  by  Olshau- 
sen,  Hengstenberg,  Maldonatus,  Bengel, 
Tholuck,  Moulton,  and  Godet  appears 
to  be  in  full  harmony  with  the  context, 
viz.  the  glory  of  the  supernatural  life  of 
Divine  Sonship  and  self-sacrificing  love 
as  of  the  very  essence  of  God.  This 
glory  that  he  should  taste  death  for  every 


CH.  XVII.  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


351 


man,  tliis  glory  of  nature  and  character  as 
the  incarnate  Head  of  a  new  humanity,  I 
have  given  to  them,  in  order  that  they  may 
be  one,  living  in  and  for  each  other,  even  as 
we  are  one.  The  contrast  between  liis  own 
relation  to  the  Father  and  theirs  is  most 
wonderfully  maintained.  The  union  be- 
tween the  Father  and  Son  is  once  more 
made  the  type,  in  his  own  unique  conscious- 
ness, of  the  union  among  men  who  have 
received  as  his  gift  the  eternal  life  and 
glory  of  a  supernatural  love.  This  is  more 
evident  from  what  follows. 

Ver.  28. — I  in  them,  and  thon  in  me.  He 
does  not  say,  "Thou  in  thcra,  as  thou  in 
me,"  nor  "  They  in  thee,  and  I  in  thee ; " 
but  he  includes  in  the  rifj.e'is  of  the  previous 
verse,  'E^w  koI  2y,  and  distinctly  regards 
liimself  as  the  mediating  link  of  relation 
between  the  Father  and  the  disciples.  Tiie 
'Eyi)  is  that  of  the  Soil  of  God,  manifested 
in  Christ's  consciousness  of  the  God-mau- 
hood;  the  2u  is  the  eternal  and  non-incarnate 
God.  God  is  in  him,  as  he  is  in  them. 
They  are  in  him,  as  he  is  in  the  Father. 
That  they  may  be  perfected,  completely 
realizing  the  end  of  their  being  and  the 
meaning  of  the  gift  of  eternal  life,  fully 
ripened  in  their  graces  until  they  reach  up 
into  one,  into  the  fulness  of  the  stature  of 
the  perfect  Man,  until  they  become  the  one 
new  and  immortal  body  of  the  living  Christ, 
(eis  4V  indicates  the  sublime  result  so  far  as 
they  are  concerned).  Each  individual  be- 
liever reaching  the  highest  perfection  of  his 
being,  as  according  to  his  own  capacity  and 
function  he  fills  his  place  in  the  one  living 
body  of  the  Lord.  The  end  is  not  here, 
however,  so  far  as  others  are  concerned ;  for 
this  unity,  when  consummated,  is  to  bring 
about  a  yet  further  result  on  this  earth,  and 
in  order  that  the  world  may  come  to  know 
(yivaxTKri)  that  thou  didst  send  me,  and  lovedst 
them  as  thou  lovedst  me.  Our  Lord  has 
advanced  upon  the  assertion  of  ver.  21,  (1) 
by  discriminating  between  "believing"  and 
"  coming  to  know  "  by  personal  experiences, 
overwhelming  conviction,  and  processes 
which  lead  to  invincible  assent.  Faith  in 
its  highest  form  melts  into  knowledge,  full 
assurance,  complete  certitude.  (2)  There  is 
superadded  to  the  conviction  concerning  the 
Divine  mission  of  the  Christ  yet  another, 
viz.  a  conviction  of  the  wonderful  love 
which  thou  hast  shown  to  them  in  thus 
lifting  them  out  of  the  world  into  the  unity 
of  the  spiritual  life,  into  the  fellowship  of 
the  Son  of  God.  This  has  twofold  bearing. 
So  far  as  the  world  is  concerned  they  will 
see  that  the  love  shown  to  the  believers  in 
Christ  will  bo  compatible  with  the  same 
kind  of  treatment  as  Christ  himself  received, 
and  so  far  as  the  Divine  reality  is  concerned, 
it   Will   be  stea  that   they   are  so  closely 


identified  with  Christ  that  the  infinite  love 
of  God  to  Christ  flows  over  in  its  Divine 
supenvbuudance  upon  those  wlio  arc  gathered 
together  into  him.  It  is  impossible  to  ex- 
clude from  these  verses  the  idea  of  the 
visibility  of  the  union  and  life  of  the  Church, 
and  of  the  Divine  love  to  it.  Nothing  is 
said  or  hinted,  however,  about  the  nature  of 
that  visibility.  Christians  are  not,  by  reason 
of  their  difterences,  to  exclude  from  this 
passage  the  promise  that  the  whole  assembly 
of  the  Firstborn  would  make  this  gracious 
and  convincing  impression  on  the  world. 
They  are  (nr  enough,  in  days  of  mutual 
recrimination,  from  realizing  the  Divine  ideal, 
and  should  set  themselves  to  remedy  the 
crying  evil;  but  they  have  no  right  to  import 
into  the  words,  by  reason  of  their  predilection 
for  particular  forms  of  Church  organization, 
an  identification  of  the  body  of  Christ  with 
any  specitic  form.  The  spiritual  union  of 
Christendom  in  its  one  faith,  hope,  and 
character,  is.  notwithstanding  the  divergence 
of  some  of  its  forms  of  expression,  the  most 
stupendous  fact  in  the  history  of  the  world. 
The  ^lite  of  all  Churches  are  drawing  more 
and  more  into  a  visible  unity. 

Ver.  21. — Now  passing  from  this  glorifi- 
cation of  his  people  in  the  convictions  and 
knowledge  of  the  world,  our  Lord  offers  "as 
a  Son  to  a  Father,"  and  therefore  with  pro- 
found naturalness,  the  prayer  of  the  incar- 
nate Logos  to  the  eternal  Father,  and 
therefore  an  address  indubitably  supernatural 
and  lifted  above  all  human  consciousness. 
It  is  a  prayer,  too,  which  rises  from  the  high 
and  unique  term  epwrSi  (one  which  he  never 
puts  into  the  lips  of  his  disciples)  to  a  yet 
higher  one,  deXoi,  as  one  who  speaks  with 
f^ovffla  which  God  had  given  him  over  all 
flesh,  that  he  should  give  eternal  life  to 
those  whom  God  had  given  him.  @(\w 
means  less  than  "  I  will,"  and  more  than  "  I 
desire,"  and  is  destitute  of  that  element  of 
"counsel"  or  deliberation  that  is  involved 
in  &ov\6/xat.  Very  soon  after  this,  when  the 
full  force  of  his  human  consciousness  pressed 
upon  him,  he  said  (Mark  xiv.  36),  "  Not  what 
(e-yii  OeXu)  I  will,  but  what  thou  wiliest." 
But  here  he  is  so  conscious  of  the  Father's 
will  concerning  others  that  he  cries.  Father, 
as  for  them  whom — or,  as  some  anccnt 
codices  read,  that '  which — thou  hast  given 
me,  regarded  as  a  mystic  unity,  as  the  Bride 
which  he  has  redeemed,  I  will  that  they 
also  be  with  me  where  I  am.  KaKflvoi 
resolves  the  h  into  the  elements  of  which  it 

*  Tischendorf  (Sth  edit.),  Westcott  and 
Hort,  Alford,  Tregelles,  and  R.T.,  even 
Godet  and  Meyer,  on  the  authority  of  N,  B, 
D,  read  h  ■  but  Lachmann,  on  the  authority 
of  A,  C,  L,  X,  Y,  etc.,  numerous  versions 
and  quotations,  reads  ols. 


352 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvii.  1—26. 


is  composed.  This  is  the  first  part  of  the 
final  petition,  and  it  embraces  everything. 
"  With  Christ ; "  "  For  ever  with  the  Lord ; " 
in  his  glory  and  part  of  it,  in  the  place 
which  he  is  going  to  localize  and  prepare 
for  them,  is  heaven.  The  glory  which  he 
had  already  given  to  his  disciples  (ver.  22) 
falls  far  short  of  this  fellowship  with  him 
where  his  undimmed  radiance  shines,  is 
only  a  preparation  for  sharing  with  him  in 
his  ultimate  triumph  over  the  world  and 
death,  and  also  for  sitting  down  with  him 
on  his  throne  (Rev.  iii.  21).  In  this  world 
fellowship  with  him  in  his  suffering  humanity 
did  not  finally  reveal  the  transcendent  glory 
(though  in  ch.  i.  14  the  apostle  says,  "  We 
beheld  his  glory,"  etc.)  of  his  Person.  To 
realize  this  he  prays.  And  that  they  may  also 
behold  the  glory  which  is  mine,  which  thou 
hast  given  me.  The  glory  given  cannot  be 
the  glory  of  the  \6yos  acrdpKos,  according  to 
Meyer,  for  that  is  not  given,  but  belongs  to 
him  by  eternal  right ;  yet  Meyer  admits  that 
the  Father  gave  the  Son  to  have  life  in  him- 
self; and  that  even  the  eternal  Sonship  itself 
may  be  regarded  as  the  eternal  bestowment 
of  an  infinite  love.  Seeing  that  the  Lord 
goes  on  to  give  a  reason  of  his  deXrjua 
founded  on  an  eternal  or  at  least  pre- 
mundane  manifestation  of  a  conscious  love, 
surely  he  is  thinking  of  the  exaltation  of 
humanity  into  the  eternal  glory,  which  he 
distinctly  relinquished  and  veiled  in  the 
days  of  his  flesh.  That  which  they  had 
hitherto  seen  they  only  partially  appre- 
hended, though  he  had  even  given  it  to 
them  (ver.  22),  and  though  they  had  been 
drawn  out  of  the  world  to  high  places  of 
transfiguration,  that  they  miglit  behold  it 
and  learn  how  it  coexisted  with  and  was 
compatible  with  a  perfect  resignation  to  tlie 
will  of  God  in  human  redemption.  Our 
Lord  prays,  nay,  icills,  that  they  should 
hereafter  see  it  in  its  fulness  of  grace  and 
beauty,  see  it  when  relieved  from  obstructive 
hindrances  due  to  the  flesh  and  to  the  world, 
see  it  on  the  grandest  scale,  see  it  as  it 
really  is,  see  the  full  capacity  and  infinite 
momentum  of  the  glory  which  he  had 
already  bestowed  upon  them.  For  thou 
lovedst  me  before  the  foundation  of  the  world. 
This,  say  Meyer  and  Luthardt,  is  given  as  a 
reason  of  the  prayer  for  his  disciples,  not  as 
an  explanation  of  the  glory  which  he  had 
with  the  Father  before  the  world  was.  It 
is  often  said  that  the  exaltation  of  the  Son 
of  man  is  a  reward  for  his  self-humiliation, 
and  the  crown  of  his  sacrificial  death  (Phil, 
ii.  9 ;  Rev.  iii.  21 ;  Heb.  i.  1,  2),  but  these 
very  passages  couple  that  exaltation  with 
the  premundane  glory  of  him  who  was,  to 
begin  with,  and  before  his  work  of  re- 
demption, the  "  Effulgence  of  the  Father's 
glory,"  who  was  "in  the  form  of  God,"  and 


regarded  the  being  equal  with  God  as  no 
apirayn6s — not  as  a  thing  to  be  seized,  prized, 
and  held  in  its  integrity.  And  in  Heb.  ii.  9, 
"  He  was  by  reason  of  his  intended  passion 
crowned  with  glory  and  honour,  in  order  that 
he  might  taste  death  for  every  man."  So  tliat 
the  glory  which  he  had  with  the  Father 
before  the  worlU  was,  and  therefore  before 
his  incarnation,  was  that  very  glory  of  self- 
devoting  and  unutterable  love  into  which 
he  would  come  again  with  all  the  trophies 
of  his  redemptive  work.  The  new  and 
higher  embodiment  of  his  humanity  would 
prove  of  such  a  kind  that  his  essential  glory 
would  shine  through  it  in  undimmed  lustre. 
If  this  be  the  meaning,  we  cannot  dilute 
this  pregnant  saying,  one  of  the  most 
mysterious  of  all  his  words,  one  which  leads 
us  Up  to  the  liigliest  possible  conception  of 
the  relations  between  the  Father  and  the 
Son.  The  eternal  love  of  which  the  God- 
head itself  is  the  sourck  and  the  object  is 
that  to  which  we  shall  be  introduced,  and 
which  our  Lord  would  have  us  see  and 
share  (cf.  1  John  iii.  1 — 3). 

Ver.  25. — The  prayer  is  thus  over,  and 
once  more  the  great  High  Priest  and  Victim 
declares  concerning  himself  some  of  the 
mysteries  of  his  Person  and  of  his  relation 
with  his  disciples  and  with  the  world.  0 
righteous  Tather  (cf,  vers.  1,  5,  Uirep 
simply;  ver.  II,  Tldrep  ayie;  ver.  24,  ndrtp 
without  any  characterization).  The  right- 
eousness of  God  is  a  more  exalted  perfection 
than  his  holiness,  one  that  might  seem  more 
at  variance  with  the  exercise  of  his  paternal 
compassion ;  yet  this  righteousness  is  con- 
spicuously displayed  in  the  redemptive  love 
which  Christ  had  thus  manifested,  and  the 
beloved  disciple  (1  John  i.  9)  declares  that 
God  is  faithful  and  "  righteous  "  in  forgiving 
the  repentant  sinner.  The  blending  of  the 
idea  of  righteousness  with  Fatherhood  is  the 
sublime  revelation  made  by  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  he  gathers  the  two  ideas  together  into 
an  indissoluble  unity.  Justice  and  mercy 
are  seen  by  the  whole  work  of  the  Son  of 
God  to  have  been  the  outflow  and  effulgence 
of  the  one  all-comprehending  and  infinite 
love.  The  kuI  that  here  follows  has  created 
some  difficulty,  though  some  manuscripts 
omit  it  (D  and  Vulgate),  probably  in  con- 
sequence of  its  inappropriateness  ;  but  it  is 
received  on  strong  ancient  authority.  Meyer 
and  Hengstenberg  take  it  thus :  Righteous 
Father  (yea,  such  thou  art),  and  (yet)  the  world 
knew  thee  not.  But  would  our  Lord  have  hesi- 
tated, as  it  were,  to  express  this  truth,  with- 
out justifying  it  against  the  unbelief  of  the 
world  ?  Moulton  tries  to  explain  the  simple 
adversative  force  of  the  Koi  and  5«  by  "  both 
the  world  learned  not  to  know  thee,  but  I 
learned  to  know  thee."  Godet  has  ex- 
pressed the  Kal  more  effectively  by  trans- 


CH.  xvn.  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


353 


lating,  Tlie  trorld,  it  is  true,  knew  thee  not, 
but  I  knew  thee.  Tho  Revised  Version  has, 
with  the  Authorized  Version,  simply  omitted 
tlie  Kal.  It  is  one  of  tho  most  solemn  of 
the  Lord's  condemnations  of  the  KSfffios. 
The  Apostle  Paul  said  (1  Ck)r.  i.  21),  "Tho 
world  through  its  wisdom  knew  not  God  ;  " 
and  in  Rom.  i.  18 — 23  he  shows  that  this 
ignorance  was  wilful  and  practical  and  with- 
out excuse.  The  history  of  the  struggling 
of  the  world  after  Go<i  has  shown  how  dense 
the  human  darkness  is.  There  have  been 
signs  that  men  groped  after  the  idea  of  a 
Father  who  should  be  blind  to  their  faults 
and  indifferent  to  their  follies,  and  after  a 
righteous  Lord  who  has  exalted  righteous- 
ness and  hated  iniquity ;  but  it  was  left  for 
Christ  to  blend  these  apparently  discordant 
beams  into  the  radiance  of  a  perfect  glory. 
How  many  illustrations  do  the  sad  and 
shameless  perversions  of  human  intelligence 
supply  !  But  I  knew  thee,  because  of  the 
eternity  of  tliat  ineffable  love  wherewith 
thou  hast  loved  me,  and  because  of  the 
depth  of  that  righteous  love  which  thou  hast 
manifested  to  the  world  in  sending  me  upon 
my  mission.  And  these  knew— came  to  kuow 
by  personal  intuition — that  thou  didst  send 
me  (cf.  ch.  xvi.  27,  and  vers.  8,  23)  on  the 
mission  of  redeeming  the  world.  They  have 
learned  that  I  have  come  with  all  thy 
authority  and  in  all  thy  power ;  that  I  have 
come  out  from  thee ;  that  I  entered  into 
the  world  ;  that  I  have  glorified  thee  among 
men;  that  my  thoughts  are  thy  thoughts, 
and  my  "  words  "  (pTj/uora)  are  thy  (Logos) 
"  Word ; "  that  my  works  of  love  are  the 
works  of  the  Father ;  and  that  my  promises 
are  the  manifestation  of  thy  Name  to  the 
men  whom  thou  hast  given  me. 

Ver.  26. — Since  they  have  "  learned  that 
thou  sentest  me,"  our  Lord,  to  complete  the 
awfnl  monologue,  adds,  And  I  made  known 
thy  Name  to  them,  pointing  back  to  the 
ipavepwad  aov  rh  bvofia  of  ver.  6.  "  To  make 
manifest "  is  not  equal  in  potency  with  "  to 
make  known,  to  cause  them  to  know  ; "  there 
is  more  direct  work  done  in  them  and  to 
them  in  order  to  effect  knowledge.  Our  Lord 
also  declares  that  he  has  d.jue  this  already, 
but  his  work  of  manifestation  and  teaching 
are  not  complete.  TLeie  is  more  and  more 
for  these  to  learn.  And  (yvwpia-ai')  I  will  make 
them  to  know  it.  A  promise  of  Divine  expan- 
sion reaching  onward  and  outward  for  ever- 
more. By  the  power  of  his  Spirit,  by  his 
return  to  them  in  his  resurrection-life,  by  the 
ministry  of  the  Paraclete,  he  would  prolong 
and  complete  the  convincing  process.  In  order 
that  the  love  wherewith  thou  hast  loved  me 
(notice  the  unusual  expression,  ^  070^7;,  ^v 
jTyajrnffds ;  and  cf.  Eph.  ii.  4) — the  eternal 
love  of  the  Father  to  the  well-beloved  Son — 
the  love  wliich  has  flowed  forth  upon  him  as 
JOHN — II. 


the  perfect  Son  of  man,  and  Representative  of 
man,  upon  him  who  laid  down  his  life  that 
he  might  take  it  again  (cf.  ch.  x.  17) — may 
be  in  them;  may  alight  on  them  as  knowing, 
receiving,  loving  me  (cf.  ch.  xvi.  27,  "  The 
Father  himself  loveth  you,  because  ye  have 
loved  me").    However  much  was  involved 
in  the  utterance  just  quoted,  in  this  closing 
utterance  still  more  is  conveyed.     The  waves 
on  this  boundless  ocean  of  love  pour  in,  one 
behind  tlio  other,  each  nobler  and  freighted 
with  richer  blessing  than  that  which  pre- 
coded  ;    and  tho   motive    of    this    infinite 
fulness  of  eternal  love  being  thus  lavished 
upon  them  is  added :  I  in  them.     On  this 
profound   suggestion   ho    has  already   said  1 
much,   but  not   until  we  reach  tliese  last  \ 
words  do  they  flash  forth  in  all  their  mystic  k 
grandeur.     His  life  will  be  so  identified  with  | 
their  life,  his  abode  so  blended  with  their  f 
being,  his  life  so  repeated  in  their  experi-  v 
ence,  liis  personality  so  much  entwined  and  i 
blended  with  theirs,  that  he  in  them,  and  i 
because  he  is  in  them,  prolongs  and  repeats  f' 
himself  as  the  Object  of  an  eternal  love.     We  v 
see  the  same  ideas  in  the  Pauline  teaching,.  |j 


and  can  only  explain  Gal.  i.  16;  ii.  20;  iv 
ii]  Koni.  yiii.   9,  10,  11;    Eph.  ii.  18;   iii.  ,i 


19 ;  Col.  ii.  7 ;  iii.  4,  as  echoes  of  the  class 
of  teaching  which,  long  before  John  had' 
recorded  the  prayer  in  this  form,  had  yet; 
become  the  seed  and  life-principle  of  thef 
Church.  This  is  not  only  true  of  the  closing  \ 
verses,  but  of  the  whole  prayer  and  preceding^ 
discourse. 

5.  Revieio  of  the  difficulties  attending  the 
preservation  and  characteristics  of  this  dis-: 
course  and  prayer.  The  sublime  comprehen-^ 
siveness  of  the  prayer ;  its  augmenting  swell 
of  thought ;  the  awful  depth  of  its  self-con- 
sciousness ;  the  limpid  simplicity  of  its  style; 
the  movement  from  himself  to  his  disciples, 
to  the  entire  Church,  to  the  outlying  world  ; 
the  ground  on  which  he  bases  every  prayer ; 
the  imperial  dignity  of  the  Pleader;  the 
total  absence  of  any  sense  of  personal  weak- 
ness or  sinfulness ;  the  revelation  and  insight 
thus  granted  into  the  heart  of  the  God- Man ; 
its  naturalness,  if  we  concede  the  foregoing 
character ;  its  profound  humility,  if  we  bear 
in  mind  his  unique  claims ; — constitute 
this  page  a  supernatural  phenomenon, 
Christ  himself  is  the  greatest  of  his  miracles. 
The  supposition  that  some  unknown  writer 
of  the  second  century  excogitated  such  a 
conception  out  of  the  synoptic  narrative,  the 
Pauline  Epistles,  and  the  Alexandrine  philo- 
sophy, refutes  itself. 

We   admit,  with   F.   W.   Newman,   with 
2  A 


354 


THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.   JOHN.     [ch.  xvii.  1— 26. 


ReuBS,  and  witu  all  the  rationalist  critics, 
that  it  is  difficult  to  understand  how  the 
apostle  could  have  reproduced  so  accurately 
this  wondrous  discourse  and  the  prayer; 
but  the  author  practically  admits  that  it 
was  a  supernatural  process  of  memory  (ch. 
xiv.  25,  26).  Still,  there  are  facts  enough 
in  the  natural  sphere  and  within  the  know- 
ledge of  uU,  that  such  extraordinary  eiforts 
of  memory  are  by  no  means  uncommon. 
John  was  the  contemporary  of  men  whose 
surprising  memory  held  the  whole  '  Mishna ' 
and  thousands  of  illustrative  comments, 
'  Halacha,'  and  '  Hagada'  ready  for  constant 
reference  and  application.  The  rishis  of 
India,  the  Greek  rhapsodists,  mediaeval 
minnesingers,  and  wandering  bards,  have 
had  imprinted  indelibly  and  verbally  on 
their  recollection  ten  or  twenty  times  the 
bulk  of  this  wondrous  discourse.  John  was 
young,  impressionable,intimately  acquainted 
with  his  Lord,  though  needing  many  things 
to  complete  his  apprehension  of  his  glory ; 
and,  even  apart  from  Divine  or  spiritual  aid^ 
there  is  no  reason  to  dispute  its  accuracy. 

The  impression  that  this  discourse  and 
prayer  have  produced  on  the  general  con- 
sciousness of  the  Church,  is,  that  none  but 
Christ  could  have  uttered  these  words,  and 
he  only  at  such  a  conjuncture. 

Keim  insists  that  John,  if  it  were  he,  by 
this  narrative  annihilates  the  synoptic  tradi- 
tion of  the  agony  in  the  garden.  And  we 
do  not  deny  that  the  intercalation  of  that 
agony  between  this  prayer  and  the  sublime 
manner  in  which  Jesus  meets  the  band  of 
soldiers,  renders  a  harmony  of  the  Gospels 
at  this  point  very  difficult.  The  difficulty 
does  not  so  much  arise  from  the  fact  that 
the  profound  and  awful  strife  should  follow 
upon  this  sublime  and  lofty  calm,  upon  this 
imperial  and  Divine  prerogative,  but  that 
throughout  the  Johannine  recital  of  the 
events  which  occurred  on  the  night  of  be- 
trayal and  Passion,  the  same  exalted  de- 
meanouris  preserved,  and  numerous  incidents 
and  sayings  are  recorded  which  appear  dis- 
crepant with  the  utter  prostration  and  over- 
whelming affliction  revealed  in  the  synoptic 
narrative.  This  contrast  must  not  be 
minimized,  and  cannot  be  disputed.  The 
question  to  be  decided  is  whether  the  two- 
fold aspect  of  the  scene  can  possibly  repre- 
sent the  truth,  or  whether  it  proceeds  from 


the  theological  prepossessions  of  a  later 
writer,  who  imagined  the  behaviour  of  the 
incarnate  Logos  under  these  conditions 
without  any  real  and  deep  foundation  in 
reality. 

By  way  of  preface  to  an  expository  treat- 
ment, it  is  desirable  to  observe  that  John 
throughout  received  impressions  from  his 
Lord  of  a  profoundly  different  character 
from  that  of  the  other  observers,  and  through- 
out he  saw  the  Divine  manifestation  which, 
while  they  witnessed  it,  they  did  not  pene- 
trate as  he  had  done.  The  veil  of  the  human 
phenomena  concealed  much  from  their  spiri- 
tual apprehension.  The  different  manner  in 
which  the  same  event  is  described  by  two 
witnesses,  and  the  different  constructions 
put  upon  the  same  action  when  viewed  with 
diverse  presuppositions,  is  of  too  common 
occurrence  to  need  illustration.  Luke  re- 
presents the  tradition  concerning  the  Son 
of  man  in  the  hour  of  his  deepest  dejection. 
John  represents  what  he  saw  of  the  ineffably 
Divine  element  which  triumphed  over  the 
human.  The  angle  of  vision  was  different, 
the  sensitive  brooding  and  susceptible 
nature  of  John  was  unlike  the  impetuous 
human  passion  of  Peter's  soul,  and  the  result- 
ant impression  on  them  both  of  the  whole 
cycle  of  events  was  correspondingly  different. 
Then  let  it  be  noticed  that  John,  who  knew 
the  synoptic  narrative,  deliberately  omitted 
what  had  passed  into  universal  credence, 
such  as  the  Transfiguration,  the  Holy  Supper, 
and  the  Ascension :  why  was  be  not  at  liberty 
to  omit  the  agony  in  the  garJea  and  the 
traitor's  kiss  ?  He  takes  up  his  story  after 
the  surprise  was  over,  and  when  the  Lord  had 
resumed  the  tone  of  the  voluntary  Sufferer 
and  Divine  Saviour ;  and  if  we  compare  the 
two  descriptions  of  that  scene,  they  supple- 
ment and  explain  one  another.  Numerous 
incidents  throughout  the  closing  scenes, 
which  are  omitted  by  John,  are  recorded  by 
one  or  more  of  the  evangelists,  and  some 
facts  and  words  are  peculiar  to  the  Johannine 
narrative.  These  omissions  from  and  addi- 
tions to  the  synoptic  narrative  have  been 
supposed  to  reveal  the  purpose  of  the 
theologian  rather  than  the  record  of  the 
eye-witness.  It  is  rashly  asserted  that  John 
omits  the  symptoms  of  human  weakness  and 
shame,  and  exaggerates  the  signs  of  Divine 
indwelling  and  of  lofty  prerogative.    This, 


en.  xviL  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCOKDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


355 


however,  is  by  no  means  true.  He  does 
omit  the  agony  in  the  garden,  but  ho  gives 
in  ch.  xii.  the  analogue  of  that  awful  scene, 
and  the  same  Divine  spirit  with  which  it 
was  consummated.  He  omits  the  "  traitor's 
kiss,"  but  he  hints  the  occurrence  of  that 
crowning  treachery.  He  docs  omit  the  re- 
cord of  the  desertion  by  the  disciples,  but 
(ch.  xvi.  32)  he  records  the  prediction  of  it. 
He  omits  the  incident  of  the  false  witness 
and  the  adjuration,  but  it  should  in  all 
fairness  be  remembered  that  he  also  omitted 
the  great  confession  of  the  Lord's  Messiah- 
ship  and  exaltation  ;  and  while  he  passes  by 
the  incidents  of  the  mockery  of  the  Lord, 
he  records  other  matters  and  methods  of 
mockery  which  are  equally  humiliating  (ch. 
xix.  12).  If  he  omits  the  examinations 
before  Caiaphas  and  Herod,  ho  gives  that 
which  the  synoptic  tradition  had  lost  sight 
of  in  the  first  examination  before  Annas 
and  in  the  private  interview  with  Pilate. 
The  hand-washing  of  Pilate  and  the  dream 
of  his  wife  are  passed  over,  but  the  conduct 
of  Pilate  is  made  far  more  intelligible  by 


that  private  interview.  The  evangelists 
Luke  and  Matthew  both  record  features  of 
sorrow  and  words  from  the  cross  and  por- 
tents attending  the  Crucifixion,  which  confer 
a  roynl  prerogative  and  a  Divine  signifi- 
cance on  his  death.  The  rending  of  the  veil, 
the  confession  of  the  centurion,  the  great 
earthquake,  the  supernatural  darkness,  the 
repentance  and  acceptance  of  the  dying  bri- 
gand,— all  these  we  might  reasonably  expect, 
on  the  theory  of  theological  prepossession, 
to  have  been  found  in  the  Fourth  Gospel ; 
and  what  is  more  remarkable  still  on  that 
hypothesis  is  that  the  most  peculiar  and 
pathetic  feature  of  the  last  hours  is  an  exhi- 
bition of  Christ's  perfect  humanity  and  filial 
love,  which  the  other  narrators  fail  to  touch 
(ch.  xix.  25 — 27).  We  conclude,  therefore, 
that  the  matters  in  which  the  narratives 
agree  are  abundant  and  remarkable,  and  their 
divergences  cannot  be  accounted  for  on  the 
ground  of  theological  bias.  The  exposition 
of  the  following  chapters  will  bring  the 
several  lacunse,  correspondences,  and  pecu- 
liarities into  yet  fuller  prominence. 


HOMILETICS. 

Vers.  1 — 5. — Clirisfs  intercessory  prayer.  The  great  High  Priest  appears  on  the  eve 
of  his  final  sacrifice  of  himself  for  his  people.  He  prays,  first,  for  restoration  to  his 
Divine  glory. 

L  The  attitude  and  spirit  of  this  pbayek.  "  He  lifted  up  his  eyes  to  heaven, 
and  said,  Father."  1.  His  attitude,  as  he  looked  upivards,  bespoke  his  reverence  for  God, 
whose  throne  is  in  heaven,  his  confidence  in  God,  and  his  expectation  of  help  and  comfort 
from  on  high.  2.  His  spirit  is  that  of  confidence  and  filial  affection.  If  liis  jirayer 
■was  in  Aramjean,  he  said,  "  Abba,"  which  henceforth  passes  into  the  usage  of  the 
Church,  as  the  term  so  sacred  to  Christians  (Rom.  vii.  15 ;  Gal.  iv.  6). 

II.  The  purport  of  this  prayer.  "  The  hour  is  come ;  glorify  thy  Son,  that  tliy 
Son  also  may  glorify  thee."  1.  There  was  an  hour  appointed  in  the  Divine  counsels 
for  his  death  and  Passion.  It  was  the  fitting  time.  The  best  remedy  for  such  a  s-ad 
moment  is  prayer,  2,  It  was  an  hour  that  involved  in  its  consequences  the  glorification 
of  the  Son.  (I)  Not  by  his  mere  death,  (2)  nor  by  his  resurrection,  (3)  but  by  th'; 
change  in  his  personal  condition,  whicli  would  enable  him  in  heaven  to  consiuumate 
the  work  he  had  begun  on  earth.  3.  Mark  how  the  glorification  of  the  Father  and  the 
Son  are  inextricably  linked  together.  4.  Mark  the  authority  which  Christ  has  received, 
as  Mediator,  over  the  whole  human  race.  "  As  thou  hast  given  him  authority  over  ail 
flesh,  that  he  should  give  eternal  life  to  as  many  as  thou  hast  given  him."  (1)  Mark 
the  universality  of  the  gospel;  for  it  applies,  not  to  Israel  only,  but  to  all  people 
(Matt,  xxviii.  19).  (2)  The  authority  of  the  Son  over  the  race  of  man  is  conferred  by 
the  Father.  It  is  not  implied  that  the  Son  was  not  God,  because  he  received  ail  from 
his  Father,  for  the  text  speaks  of  his  authority  as  Mediator.  (3)  The  design  of  this 
authority  is  that  he  might  give  eternal  life  to  his  own  people,  (o)  All  believers  are  tlie 
Father's  gift  to  the  Son,  as  his  charge  and  as  his  reward  (Isa.  liii.  10).  We  may,  there- 
fore, infer  that  such  a  gift  will  not  be  in  vain,  (b)  Eternal  life  is  Christ's  free  gilt  to 
sinners,  (a)  It  is  not  temporary  lite,  but  hie  without  break  or  end.  (/3)  It  is  a  life,  as 
a  Puritan  says,  uubought,  unsought,  uuthgught,  by  .sinners. 


056  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvii.  1— 26. 

III.  The  true  nature  of  eternal  life.  "And  this  is  life  eternal,  that  they 
jiight  know  thee  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ,  whom  thou  hast  sent."  1.  The 
life  of  grace  begins  with  knowledge.  (1)  Ignorance  is  the  great  hindrance  to  life.  (2) 
Christ,  by  his  Spirit  and  Word,  removes  this  hindrance,  enlightening  our  understanding. 
2.   The  true  objects  of  holy  knowledge  are  Qod  and  Christ.    (1)  The  only  true  God,  in 

1^  opposition  to  the  error  of  polytheism.  (2)  It  is  the  whole  essence  of  the  Godhead — 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost.  This  is  the  only  true  God.  (3)  Christ  is  to  be  known 
as  the  manifestation  of  the  Godhead,  (a)  Without  him,  we  do  not  know  God  as 
reconciled,  and  therefore  cannot  come  to  him  with  boldness.  (&)  The  dependence  of 
eternal  life  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  implies  his  coequal  Godhead  with  the  Father 
and  the  Spirit.  How  could  the  knowledge  of  a  mere  creature  be  equally  necessary  to 
salvation  with  that  of  God  himself?  (c)  The  mission  of  the  Son  was  (a)  from  God 
and  heaven ;  (/3)  it  was  into  this  world  ;  (7)  it  was  in  our  business  and  for  our  benefit. 
(8)  Therefore  we  ought  to  honour  the  Son  as  we  honour  the  Father. 

IV.  The  Son's  glorification  of  the  Father  on  earth.     "  I  have  glorified  thee 
{_^     on  earth  :  I  have  finished  the  work  which  thou  gavest  me  to  do."    1.  The  Son  glorified 

the  Father  by  (1)  his  doctrines,  (2)  his  miracles,  (3)  his  obedience,  (4)  his  suS'erings 
till  death.  2.  The  work  of  his  life  was  now  ended.  (1)  This  implies  that  his  work 
was  finished  before  his  death.  He  refers  to  his  obedience  in  life  in  our  stead,  which 
was  as  necessary  as  his  obedience  unto  death  for  our  salvation.  (2)  Because  it  is 
a  finished  work,  it  is  sinful  and  foolish  for  man  to  add  to  it. 

V.  The  prayer  for  the  Son's  glorification  in  heaven.  "  And  now,  0  Father, 
glorify  thou  me  with  thine  own  self  with  the  glory  which  I  had  with  thee  before  the 
world  was."  These  words  imply :  1.  That  the  Son  had  an  essential  glory  with  the 
Father  before  the  foundation  of  the  world.  2.  That  he  emptied  himself  for  a  time  of 
that  which  he  received  again.  (Phil.  ii.  7.)  3.  That  the  glory  of  his  Divinity  was  ful- 
filled  in  his  ascended  manhood.  4.  Mark  the  glorious  advancement  of  our  nature  in 
the  Person  of  Christ.  5.  The  true  fulfilment  of  this  prayer  is  set  forth  in  the  exaltation 
described  in  the  Philippian  Epistle.    (Phil.  ii.  9 — 12.) 

Vers.  6 — 11. — Our  Lord's  prayer  for  his  disciples.  As  he  had  prayed  for  himself,  he 
next  prays  for  his  disciples. 

I.  Christ's  manifestation  of  the  Father  to  his  disciples.  "I  have  mani- 
fested thy  Name  to  the  men  which  thou  gavest  me  out  of  the  world."  1.  He  only 
could  make  such  a  discovery  of  the  Divine  mind  and  will  (1)  by  his  appearance  in  the 
flesh  ;  (2)  by  his  Word ;  (3)  by  his  Spirit.  2.  Those  who  received  the  revelation  were 
God's,  "  Thine  they  were : "  (1)  by  creation ;  (2)  by  election ;  (3)  by  gift  of  the 
Father  to  the  Son,  (o)  as  his  charge,  (6)  as  his  subjects,  (c)  as  his  apostles,  (d)  as  his 
reward. 

II.  The  apostles'  faithful  reception  of  the  Father's  Word.  "  And  they  have 
kept  thy  Word."  Now  they  have  known  that  all  things  whatsoever  thou  hast  given 
me  are  of  thee.  1.  Christ's  Word  is  the  Father's  Word.  2.  The  disciples  kept  it  (1)  in 
their  memory  as  sacred  treasure ;  (2)  in  their  hearts  by  believing ;  (3)  in  their  lives  by 
a  steadfast  obedience.    3.  The  complete  loyalty  of  the  disciples  to  the  revelation  of  Christ. 

(1)  " They  have  received  them" — upon  the  authority  of  my  testimony.  (2)  "They 
have  known  surely  that  I  came  out  from  thee  " — by  their  spiritual  insight,  rising  from 
the  reception  of  his  Word  to  the  recognition  of  the  Divine  origin  of  his  Person.  (3) 
"  And  they  have  believed  that  thou  didst  send  me  " — by  the  absolute  surrender  of  their 
being  to  his  guidance. 

HI.  Our  Lord's  prayer  for  his  disciples.  "  I  pray  for  them :  I  pray  not  for 
the  world,  but  for  them  whom  thou  hast  given  me ;  for  they  are  thine."  1.  Christ  is 
our  gracious  Intercessor.  (1)  This  fact  should  give  us  boldness  in  prayer ;  (2)  support 
ns  under  a  sense  of  our  imperfections;  (3)  assure  us  of  the  success  of  our  petitions. 
2.  Christ  at  present  prays  only  for  his  disciples,  tvho  were  to  continue  his  work.  The 
world  is  only  for  the  moment  outside  the  sphere  of  his  supplications.  It  will  by-and- 
by  be  reached  by  those  for  whom  he  first  prays.  (1)  His  prayer  for  the  world  will  be 
for  its  conversion ;  his  prayer  for  the  disciples  is  for  their  sanctification  and  preservation. 

(2)  He  will  in  a  few  hours  pray  for  the  world.  "  Father,  forgive  them  :  they  know  not 
what  they  do."    (3)  There  is  an  implicit  prayer  for  the  world  implied  in  the  prayc 


CH.  xvn.  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  '357 

for  Christian  unity.  *'  That  the  world  may  know  that  thou  hast  sent  me."  3.  The 
answer  to  his  prayers  for  the  disciples  is  guaranteed  by  a  three/old  daim.  (1)  They 
were  the  Father's;  he  could  not,  therefore,  but  provide  for  his  own  children.  (2) 
They  were  Christ's,  by  gift  of  the  Father ;  therefore  the  Father  might  be  expected 
to  watch  over  his  own  gift.  (3)  Christ  was  glorified  in  his  disciples.  "  I  have  been 
glorified  in  them,"  (a)  in  their  grace  (b)  and  in  their  glory. 

IV.  The  dangers  to  which  the  disciples  would  be  exposed.  "And  I  am  no 
longer  in  the  world,  but  these  are  in  the  world,  and  I  come  to  thee."  1.  Christ  thinks 
of  his  departure  as  all  but  already  accomplished.  (1)  He  had  no  more  to  do  in  this 
world  but  die.  (2)  His  departure  would  leave  the  disciples  without  his  personal  sup- 
port. (3)  Yet  he  suggests  that  he  has  much  to  do  in  heaven :  (a)  by  sending  his 
Spirit ;  (b)  by  interceding  for  his  people  ;  (c)  by  preparing  a  place  for  them  ;  (d)  by 
triumphing  over  all  his  enemies.  2.  The  loorld  is  always  a  place  of  danger  to  the  dis- 
ciples. (1)  By  its  open  hostility  ;  (2)  by  its  threefold  solicitations :  (a)  the  lust  of  the 
flesh,  (6)  the  lust  of  the  eye,  (c)  and  the  pride  of  life. 

V.  Our  Lord's  entreaty  for  the  preservation  of  his  disciples.  "Holy 
Father,  keep  through  thine  own  Name  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me,  that  they  may 
be  one,  as  we  are."  1.  The  term,  of  address  suggests  the  thought  of  the  petition.  The 
name,  "  Holy  Father,"  suggests  at  once  the  filial  relationship  and  the  consecration 
which  mark  off  our  separation  from  the  world.  2.  It  is  the  Father  who  will  maintain 
this  contintied  separation.  (1)  The  perseverance  of  the  saints  is  the  fruit  of  Christ's 
prayer.  (2)  It  is  efifected  through  the  Almighty  power  of  the  Father,  guarding  his 
saints  and  strengthening  them  against  temptations.  (3)  We  are  strong,  therefore,  not 
in  ourselves,  but  in  God.  (4)  We  ought,  therefore,  to  have  constant  recourse  to  his 
"Name,"  which,  as  the  revelation  of  the  Divine  character,  is  "  the  enclosing  wall,  as  it 
were,  of  the  sacred  region  in  which  they  are  kept."  3.  The  end  of  this  Divine  keeping 
is  the  unity'of  the  disciples  in  estrangement  from  the  world.  "  That  they  may  be  one,  as 
we  are."  (1)  Christian  imity  is  important  (a)  for  growth  in  grace,  (b)  for  comfort,  (c) 
for  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel.  (2)  It  is  hindered  (a)  by  carnal  pride,  (6)  by  selfish 
interests,  (c)  by  intellectual  restlessness,  (d)  by  the  diversity  of  human  temperaments. 
(3)  It  ought  to  be  an  earnest  subject  of  prayer  to  God  (a)  that  man  may  attain  to 
a  union  like  that  between  the  Father  and  the  Son ;  (6)  that  God  may  be  thus  abun- 
dantly glorified  ;  (c)  that  the  world  may  be  thus  attracted  to  Christ  by  the  visible  one- 
ness and  love  of  his  disciples. 

Vers.  12,  13. — Chrisfs  petition  for  his  disciples  supported  by  various  considerations. 
He  looks  back  upon  the  work  he  had  already  done,  and  sees  that  it  must  henceforth  be 
taken  up  by  a  different  agency. 

I.  Those  who  are  to  be  saved  are  committed  to  Christ's  Seeping.  "While 
I  was  with  them  in  the  world,  I  kept  them  myself  in  thy  Name.  I  have  watched  over 
those  whom  thou  hast  given  me."  1.  Believers  cannot  keep  themselves.  2.  Christ  takes 
them  wholly  in  charge  for  safe  keeping.  3.  They  are  kept,  (1)  not  from  suffering,  (2)  nor 
from  all  sin,  (3)  but  from  perishing  everlastingly.  "  Not  one  of  them  is  lost."  (a) 
Christ  has  an  individual  care  of  believers.  (5)  The  loss  of  a  single  believer  would  be 
(a)  a  dishonour  to  Christ,  (/3)  and  would  weaken  the  comfort  and  confidence  of  his 
people,  (c)  Christ  keeps  them  "in  the  Name"  of  the  Father,  out  of  love  and  duty  to 
him.  4.  Judas — "  the  son  of  perdition" — prepares  himself  for  his  own  foreseen  ruin. 
(1)  He  was  not  included  among  those  whom  the  Father  had  given  to  the  Son.  (2) 
Jesus  discharges  himself  from  all  responsibility  in  relation  to  Judas.  (3)  The  fall  of 
the  traitor  had  its  place  in  the  scheme  of  Divine  provision  (ch.  xii.  38 ;  Ps.  xli.  9).  It 
was  foretold  in  Scripture. 

II.  The  object  of  our  Lord  in  this  prater  for  the  disciples.  "And  now  I 
come  to  thee ;  and  these  things  I  speak  in  the  world,  that  they  may  have  my  joy 
fulfilled  in  themselves."  1.  His  prayer  was  offered  up  that  their  joy  should  not  be 
diminished  by  his  approaching  departure,  hut  rather  increased  by  the  coming  of  the 
Comforter.  (1)  Christ  is  the  Author  of  joy.  "  My  joy."  (2)  He  dispenses  it  (a)  by 
gracious  ordinances,  (b)  by  cheering  promises,  (c)  by  the  witness  of  the  Comforter. 
2.  The  importance  and  necessity  of  this  joy.  (1)  Christ  gives  it  as  a  mark  of  his 
fellow-feeling — as  One  who  was  himself  "  anointed  with  the  oil  of  gladness  above  his 


358  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvii.  1— 26. 

fellows."  (2)  To  recompense  them  for  the  sorrows  of  life,  (3)  To  give  them  strength 
for  duty  and  suffering.     "  The  joy  of  the  Lord  shall  be  your  strength." 

Vers.  14 — 19. — The  world's  hatred  and  Christ's  prayer  for  the  disciples'  safe  keeping 
against  it.  I.  It  was  Christ's  Word  in  the  disciples  that  excited  the  world's 
HATRED.  "I  have  given  them  thy  Word."  They  who  receive  the  Word  cross  the 
world's  path  (1)  in  their  true  judgment  of  things,  (2)  in  their  God-like  wills,  (3)  in 
their  holy  lives. 

II.  The  operation  of  the  world's  hatred.  "  The  world  hath  hatpd  them, 
because  they  are  not  of  the  world,  even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world."  1.  Jt  is  the  honour 
of  believers  that  they  are  linkf-d  with  Christ  as  the  objects  of  the  world's  hatred.  2.  This 
hatred  is  seen  in  (I)  persecution,  (2)  in  calumny,  (3)  in  the  misconstruction  of  things 
doubtful,  (4)  in  the  blasphemy  of  God  and  religion.  3.  The  hatred  of  the  world  is  no 
hindrance  to  the  believer's  blessedness. 

III.  Christ's  prayer  is  not  for  the  translation  of  believers  to  heaven, 
but  for  their  preservation  on  earth.  "  I  pray  not  that  thou  shouldest  take  them 
out  of  the  world,  but  that  thou  shouldest  keep  them  from  the  evil."  1.  The  desire  of 
death  is  unlawful  in  the  saints,  (1)  because  Christ  has  his  work  to  do  by  us  in  the 
world;  (2)  because  the  victory  is  to  be  gained  through  ccniflict;  (3)  because  God  can  be 
more  honoured  by  our  steadfast  endurance  than  by  our  escape  from  duty.  2.  There  is 
provision  inadefor  the  preserviHon  of  the  saints  from  evil.  (1)  It  is  better  for  us  to  be 
kept  from  sin  in  our  afflictions  than  from  the  afflictions  themselves.  (2)  Divine  aid  is 
needed  for  our  safe  keeping.  (3)  Such  as  devote  themselves  to  Christ's  service  are 
sure,  not  only  of  his  prayers,  but  of  his  Divine  support.  (4)  The  evil  that  surrounds 
the  believer  in  the  world  will  (a)  awaken  him  to  a  true  sense  of  his  danger,  (b)  humble 
him,  (c)  and  lead  him  to  a  nearer  dependence  upon  the  Lord. 

IV.  The  true  method  of  preservation.  "  Sanctify  them  through  thy  truth  : 
thy  Word  is  truth."  1.  There  must  be  a  complete  consecration  to  the  task  the  disciples 
have  to  fulfil  'in  the  world.  (1)  This  consecration  implies  a  prior  consecration  of 
heart  and  life  to  God,  in  the  ways  of  practical  holiness.  (2)  This  consecration  was 
necessary  to  the  faithful  discharge  of  the  apostlesbip.  2.  The  Word  of  God  is  the 
great  instrument  in  God's  hand  for  his  people's  sanctification.  (1)  It  is  here  implied 
that  the  Word  of  God  is  the  truth  of  God — truth  at  once  (a)  infallible,  (b)  eternal, 
(c)  and  holy.  (2)  It  is  to  be  read  with  diligence,  preparation,  and  prayer.  (3)  It  is  to 
be  maintained  (a)  by  our  arguments,  (6)  by  our  obedience,  (c)  by  our  sufferings. 
3.  Jesus  presents  two  motives  in  support  of  this  petition.  (1)  One  was  taken  from  the 
mission  he  had  entrusted  to  his  disciples.  "  As  thou  hast  sent  me  into  the  world,  even 
so  have  I  also  sent  them  into  the  world."  (a)  The  apostles  went  not  unsent  upon 
their  mission.  (6)  They  looked  to  Christ,  not  only  for  authority,  but  for  equipment, 
(c)  They  carried  his  message,     {d)  They  kept  in  view  his  end  in  preaching  the  gospel. 

(2)  The  other  motive  was  taken  from  the  work  which  he  had  effected  in  himself. 
"  And  for  their  sakes  I  .sanctify  myself,  that  they  also  may  be  sanctified  in  truth." 
(a)  Christ  consecrated  himself  wholly  to  his  work.  "  His  human  life  received  in  an 
ever-increasing  degree  the  seal  of  consecration  till  the  entire  and  final  sacrifice  of 
death."  (6)  The  end  of  his  consecntion  was  the  consecration  of  his  members.  The 
union  of  Christ  and  believers  is  the  abiding  source  of  this  continuous  consecration. 

Vers.  20,  21. — Christ's  prayer  for  all  believers.  Our  Lord,  having  prayed  for  himself 
and  for  his  apostles,  now  prays  for  the  whole  body  of  believer's. 

I.  He  prays  for  the  believers  of  all  generations  till  the  end   of   time. 
r/  "  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also  who  shall  believe  on  me  throush 

their  word."  1.  All  believers  have,  therefore,  an  interest  in  Christ's  prayer.  2.  The 
word  of  the  apostles — that  is,  not  merely  their  narrative  of  gospel  facts,  but  their 
revelation  of  gospel  principles — is  the  instrumental  means  of  faith.  (Rom.  x.  17.)  A 
capital  place  is  thus  assigned  to  the  Word  in  the  conversion  of  the  world.  (1)  Consider 
the  sad  condition  of  those  who  have  not  the  Word.     (2)  The  sin  of  those  who  reject  it. 

(3)  The  dishonour  done  to  the  Lord  by  those  who  deceitfully  handle  it. 

II.  The  great  end  of  this  preaching  of  the  Word.  "  That  they  all  may  be  one ; 
that  as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  they  also  may  be  one  in  us :  that  the 


CH.  xvii.  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  359 

world  may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me."  1.  Tlie  oneness  prayed  for  is  not  that  of 
believers  with  one  another,  but  that  oneness  which  is  the  foundation  of  visible  unity — 
the  union  of  believers  with  Christ,  and  through  him  with  God.  2.  It  cannot  refer  to 
a  visible  unity,  because  it  is  a  unity  of  successive  generations  of  believers,  who  cannot 
he  in  the  world  at  one  and  the  same  time.  3.  It  is  a  unity  resemblinfi  the  union  of /the 
Father  and  the  Son,  and  is  therefore  more  than  a  mere  moral  unity  of  purpose,  or 
opinion,  or  co-operation.  It  is  an  essentially  vital  unity  (Rom.  xii.  5 ;  Eph.  iv.  4). 
God  is  its  essential  Centre.  4.  IVie  ultimate  design  and  result  of  this  oneness  is  its 
effect  upon  the  world.  Where  disciples  are  seen  to  be  (1)  of  one  faith,  (2)  of  one  spirit, 
(3)  and  one  love,  the  world  will  have  better  thoughts  of  God  and  hia  gospel. 

Vers.  22 — 24. — A  prayer  that  the  disciples  may  share  in  the  Lord's  glory,  Jesus 
supports  his  petition  by  declaring  what  he  has  already  done  for  his  disciples. 

I.  He  has  alhkady  impautkd  to  them  a  shaue  in  his  glory.  "  And  the  glory 
which  thou  hast  given  me  I  have  given  them.'*  1.  This  glory  is  not  apostolic  office  or 
gift  of  miracle.  2.  It  is  not  the  glory  of  the  future  kingdom.  3.  It  is  the  glory  of 
adoption.  As  Christ's  glory  consisted  in  his  Sonship,  so  that  of  believers  consisted  in 
their  filial  dignity,  as  children  of  God  and  brethren  of  himself  as  the  elder  Brother. 

4.  The  effect  of  this  glory  is  twofold,  (1)  The  formation  of  a  closely  united  family  in 
heaven  and  in  earth.  "  I  in  them,  and  thou  in  me,  that  their  oneness  may  be  perfect." 
God  living  in  Christ,  Christ  in  each  believer,  reproduce  the  Divine  unity  on  earth. 
(2)  A  demonstration  to  the  world  of  Christ's  mission,  and  the  Father's  love  to  his 
children,  (a)  Christ's  mission  would  be  manifest  in  its  blessed  and  enduring  effects. 
(b)  The  Father's  love  to  believers  would  be  manifest  as  a  love  resembling  that  with 
which  he  regards  his  Son.  (a)  He  loves  them  in  Christ ;  ()3)  he  loves  them  through 
Christ;  (7)  his  love  is  the  guarantee  that  he  will  uphold  them,  as  he  did  Christ,  assist 
them  in  his  service,  provide  for  their  wants,  and  reward   them   for   their   services. 

5.  Chrisfs  will  is  that  his  disciples  shotdd  share  his  throne  in  the  heavens.  "  Father, 
I  will  that  they  also,  whom  thou  hast  given  me,  be  with  me  where  I  am ;  that  they  may 
behold  my  glory,  which  thou  hast  given  me :  for  thou  lovedst  me  before  the  foundation 
of  the  world."  (1)  His  will  is  that  his  people  should  be  where  he  is.  (a)  Love  seeks 
the  companionship  of  the  loved,  (b)  Heaven  is  wherever  Christ  is.  (c)  Union  with. 
Christ  draws  after  it  everlasting  communion  with  him.  (2)  His  will  is  that  his  people 
should  see  his  glory ;  (a)  not  his  essential  glory,  for  that  could  not  be  given  him,  (b)  but 
the  glory  of  a  consummated  fellowship  effected  between  God  and  man. 

Vers.  25,  26. — An  appeal  to  God's  righteous7iess.  Our  Lord  approaches  the  climax 
of  his  prayer. 

I.  Mark  the  mode  of  address.  "  Righteous  Father."  Six  times  in  this  prayer  has 
Christ  addressed  God  as  Father ;  but  the  name  here  used  implies  that  Christ  insists 
upon  the  reward  of  his  service  and  his  sufferings.  Justice  pleads  on  behalf  of  the 
disciples.  The  thought  of  a  "righteous  Father"  is:  1.  Comforting  to  the  righteous  and 
the  oppressed.     2.   Terrible  to  the  ungodly. 

II.  Mark  the  contrast  between  the  unbelieving  world  and  the  faithful 
Son  and  Servant  of  God.  1.  Consider  the  luorMs  ignorance  of  God.  "  The  world 
hath  not  known  thee."  (1)  The  heathen  want  the  means  of  knowledge.  (2)  The 
world  is  unwilling  to  know  God.  (3)  The  world  does  not  know  him  so  as  to  delight  in 
him,  or  to  serve  him,  or  to  obey  him.  2.  Consider  Christ's  knowledge  of  God.  "  But 
I  have  known  thee,  and  these  have  believed  that  thou  hast  sent  me."  (1)  He  knows 
God  immediately.  (2)  And  he  is  the  Source  of  all  saving  knowledge  to  believers. 
3.  Christ  will  make  still  fuller  declarations  of  his  Father's  Name  to  the  world's  end. 
"  And  I  have  made  known  unto  them  thy  Name,  and  I  will  make  it  known."  (1)  This 
will  be  realized  through  (a)  his  Word,  (5)  his  Spirit,  (c)  and  his  ministers.  (2)  The 
design  of  these  fuller  revelations.  "  That  the  love  wherewith  thou  hast  loved  me  may 
be  in  them,  and  I  in  them."  (a)  God's  love  ought  to  dwell  in  believers  as  an  habitual 
experience,  (b)  It  is  the  safety  and  the  glory  of  believers,  (c)  It  is  the  means  of  our 
growing  conformity  to  God's  image,  (d)  Wherever  love  is  Christ  is,  "dwelling"  ia 
believers,  (e)  They  who  have  Christ  in  them  have  (o)  safety,  {$)  access  to  him  at  all 
times,  (7)  peace  in  their  souls. 


360  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvii.  1—26. 


HOMILIES  BY  VARIOUS  AUTHORS. 

Yer.  1, — The  Divine  idea  of  glory.  There  have  ever  been  prevalent  among  men 
false  views  of  glory.  It  is  natural  to  admire  pomp  and  splendour,  wealth,  magni- 
ficence, and  power.  Christianity  has  done  much  to  counteract  the  common  tendency 
to  place  <clory  in  external  greatness,  to  rebuke  and  to  banish  such  coaceptions  from  the 
hic'her  thinking  of  men.  Our  Lord  employs  the  term  "  glory  "  in  a  higher,  a  moral  and 
spiritual  acceptation.  He  teaches  us  what  true  glory  is  when  he  prays,  "  Father, 
glorify  thy  Bon,  that  thy  Son  also  may  glorify  thee." 

I.  The  glorification  of  the  Sok  by  the  Father.  For  this  Jesus  prayed ; 
therefore  it  was  something  yet  to  be.  1.  Christ  sought  to  be  glorified  in  and  after  his 
approaching  suffering  and  humiliation.  The  scenes  through  which  he  was  about  to 
pass,  the  pains  and  sorrows  he  was  about  to  endure,  were  such  as  could  not  easily  in 
most  minds  be  associated  with  glory.  Still,  to  the  enlightened  and  sympathetic  mind, 
there  was  even  in  the  cross  a  majesty  unparalleled.  The  demeanour  of  the  Crucified 
was  a  demeanour  morally  glorious.  But  the  prayer  of  our  Saviour  probably  had 
reference  to  the  victory  which  he  should  reach  even  through  his  seeming  defeat. 
The  Resurrection  and  Ascension  completed  and  crowned  the  work  of  humiliation  and 

suffering. 

"  The  head  that  once  was  crowned  with  thorns 
Is  crowned  with  glory  now  ; 
A  royal  diadem  adorns 
The  mighty  Victor's  brow." 

2.  Christ  sought  to  be  glorified  in  the  efficacy  and  results  of  his  mediation.  The  results 
of  his  earthly  ministry  might  to  some  minds  seem  meagre.  But  the  "  greater  works  " 
which  followed  his  ascension  were  such  as  to  excite  the  amazement  of  the  world.  The 
new  dispensation  excelled  in  glory.  The  trophies  of  Immanuel  were  many  and  illus- 
trious. The  conversion  of  nations,  the  submission  of  kings,  the  homage  of  society,  all 
proved  to  be  glorious,  all  contributed  to  render  glorious,  the  Name  of  the  Son  of  man. 
And  this  spiritual  glory  never  wanes ;  it  is  destined  to  grow  and  brighten  with  the 
advancing  ages. 

II.  The  glorification  of  the  Father  by  the  Son.  This  is  represented  by  the 
Lord  Jesus  as  consequent  upon  that  glorification  for  which  he  prayed.  The  ultimate 
end  of  all  is  the  glory  of  the  Eternal  himself.  How  is  it  that  this  result  is  brought 
about  ?  1.  The  Father  is  glorified  when  there  is  imparted  to  men  a  true  knowledge 
of  himself.     2.  By  the  diffuf^ion   throughout  humanity  of  the  new  and  Divine  life. 

3.  By  the  obedience  and  praise  offered  consciously,  willingly,  and  reasonably,  to  the 
Father,  by  the  growing  multitudes  of  Christ's  redeemed,  through  countless  ages,  on  earth 
and  in  heaven. — T. 

Ver.  2. — Christ'' s  consciousness  of  pov:er.  The  early  discourses  of  our  Lord  show  us 
that  he  commenced  his  ministry  with  the  conviction  that  he  was  anointed  and  conse- 
crated by  the  Father  for  the  greatest  work  of  all  a^^es.  And  as  his  ministry  drew  to 
its  close,  he  retained  the  same  assurance.  Even  although  he  was  aware  of  the  approach 
of  the  awful  end  of  his  earthly  career,  of  the  apparent  victory  of  his  foes,  his  faith 
did  not  falter.  He  still  anticipated  the  complete  fulfilment  of  the  purpose  of  his  advent. 
In  his  prayer  to  the  Father,  this  consciousness  of  power  accounts  for  the  confidence 
with  which  the  results  of  his  ministry  and  sacrifice  are  anticipated. 

I.  Christ's  authority  over  all.  We  may  consider  :  1.  Its  origin  in  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  Father.  2.  Its  realization  in  the  incarnation  and  sacrifice  of  the  Redeemer. 
The  authority  was  native  to  our  Lord  Jesus ;  but  it  made  itself  recognized  and  secured 
its  exercise  by  his  earthly  ministry.  3.  Its  range  over  all  humanity  independently  of 
the  character  of  individual  men.  4.  The  new  view  which,  by  the  aid  of  this  glorious 
truth,  we  are  able  to  take  of  the  providential  and  mediatorial  government  of  the  world. 
5.  The  rebuke  thus  administered  to  our  fear  and  faithlessness. 

II.  Christ's  gift  to  some.  1.  The  mystery  of  the  limitation.  This  lies  in  the 
counsels  of  the  Divine  wisdom,  and  attempts  to  explain  it  are  usually  of  little  value. 
2.  Tlje  priceless  and  glorious  nature  of  what  is  bestowed.     Nothing  higher  than  life — 


en  vai.  1--26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  361 

I.e.  the  life  of  the  spirit — can  possibly  be  conceived  as  coming  into  the  possession  of  those 
otherwise  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.  It  is,  however,  of  the  very  essence  of  this  life 
that  it  is  imperishable,  and  independent  of  all  that  is  earthly  and  transitory. — T. 

Ver.  3. — Knowledge  and  life:  a  sermon  for  the  younfj.  We  cannot  doubt  that  Qt)d 
knows  us.  We  cannot  conceive  of  him  othenvise  than  as  knowing  all  things.  "  He  telleth 
the  number  of  the  stars ; "  and  at  the  same  time  he  reads  the  secrets  of  every  heart. 
The  psalmist  took  a  just  view  of  his  God  when  he  exclaimed,  "  Thou  art  acquainted 
with  all  my  ways  :  for  there  is  not  a  word  in  my  tongue,  but  lo,  0  Lord,  thou  knowest 
it  altogether."  But  whilst  God  knows  us  perfectly,  we  can  only  know  him  imperfectly. 
Yet  it  is  both  a  wonderful  and  a  happy  thing  that  we  can  know  him  at  all. 

I.  There  is  much  we  cannot  know  of  God.  If  we  are  often  baffled  in  studying 
the  works  of  his  hands,  we  cannot  he  surprised  that  the  Divine  artificer  is  too  high  for 
us  to  comprehend  him.  If  we  are  perplexed  in  our  endeavours  to  understand  the  soul 
cf  man,  how  can  we  expect  to  fathom  the  mysteries  of  the  Divine  nature  ?  It  is  said 
that  King  Hiero  asked  the  philosopher  Simonides,  *'  Who  is  God  ?  "  The  wise  man 
asked  for  a  day  to  reflect  and  to  prepare  an  answer.  Finding  this  insufficient,  he  asked 
a  week,  and  then  a  year.  But  time  and  meditation  brought  no  light  which  could  satisfy 
him,  and  the  query  remained  unanswered.  God  in  the  spiritual  realm  is  like  his 
universe  in  the  material  realm  ;  of  which  the  great  Pascal  said,  "  It  is  a  circle  whose 
centre  is  everywhere  and  whose  circumference  is  nowhere."  It  is  said  that  the  Emperor 
Trajan,  addressing  a  Jewish  rabbi,  Joshua  by  name,  said,  "  Show  me  your  God." 
The  sage  answered,  "  Come  out  of  the  house,  and  see  one  of  his  ambassadors."  Leading 
him  into  the  daylight,  the  rabbi  bade  the  emperor  look  upon  the  sun,  then  shining  in 
his  strength.  "What !  cannot  you  look  in  the  face  of  the  ambassador?  are  you  blinded 
by  his  dazzling  presence?  How  can  you  look  upon  the  countenance  of  the  King?" 
"  No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time."  Who  can  by  searching  find  out  God  ?  We  see 
glimpses,  we  hear  whisperings,  of  his  power  and  wisdom;  but  there  is  an  infinity  which 
comes  not  within  our  ken.  A  child  follows  the  course  of  the  brook  which  flows  through 
his  father's  fields ;  he  reaches  the  point  where  it  joins  the  river  in  the  valley ;  but  he 
dreams  not  of  the  sea  into  which  that  river  empties  itself. 

II.  We  can  know  of  God  what  is  of  most  value  to  us.  If  we  cannot  under- 
stand the  Divine  nature,  if  there  are  some  of  his  attributes,  as,  for  example,  his  omni- 
presence, which  utterly  bafile  our  intellect,  still  there  is  much  that  is  within  our 
apprehension.  We  can  know  that  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  God,  that  he  is  wise,  that 
he  is  just  and  faithful,  that  he  is  compassionate  and  merciful.  Now,  what  does  it  matter 
to  a  child  that  he  cannot  understand  his  father's  occupations,  that  he  is  not  able  to 
appreciate  his  father's  abilities,  so  long  as  he  is  sure  that  his  father  will  give  him 
good  advice,  so  long  as  he  is  sure  that  his  father  will  provide  for  his  wants,  bodily  and 
mental  ?  Suppose  the  father  to  be  a  statesman ;  the  child  cannot  enter  into  the  reasons 
of  national  polity.  Suppose  the  father  to  be  a  lawyer;  the  child  cannot  form  any 
opinion  of  his  father's  conduct  of  a  case  in  court.  But  the  child  can  know  that  his 
father  will  receive  with  kindness  any  application  which  may  be  made  to  him  for 
guidance,  for  help,  for  the  means  of  acquiring  knowledge  or  rational  enjoyment.  The 
child  can  know  that  the  father's  house  will  not  be  shut  against  him,  that  he  is  ever 
welcome  to  the  father's  table,  that  the  father's  time  is  always  at  his  service.  In  like 
manner  we  are  quite  capable  of  knowing  what  is  God's  will,  of  understanding  the 
propriety  of  obedience  to  that  will,  of  valuing  the  opportunities  we  have  of  learning 
and  obeying  our  heavenly  Father. 

III.  There  are  special  ways  in  which  God  gives  us  knowledge  of  himself. 
We  cannot  see  him  directly,  but  we  can  see  him,  so  to  speak,  by  reflection.  He  has 
given  us  two  mirrors  in  which  the  spiritual  lineaments  of  his  Divine  character  become 
visible  to  us.  1.  There  is  the  mirror  of  nature.  It  is  allowed  us  to  "  look  through 
nature  up  to  nature's  God." 

"There's  nothinj^  bright  above,  below. 
From  flowers  that  bloom  to  stars  that  glow. 
But  in  its  liglit  my  soul  can  see 
Some  feature  of  the  Deity." 


362  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvii.  1— 26. 

It  is  paid  that  on  one  occasion  Napoleon  Buonaparte  was  on  the  deck  of  a  ship  on  a 
calm  summer  night,  when  his  officers  around  him  were  magnifying  nature,  and  dis- 
puting the  existence  of  God.  The  great  commander  listened,  and  then  pointed  to  the 
hosts  of  heaven,  saying,  "All  very  well,  gentlemen,  but  who  created  these?  "  2.  There 
is  the  mirror  of  our  own  spiritual  nature.  The  psalmist  looked  into  this  mirror,  and 
saw  therein  the  reflection  of  the  Lord,  the  Ruler,  the  Judge,  of  all.  "As  the  hart 
panteth  after  the  water-brooks,  so  panteth  my  soul  after  thee,  0  God." 

IV.  It  is  in  Jesds  Christ  that  God  grants  us  the  chief  revelation  of  himself. 
Nature  and  conscience  are  mirrors  ;  Christ  is  the  very  shining  forth  of  the  Divine  glory. 
We  must  not  make  an  image  of  God;  but  God  has  given  us  a  perfect  image  of  himself, 
of  his  moral  attributes.  When  we  have  once  seen  God  in  his  dear  Son,  we  recognize 
his  presenr'^  everywhere  and  in  all  things.  As  the  sun  illumines  a  hundred  snow-clad 
peaks,  and  every  summit  glows  and  glitters  forth  his  splendour,  so  when  God  appears 
in  Christ,  his  attributes  are  seen  in  all  his  works  and  all  his  ways.  Especially  do 
we  through  Jesus  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Divine  holiness,  righteousness,  and 
love. 

V.  In  the  knowledge  of  God  in  Christ  is  the  eternal  life.  Of  our  Lord 
Jesus  an  apostle  affirms,  "  This  is  the  true  God,  and  the  Eternal  Life."  Now,  an  ignorant, 
uninformed,  uninstructed  soul  is  a  dead  soul.  It  is  knowledge  that  enkindles  mental 
life,  that  calls  forth  the  intellectual  powers.  And  it  is  the  highest  knowledge  which 
is  the  Divine  means  of  awakening  the  highest  life.  This  life  is  called  eternal,  because 
it  is  not  like  earthly  life  which  perishes,  but  because  it  is  of  a  higher  kind — because  it  is 
the  life  of  God  himself,  spiritual  and  Divine.  A  boy  taken  from  an  inferior  position, 
with  few  opportunities  of  improvement  and  no  profitable  companions,  may  be  brought 
into  a  position  where  advantages  are  many,  opportunities  precious,  associates  inspiring. 
He  may  come  to  say,  "  This  is  life  indeed ! "  So  Saul  became  Paul — when  he  had  seen 
and  known  Christ. — T. 

Ver.  4. — Tlie  perfect  work.  Even  good  men,  when  they  approach  the  close  of  life  and 
take  a  retrospect  of  the  past,  are  constrained  in  candour  to  admit  that  they  have  failed 
to  realize  their  own  ideal,  to  satisfy  their  own  conscience,  to  approve  themselves  to  their 
God.  They  have  to  lament  and  confess  infirmities  and  negligences.  Christ  alone  could 
look  back  upon  life  without  discovering  any  cause  for  reproach.  Addressing  the  Father 
himself,  he  claimed  to  have  accomplished  the  work  which  had  l^een  given  him  to  do. 

I.  Christ's  conception  of  his  ministry.  1.  In  his  view  this  was  a  work  to  be  done. 
The  serious  and  sacred  nature  of  this  earthly  life  was  never  realized  by  any  as  by  him. 
"  I  work,"  said  Jesus,  with  a  sublime  simplicity  ;  and  the  record  of  his  labours  proves 
the  truth  of  his  assertion.  2.  In  his  view  Christ's  ministry  was  a  trust  from  his  Father. 
Every  true  servant  of  God  can  speak  of  the  work  which  Divine  authority  has  assigned 
to  him  as  his  vocation.  Of  this  the  Son  of  God,  who  became  the  Servant  of  God,  has 
given  us  the  most  glorious  example.  Obedience  and  subjection  were  characteristic  of 
the  Saviour's  earthly  ministry. 

II.  Christ's  conscious  completion  of  his  ministry.  1.  Prom  the  beginning  our 
Lord  had  possessed  a  clear  conception  of  the  nature  of  the  work  to  which  he  had  been 
designated  and  commissioned  by  the  Father.  2.  Our  Lord  had  been  conscious  of  the 
possession  of  all  the  qualifications  necessary  for  the  fulfilment  of  his  work.  He  was 
well  aware  that  his  mission  would  not  fail  through  any  deficiency  on  his  part.  3. 
Amidst  all  his  labours  and  sufferings  Jesus  had  been  sustained  by  the  conviction  that 
his  work  was  advancing  to  its  completion.  The  very  circumstances  which  to  another 
mind  might  have  seemed  fatal  to  his  great  enterprise,  were  to  his  clear  knowledge  the 
conditions  of  its  prosperous  issue.  4.  The  approaching  sacrifice  was  regarded  by  the 
Redeemer  as  if  already  offered ;  it  was  so  in  intention  and  resolve.  5.  The  results  of 
the  Saviour's  work  were  jxtsent  to  his  holy  and  benevolent  mind.  By  anticipation  the 
results  were  already  reaped — a  glorious  harvest  from  the  seed  sown  and  seemingly 
perished  in  the  earth. 

Application.  The  example  of  Christ  is  a  rebuke  to  all  desultory  views  of  life. 
Those  who  regard  this  existence  as  an  opportunity  for  personal  pleasure,  enrichment,  or 
aggrandizement  may  well  ponder  the  spirit  displayed  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  looked 
upon  his  life  here  as  sacred,  as  allowing  of  a  consecrated  service  to  the  Father.    Christ's 


CH.  xvir.  1—26.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  868 

spirit  can  animate  his  followers  so  that  they  may  both  undertake  and  complete  some 
good  work  for  the  Divine  glory. — T. 

Ver.  5. — The  transcendent  glory  of  the  Divine  Word.  Still  the  Saviour's  mind  runs 
upon  glory.  How  unlike  the  thoughts  of  a  man,  however  great  and  good,  are  these 
thoughts  expressed  in  this  recorded  prayer  of  Christ !  It  was  not  vanity,  it  was  not 
egotism,  it  was  not  assumption;  it  was  the  consciousness  of  Divinity  which  accounted 
lor  this  language. 

I.  Christ  had  gloky  with  the  Father  before  the  would  was.  Of  this  we  only 
know  what  our  Lord  himself  has  revealed  to  us.  But  we  are  assured  that  this  world  is 
not  the  only  scene  of  the  manifestation  of  the  glory  of  the  eternal  Word.  In  what 
manner,  through  what  circumstances,  to  what  order  of  intelligences,  this  ante-natal  glory 
was  displayed,  we  have  no  means  of  knowing. 

II.  Christ  gathered  to  himself  fresh  glory  during  his  earthly  manifesta- 
tion AND  MINISTRY.  This  was  emphatically  a  moral  and  spiritual  glory — the  glory  of 
truth,  righteousness,  purity,  and  love.  It  was  emphatically  the  glory  of  sacrifice — glory 
which  could  only  be  realized  through  incarnation  and  humiliation.  This  glory  is 
discerned  and  appreciated  only  by  the  spiritual;  to  the  view  of  such  it  excels  all  the 
tinselled  splendour  of  worldly  greatness. 

III.  Christ  took  with  him  to  thk  presence  of  the  Father  a  glory  which  har- 
monized WITH  that  which   WAS  NATIVE   AND   ORIGINAL,  AND   WHICH   EVEN   ENHANCED 

IT.  This  prayer  opens  up  before  the  mind  three  stages  of  Divine  glory  as  belonging  to 
Christ.  The  Incarnation  did  not  create  his  glory,  for  he  brought  it  with  him  from  the 
heavens.  But  his  earthly  sojourn  was  the  occasion  of  accession  of  glory.  And  when 
he  ascended  on  high  to  receive  the  reward  of  toil,  to  reap  the  harvest  of  sacrifice,  he 
appeared,  and  he  ever  does  and  will  appear,  irradiated  with  a  splendour  which,  as 
mediatorial,  is  at  once  sacrificial  and  triumphant. — T. 

Vers.  6 — 10. — The  Advocate  and  the  clients.  The  High  Priest  now  turns  from  him- 
self to  the  special  objects  of  his  intercessory  prayer. 

I.  The  CALLING  OF  THE  CLIENTS,  1.  They  are  separated  from  the  world.  Made  a 
select  and  consecrated  class,  they  are  set  apart  from  others  in  the  prayer  of  the  Lord. 
2.  They  are  the  property  of  the  Father.  3.  They  are  the  gift  of  the  Father  to  his  Son. 
The  Father  drew  them  with  the  bonds  of  love,  and  they  became  Christ's. 

II.  The  marks  of  the  clients.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  there  is  anything 
arbitrary  in  the  calling  of  God.  Those  for  whom  the  High  Priest  here  pleads :  1. 
llecognize  the  Divinity  of  Christ's  works.  2.  And  the  Divinity  of  his  words.  These  they 
received,  i.e.  as  from  God  through  him  who  is  "  the  Word."  3.  And  the  Divinity  of 
his  mission.  Christ  came  forth  from  God ;  God  sent  him.  But  this  great  fact,  the 
greatest  in  the  history  of  mankind,  was  by  no  means  generally  recognized.  Its  recog- 
nition became  at  once,  and  still  remains,  a  "note"  of  Christ's  people.  The  just  esti- 
mate of  the  words  and  of  the  works  of  Christ  leads  to  a  true  appreciation  of  Christ 
himself. 

III.  The  security  and  dignity  of  the  clients.  1.  All  Christ's  are  his  Father's, 
and  all  the  Father's  are  Christ's ;  therefore  the  clients  who  have  the  Saviour  for  their 
Patron  and  Protector  are  doubly  secure  and  doubly  blest.  2.  Christ  is  glorified  in  his 
friends.  Wonderful  is  the  condescension  here  displayed.  The  Lord  of  glory  allows 
those,  who  by  nature  are  so  feeble  and  so  helpless  as  men  are,  to  add  by  their  adhesion 
and  their  praises  even  to  the  majesty  and  splendour  which  is  his  by  right.  This  is  so 
in  a  measure  even  now;  how  far  more  fully  shall  Christ's  ransomed  clients  glorify  him 
when  they  are  delivered  from  the  infirmities  of  the  body,  and  the  sordid  surroundings 
of  time ! — T. 

Ver.  17. — The  purifying  power  of  truth.  This  may  be  regarded  as  the  central 
petition  of  this  prayer  of  the  great  High  Priest.  Our  Lord,  having  prayed  on  behalf  of 
his  disciples  that  they  should  be  "  kept  from  the  evil,"  as  those  "  not  of  the  world,"  passes 
from  the  negative  to  the  jKisitive  side  of  the  Christian  life.  His  heart's  desire  is  that 
his  people  may  be  hallowed,  consecrated,  sanctified,  made  holy,  as  becomes  those  who 
are  his  own. 


364  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xvn.  1—26. 

I.  The  purport  of  the  Lord's  petition  on  behalf  of  his  people.  1.  The  nature 
of  this  blessing  sought :  consecration,  or  sanctification.  It  is  a  real  and  not  a  formal 
holiness,  altogether  distinct  from  and  superior  to  the  merely  ceremonial  purity  which 
is  so  often  regarded  by  the  professedly  religious  as  of  supreme  importance.  It  is  con- 
secration of  the  spirit,  the  centre  of  the  nature,  the  spring  of  the  outer  life.  It  is 
devotion  to  the  service  and  glory  of  God  himself.  It  consists  in  a  distinction  from  the 
sinful  world.  2.  The  desirableness  of  this  blessing.  Its  absence  is  the  cause  of  the 
wretchedness  and  degradation  which  curse  human  society,  where  sin  rages  unchecked. 
Holiness  is  the  ultimate  end  for  which  revelation  has  been  bestowed,  and  especially  the 
end  for  which  all  the  provisions  of  the  Christian  economy  have  been  introduced.  The 
pardon  of  sin  is  but  a  means  to  an  end,  and  that  end  is  the  assimilation  of  the  human 
character  to  the  moral  likeness  of  the  all-holy  God.  Let  it  be  considered  that  the 
holiness  of  his  people  was  an  object  so  precious  and  desirable  in  the  esteem  of  our 
Divine  High  Priest,  that  for  the  sake  of  it  he  submitted  to  assume  the  form  of  a 
servant,  and  to  die  the  death  of  the  malefactor. 

II.  The  means  by  which  the  Lord  sought  the  answer  to  his  petition.  1. 
Remark  the  identity  of  God's  Word  with  truth.  We  must  not  confine  the  application 
of  the  word  to  Holy  Scripture,  nor  must  we  take  it  as  equivalent  to  the  personal 
Christ.  Every  manifestation  of  the  Divine  thought  and  will  is  the  Word  of  God. 
Yet  revelation,  as  usually  understood,  is  emphatically  this.  God's  Word  is  truth ;  for 
his  knowledge  admits  of  no  limitation  or  imperfection ;  his  righteousness  forbids  the 
possibility  of  deception ;  his  benevolence  delights  in  the  instruction  of  his  intelligent 
creatures.  2.  The  truth  which  is  God's  Word  is  the  chosen  instrument  for  producing 
human  sanctity.  This  it  does  by  revealing  to  man  his  evil  life  and  ill  deserts,  by 
awakening  the  conscience  of  sin  ;  by  informing  us  of  the  holiness  of  the  supreme 
Ruler ;  by  presenting  in  Christ  a  flawless  Example  of  moral  excellence ;  by  securing  to 
the  faithful  forgiveness  of  sins  through  the  redemption  by  Jesus  Christ ;  by  offering 
the  influences  of  the  Spirit  of  holiness  as  the  only  Agent  in  producing  a  result  so  diffi- 
cult and  yet  so  glorious ;  by  bringing  to  bear  upon  the  human  heart  the  highest, 
purest,  and  most  effectual  motives — motives  sufficient  to  enkindle  aspirations  towards 
holiness,  and  sufficient  to  induce  to  the  employment  of  all  those  means  by  which  alone 
the  greatest  of  all  blessings  may,  with  Divine  help,  be  secured  and  enjoyed. — T. 

Vers.  20, 21. — Comprehensive  intercession.  Human  selfishness,  narrowness,  and  hope- 
lessness may  well  be  rebuked  by  the  breadth  and  brightness  of  this  prayer.  The  High 
Priest  pleads  for  his  people,  and  in  so  doing  sweeps  the  horizon  of  time,  sounds  the 
depths  of  human  need,  and  grasps  the  invisible  aim  of  the  universe,  the  yet  unrealized 
purpose  of  God  himself. 

I.  The  extensive  range  of  Christ's  intercession.  At  the  very  time  when  those 
nearest  to  him  were  about  to  be  exposed  to  great  danger,  the  Lord  Jesus,  without  for- 
getting these,  directed  the  gaze  of  his  mind  over  a  wide  field  of  vision,  and  included 
in  his  comprehensive  intercession  all  who  in  coming  ages  should  believe  on  him  through 
his  apostles'  witness.  This  marvellous  sweep  of  high-priestly  regard  and  interest  is 
testimony  to  :  1.  Christ's  Divine  foresight.  He  beheld  in  prophetic  vision  the  martyrs 
and  confessors,  the  missionaries  and  bishops,  the  scholars  and  preachers,  the  pure  and 
lowly  in  private  life,  who  should  attach  themselves  to  his  doctrine  and  to  his  Church. 
As  in  an  instant  and  at  a  glance,  Christ  summoned  before  his  eyes  and  his  heart  the 
vast  multitude  who  should  constitute  the  Church  militant  through  long  millenniums  to 
come ;  and  he  prayed  for  all.  2.  Christ's  Divine  claim.  In  realizing  the  objects  of  his 
intercession,  the  High  Priest  regarded  all  as  personally  related  to  himself.  Those  for 
whom  he  pleaded  were  those  who  should  believe  on  him.  This  fact  is  implicit  witness 
to  his  high  claims.  Who  but  he  could  so  rank  mankind  ?  3.  Christ's  wide  sympathy 
and  benevolence.  That  such  a  Leader  and  Master  should  plead  for  his  adherents, 
his  friends,  and  the  promulgators  of  his  faith  seems  natural ;  common  aff"ection  seems 
to  account  for  this.  But  how  vast  was  the  love  apparent  in  this  prayer,  which  included 
within  its  scope  the  myriads  who  were  yet  to  come  into  existence !  But  his  whole 
Church  was  dear  to  his  Divine  and  tender  heart. 

II.  The  concentrated  purport  of  Christ's  intercession.  Doubtless  the  same 
prayer  which  was  offered  for  the  twelve  was  offered  for  all  subsequent  disciples,  that  all 


CH.  xvn.  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  365 

might  be  kept  in  the  Name  of  the  Father,  and  that  all  might  be  sanctified  by  the 
truth.  But  the  expresseci  request  here  jm  seated  on  their  behalf  should  receive  atten- 
tion. It  was  for  their  unity.  Not  for  their  uniformity,  in  outward  organization,  in  rite 
and  ceremony,  in  uttered  creed  and  liturgy  ;  but  for  their  spiritual  unity,  as  is  apja- 
rent  from  the  petition  that  it  might  resemble  that  of  the  Father  and  the  Son.  A  unity 
of  life  is  here  intended,  like  that  of  the  branches  in  a  vine  rather  than  that  of  a  bundle 
of  staves.  The  Master  desired  for  his  disciples  that  they  might  have  the  same  faith  iu 
himself,  the  same  brotherly  love  one  towanls  another,  the  same  benevolent  disposition 
towards  the  world.  The  value  which  Christ  thus  set  upon  true  unity  is  a  standard  to 
which  we  are  called  to  conform.  That  which  Jesus  made  the  object  of  his  desire 
and  prayer  must  be  beautiful  in  God's  view,  and  is  worthy  of  our  appreciation,  our 
best  endeavours  for  its  promotion. 

III.  The  glorious  and  ultimate  aim  of  Christ's  intercession.  How  magnificent 
the  end  which  our  Lord  sought,  not  only  by  his  prayer,  but  also  by  his  toils,  his  sacri- 
fice, his  death  !  Nothing  short  of  the  world's  belief  in  his  mission,  and  adhesion  to 
himself!  We  cannot  understand  by  our  Lord's  words  merely  that  he  looked  forward 
to  the  world's  assent  to  a  great  fact,  or  to  the  world's  forced  acknowledgment  upon  the 
judgment-day.  He  desired  that  the  world  should  come  to  believe  both  in  the  sending 
and  in  the  sent  One.  However  appearances  may  be  against  such  an  expectation  being 
realized,  faith  apprehends  the  prevalence  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  in  the  world. 
The  influence  and  ministry  of  the  Church,  under  the  guidance  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  is 
intended  to  promote  the  world's  salvation.  When  it  appears  to  us  difficult  to  cherish 
hopes  such  as  those  which  are  justified  by  the  declaratinns  of  Scripture,  it  will  be  well 
for  us  to  check  our  despondency  by  remembering  the  prayer  of  the  High  Priest.  That 
for  which  the  beloved  Son  of  God  has  pleaded,  and  ever  pleads,  will  surely  come  to 
pass.  And  thus  faith  shall  be  rewarded,  and  Divine  love  shall  have  full  and  eternal 
gratification. — T. 

Ver.  24. — Blessed  with  Christ.  The  future  has  for  man  a  mysterious  interest,  and 
it  exercises  over  him  a  mysterious  power.  Religion  appeals  to  this,  as  to  all  natural 
tendencies  and  susceptibilities  of  man's  being.  The  revelations  and  the  promises  of 
Christianity  have  regard  to  the  vast  hereafter.  When  our  Lord  prayed  for  his  disciples, 
it  could  not  be  that  he  should  omit  from  his  prayer  their  future — their  condition  and 
associations  in  the  immortal  state.  Without  such  reference  the  high-priestly  prayer 
would  have  been  incomplete ;  for  it  was  the  prayer  of  him  who  brought  life  and  immor- 
tality to  light. 

I.  The  home  of  the  blessed.  Little  as  we  know  of  that  eternal  home,  that  which 
we  do  know  is  of  intense  interest.  What  the  Lord  Jesus  here  tells  us  of  heaven  is 
welcome  and  precious  revelation.  His  desire  and  purpose  concerning  his  people  is  that 
they  may  be  :  1.  With  him.  He  could  no  longer  be  with  them  on  earth  ;  but,  as  a  com- 
pensation, they  were  to  look  forward  to  being  with  him  in  heaven.  These  cherished 
friends  had  been  with  him  long  enough  to  know  and  to  prize  such  association.  To 
them  it  was  sufficient  to  know  that  they  should  be  reunited  to  their  Friend  and 
Master.  2.  Where  he  is.  The  locality  of  heaven  is  unknown,  and  all  speculation  upon 
such  a  matter  is  idle.  How  all  Christ's  innumerable  friends  and  followers  can  all  be 
where  he  is,  we  cannot  understand.  But  it  rejoices  the  heart  of  the  disciple  to  know 
that  he  shall  be  where  his  Lord  is.  A  bold  mariner  does  not  care  to  what  sea  his 
ship  is  bound,  if  he  is  only  serving  under  the  captain  or  admiral  whom  he  trusts,  and 
who  has  before  shown  him  the  way  to  discovery  or  to  victory. 

II.  The  vision  of  the  blessed.  The  people  of  Christ  shall,  in  accordance  with  his 
prayer,  behold  the  glory  of  the  Redeemer.  The  promise  sank  into  the  heart  of  John 
who  recorded  it;  for  he  indulged  the  anticipation,  "We  shall  be  like  him,  for  we  shall 
see  him  as  he  is."  Sight  is  here,  as  elsewhere,  put  for  knowledge.  The  disciples  had 
seen  the  humiliation  of  their  Lord  ;  they  were  to  see  his  glory.  In  what  this  consists 
it  is  for  us  only  to  conjecture,  with  such  help  as  Christ's  words  afford.  1'here  is  the 
closest  connection  between  the  glory  of  Christ  and  the  Father's  eternal  love.  Our  Lord 
himself  has  so  taught  us  that  we  cannot  place  glory  chiefly  in  what  is  visible  and 
material.  We  think  chiefly  of  that  moral  glory  which  is  connected  with  Divine  favour 
and  with  spiritual  empire — 


366  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvii.  1—26. 

"  Glory  shines  about  bis  head, 
And  a  bright  crown  without  a  thorn." 

Such  a  vision  as  that  which  our  Lord  here  implores  for  his  own  must  enlarge  the  per- 
ceptions which  the  blessed  in  heaven  form  of  their  great  Redeemer,  must  excite  their 
wonder  and  adora'ion,  and  must  even  fan  the  flame  of  their  holy  and  grateful  love.  It 
should  be  observed  that,  although  the  aspect  of  the  heavenly  life  here  presented  is  com- 
templative,  this  is  by  uo  means  to  the  exclusion  of  quite  another  aspect.  The  servants, 
who  shall  see  the  face  of  their  Lord,  shall  serve  him  day  and  night.  What  they  behold 
shall  be  the  inspiration  of  their  immortal  songs  of  praise,  and  of  their  ceaseless  acts  of 
obedience  and  devotion. — T. 

Ver.  25. — God  unknown  and  known.  These,  the  last  words  uttered  by  our  Lord 
before  he  proceeded  to  his  betrayal  and  passion,  are  words  worthy  of  the  occasion  and 
of  the  Speaker,  They  are  a  prayer,  or  rather  an  address,  to  the  Father.  Yet  they  con- 
stitute a  review  of  the  past,  a  declaration  of  the  present,  a  prediction  of  the  future. 
They  explain  the  reason  and  the  purpose  of  his  mediation  and  of  his  ministry  to  man. 

I.  The  world's  igsoeakce  of  God  was  the  occasion  of  Christ's  ministry.  This 
ignorance  is  implicitly  brought  before  us  in  the  very  language  which  the  Hiah  Priest 
here  employs :  "  0  righteous  Father,  the  world  knew  thee  not."  1.  The  world  had  no 
conviction  of  God's  righteousness.  No  one  who  is  acquainted  with  heathen  religions  can 
question  this.  Not  that  there  were  no  upright  natures  that  traced  their  own  love  of 
justice  and  equity  to  the  eternal  Power  that  rules  the  universe ;  but  that  the  gods 
many  and  lords  many  who  were  honoured,  feared,  or  propitiated  among  the  heathen 
were,  for  the  most  part,  lacking  in  the  highest  moral  qualities.  A  gleam  of  righteous- 
ness or  of  generosity  did  now  and  again  break  through,  to  reveal,  as  it  were,  the  dark- 
ness of  the  firmament.  Still,  broadly  speaking,  gross  darkness  covered  the  people. 
The  unenlightened  heathen  attributed  to  their  deities  partiality,  factiousness,  hatred, 
cruelty — any  quality  but  justice.  In  all  this  the  lack  of  righteousness  in  men  them- 
selves was  reflected  upon  their  gods.  The  world  by  wisdom  knew  not  God.  2.  The 
world  had  no  conviction  of  God's  Fatherhood.  If  there  were  those  who  worshipped  a 
supposed  deity  whom  they  called  "  the  father  of  gods  and  men,"  we  must  not  be  misled 
by  such  language  into  supposing  that  the  scriptural  idea  of  fatherhood  was  involved  in 
their  religion.  This  idea  is  distinctively  that  of  revelation,  of  Christianity.  The  moral 
attributes  which  we  attach  to  the  conception  of  the  Divine  Fatherhood  have  not  come 
to  our  apprehension  through  the  ministrations  of  pagan  priests  or  pagan  philosophers. 
Apart  from  Christ,  the  race  of  mankind  is  conscious  only  of  fatherlessness  and  fear. 

II.  Christ's  kno'wxedge  of  the  Father,  God,  was  intimate  and  perfect.  The 
expression  Jesus  here  employs,  "  I  knew  thee,"  evidently  suggests  the  natural  and 
immediate  knowledge  which  he  had  of  the  Father.  He  did  not  come  to  know  God  by 
a  process  of  inquiry  or  reflection,  or  by  the  reception  of  lessons  and  revelations.  His 
bno.vledge  was  direct.  This  we  gather  from  his  own  assertions,  and  also  from  many 
intimations  to  be  discerned  in  his  words  and  in  his  conduct.  There  is  no  sign  of  uncer- 
taint}'  in  any  of  Christ's  declarations  with  resj^ect  to  the  Supreme.     On  the  contrary, 

,  he  speaks  simply,  directly,  and  decisively  in  all  he  says.  He  claims  the  closest  inti- 
macy, as  when  he  says  that  he  is  '*  in  the  bosom  "  of  the  Father,  i.e.  in  possession  of 
the  counsels  and  secrets  of  the  eternal  mind.  He  even  goes  further  than  this,  claim- 
ing unity  with  the  Father,  as  when  he  say.s,  "  I  and  my  Father  are  one."  Our 
Saviour's  knowledge  of  God  was  not  inferential,  but  intuitive ;  not  acquired,  but 
natural ;  not  imperfect,  but  complete. 

III.  Christ  reveals  God,  and  thus  enlightens  men's  ignorance.  1.  The  fir.-^t 
step  in  this  revelation  is  the  conviction,  which  Christ  awakens  in  his  disciples'  minds, 
that  his  mission  is  from  God  himself.  The  character  of  Christ,  his  discourses  and  conver- 
Bations,  his  mighty  works,  all  witnessed  to  his  special  authority  and  commission.  They 
were  constrained  to  ask,  "  Who  is  this  ?  "  "  What  manner  of  Man  is  this  ?  "  "  Whence 
IS  he?"  and  when  these  questions  were  suggested,  they  couldlead  to  only  one  answer 
which  could  satisfy  the  inquirers'  minds.  The  conviction  was  produced,  in  some  cases 
by  a  gradual  process,  in  other  cases  as  by  a  sudden  flash  of  revelation,  that  this  Being 
was  from  above,  that  he  was  the  Son  of  God.  2.  The  second  step  in  this  revelation  is 
the  declaration  of  the  Divine  "  Name,"  by  which  we  are  to  imderstand  the  character 


CH.  XVII.  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING   TO  ST.  JOHN.  367 

and  the  purposes  of  the  Father.  When  the  Lord  Jesus  had  communicated  to  his  dis- 
ciples the  fact  that  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  the  fact  that  he  is  the  Father  in  heaven,  he 
had  in  great  measure  made  known  the  Divine  Name ;  but  it  was  a  farther  and  richer 
revelation  that  he  made  when  he  told  of  the  Father's  purposes  of  compassion  and  mercy 
towards  his  children — when  he,  in  the  Name  of  the  Almighty  and  All-merciful,  assured 
his  faithful  people  of  spiritual  salvation  and  of  eternal  life.  3.  But  the  glory  of  this 
assertion  is  not  yet  exhausted.  Christ  says  that  he  will  yet  make  known  the  Name  of 
Goil.  The  rel'erence  may  be  to  the  approaching  manifestation  of  the  Divine  heart  in 
the  sacrifice  and  the  subsequent  exaltation  and  victory  of  the  Son.  But  it  may,  and 
probably  does,  include  the  whole  future  revelation  of  God  through  the  Holy  Sj^irit,  and 
throughout  the  spiritual  economy.  There  are  those  who  consider  revelation  to  have 
been  continuous  and  progressive  throughout  this  dispensation ;  there  are  others  who 
consider  that  the  objective  revelation  is  complete  in  itself,  but  that  the  quickening 
influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  enable  successive  generations  to  discern  ever  new  beauty, 
power,  and  preciousness  in  him  who  is  "  the  Light  of  the  world,"  and  "  the  Life  of 
men." 

IV.   DlVTNTE  LOVE  AND  FELLOWSHIP  ARE  THE  GREAT  END  OF  THE  DiVINR  REVELATION 

AND  OF  HUMAN  KNOWLEDGE.  Our  acquaintance  with  God  is  a  mysterious  and  glorious 
privilege,  yet  we  may  with  reverence  hold  that  it  is  the  means  to  an  end.  We  love 
only  those  whom  in  some  measure  we  know ;  yet  by  loving  we  may  learn  to  know 
them  more.  As  Christ  is  formed  in  his  peojile,  and  as  his  character  and  life  are  revealed 
by  them,  the  Father  cherishes  and  displays  towards  them  the  very  affection  with  which 
he  regards  his  well-beloved  Son.  It  is  thus  that  the  incarnation  and  sacrifice  of  the 
Kedeemer  produce  their  precious  and  immortal  results.  Ignorance,  sin,  estrangement, 
and  hatred  are,  by  this  Divine  provision,  expelled  ;  and  in  their  place  the  new  humanity, 
the  spiritual  kingdom,  the  Church  of  the  living  God,  is  penetrated  by  the  Spirit  of 
Christ,  filled  with  the  light  of  holy  knowledge,  and  blessed  with  the  enjoyment  of 
imperishable  love. — T. 

Ver.  15. — Fighting,  not  falling.     Notice — 

I.  The  NEGATIVE  PART  OF  THIS  PRAYER.  "  I  pray  not,"  etc.  1.  It  ivas  not  his  wish 
that  they  should  be  taken  out  of  the  material  world.  Although  he  was  about  to  leave 
it,  by  an  ignominious  death,  yet  his  death  did  not  make  theirs  necessary.  Their  death 
would  neither  decrease  nor  increase  his  agonies.  Some  think  that  because  they  die 
that  all  should  follow.  But  Christ  was  so  far  from  being  selfish,  that  he  was  willing 
to  die  that  his  disciples  luight  live  and  remain.  (1)  Christianity  does  not  in  itself 
shorten  life,  but  rather  lengthens  it.  It  has  been  the  occasion  of  death,  but  never  its 
direct  cause.  It  has  a  direct  tendency  to  increase  life  in  length,  and  invariably  in 
breadth  and  depth  ;  sometimes  in  sura,  always  in  value ;  sometimes  in  days  and  years, 
as  in  the  case  of  Hezekiah  ;  always  in  usefulness  and  influence,  as  in  the  case  of  Jesus. 
Heaven  is  not  jealous  of  her  children's  physical  and  material  enjoyment  on  earth.  The 
tenant  shall  remain  as  long  as  the  house  stands,  and  when  it  crumbles.  Heaven  will 
receive  him  into  her  mansions.  (2)  Christianity  does  not  incapacitate  man  to  enjoy 
the  material  luorld.  On  the  contrary,  it  tunes  the  harp  of  physical  life,  sweetens  the 
music  of  nature,  paints  its  landscape  in  diviner  hues,  beautifies  its  sceneries  and  renders 
them  all  sublime  and  enchanting.  The  material  world  to  man  is  what  his  inward  and 
spiritual  nature  makes  it.  Christianity  fills  the  world  with  joy ;  embroiders  its  clouds 
with  love,  tinges  even  its  winters  with  goodness;  makes  the  thunder  rattle  kindness  as 
well  as  power,  and  the  storm  to  speak  of  mercy  as  well  as  majesty.  It  fills  the  world 
with  sunshine,  and  makes  it,  not  a  dreadful  prison,  haunts  of  demons,  but  the  thorough- 
fare of  angels,  the  nursery  of  happiness,  the  temple  of  God  and  the  gate  of  heaven.  2. 
It  was  not  his  wish  that  they  should  be  taken  out  of  the  social  world,  but  that  they  should 
remain  in  it.  Sociality  was  one  of  his  own  characteristics.  Christianity  opens  and 
not  shuts  the  door  of  society,  and  brings  man  into  closer  union  with  his  fellow. 
Bigotry,  priestcraft,  and  religious  prejudice  have  banished  many  from  society,  and 
imprisoned  many  a  Bunyan ;  but  pure  Christianity,  never.  Its  direct  tendency  is  to 
sanctify  and  bless  all  the  relationships  of  life,  and  refine  and  inspire  our  social  interests. 
Christ  siiid,  "  Let  your  light  shine,"  not  on  the  mountain-top,  in  the  lonely  wilderness, 
not  in  the  secluded  cloister  or  nunnery,  but  "  before  men  " — in  the  fair  and  in  the 


368  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvii.  1—26. 

market,  in  the  busy  exchange  and  behind  the  counter,  among  the  throngs  of  men,  3.  It 
was  not  his  ivish  that  they  should  be  taken  out  of  the  troublesome  and  wicked  world. 
This  world  was  then,  and  is  now,  "  a  world  of  great  tribulation."  Still  it  was  not  his 
wish  to  take  his  disciples  from  even  this.  Not  that  he  took  any  pleasure  in  their  pain — far 
from  it;  he  bore  as  much  of  it  as  he  possibly  could — but  because  he  had  greater  regard  for 
their  eternal  good  even  than  for  their  temporal  comforts.  Tribulation  is  the  only  way 
to  life.  This  he  had  himself;  and  the  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  Lord,  but  must 
enter  life  in  the  same  way.  4.  Christ  recognizes  the  Father's  riyht  to  take  them  hence 
when  he  pleased.  They  were  his,  and  their  lives  absolutely  at  his  disposal.  The  world 
cannot  drive  the  Christian  hence  when  it  pleases,  but  when  the  Father  pleases.  When 
it  appears  to  do  so,  it  is  only  a  servant,  and  acts  by  permission.  The  believer's  life  is 
not  at  the  mercy  of  the  world,  but  at  the  mercy  of  the  Father.  5.  While  recognizing 
his  right  to  take  them  hence,  still  it  was  not  his  vnsh  that  they  should  be  taken  then. 
And  why  ?  (1)  Because  Christ  had  much  to  do  on  and  in  them  in  the  world.  They 
were  not  yet  ready  to  depart.  They  had  not  yet  completed  their  earthly  education. 
They  had  not  yet  been  in  the  school  of  the  "Comforter."  They  had  made  some 
progress,  but  very  far  from  perfection.  Much  had  to  be  done  with  regard  to  their 
spiritual  life  which  could  not  be  so  well  done  in  any  other  state.  This  world  was  a 
furnace  to  purify  them,  and  the  great  Refiner  and  Purifier  saw  that  they  were  not  fit 
to  be  taken  out.  (2)  Because  they  had  much  to  do  for  Christ  and  the  world.  The 
Father  had  given  them  to  Jesus  for  a  special  work — to  be  witnesses  of  his  life,  death, 
resurrection,  and  ascension,  and  to  publish  the  story  of  his  love  and  the  facts  of  his 
earthly  history  to  the  ends  of  tha  earth.  This  must  be  done  before  they  could  be 
honourably  taken  home.  They  could  serve  the  Master  and  their  generation  better 
here  than  elsewhere.  (3)  The  new  earth  and  its  King  could  not  afford  to  lose  them  yet. 
The  wicked  world  wished  to  drive  them  hence ;  but  it  knew  not  what  was  best  for  its 
gcoJ,  and  it  was  under  the  control  of  infinite  benevolence.  The  farmer,  in  disposing  of 
his  corn,  must  take  care  of  some  for  seed.  Heaven  must  not  take  the  disciples  away, 
else  what  will  the  world  do  for  seed,  Jesus  for  labourers,  the  gospel  for  tongues  to 
publish  it,  and  the  Gentiles  for  salvation  ?  They  were  more  needed  now  on  earth  than 
in  heaven.  Heaven  could  do  for  some  time  without  them.  The  golden  harps  could 
afford  to  wait ;  but  the  world  could  not  afford  to  wait  long  for  the  water  of  life.  The 
earth  could  not  aflbrd  more  than  to  give  Jesus  back  at  once,  and  he  could  do  more  good 
there  through  his  Spirit  than  here ;  could  send  supplies  down  from  above  to  his  friends, 
and  open  fire  from  the  heavenly  batteries  on  the  Ibe.  The  disciples  could  better  attack 
him  from  this  side,  so  fts  to  place  him  between  two  fires,  etc. ;  cause  hiin  to  surrender 
his  captives  by  the  thousands.  Not  one  of  them  could  now  be  missed.  Each  one  had 
a  special  duty,  and  was  specially  trained  for  it,  and  the  departure  of  even  one  would  be 
a  loss  to  the  world  and  to  Jesus, 

IL  The  affirmative  part  of  the  prater,  "That  thou  shouldest  keep,"  etc. 
1.  The  evil  which  is  in  the  world  is  recognized.  "  Keep  them  from  the  evil  " — the  evil 
one.  There  are  in  this  world  many  wicked  men  and  wicked  spirits,  but  there  is  one 
standing  alone  in  wickedness,  and  in  opposition  to  goodness,  to  God  and  man.  He  has 
succeeded  to  attract  a  large  following  of  the  same  character  as  himself;  but  he  keeps 
ahead  of  them  all  in  wickedness,  and  the  eye  of  Christ  could  single  him  out  among  the 
black  throng,  and  point  to  him  as  the  evil  one,  or  the  evil  thing.  As  there  is  an  evil 
one,  there  is  an  evil  thing,  an  evil  principle,  power,  and  influence.  The  evil  assumes 
many  forms.  The  form  in  which  it  was  most  dangerous  to  the  disciples  now  was  apostasy 
from  Christ,  and  this  is  the  only  form  in  which  it  can  really  conquer.  It  is  fully 
recognized  and  revealed  by  Christ  in  all  its  forms,  magnitude,  and  danger.  2.  A 
distinction  is  made  between  the  world  and  the  evil.  It  is  not  the  world  as  such  is  evil, 
but  evil  is  in  the  world.  The  world  does  not  make  men  evil,  but  men  make  the  world. 
There  is  in  the  world  an  evil  one  and  an  evil  thing,  which  prostitute  its  holy  and 
good  laws  and  forces  to  answer  their  ends.  No  one  had  the  fever  of  sin  by  contact 
with  the  objects  of  nature.  No  one  was  morally  contaminated  by  fellowship  with  the 
sun  and  stars.  No  one  was  corrupted  by  listening  to  the  blackbird's  song  or  the 
nightingale's  warble.  The  world  as  such  is  in  sympathy  with  good  and  against  evil, 
"  For  the  whole  creation  groaneth,"  etc.  3,  To  keep  the  disciples  in  the  world  from 
the  evil  is  preferable  to  taking  them  at  once  out  of  it.     (1)  This  plan  recognizes  the 


en.  XVII.  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  369 

advantage  of  this  world  as  a  sphere  of  moral  government  and  discipline.     The  highest 
training  for  a  soldier  is  on  the  battle-field.     The  best  training  for  a  mariner  is  on  the 
ocean,  and  in  an  occasional  storm  ;  he  cannot  attain  this  on  dry  land.     The  best  sphere 
of  moral  discipline  is  in  a  world  where  there  is  good  and  evil.     In  hell  there  is  only 
evil  without  any  good.     In  heaven  there  is  only  good  without  any  evil.     In  this  world 
there  are  both,  and  it  is  specially  advantageous  to  choose  the  one  and  reject  the  other. 
Christianity  keeps  a  man  from  sin,  and  not  sin  from  him ;  eradicates  from  his  heart  the 
love  of  it,  and  implants  in  its  stead  tlie  love  of  purity.     A  change  of  world  would  not 
in  itself  change  character.     The  elements  of  sin  in  the  soul  would  break  out  in  heaven 
itself.     (2)  This  plan  is  more  in  harmony  with  the  ordinary  arrangements  of  Provi- 
dence.    It  is  an  original  arrangement  of  Providence  that  this  world  should  be  popu- 
lated, and  that  each  man  should  live  a  certain  number  of  years — the  allotted  period 
of  time.     Christ  does  not  wish  to  interfere  with  this  arrangement  with  regard  to  his 
followers,  but  let  them  live  the  lease  of  life  out,  to  do  battle  with  sin,  as  the  salt  of  the 
earth  and  the  light  of  the  world.     The  wheels  of  providence  and  grace  fit  into  each 
other  and  revolve  in  perfect  harmony.     There  is  no  special  warrant  wanted  to  take 
them  hence,  no  special  train  required  to  take  them  home.     (3)  This  plan  demonstrates 
more  clearly  the  courage  of  Jesus.     Although  he  knew  that  earth  and  hell  were  getting 
madder  and  madder  against  them,  and  would  be  madder  still,  yet  he  had  no  wish  that 
they  should  be  taken  hence.     Ho  remained  in  the  world  to  the  last  till  he  finished  his 
work,  and  he  had  sufficient  confidence  that  his  followers  would  do  the  same.     He  is 
willing  that  they  should  undergo  the  same  test.     This  is  Divine  heroism  worthy  of  the 
Captain  of  our  salvation.    To  keep  them  from  the  evil  by  their  removal  from  the  world 
would  appear  somewhat  like  beating  a  retreat;  but  the  word  "retreat"  was  not  in  his 
vocabulary.     (4)  This  plan  more  fully  demonstrates  the  wisdom  and  moral  power  of 
Christianity.     To  make  them  victorious  in  the  fi^ht,  and  reach  the  desired  haven  in 
spite  of  the  severest  st  jrms.   Great  power  would  be  manifested  in  keeping  the  Babylonian 
youths  from  the  fire,  but  a  far  greater  power  was  manifested  in  keeping  them  in  the 
fire   from   being  injured  by  the   flames.     To  take   the  disciples  out  of  the   world 
miraculously  would  manifest  Divine  power,  but  to  keep  them  in  the  world  from  the 
evil  manifested  a  miracle  of  grace  and  of  the  moral  power  of  Christianity.     The  one 
would  be  the  skill  of  a  clever  retreat,  but  the  other  the  glory  of  a  moral  victory. 
(5)  This  plan  involves  a  completer  and  more  glorious  personal  victory  over  evil  and  the 
evil  one.     Jesus  was  very  desirous  that  his  disciples  should  be  personally  victorious, 
and  conquer  as  he  conquered.     This  must  be  done  in  the  world  in  personal  combat 
with  the  evil.     There  is  no  real  and  ultimate  advantage  in  a  mechanical  or  artificial 
diminution  of  evil,  and  strategic  victory  over  the  evil  one.     He  will  only  gather  his 
forces  and  rush  out  with  greater  vehemence  and  success.     The  policy  of  our  great 
General  was  to  let  him  have  fair  play — let  him  appear  in  full  size,  in  his  own  field,  and 
have  full  swing,  as  in  the  case  of  Job ;  then  let  him  be  conquered  under  these  circum- 
stances.    The  victory  is  final,  complete,  and  most  glorious.     4.  To  keep  the  discij^les 
from  the  evil  was  now  Jesus'  chief  concern.      This  was  the  struggle  of  his  life  and 
death,  and  the  burden  of  his  parting  prayer,     "That  thou  shouldest  keep,"  etc.     As  if 
he  were  to  say,  "  Let  them  be  poor  and  persecuted,  tempest-tossed  and  homeless ;  let  them 
be  allied  to  want  and  wedded  to  death ;  but  let  them  be  kept  from  the  evil.     Not  from 
hell,  but  from  the  evil ;  there  is  no  hell  but  in  the  evil."     How  many  there  are  who  are 
more  anxious  to  be  kept  from  every  evil  than  from  the  evil — from  complete  apostasy 
from  the  truth,  and  backsliding  from  Christ !     This  was  his  chief  concern  for  his 
followers,  and  should  be  the  chief  concern  of  his  followers  for  themselves  and  for  those 
under  their  care.     5.  In  order  to  be  kept  from  the  evil,  the  disciples  must  be  within  the 
mediatory  prayer  of  Christ  and  the  safe  custody  of  the  Father.     In  order  to  be  saved 
from  a  contagious  disease,  we  must  keep  from  it  or  have  a  powerful  disinfectant.     The 
world  is  full  of  the  fever  of  sin,  and  we  have  to  do  continually  with  the  patients  ;  we 
live  in  the  same  house.     And  there  is  but  one  disinfectant  which  can  save  us,  i.e.  the 
mediation  of  Jesus  and  the  Father's  loving  care.     Jesus  knew  the  danger  in  which  his 
disciples  were — how  weak  and  helpless  they  were  in  themselves,  how  prone  and  exposed 
to  the  evil.     The  evil  one,  "  the  roaring  lion,"  watched  for  the  departure  of  their 
Master  in  order  to  rush  on  them ;  but  as  a  tender  mother,  in  going  from  home,  leaves 
her  children  in  the  care  of  some  trustworthy  one,  charging  such  to  keep  them  froro 
JOHN.— n.  2  B 


370  THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING   TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xvii.  1—26. 

danger,  especially  from  the  fire ;  so  our  blessed  Lord,  before  he  left  the  world,  left  his 
disciples  in  good  custody  and  safe  hands,  those  of  the  Father,  praying  him  to  take  care 
of  them,  especially  to  keep  them  from  the  evil.  Before  the  great  departure  at 
Jerusalem,  he  insured  all  his  most  valuable  property  in  the  office  of  his  Father's  eternal 
love,  of  which  he  was  the  chief  Agent ;  and  insured  it  so  not  only  as  to  have  compen- 
sation in  case  of  loss,  but  against  any  loss  at  all.  "  Holy  Father,  keep,"  etc.  The 
house  was  insured  before,  and  was  safe,  and  there  was  no  need  of  a  rush  out  of  it ;  but 
now  he  insures  the  tenants.  The  premium  he  had  paid  on  the  cross.  This  is  the  only 
safe  insurance  from  evil.  We  wonder  often  how  we  have  escaped  from  the  evil  in  many 
a  dark  hour  ;  but  the  insurance  was  the  secret. — B.  T. 

Vers.  20 — 23. — Christian  unity.     Notice  it — 

L  In  its  import  and  scope.  1.  Believers  are  to  he  in  unity.  Many  and  yet  one, 
one  and  yet  many.  Many  members,  but  one  body ;  many  bodies,  but  one  Spirit ;  many 
believers,  but  one  spiritual  community.  They  are  to  be  one  with  each  otfier,  with 
Christ,  and  with  the  Father.  2.  Their  union  is  to  be  universal.  "  That  they  all  may 
be  one."  There  is  to  be  no  exception.  It  is  not  optional,  but  the  universal  rule  of  the 
society  and  law  of  its  great  Head.  They  are  to  be  one :  (1)  In  spite  of  time. 
Believers  are  separated  by  time.  Some  are  of  the  present,  some  are  of  the  past,  and 
some  of  the  future ;  but  all  are  included  in  this  great  union.  "  Those  who  believe  on 
me  through,"  etc.  Not  merely  the  fathers  of  the  faith  are  to  be  in  it,  but  their 
children  to  the  last  generation,  and  to  the  last  one  of  that  generation.  (2)  In  spite  of 
space.  Believers  are  separated  by  place  and  distance.  They  inhabit  different  countries 
and  climes.  There  are  large  multitudes  on  earth,  larger  multitudes  still  in  heaven,  but 
they  are  all  in  this  union ;  its  laws  are  binding  and  operative  in  spite  of  space  and 
distance.  (3)  In  spite  of  differences.  Believers  are  separated  by  physical,  mental, 
social,  spiritual,  and  circumstantial  differences;  but  these  are  not  to  prevent  their 
unioD,  but  they  are  to  be  one  in  spite  of  them.  3.  The  union  is  to  he  perfect.  They 
are  tu  be  perfected  into  one.  It  is  not  a  sham  union,  but  a  real  one  ;  and  perfection  is 
its  goal,  although  gradually  attained.  Something  like  this  is  the  import,  scope,  and 
ideal  of  this  grand  union,  of  which  Christ  is  the  Author,  President,  and  Inspiration. 

II.  In  its  high  model  and  basis.  1.  Its  model  is  Divine.  "  As  thou.  Father,  art," 
etc.  Its  model  is  the  union  of  the  Father  and  the  Son.  What  union  was  this? 
(1)  Union  of  7'iature,  essence,  and  life.  Believers  are  partakers  of  the  Divine  nature, 
and  the  new  nature  and  life  are  the  same  in  all.  (2)  Unity  of  mind.  Believers  are  to 
strive  for  unity  of  faith,  and  to  mind  the  same  things.  (3)  Unity  of  heart.  Believers 
are  to  be  one  in  heart,  sympathies,  and  love — the  bond  of  perfectness.  (4)  Unity  of 
tuill  and  p)urpose.  (5)  Unity  of  character.  The  Divine  union  is  the  model  of  the 
Christian,  and  it  is  high  and  perfect.  And  is  not  the  past  history  of  the  Church  a  record 
of  a  great  intellectual  and  spiritual  struggle  fur  this,  and  is  she  not  pressing  on  still 
towards  it?  2.  Its  basis  is  Divine.  "That  they  may  be  in  us,  and  one  in  us." 
(1)  Christian  unity  is  based  upon  the  Divine.  The  idea  is  Divine.  It  would  be 
impossible  for  an  inharmonious  being,  however  powerful,  to  conceive  the  idea  of  an 
harmonious  society,  much  less  to  produce  it.  The  Divine  unity  is  the  foundation  and 
origin  of  the  human.  (2)  Christian  unity  is  the  creation  of  the  Divine,  and  is  sup- 
ported by  it.  In  connection  with  the  Divine  it  is  alone  possible,  and  in  this  connection 
It  is  a  glorious  fact.  "  One  in  us."  Apart  from  this  there  would  be  no  unity  at  all — no 
unity  of  atonas,  of  worlds,  of  systems,  in  the  material  universe ;  and  no  unity  of  mind, 
spirit,  and  heart  among  intelligent  beings.  In  the  Divine  unity  all  the  material  worlds 
are  united,  and  all  the  moral  world  is  being  and  to  be  united.  It  is  not  only  the  model, 
but  the  basis  and  support  of  Christian  union.  Christian  union  is  the  outgrowth  of  the 
Divine.  "One  in  us."  (3)  Christian  umty  is  the  expression  of  the  Divine.  Christ  is  the 
Expression  of  the  Father,  and  believers  are  the  expression  of  Christ,  hence  in  a  degree 
the  expression  and  incarnation  of  the  Divine  unity. 

III.  In  its  peactioal  and  efficient  means.  How  does  the  Divine  go  forth  and 
effect  the  unity  of  the  human  ?  What  are  the  means  used  ?  1.  The  union  of  believers 
with  Christ  by  faith,  and  his  tmion  with  them.  Faith  brings  Christ  to  the  soul,  antl 
Christ  brings  that  soul  to  the  Father  and  to  all  in  him.  "  I  in  them,  and  thou  in  me, 
that  they  may,"  etc.     These  are  the  efficient  means  used  and  the  order  of  their  opera- 


CH.  xviL  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST,  JOHN.  371 

tion.  Thus  faith  unites  believers  to  him,  to  the  Father,  and  to  each  other.  As  the  sun 
is  the  centre  of  union  in  the  solar  system,  so  Christ  is  in  the  Christian  system.  2.  The. 
endowment  of  the  Divine  glory.  "The  glory  which,"  etc.  What  glory  was  given  to 
Christ  which  he  also  gave  to  his  disciples?  (1)  The  glory  of  the  Divine  unity.  This 
he  gave  in  word  and  deed.  (2)  The  glory  of  the  Divine  recognition.  He  knew  the 
Father,  and  introduced  him  to  them.  (3)  The  glory  of  the  Divine  character.  It  was 
reflected  on  him  even  in  human  nature,  and  he  reflected  it  upon  them.  (4)  The  glory 
of  self-sacrijicing  love.  This  he  gave  them,  not  merely  in  its  vicarious  and  Divine 
results,  but  as  an  example,  inspiration,  and  the  master  principle  of  the  new  life. 
(5)  This  glory  is  one.  The  glory  of  the  Son  is  that  of  the  Father,  and  the  glory  of 
believers  is  that  of  the  Son.  He  imparted  to  his  disciples  the  same  glory,  and,  as  far  as 
he  was  concerned,  in  equal  degree ;  and  the  participation  of  believers  of  the  same  Divine 
glory  through  Christ  unites  tliem  with  one  another  and  with  the  Divine  nature,  the 
ultimate  result  of  which  must  be  perfect  oneness.  3.  The  prayer  of  Jesus  on  their 
behalf.  (1)  27(6  prayer  of  Jesus  is  effective  and  succesiful.  It  contained  all  lie  did. 
His  life  was  a  prayer,  and  his  death  was  a  prayer,  and  his  life  in  heaven  is  a  continuous 
and  all-effective  prayer.  (2)  The  burden  of  his  prayer  luas  the  perfect  and  universal 
union  of  believers.     And  his  prayers  are  all  ultimately  answered. 

IV.  In  ITS  SPECIAL  AND  ULTIMATE  PURPOSES.  1.  The  pierfection  of  each  individual 
believer.  Perfect  unity  of  all  can  only  effect  the  perfection  of  each  one.  Not  one 
believer  can  be  perfected  till  all  believers  are.  No  member  of  the  body  can  be 
absolutely  free  from  pain  until  every  member  is.  Believers  must  be  perfected  into  one 
ere  one  can  be  absolutely  perfect.  2.  The  conversion  of  the  luorld.  (1)  Its  realization 
of  Christ's  Divine  mission.  "  That  the  world  may  believe  and  know,"  etc.  (2)  Its 
realization  of  the  Divine  love  to  believers  as  well  as  to  Christ.  "  And  lovedst  them,  as 
thou,"  etc.  (3)  The  world's  realization  of  Divine  love  is  most  effective  in  the  produc- 
tion of  saving  faith  and  knowledge.  The  world  must  be  convinced  of  Divine  love 
through  love.  It  must  be  convinced  of  the  intensity  of  the  Father's  love;  and  its 
impartiality  to  all,  on  the  same  and  the  fairest  conditions — to  each  iudividual  believer 
in  Christ  whom  he  sent,  as  well  as  to  Christ  himself.  Let  the  world  realize  this,  then  it 
will  believe  and  know.  (-1)  The  perfect  unity  of  believers  will  produce  this  realization. 
A  large  degree  of  it  will  produce  faith.  Perfection  will  produce  knowledge.  Union  is 
strength,  disunion  is  weakness.  The  first  disciples,  w-hatever  may  be  their  failings, 
were  strong  in  loving  unity,  reflected  the  glory  of  their  Christianity  and  of  the  Divine 
nature,  and,  few  as  they  were,  effected  almost  unparalleled  success  in  the  conversion 
of  the  world,  and  eliciting  the  admiration  of  infidels :  "  See  how  they  love  one  another ! " 
And  let  the  Church  become  proportionately  linited,  and  it  will  brins;  such  evidence  of 
Divine  love  and  truth  to  bear  upon  the  world  as  will  be  simply  irresistible,  like  the  rays 
of  the  sun  or  the  united  drops  of  the  ocean. 

Lessons.  1.  Christian  union  is  of  supreme  importance.  It  is  the  goal  of  Christian 
life  and  the  perfection  of  Christian  character,  and  essential  to  individual  and  social 
sanctification.  It  is  the  central  idea  of  Jesus  and  the  burden  of  his  prayer,  and  with 
regard  to  Christian  character.  With  this  his  great  prayer  ends.  2.  The  Christian  Church 
lacks  in  nothing  so  much  as  in  this.  It  is  essentially  imperfect  in  the  present  state, 
especially  taken  as  a  whole ;  but  no  virtue  to-day  is  so  absent  from  it  as  real  spiritual 
union.  3.  This  shoidd  be  diligently  and  prayerfully  ctdtivated.  All  hindrances  to  it 
should  be  excluded — which,  in  a  few  words,  are  selfishness,  self-seeking,  and  pride,  with 
their  injurious  progeny.  Let  these  be  driven  out,  and  let  the  Church  make  the  same 
efforts  for  inward  and  spiritual  union  as  it  makes  for  outward  reforms ;  then  it  will 
shine  with  the  true  glory  of  the  Lord,  with  the  true  light  of  its  mission,  and  with  con- 
vincing effects  upon  the  world.  4.  Tu  attain  this  let  Christ  occujiy  his  proper  position 
in  each  believer,  and  in  the  Church  as  a  whole.  Let  him  be  the  sole  Prophet,  Priest,  and 
King.  Let  his  self-sacrificing  life  and  love  be  the  centre,  example,  and  inspiration  of 
every  believing  heart ;  then  we  shall  soon  have  a  true  Church  of  Christ  on  earth. — B.  T. 

Ver.  24, — Heaven.     Notice — 

I.  Heaven  AS  A  PLACE.  1.  It  is  a  place.  (1)  Th.\5  \s  suggested  hy  our  fundamental 
notions  of  things.  We  must  look  at  our  future  existence  to  some  extent  in  the  light 
of  the  present.    There  is  a  real  analogy  between  all  the  stages  of  existence  of  the  same 


372  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvii.  1—26. 

being.  We  find  ourselves  here  inseparably  connected  with  a  place.  "We  make  mental 
and  spiritual  excursions  even  to  the  infinite  and  illimitable,  but  still  we  find  our 
consciousness  connected  with  a  place.  Locality  enters  into  all  our  notions  of  all  finite 
existences.  They  are,  and  they  are  somewhere.  (2)  This  is  suggested  hy  the  facts  of 
many  being  noiv  in  heaven  in  their  bodies,  and  of  the  general  resurrection  of  the  body  at 
the  last  day.  Enoch,  Elias,  our  blessed  Lord,  and  doubtless  many  more,  are  now  there 
in  their  bodies.  And  we  are  taught  that  there  will  be  a  general  resurrection  of  the 
body  at  the  last  day.  It  may  be  said  that  the  resurrection-body  will  be  spiritual. 
Yes,  but  spiritual  not  as  distinguished  from  material,  but  from  carnal  and  corrupt.  In 
the  light  of  the  great  facts  of  existence  with  which  we  are  familiar,  there  is  nothing 
unreasonable  nor  impossible  in  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection.  But,  on  the  supposi- 
tion that  the  body  is  to  lose  entirely  its  materialness,  it  seems  indeed  unreasonable  and 
altogether  unnecessary,  and  we  ask  what  is  the  use  of  it  at  all  ?  And  we  cannot  see 
how  a  being  who  has  lived,  thought,  felt,  and  acted  in  a  material  organization,  could 
keep  his  identity  in  any  state  of  existence  entirely  apart  from  such  an  organization. 
And  if  the  resurrection-body  will  be  in  any  way  material,  then  it  must  have  a  material 
locality,  and  heaven  must  be  a  place.  (3)  This  is  plainly  taught  in  the  Word  of  Qod. 
It  is  taught  in  these  words.  And  heaven  is  generally  spoken  of  in  Scripture  as  a  special 
place.  As  a  city,  the  new  and  heavenly  Jerusalem.  Christ  speaks  of  it  as  his  Father's 
house,  where  there  are  many  mansions.  "  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you."  So  that 
the  conclusions  of  reason  and  the  teachings  of  revelation  point  to  the  same  fact.  2.  It 
is  a  place  where  Jesus  is  and  the  redeemed  will  be.  "  Where  I  am,"  etc.  If  so,  we 
conclude :  (1)  That  it  is  a  most  glorious  place.  It  is  the  habitation  of  the  only 
begotten  Son  of  God,  the  express  Image  of  his  Person,  whose  glory  on  the  mount  trans- 
figured his  human  nature,  and  transformed  the  mount  into  a  scene  of  Divine  majesty. 
The  place  where  he  dwells  must  be  unspeakably  grand.  The  house  must  be  worthy  of 
the  tenant,  and  the  palace  of  the  great  King.  (2)  That  it  must  be  a  very  extensive 
place.  To  contain  the  hosts  of  angels  which  ever  attend  upon  his  Person,  and  the 
innumerable  multitude  of  the  redeemed — those  given  him  by  the  Father,  who  shall  be 
with  him — such  a  vast  throng  requires  a  vast  place.  Although  spiritual  bodies  doubtless 
will  not  require  as  much  room  as  when  in  their  crude  and  gross  form,  yet  the  place 
must  be  vast.  (3)  That  it  is  a  place  where  the  Redeemer  and  the  redeemed  enjoy  the 
closest  fellowship.  "  That  where  I  am,"  etc.  With  regard  to  believers  on  earth,  the 
Saviour  is  physically  invisible  and  absent ;  this  is  a  hindrance  to  complete  fellowship. 
But  in  heaven  the  Saviour  and  the  saved  will  be  locally  and  physically  together, 
occupying  the  same  abode,  which  will  make  the  fellowship  between  them  perfect.  3, 
It  is  a  place  the  chief  glory  of  which  is  Jesus.  In  itself,  its  occupations  and  surround- 
ings, it  must  be  specially  glorious ;  but  its  chief  glory  is  Christ.  As  the  place  where  he 
is,  it  is  most  attractive  even  to  those  who  know  most  about  it.  Few,  if  any,  knew  as 
much  of  its  local  glories  as  Paul ;  but  he  had  a  desire  to  depart,  not  to  be  in  heaven 
as  such,  but  to  be  with  Christ.  The  chief  inhabitants  of  a  place  form  its  chief 
attractions.  Wicked  people  would  soon  turn  heaven  into  hell,  whilst  good  people 
would  soon  turn  hell  into  heaven.  People  make  a  place,  and  not  a  place  the  people. 
The  characters  of  heaven  are  all  attractive,  but  Jesus  is  the  chief  one.  4.  It  is  a  place 
where  Chrisfs  glory  will  be  fully  seen.  (1)  His  mediatorial  glory.  "The  glory  which 
thou  hast  given  me."  The  glory  of  his  Divine-human  Person ;  the  glory  of  his  sur- 
roundings ;  the  homage  paid  him  at  home ;  the  glory  of  his  complete  victories  and 
self-sacrifice ;  his  glory  in  the  redeemed,  in  their  individual  perfection,  and  in  their 
perfect  unity.  (2)  This  glory  caii  alone  be  fully  seen  in  heaven.  The  glory  of  his 
Divinity,  separately  considered,  can  be  seen  everywhere  in  the  works  of  his  power ;  but 
his  mediatorial  glory  can  alone  be  fully  seen  where  he  is,  and  not  where  he  is  not.  To 
see  this  he  must  be  personally  seen  and  be  locally  near.  (3)  This  glory  will  be  fully 
seen  in  heaven  by  the  redeemed.  "That  they  may  see  my  glory."  This  is  the 
purpose  of  his  present  will,  that  they  may  be  in  a  position  to  see  it  fully,  see  it 
directly.  The  vision  will  be  perfect,  although  gradual.  Eternity  wi'l  be  fully  occupied 
in  its  manifestation,  and  will  not  be  a  moment  too  long.  It  will  be  the  reward  of  their 
service  and  the  perfection  of  their  knowledge  and  felicity. 

11.  The  will  of  Jksus  with  regard  to  believers  in  relation  to  heaven,   1.  In 
its  expression.    "  Father,  I  will,"  etc.     He  no  longer  prays,  but  wills.    He  had  prayed. 


CH.  xvn.  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  373 

and  his  prayers  were  really  answered.  He  now  expresses  his  will  as  one  of  the  Divine 
counsels.  2.  In  Us  conteuts.  "  That  they  also  whom,"  etc.  This  implies  :  (1)  That 
Jesus  icould  not  be  happy  tuithout  them.  (2)  That  they  would  not  he  happy  without 
him.  (3)  That  together  they  would  attain  the  consummation  of  happiness  and  glory. 
3.  In  its  reasons.  (1)  The  /act  that  believers  are  the  Father's  gifts.  "  Those 
whom,"  etc.  Such  tenants  are  more  costly  gifts  than  the  place  of  their  habitation.  A 
suitable  place  for  them  naturally  follows.  (2)  The  mauifesiation  of  his  glory.  "  That 
they  may  see,"  etc.  What  would  be  the  Divine  glory  without  appreciative  eyes  to  see  it, 
and  what  would  be  these  appreciative  eyes  without  the  Divine  glory  in  Christ  ?  But  both 
together  are  suitable.  (3)  The  Father's  love  to  the  Soil.  "  For  thou  lovedst  me,"  etc. 
(a)  This  love  is  very  old.  The  eternal  Son  could  not  remember  its  beginning.  He 
knew  that  it  was  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  and  that  it  was  the  chief  stone  in 
that  foundation ;  but  it  was  much  older  in  its  origin.  It  was  eternal ;  but  the  foundation 
of  the  world  was  a  special  era  in  its  history,  (b)  This  love  is  unchangeable,  Jesus  was 
fully  conscious  that  he  had  done  nothing  to  decrease,  but  rather  to  increase,  it.  (c) 
This  love  is  very  effective.  There  is  no  place  in  the  universe  too  good  for  the  Father  to 
give  to  the  friends  of  his  Son  for  the  sake  of  this  love — not  even  the  most  glorious  place 
of  his  own  presence. 

Lessons.  1.  The  first  thing  in  human  happiness  is  a  suitable  character^/aith  m 
and  union  with  Christ.  2.  The  next  thing  is  a  suitable  place.  That  place  is  where 
Jesus  is,  wherever  that  may  be.  It  is  enough  with  regard  to  the  locality  of  heaven.  3. 
A  suitable  character  and  place  will  be  perfection  of  bliss.  4.  Let  the  character  be  pre- 
pared— heaven  is  certain.  Christ  prays  for  the  former;  he  wills  the  latter,  and  respectfully 
demands  it.  5.  The  present  is  a  scerie  of  struggle  and  preparation  ;  the  future  will  be  a 
scene  of  enjoyment.  The  enjoyment  of  Christ's  presence  and  service,  and  the  visions  of 
his  transcendent  glory.  What  visions  await  the  believer  in  heaven!  All  our  pro- 
foundest  aspirations  will  be  more  than  realized. — B.  T. 

Ver.  1. — The  Father  glorified  through  the  Son.  Here  are  words  of  Jesus  in  this 
prayer  which  we  are,  as  it  were,  doubly  bound  to  consider.  For  this  prayer  went  up 
in  the  midst  of  the  disciples.  We  can  hardly  even  say  that  it  was  overheard  by  them ; 
that  would  imply  that  they  were  not  intended  to  hear  it.  The  Father  heard  the  prayer, 
and  the  disciples  heard  it  too.  And  in  the  hearing  there  came  upon  them  great  responsi- 
bilities, great  opportunities,  great  inspirations.     The  same  things  also  come  upon  us. 

I.  The  invocation.  This  invoking  word,  "  Father,"  must  not  be  forgotten  in  one 
single  sentence  of  the  whole  prayer.  The  prayer  is  but  one  revealed  breathing  of  an 
unbroken  communion.  "  Father  "  was  no  new  or  occasional  word  on  the  lips  of  Jesus. 
The  thought  of  it  directed  and  circumscribed  every  petition.  The  prayer  is  the  prayer 
of  One  who  was  in  the  closest  intercourse  with  him  to  whom  he  prayed.  The  harmony 
was  the  harmony  of  a  union  which,  the  more  we  think  of  it,  deepens  into  mysterious 
unity.  What  were  the  Son  without  the  Father — what  were  the  Father  without  the 
Son? 

II.  The  occasion.  The  hour  has  come.  What  Jesus  meant  by  that  hour  we  soon 
discern  when  the  prayer  is  closed.  Streams  that  had  long  been  flowing  towards  each 
other  were  about  to  meet  at  last.  The  time  and  the  events  of  the  time  were  going  to 
correspond.  With  God  there  is  no  "  too  soon  "  or  "  too  late."  The  time  came  for  Jesus 
to  be  delivered  up  into  the  hands  of  men,  and  he  made  no  resistance,  achieved  no  mira- 
culous escape.  The  hour  was  come  to  reveal  the  essential  weakness  of  human  power ; 
and  Jesus  was  ready  to  give  the  opportunity  of  illustrating  it.  All  that  men  did  and 
all  that  Jesus  suffered  could  not  have  happened  otherwise.  All  that  was  done  by  all 
who  were  concerned  in  the  death  of  Jesus  was  done  according  to  their  natural  inclin- 
ings.  We  ought  not  to  be  astonished  at  a  single  dreadful  feature  in  the  whole  trans- 
action. Men  did  what  they  might  be  expected  to  do;  and  now  the  heavenly  Father 
is  looked  to  for  what  he  may  be  expected  to  do. 

III.  The  supplication.  That  tlie  Father  would  glorify  the  Son.  The  Father  had, 
indeed,  been  doing  nothing  else  from  the  beginning,  but  this  paternal  glorification  had 
now  to  be  made  peculiarly  manifest.  The  disciples  had  got  into  the  way  of  not  looking 
beyond  or  above  Jesus.  It  seemed  as  if  he  did  the  things  rather  than  the  Father 
through  him.     He  said  that  he  could  only  do  what  the  Father  gave  him  to  do ;  but 


374  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvn.  1—26. 

this  could  only  be  clearly  seen  wlien  througli  a  set  of  entirely  different  experiences.  The 
workings  of  that  Being  whom  Jesus  calls  Father  should  appear.  Jesus,  who  heretofore 
had  been  strenuously  active,  was  now  to  be  almost  entirely  passive.  The  Father  was 
now  going  to  glorify  him  through  the  manifestation  of  the  meekest,  lowliest,  most 
patient  Spirit.  Then  beyond  the  death  there  lay  the  resurrectioQ.  He  who  believes 
that  Jesus  really  rose  from  the  dead  can  see  in  that,  above  all  things,  the  glorifying 
stamp  of  the  heavenly  Father. 

IV.  The  motive.  A  glorified  Son  means  a  glorified  Father.  The  praise  of  him  who 
was  sent  is  inseparable  from  the  praise  of  him  who  sent  him.  The  risen  Jesus  becomes 
the  instrument  of  proclaiming  far  and  wide  that  God  who  is  a  Father.  A  Father  with 
none  of  the  limitations  of  human  fathers  ;  a  Father  who,  to  those  who  contemplate  his 
doings,  opens  up  new  possibilities  and  joys  in  human  fatherhood.  Further,  there  is  an 
example.  We,  in  our  measure,  should  pray  that  our  heavenly  Father  may  glorify  us, 
for  so  we  shall  glorify  him.  We  who  have  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God  shall  yet 
fully  illustrate  that  glory  in  every  particular. — Y. 

Ver.  3. —  TVhat  eternal  life  is  given  for.  By  the  faculties  inherent  in  natural  life 
there  comes  the  knowledge  of  every  natural  object.  If  there  is  to  be  the  knowledge  of 
more,  there  must  be  something  more  whereby  to  know.  Hence  it  seems  not  enough 
here  to  take  "  eternal  life "  as  but  another  way  of  expressing  the  knowledge  of  the 
only  true  God  and  of  his  Son.  Bather  is  it  true  of  him  who  has  the  life  of  eternity  in 
him  that  he  thereby  gets  that  glorious  knowledge  which  God  and  Jesus  want  him 
to  have.  As  Jesus  himself  put  it  to  Nicodemus,  a  man  must  be  born  again  to  see  the 
kingdom  of  Gqd.  A  beast  sees  what  a  man  sees  so  far  as  the  image  on  the  retina  is 
concerned  ;  but  a  man  will  do  very  different  things  as  the  result  of  his  seeing.  And  so 
a  natural  man  sees  what  a  spiritual  man  sees  so  far  as  the  image  on  the  retina  is  con- 
cerned ;  but  the  spiritual  man  will  do  very  different  things  as  the  result  of  his  seeing. 

I.  The  knowledge  of  God.  Thus  early  does  the  theological  element  come  in  to 
this  prayer.  Jesus  had  to  work  for  men  through  all  the  institutions  of  worship  and 
religious  faith  which  he  found  in  the  world.  What  he  here  says  is  quite  in  accord  with 
the  introduction  to  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  There  can  be  no  peace  or  blessedness 
for  mankind  till  the  delusions  and  vices  connected  with  the  worship  of  false  gods  have 
passed  away.  And  not  only  must  there  be  deliverance  from  the  dominion  of  false  gods 
— so  much  has  been  achieved  by  gradual  perception  of  the  absurdity  of  idolatry — there 
must  be  deliverance  from  the  dominion  of  false  and  defective  ideas  of  Deity  altogether. 
How  humiliating  are  the  narrow  and  superstitious  thoughts  of  God  entertained  by 
many  who  have  always  been  under  the  influences  of  Christianity.  The  best  of  us  cannot 
easily  be  kept  from  tending  towards  exaggeration  and  one-sidedness  in  this  matter. 
Notice  how  worshippers  of  the  one  true  God  and  worshippers  of  the  false  gods  of  Rome 
were  joined  together  in  the  acts  of  wickedness  which  brought  Jesus  to  death.  Sympa- 
thetic and  adoring  knowledge  of  the  one  true  God  is  the  thing  that  is  wanted,  and  it 
comes  as  those  who  are  babes  in  Christ  Jesus  grow  up  to  the  stature  of  perfect  men 
in  him.     Not  by  the  wisdom  of  this  world  can  God  ever  be  known. 

II.  The  knowledge  of  the  sent  Jesus.  How  this  addition  sweeps  away  the 
arrogant,  self-confident  claims  of  mere  general  theism !  Man  can  only  get  true,  com- 
forting knowledge  of  the  one  true  God  through  him  whom  God  sent  to  reveal.  Know- 
ledge of  God  is  by  revelation,  not  by  discovery.  The  necessity  that  man  should  know 
God  explains  the  mission  and  the  nature  of  his  Son  Jesus.  Jesus  brings  the  knowledge 
of  God  out  of  the  darkness  wherein  it  was  hid ;  and  then,  God  being  known,  Jesus  him- 
self becomes  more  intelligible  to  men.  The  more  we  know  Jesus,  the  more  we  know 
God ;  and  the  more  we  know  God,  the  more  we  know  Jesus.  What  barren,  tantalizing 
teachers  are  those,  expatiate  they  ever  so  much,  who  leave  Jesus  out  of  the  necessary 
elements  in  explaining  Deity  !  And  similarly,  those  who  sejoarate  Jesus  the  moralist 
from  Jesus  the  theologian,  and  try  to  satisfy  men  with  a  scheme  of  glorified  ethics,  are 
soon  found  out.  How  needful,  then,  that  we  should  nourish  all  beginnings  of  eternal 
lite ! — all  that  unrest  of  the  heart  which,  if  only  we  do  not  kill  it  by  mere  opiates,  will 
grow  into  the  peace  and  blessedness  of  them  who  really  know  God. — Y. 

Vers.  9 — 11. — Jesus  praying  for  his  own.     I.  The  exclusion.     We  have  here  a 


CH.  xvir.  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  375 

striking  illustration  of  the  definiteness  of  the  prayers  of  Jesus.  He  knows  exactly  for 
whom  he  is  prayin?,  and  what  he  wants  for  thom.  He  defines  them  positively,  and  ho 
defines  them  negatively.  It  is  nut  enough  for  him  to  call  them  his  own.  It  must 
also  be  said  why  they  are  his  own.  If  they  belonged  to  the  world,  and  had  in  them, 
unchecked  and  unmixed,  the  spirit  of  the  world,  they  would  not  be  his.  This  is  a  very 
decided  exclusion  for  the  purpose  which  Jesus  has  in  view ;  but  no  one  who  under- 
stands the  whole  drift  of  the  work  of  Jesus  will  say  that  it  is  a  harsh  exclusion.  When 
Jesus  prays  for  his  own,  he  is  really  doing  the  best  he  can  for  the  world.  What  can 
the  Father  of  Jesus  do  for  the  world,  so  long  as  it  remains  the  world?  He  has  nothing 
to  give  that  the  world  cares  for.  What  God  bestows  on  the  world  is  given  irrespective 
of  prayer — given  to  all ;  given,  a  great  deal  of  it,  to  the  lower  creation  as  well.  If  more 
is  to  be  given,  it  is  because  of  the  appearing  of  a  s]iirit  of  recipiency  which  is  in  itself  a 
sign  of  jiassing  from  the  world  to  the  Church.  When  Jesus  prays  for  his  own,  he  is 
really  praying  that  they  may  so  let  their  light  shine  as  to  attract  and  i^ersuade  the 
world.  The  very  best  things  that  Jesus  can  do  for  the  world  are  to  bo  done  through 
the  character  of  his  own  people. 

II.  The  grounds  of  the  request.  Jesus  prays  to  the  Father  for  those  whom  the 
Father  had  given  to  him.  What  a  view  of  the  claims  of  the  heavenly  Father  is  here  ! 
When  we  give  anything  it  implies  that  we  have  a  right  to  give  it.  We  have  made  it 
our  own  by  purchase  or  manufacture.  We  could  not  take  any  human  life  and  make  a 
present  of  it  to  somebody  else  that  he  might  use  it  for  his  own  purposes.  There  would 
be  a  protest  at  once.  But  God  makes  this  claim,  and  gives  over  human  souls  to  the 
control  of  Jesus.  To  that  control  and  to  no  other.  I'he  same  truth  is  expressed  when 
Jesus  says  that  all  authority  is  given  to  him  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  What  an  inspira- 
tion there  should  be  in  the  thought  that  the  Father  reckons  us  worthy  to  be  bestowed 
on  the  Son  for  him  to  use!  What  a  folly  and  misuse  of  ourselves  if  we,  who  are 
intended  for  gifts  to  Jesus,  should  refuse  to  Jesus  the  necessary  control !  What  an 
explanation  of  the  frequent  misery  and  waste  of  lite  !  If  Jesus  cannot  get  a  proper  use 
of  his  own,  how  can  we  turn  it  to  anything  but  misuse?  But  Jesus  goes  on  to  say  how 
that  in  receiving  he  only  receives  to  give  back.  "  All  mine  are  thine,  and  thine  are 
mine."  No  wonder  that,  in  the  first  fulness  of  Pentecostal  blessing,  the  disciples  had 
all  things  in  common.  The  Father  and  the  Son  have  all  things  in  common.  The 
Father  gives  humanity  to  the  Son  that  Jesus  may  send  out  consecrated  men  and 
women  to  glorify  him.  And  then  these  consecrated  men  and  women,  used  as  they  only 
can  be  used  by  Jesus,  are  rendered  up  to  the  Father  who  bestowed  them  on  the  Son. 
The  heavenly  Father  is  the  great  Fountain  of  the  highest  good,  and  all  that  he  gives 
comes  back  to  him  at  last,  having  ministered  strength  and  gladness  to  human  hearts 
innumerable.  All  that  is  in  God  and  all  that  is  in  Jesus  are  for  us ;  and  we  are,  not  for 
ourselves — that  is  only  a  small  part  of  the  truth — but  for  the  Son  in  the  Father,  and 
the  Father  in  the  Son.  There  is  no  serving  the  Son  without  serving  the  Father,  nor 
glorifying  the  Son  without  glorifying  the  Father.  And  we  need  that  the  Father  should 
strengthen  and  equip  us  through  invisible  means  for  all  this  serving  and  glorifying, 
because  the  Son  no  longer  remains  visibly  in  the  world.  The  invisible  ministry  is  far 
to  excel  in  depth  and  extent  the  visible  one. — Y. 

Ver.  15. — Not  removal,  hut  safety.  I.  Not  removal  from  the  world.  1.  To  many 
this  will  seem  a  superfluous  statement.  There  must  be  many  to  whom  it  will  seem 
a  marvellous  thing  that  any  one  should  want  to  go  out  of  the  world  at  all.  If  praying 
to  God  would  make  it  so,  the  young,  the  strong,  the  prosperous,  the  ambitious,  would 
pray  a  dozen  times  a  day  that  they  might  stay  in  the  world.  Every  day  thousands  are 
going  out  of  the  worM  who,  if  they  could  get  their  own  way,  would  stay  in  it. 
Probably  the  disciples  themselves  rather  wondered  at  Jesus  suggesting  departure  from 
the  world  as  desirable.  They  were  mostly  young  men,  or  men  in  their  early  prime. 
And,  indeed,  what  so  many  wish  is  just  what  Jesus  wishes  himself.  Every  human 
being  was  manifestly  intended  to  live  out  his  days  and  do  his  work  before  he  departs. 
That  the  old  only  should  die  is  in  the  very  order  of  nature,  just  like  the  falling  of  the 
leaves  in  the  autumn  and  the  setting  of  the  sun  at  eventide.  2.  The  thought  expressed 
was  a  very  natural  one  to  come  into  the  heart  of  Jesus  at  this  particular  moment.  He 
foresaw  the  pain  and  strain  and  trial  his  friend.*  would  have  to  pass  through.     He  fore- 


376  THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvn.  1—26. 

saw  the  imprisonments,  the  scourgings,  the  stonings.  The  disciples  would  understand 
the  reference  better  afterwards  than  at  the  moment  it  was  made.  Jesus  himself  was 
nn  the  poiut  of  being  taken  out  of  the  world.  The  significance  of  the  particular  expres- 
sion ought  to  be  carefully  noted.  It  is  not  merely  a  periphrasis  for  death.  It  indicates 
the  glorious  and  liberating  experience  through  which  Jesus  himself  was  about  to  pass. 
And  if  there  had  been  nothing  to  consider  but  their  personal  comfort,  then  the  friends 
and  followers  of  Jesus  might  have  been  taken  out  of  the  world  along  with  him.  But 
they  had  their  work  still  to  do.  The  followers  of  Jesus  had  to  stay  just  because  he  was 
taken.  The  friends  of  Jesus  had  to  suffer  all  the  more  just  because  his  sufferings  were 
at  an  end.  And  so  the  utterance  of  Jesus  seems  to  say,  "  I  should  like  to  take  you  with 
me,  but  it  is  impossible.  I  should  like  to  spare  you  all  you  will  have  to  go  through  ; 
but  when  you  are  going  through  it,  remember  how  I  thought  about  you  in  my  prayer." 
II.  Safety  in  the  world.  Jesus  desires  that  his  Father  would  keep  his  followers 
from  the  evil.  He  teaches  us  to  pray  the  same  prayer  ourselves.  Indeed,  if  we  do  not 
pray  the  prayer  ourselves,  what  can  the  prayer  of  Jesus  be  expected  to  avail  ?  The 
carefulness  of  Jesus  will  only  save  us  if  we  are  careful  too.  Of  course  it  is  spiritual 
safety,  integrity,  and  purity  of  heart  Jesus  is  mostly  thinking  of.  As  to  physical  pain, 
Jesus  himself  had  to  pass  through  the  severest  of  it ;  and  the  disciple  must  be  as  his 
Master,  the  servant  as  his  Lord. — Y. 

Ver.  17. — The  element  of  true  holiness.  I.  The  means  op  safett.  Jesus  has  been 
praying  that  his  friends  may  be  safe ;  and  here  is  the  way  to  safety.  The  truly  holy 
are  the  truly  safe.  When  some  infectious  disease  is  raging  far  and  wide,  it  is  the 
drunkard  and  glutton  who  are  most  exposed  to  danger.  And  thus  in  seasons  of  spiri- 
tual temptation  it  is  those  who  live  far  from  God,  and  have  allowed  the  world  to  run 
riot  in  their  hearts,  who  are  likeliest  to  fall. 

II.  The  means  of  unity.  Jesus  goes  on  to  pray  for  unity ;  and  holiness  will  lead  to 
imity  as  well  as  safety. 

III.  The  element  of  this  saving  and  uniting  holiness.  We  are  to  be  in 
living,  constant  contact  with  God's  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  That  truth  is  to  be  continu- 
ally around  us,  even  as  the  air  we  breathe.  It  is  to  be  underneath  us,  even  as  the  solid 
earth  on  which  we  stand.  Truth  is  ever  important,  but  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  is  of 
su[)reme  importance,  as  the  truth  that  concerns  us  all  in  our  greatest  interests.  If  with 
all  our  knowledge  we  have  failed  to  lay  hold  of  God's  truth  in  Jesus,  then  we  are  still 
miserably  ignorant.  We  must  not  be  dunces  in  the  school  of  Jesus.  The  time  will 
come  when  one  truth  of  his  will  give  us  more  satisfaction  and  peace  than  all  we  have 
learned  .".mid  this  world's  greatest  opportunities.  And  since  Jesus  prays  that  we  may 
be  sanctified  in  this  truth,  it  is  plain  that  the  truth  lies  near  us,  only  needing  our  reason- 
able attention  and  effort  to  make  it  our  own. 

IV.  The  nearn'ess  of  this  truth  as  contrasted  with  our  negligence  of  it. 
We  can  talk  much  about  the  truth,  and  yet  feel  it  very  little.  We  can  call  it  of 
supreme  importance,  and  yet  not  make  it  so.  The  guiU,  the  danger,  and  the  misery  of 
bin  are  often  on  our  lips  ;  but  only  on  our  lips.  We  do  not  speak  of  the  presence  of  sin 
in  our  souls  as  it"  we  had  made  the  terrible  discovery  for  ourselves,  and  appreciated  all 
that  the  discovery  implied.  The  thing  of  real  concern  with  us  is  not  truth  for  the 
heart,  but  food  and  raiment.  Hence  this  frightful  want  of  correspondence  between 
what  we  are  and  what  we  profess  to  be.  There  is  a  sanctification  as  far  as  the  pro- 
viding of  the  elements  is  concerned;  and  yet  no  sanctification,  because  the  elements 
are  unused.  Our  lives  are  very  mean,  worldly,  and  empty,  compared  with  the  oppor- 
tunities we  enjoy.  God  has  brought  us  into  a  land  of  the  choicest  blessings.  We  are 
invited  to  sit  down  at  a  table  loaded  with  the  bread  of  eternal  life.  The  fountain 
upened  for  sin  and  uncleanness  springs  up  before  our  eyes.  If  we  are  none  the  better, 
and  make  not  the  slightest  progress,  it  is  because  of  a  neglected  Holy  Spirit.  It  is 
truth  that  sanctifies;  and  the  Holy  Spirit  is  to  lead  us  into  all  the  truth.  Without 
hiui,  we  have  eyes  and  yet  see  not,  ears  and  yet  hear  not.  We  must  not  bring  our 
owii  little  line  to  measure  him  who  is  the  eternal  Son  of  God.  Not  many  wise  are 
called  to  the  inheritance  of  the  sanctified.  We  must  be  humble  and  submissive ;  then 
shall  we  know  things  not  otherwise  to  be  known.  The  work  of  Jesus  is  to  give  us 
something  to  know  and  make  our  own.    The  work  of  the  Spirit  is  actually  to  make 


CH.  xvii.  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  377 


that  something  our  own.  The  more  hold  that  Divine  truth  has  upon  us,  the  plainer  it 
is  that  wo  are  growing  in  holiness,  iu  separation  from  the  world,  and  union  with  the 
Father  through  the  Son. — Y. 

Ver.  18. — Ihe  two  apostleships.  The  sense  of  apostleship  must  enter  into  all  true 
Christian  work.  The  Lord  Jesus  takes  but  the  rank  of  an  apostle — speaks  to  his  Father 
as  having  made  him  an  apostle  into  the  world.  He  grows  up  to  manhood,  not  as  other 
lads  in  Nazareth,  to  choose  an  occupation  and  walk  in  life  for  himself,  but  to  take  a 
path  divinely  chosen.  He  both  is  sent  and  knows  well  who  sent  him.  The  highest 
good  is  only  to  be  got  out  of  the  Lord  Jesus  by  treating  him  according  to  his  apostle- 
ship. Treating  Jesus  otherwise  than  as  sent,  we  insult  and  slander  him.  He  comes 
not  with  his  own  claim,  but  with  the  claim  of  the  invisible  Father. 

I.  The  apostleship  of  Jesus.  "  Thou  didst  send  me  into  the  world."  That  is  the 
feeling  of  Jesus,  and  we  must  not  dispute  it.  Not  a  discourse  of  Jesus,  not  a  deed  of 
Jesus,  but  has  stamped  across  it,  "  Sent  of  the  Father,"  Sent  into  the  world ;  1. 
For  the  world's  need.  None  the  less  so  because  multitudes  live  and  die,  practically 
denying  the  need  of  Jesus.  Everything  depends  on  what  is  aimed  at.  A  man  may  say 
reading  and  writing  are  not  necessary  because  he  has  been  able  to  carry  bricks  and 
mortar  all  his  life  without  knowing  how  to  read  and  write.  But  it  is  plain  that  Jesus 
Christ  has  become  a  necessity  to  many,  for  they  have  died  rather  than  deny  him.  To 
say  that  we  need  him  not  only  proves  our  own  blindness  and  self-ignorance.  God 
sends  no  causeless  messengers.  If  human  prophets,  entirely  of  the  lineage  of  humanity 
had  been  enough,  Jesus  would  never  have  come.  2.  For  the  glory  of  the  Sender.  He 
expressly  says,  "  I  have  glorified  thee  on  the  earth."  We  are  to  judge  of  the  Sender  by 
the  Messenger.  Jesus  was  qualified  to  speak  and  act  freely  and  largely,  out  of  a  heart 
that  was  in  full  harmony  with  the  heart  of  God.  He  could  adapt  himself  without  the 
slightest  hesitation  or  failure  to  the  ever-varying  wants  of  men.  Many  had  come 
betore  him  and  walked  and  talked  with  men  in  the  name  of  God,  avowing  that  they 
were  the  mouthpieces  of  Jehovah,  and  beginning  their  addresses  with,  "  Thus  saith  the 
Lord."  But  then  the  consciousness  of  an  evil  heart  and  an  imperfect  life  was  upon 
them  all.  Isaiah  says,  "  Woe  is  me  ...  I  am  a  man  of  unclean  lips  !  "  But  no  one  ever 
heard  Jesus  speak  in  this  fashion.  Those  who  have  not  yet  beheld  in  Jesus  the  glory 
of  the  eternal  God  have  yet  to  receive  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

II.  The  consequent  apostleship  of  the  servants  of  Jesus.  Jesus  was  going 
from  the  world,  and  had  to  send  others  into  the  world  to  continue  his  work.  They 
must  be  such  as  the  world  can  take  knowledge  of.  And  Jesus  sent  them  into  the 
world  as  he  himself  was  sent,  for  the  world's  great  need  and  the  increase  of  the  glory  of 
God.  Then  in  due  season,  their  apostleship  being  over,  they  were  gathered  into  the 
invisible.  But  Jesus  went  on  sending,  and  has  gone  on  sending  ever  since.  "  Mission- 
ary "  is  only  a  more  modest  word  for  "apostle."  All  of  us  must  have  some  apostle- 
ship in  us,  or  we  can  do  little  for  Jesus.  And  all  manifest  and  special  apostles  we 
should  ever  observe  and  encourage,  holding  up  their  hands,  and  considering  their 
appeals  with  understanding  minds  and  sympathizing  hearts.  He  who  receives  the 
apostle  receives  Jesus,  and  he  who  receives  Jesus  receives  the  Father  who  sent 
him.— Y. 

"Ver.  20. — Prayer  for  persva'lers  and  'persuaded.  I.  Prayer  for  the  persuaders' 
Jesus  says,  "  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone  ; "  that  means  by  implication  his  prayer  for 
these.  Jesus  prays  lor  those  who  will  believe  on  him  through  the  word  of  his  servants ; 
that  means  his  prayer  for  those  who  will  speak  the  word  which  produces  the  faith. 
Jesus  had  spoken  to  his  servants  in  language  of  tenderness,  energy,  and  strength,  alto- 
gether unequalled.  They  had  to  go  out  on  a  great  errand  ;  they  had  a  glorious  message 
to  take ;  they  were  being  made  ready  to  taste  the  sweetness  of  a  great  privilege ;  and 
nothing  was  left  undone  that  would  stamp  on  their  minds  an  indelible  impression  of 
all  this.  And  in  this  verse  the  prayer  of  Jesus  for  these  special  servants  uf  his  comes 
to  a  transition  stage.  The  service  they  had  to  render  is  indicated.  They  had  to  go  out 
to  speak  to  men  in  such  a  way  as  that  listeners  would  be  won  to  give  themselves  up 
entirely  to  the  disposition  of  Jesus.  Their  word,  coming  from  the  depths  of  believing 
hearts,  filled  with  spiiitual  energy,  would  produce  like  precious  faith  in  others.     They 


378  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvii.  1—26. 

believed,  therefore  they  spoke.  They  believed,  therefore  they  could  not  help  speaking. 
They  believed,  because  they  had  found  out  their  own  need  as  sinning,  sorrowing  human 
beings ;  and  theiefore  they  felt  sure  that  other  sinning,  sorrowing  human  beings  would 
also  believe  when  saving  and  comforting  truth  was  placed  in  its  beautiful  fulness  before 
their  eyes.  Jesus  is  quite  sure  about  what  will  happen.  All  through  the  prayer  one 
unbroken  spirit  of  confidence  prevails.  Jesus  prays  for  those  whom  he  is  quite  sure 
will  persuade  men  to  believe  on  him. 

II.  Pkayek  for  the  persuaded.  Jesus  sends  his  desires  into  the  future  that  he 
knows  is  coming.  The  beginning  of  that  future  was  close  at  hand.  Believers  came 
by  thousands.  No  doubt  there  was  a  something  that  made  them  so  ready  to  hear.  He 
who  sent  down  the  Spirit  on  the  Day  of  Pentecost,  knew  well  that  it  would  not  be 
a  barren  day  so  far  as  the  eliciting  of  human  faith  was  concerned.  The  glory  of  Pen- 
tecost was  not  in  the  mighty  rushing  wind  or  the  tongues  of  fire ;  it  was  rather  in  the 
multitude  who  believed,  accei^ting  the  testimony  of  the  apostles  as  to  the  resurrection 
of  Jesus  fi'om  the  dead.  And  the  apostles  would  then  have  to  expound  things  more 
fully  to  these  believers,  attentive  in  the  freshness  of  their  new  faith,  and  grateful  for 
such  a  wondrous  outlook  into  eternity.  Then  would  they  tell  them  how  Jesus  had 
already  prayed  for  them,  being  sure  of  what  would  happen.  He  knew  the  believers 
were  coming,  and  saw  their  coming  from  afar.  Thus  the  prayer  for  Jesus  needed  its 
answer  soon  ;  and  it  has  always  needed  an  answer.  There  have  always  been  believers  to 
pray  for,  and  always  believers  needing  to  be  prayed  for,  and  brought  into  all  the  giving 
and  receiving  that  belongs  to  true  unity.  True  unity  is  the  mark  of  a  loving,  growing, 
joy-bringing  Christianity.  The  discordant  elements  of  the  world  make  the  curse  of 
worldliness.  Rivalries  and  antipathies  fill  the  world.  Over  against  this  Jesus  wants  to 
see  true  unity — that  which  comes  through  the  free  play  of  the  individual  conscience  and 
affections.  The  more  we  live  as  we  ought  to  live,  the  more  we  stretch  out,  as  it  were, 
hooks  and  eyes  by  which  we  get  connected  with  the  world  at  large.  The  individual 
Christian  feels  the  sufferings  and  losses  of  others  as  if  they  were  his  own.  The  whole 
world  of  men  and  women  is  a  corporate  unity.  As  long  as  there  is  suffering  anywhere, 
there  must  be  suffering  everywhere. — Y. 

Ver.  21. — A  grayer  for  unity.  I.  Look  at  this  prayer  in  the  light  of  Pen- 
tecost. Within  two  months  from  the  utterance  of  the  prayer,  the  apostles,  through 
their  spokesman  Peter,  uttered  forth  their  first  great  word  concerning  their  glorified  and 
ascended  Master,  and  in  that  same  day  there  was  added  to  the  apostles  about  three 
thousand  suuls.  Thus  within  this  short  time  the  first  company  of  them  believing  in 
Jesus  through  the  word  of  his  apostles  made  its  appearance.  Jesus  was  not  turning 
a  bare  possibility  into  a  certainty  when  he  referred  so  confidently  to  those  who  would 
believe  in  him  through  the  word  of  his  servants.  What  faith  he  had  in  humanity ! 
Some  who  have  watched  and,  as  they  would  say,  studied  mankind,  speak  of  them  as 
a  physician  might  speak  of  some  one  very  ill,  when  he  says  the  sick  person  cannot 
possibly  get  better.  Jesus,  on  the  other  hand,  is  the  Physician,  who,  while  he  allows 
that  things  are  indeed  very  bad,  magnifying  our  natural  misery  and  helplessness  to  the 
utmost,  yet  at  the  same  time  proclaims  in  trumpet-tones  a  real  cure,  though  the  only 
one.  'ihree  thousand  were  added  to  the  apostles.  They  all  became  one  company,  not 
only  in  spirit,  not  only  in  ultimate  aim  and  hope,  but  in  the  most  literal  meaning  of 
the  word.  Thus  at  Pentecost  there  came  an  outward  unity  such  as  the  world  had  never 
seen  before. 

II.  Look  at  the  discords  and  breaches  that  soon  made  their  appearance 
The  unity  of  Pentecost  did  not  and  could  not  last ;  it  was  but  the  outcome  of  a  fervid^, 
first  love,  and  as  time  rolled  on  those  who  had  been  thus  united  lapsed  into  their  old 
separation  and  contrariety.  The  old  man,  full  grown  and  vigorous,  is  not  to  be  dispos  ■ 
sessed  by  the  new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus  without  a  serious  struggle.  Even  in  the 
first  days  a  great  deal  happened  that  might  almost  make  one  think  the  disciples  of 
Jesus  set  no  store  at  all  by  their  Master's  prayers,  and  never  trouhled  to  recollect  tho 
desires  on  which  he  had  set  his  heart.  No  proper  means  was  taken  to  nourish  and 
cherish  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  hearts  of  all  the  believers.  Thus  it  is 
I  little  wonder  the  widows  had  to  complain  that  they  were  neglected  in  the  daily  minis- 
trations.    Little  wonder,  too,  that  Peter,  the  very  leader  on  the  Day  of  Pentecost,  proved 


CH.  XVIII.  1—40.]    THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


379 


unfaithful  to  the  principle  of  Christian  unity.  He  either  forgot  or  had  never  properly 
comprehended  that  in  Jesus  there  is  ncitlier  Jew  nor  Gentile ;  and  so  he  wanted  Gentiles 
to  become  Jews  before  he  would  allow  them  to  be  Christians. 

III.  "What  we  individually  must  do  for  unity.  Jcsub  wants  the  world  to 
believe  that  the  Father  has  sent  him — sent  him  out  of  another  world  where  all  is  har- 
mony, into  a  world  where,  apart  from  him,  all  is  discord.  And  the  world  will  only 
believe  when  it  sees  beautitul,  lovable  things  done  under  its  very  eyes.  We  must 
each  of  us  be  a  real  unity,  entirely  in  accord  with  Jesus  our  Master,  even  as  he  was  in 
entire  accord  with  his  Father.  As  the  Father  was  seen  in  Jesus,  so  the  Christ  should 
be  seen  in  us.  The  spirit  of  the  loving,  labouring,  life-giving  Jesus  should  be  worked 
into  the  very  foundation  of  our  nature  ;  then  that  small  part  of  the  world  which  has  to 
do  with  us  may  indeed  believe  that  One  has  been  sent  from  heaven  to  make  men  into 
a  happy  and  united  family. — Y. 


EXPOSITION. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
B.    The  Hour  has  come. 

Ver.  1 — ch.  xix.  42. — 1.  The  outer  glori- 
fication of  Christ  in  his  Passion. 

Vers.  1 — 11. — (1)  The  betrayal,  the  majesty 
of  his  bearing,  accompanied  by  hints  of  the 
bitter  cup. 

Ver.  1. — When  Jesus  had  spoken  these 
words — i.e.  liad  oifered  the  prayer,  and  com- 
muned with  his  Father  touching  himself, 
his  disciples,  and  his  whole  Church — he  went 
forth  with  his  disciples ;  i.e.  from  the  resting- 
place  chosen  by  him  on  his  way  from  the 
"  guest-chamber  "  to  the  Valley  of  Kedron  ; 
it  may  have  been  from  some  corner  of  the 
vast  temple  area,  or  some  sheltered  spot 
under  the  shadow  of  its  walls,  where  he 
uttered  his  wondrous  discourse  and  inter- 
cession. He  went  over  the  ravine — or, 
strictly  speaking,  winter-torrent — of  Ke- 
dron.'   The  stream  rises  north  of  Jerusalem, 

*  Tischendorf  (Sth  edit.),  on  the  authority 
of  N*,  D,  reads  toD  KeSpoO,  with  two  ancient 
versions,  "  of  the  cedar  ; "  A,  S,  A,  Vulgate, 
and  other  versions,  tov  KtSpdv,  corresponding 
with  N  so  far  us  tov  is  concerned.  The  twv 
KeSpwv  of  the  T.R.  and  R.T.,  and  the  gi-eat 
bulk  of  uncials  and  cursives,  looks  like  a  mis- 
taken modification  of  to€  into  twv,  on  the 
supposition  that  KeSpuv  was  genitive  plural. 
AVhereiis  Josephus  uses  the  word  as  nomina- 
tive singular,  and  uses  it  in  the  genitive, 
KiSpwvos.  If  KeSpoG  be  the  true  text,  it  is 
equivalent  to  "  of  the  cedar ;  "  it  tov  KeSpoor, 
then  we  must  translate  "of  the  Kedron." 
■VVcatcott  and  Hort,  Tregelles,  Alford,  and 
margin  of  Heviscd  Version  give  preference  to 
the  plural  form,  "  the  cedars  ;  "  Meyer,  Lach- 
mann,  Langc,  and  Godet  to  the  singular, 
??hich  is  the  more  probable, as  theword  would 
then  be  a  transliteration  of  the  Hebrew  word 
I'lTip,  the  bliick  stream,  so  frequently 
mentioned  in  the  Old  Testament  (2  Sam. 
XV.  23;  1  Kings  xv.  13;  2  Kings  xxiii.  4 — 


and  separates  the  city  on  its  eastern  side  from 
Scopas  and  the  Mount  of  Olives.  It  reaches 
its  deepest  depression  at  the  point  where  it 
joins  the  Valley  of  Hinnom  near  the  well  of 
Rogel,  contributing  to  the  ]icculiar  physical 
conformation  of  the  city.  The  stream  is  in 
summer  dry  to  its  bed,  and  Robinson,  Grove, 
and  Warren  conjecture,  in  agreement  with  an 
old  tradition,  that  there  is,  below  the  present 
surface  of  its  bed,  a  subterraneous  water- 
course, wliose  waters  may  be  heard  flow- 
ing. The  stream  takes  a  sudden  bend  to 
the  south-east  at  En-Rogel,  and  makes  its 
Way,  by  the  convent  of  Saba,  to  the  Dead 
Sea.  It  is  not  without  interest  that  this 
note  of  place  given  by  St.  John  alone — for 
the  three  other  evangelists  simply  speak  of 
"the  Mount  of  Olives" — brings  the  narrative 
into  relation  with  the  story  of  David's  flight 
from  Absalom  by  the  same  route,  and  also 
the  Jewish  expectation  (Joel  iii.  2),  and 
Mohammedan  prediction,  that  here  will  take 
place  the  final  judgment  (Smith's  '  Diction- 
ary,' art.  "  Kedron,"  by  Grove  ;  '  Pictorial 
Palestine,'  vol.  i. ;  Robinson,  'Bib.  Res.,'  i. 
269;  Winer's  '  B.  Realworterbuch,'  art. 
"  Kedron ;  "  Dean  Stanley's  '  Sinai  and 
Palestine ; '  '  The  Recovery  of  Jerusalem,' 
by  Capt.  Warren  and  Capt.  Wilson,  ch.  i. 
and  v.).  Where  was  a  garden.  This  refer- 
ence is  in  agreement  (IMatt.  xxvi.  3G ;  Mark 
xiv.  32)  with  the  synoptic  description  of 
the  x'<'pio/',  "  parcel  of  ground,"  small  farm, 
or  oiiveyard,  enclosed  from  the  rest  of 
the    hillside,    and    called    "  Gethsemane " 

6;  Nell.  ii.  15).  Westcott  suggcjsts,  in 
favour  of  twv  KtSpuv,  that  the  two  nanies  of 
"  the  cedars  "  and  "  the  Kedron  "  may  have 
been  originally  interchanged,  and  as  some 
cedars  were  known  at  one  time  to  have  been 
in  the  valley,  the  dark  colour  of  the  foliage 
of  cedars  may  have  led  to  the  adoption  of 
the  Hebrew  name.  Lango  thinks  that  the 
blood  of  the  sacrifices  found  its  way  into  it, 
and  darkened  it. 


sso 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [en.  xvin.  1—40. 


(gatli-fliammi,  press  for  oil).  The  traditional 
site  of  the  garden  dates  back  to  the  time  of 
Constantine,  and  may  be  the  true  scene  of  the 
agony  described  by  the  synoptists.  There 
are  still  remaining  "  the  eight  aged  olive 
trees,"  which  carry  back  the  associations  to 
the  hour  of  the  great  travail.  It  is  certain 
that  the  general  features  of  the  scene  still 
closely  correspond  with  what  was  visible  on 
the  awful  night  ('  Pictorial  Palestine,'  i.  86, 
98).  Patristic  and  mediaeval  writers,  with 
Hengstenberg  and  Wordsworth,  see  parallels 
between  the  garden  of  Eden  lost  by  man's 
sin,  and  the  garden  of  Gethsemane  where 
the  second  Adam  met  the  prince  of  this 
world,  and  bore  the  weight  of  human  trans- 
gn'ession  and  sliame,  and  regained  for  man  the 
paradise  which  Adam  lost.  It  is  still  more 
interesting  to  notice  a  further  touch  recorded 
by  John :  Into  which — into  the  quiet  retreat 
and  partial  concealment  of  which — he  (Jesus) 
entered  himself,  and  his  disciples.  We  know 
from  the  other  Gospels  that  they  were  sepa- 
rated— eight  remained  on  watch  near  the 
entrance,  and  Peter  and  James  and  John 
went  farther  into  the  recesses  of  the  garden, 
and  again,  "about  a  stone's  cast,"  in  the 
depth  of  the  olive-shade,  our  blessed  Lord 
retired  to  "  pray." 

Ver.  2. — Now  Judas  also,  who  was  betray- 
ing him  (notice  present  tense  in  contrast 
with  6  TrapaSovs  of  Matt  x.  4),  knew  the 
place :  because  oftentimes  Jesus  resorted 
(literally,  was  assembled  there)  thither  with 
his  disciples.  Liike  tells  us  that  during  this 
very  week  (Luke  xxi.  37)  they  had  passed 
their  nights  (rjuAifeTo)  on  the  "Mount  of 
Olives,"  and  it  is  most  likely  that  Judas 
conjectured  that  they  had  gone  thither  again 
to  pass  the  night.  The  fact  here  mentioned 
by  John,  that  Judas  knew  the  place,  dis- 
poses of  the  ignorant  and  vulgar  taunt  of 
Celsus,  that  our  Lord  sought  to  escape  from 
his  enemies  alter  having  challenged  them 
(see  Grig.,  'Contra  Cel.,' ii.  9. 10).  Keim,with 
perversity,  declares  that  John  only  repre- 
sented the  place  as  known  to  Judas,  in  order 
to  enhance  the  voluntary  nature  of  the  sacri- 
fice. Some  explanation  may  thus  be  given 
of  the  fact  that  the  eleven  disciples,  having 
reached  an  accustomed  place  of  repose,  all 
slumbered  and  slept,  and  were  not  able  to 
watch  one  hour.  The  choice  of  this  parti- 
cular garden  for  the  purpose  cannot  be  un- 
ravelled. Dean  Plumptre  suggests  that  it 
was  the  property  of  Lazarus,  who  was  no 
other  than  the  rich  young  man,  who  sold 
his  all  and  gave  to  the  poor,  all  but  one 
solitary  garment,  and  that  he  himself  was 
keeping  this  one  possession  for  the  uses 
of  his  Lord  on  that  very  night,  and  that 
when  in  danger  of  arrest  he  it  was  that 
fled  away  naked.  This  is  pure  conjec- 
ture. 


Ver.    3.  —  Jadas    therefore,    because   he 
knew  the  place,  was  able  treacherously  to 
use  his  knowledge.     Having  received   the 
cohort.  'H  (T-ire'ipa  is  used  for  tbe  legion  or  por- 
tion of  the  legion  of  soldiers,  who,  under  the 
direction  of  the  Roman  procurator,  garrisoned 
the  Tower  of  Antonia,  which  dominated  the 
north-east  temple  courts.     The  article  (r^y) 
is   probably  used    because    the    x'^^^PX^^' 
military  tribune,  chief  captain,  or  commander 
of  the  thousand  men,  had  (ver.  12)  accom- 
panied the  detachment.     "  The  word  irvelpa, 
is  used  by  Polybius  for  the  Latin  manipulus, 
not  cohors  (Polyb.,  xi.  23),  consisting  of  about 
two  hundred  men,  the  third  part  of  a  cohort " 
(Westcott).   It  should,  however,  be  observed 
that  the  word  is  used  of  the  Roman  garrison 
of  the  tower  (Acts  x.  1 ;  xxi.  31 ;  xxvii.  1  ; 
Josephus, '  Ant.,'  xx.  4.  3  ;  '  Bell.  Jud.,'  v.  5. 
8).     XtXiapxos  was  the  proper  name  for  the 
commander  of  a  cohors,  equivalent  to  one- 
sixth    of  a   legion,  i.e.  a   thousand   men 
and  a  hundred  and  twenty  horsemen.     The 
strength  of  the  cohort  differed  according  to 
circumstances  and  need.     Josephus  ('  BelL 
Jud.,'  iii.  4.  2)  says  that  some  (riteipat  con- 
sisted of  a  thousand,  some  of  six  hundred, 
men.    It  is  not  rational  to  suppose  that  the 
whole  cohort  were  visibly  present,  but  they 
were  present  in  close   proximity.     Though 
John  alone  mentions  the  Roman  soldiers,  yet 
cf  Matt.  xxvi.  53,  54,  where  our  Lord  says, 
"  Thinkest  thou  not  that  I  could  pray  (irape- 
/caA.€<rot)  my  Father,  and  he  would  henceforth 
furnish  me  with  more  than  twelve  legions  of 
angels  f" — a  legion  of  angels  for  each  one  of 
the  little  group.     The  presence  of  this  band 
of  Roman  soldiers  with  the  Jewish  police 
gives  very  great  force  and  impressiveness  to 
this  scene  of  Israel's  degradation  and  of  the 
world's  assaul  t  upon  the  Di  vine  Saviour.  The 
other  hints  given  by  the  synoptists  of  the  pre- 
sence of  weapons  in  the  "  band,"  is  Peter's 
use  of  the  sword.  Judas  brought  with  him,  not 
only  the  drilled  and  armed  Roman  soldiers, 
but  the  officers  from  the  chief  priests  and 
of  the  '  Pharisees ;  i.e.  a  detachment  of  the 
Jewish  guard  of  the  temple,  under  direction 
of  the  Sanhedrin.     The  chief  priests  would 
have  small  diflSculty  in  securing  the  aid  of 
a  detachment   of  the  Roman   garrison   to 
prevent  popular  outbreak  at  the  time  of  the 
feast.     These  im-npeTat,  under  the  direction 
of  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees,  have  been 
mentioned  in  ch.  vii.  32  and  45,  and  the  same 
name  is  given  to  the  inrripeTai  in  Acts  v.  22, 
26,  where  the  high  priests  and  Sadducees 
are  spoken  of  as  their  masters.    In  Luke 
xxii.  4,  52  the  commandants  of  the  temple 

1  Twu  is  omitted  by  T.R.,  with  N'='»,  A,  C  ; 
but  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.)  and  Westcott  and 
Hort  read  koI  e/c  twv,  with  N*,  D,  L ;  Lach- 
,   mann  and  R.T.,  Kal  twv,  with  B. 


CH.  xvin.  1— 40.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDINa  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


531 


are  spoken  of  in  the  plural,  (rrpaTjjyoTy  rod 
Upov.  Tho  Jewish  guard  was  under  tlio 
custody  of  one  officer,  6  ffTparriyis,  and  he 
was  a  man  of  high  rank  anddignity(Joscphus, 
•  Ant.,'  XX.  6.  2  ;  '  Bell.  Jud.,'  ii.  17.  2)— not 
two,  but  one ;  tho  reference  to  more  than  one 
must  therefore  point  to  the  Roman  military 
otHcial  as  well,  thus  unconsciously  sustaining 
the  more  definite  information  given  by  John. 
Judas  with  his  band  cometh  thither  with  lan- 
terns and  torches  and  weapons ;  for,  though  it 
was  the  Paschal  full  moon,  they  were  intent 
on  finding  an  individual,  whom  Judas  would 
identify  for  them,  amid  the  depths  of  the 
olive  shades.  {Aafinds  is  in  its  primary  sense 
a  torch,  or  even  meteoric  light,  but  it  is  used 
for  a  lamp  or  lantern ;  and  (pav6s  also  is 
used  for  "  torch  "  primarily,  with  secondary 
meaning  of  "  lantern.")  Mattliew  and  Mark 
mention  "  swords  "  and  "  staves,"  but  say 
notliing  of  the  flaring  torches  which  so 
arrested  the  eye  of  John.  Thoma  sees  a 
reference  to  the  frequent  declaration  of 
Christ,  that  he  was  the  "  Light  of  tho 
world,"  and  to  the  contrast  between  that 
light  and  the  power  of  darkness. 

Ver.  4. — Jesns  then — the  ovv  implies  that 
our  Lord  discerned  the  approach  of  the 
hrstile  band — knowing  all  the  things  that 
were  coming  upon  him — in  full  conscious- 
ness of  his  position,  and  in  voluntary  sacri- 
fice of  himself  to  the  will  of  Grod  and  the 
purpose  of  his  mission — went  forth ; '  i.e. 
from  the  garden  enclosure — see  ver.  1 — (say 
Meyer  and  Godet) ;  from  the  recesses  of  the 
garden  or  the  garden-house  (say  others); 
partly  in  consequence  of  the  language  of  the 
kinsman  of  Malchus,  "  Did  I  not  see  thee  in 
the  garden  ?  "  But  tliis  is  perfectly  compa- 
tible with  the  obvious  fact  that  the  eight 
disciples  and  the  favoured  three  should  have 
shrunk  behind  our  Lord  when  he  calmly 
emerged  from  the  entrance  to  the  garden, 
and  that  their  position  would  be  thus  suf- 
ficiently indicated.  It  is  remarkable  that 
John,  who  has  been  accused  of  personal 
malice  to  Judas  (t'.e.  by  those  who,  like 
Kenan,  admit,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  Johan- 
nine  authorship),  does  not  refer  to  the  traitor's 
kiss.  This  well-attested  and  traditionally 
sustained  incident  is  not  excluded  by  the  nar- 
rative before  us — indeed,  the  second  reference 
to  Judas  seems  to  imply  sometliing  special  in 
his  conduct,  which  is  needed  to  account  for 
it.  We  can  hardly  suppose  that  it  could 
have  taken  place  before  the  Lord  Jesus  had 
uttered  his  solemn  word,  but  it  may  easily 

'  T.R.  reads  i^f\0iii>  direv,  with  N,  A,  C, 
and  numerous  uncials ;  but  Lachmann, 
Tregolles,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Wtstcott 
and  Hort,  and  R.T.,  ^^rjAdev  kuI  Ae'yei, 
with  B,  C*,  D,  and  the  Latin  versions  and 
Fathers. 


have  occurred  as  tho  first  answer  to  his 
summons.  And  saith  unto  them,  Whom 
seek  ye  1 

Vers.  5,  6. — They  answered  him,  Jesus 
the  Nazarene.  Jesus  saith  unto  them, 
I  am  he.  Tlien,  in  all  probability,  tho 
miscreant,  the  son  of  peniition,  said,  "  Hail, 
Master ! "  and  kissed  him ;  and  thcTa  followed 
before  and  after  his  act  the  sublime  replies 
given,  "  Companion,  wherefore  art  thou 
come  ?  "  and  "  Judas,  betrayest  thou  the  Son 
of  man  with  a  kiss  ?  "  Jolin,  however,  over- 
whelmed with  the  majesty  and  spontaneous 
self-devotion  of  the  Lord,  calls  attention  to 
the  language  he  addressed  to  the  "  baud  " 
which  surrounded  him.  In  some  royal 
emphasis  of  tone  he  said,  "  I  am  (he),"  and 
the  same  kind  of  etfect  followed  as  on 
various  occasions  had  proved  how  powerless, 
without  his  permission,  the  machinations  of 
his  foes  really  were.  In  the  temjjle  courts, 
and  on- the  precipice  of  Nazareth,  the  mur- 
derous Jews  and  Galileans  were  foiled 
(compare  the  murderers  of  Marius  and  of 
Coligny)  by  the  moral  grandeur  of  his  bear- 
ing ;  and  when  he  said,  I  am  he,  they  went 
backward,  and  fell  to  the  ground  (xa^oi  for 
Xo/xa^e).  Whether  this  was  a  supernatural 
event,  or  allied  to  the  sublime  force  of  moral 
greatness  flashing  in  his  eye  or  echoing  in  the 
tone  of  his  voice,  we  cannot  say,  but  associat- 
ing it  with  other  events  in  his  history,  the 
supernatural  in  his  case  becomes  perfectly 
natural.  It  was  so  that  he  whose  "I  am 
he  "  had  hushed  the  waves  and  cast  out  the 
devil,  and  before  whose  glance  and  word 
John  and  Paul  fell  to  the  earth,  as  if  struck 
with  lightning,  did  perhaps  allow  his  very 
captors  (prepared  by  Judas  for  some  display 
of  his  might)  to  feel  how  powerless  they 
were  against  him.  It  is  remarkable  that 
our  narrative  should  place  between  the  "  / 
am  he  "  and  its  eflect,  the  tautologous  letnark 
if  there  be  nothing  to  explain  it.  Now  Judas 
also,  who  was  betraying  him,  was  standing 
with  them.  This  implies  that  Judas  h;id 
taken  some  step  equivalent  to  that  described 
in  the  synoptic  narrative.  There  is  tome 
momentary  consolation  in  the  thought  that 
the  traitor  fell  to  the  ground  with  his  gan;;, 
and  for  an  instant  saw  the  transcendent  erime 
he  had  committed  in  betraying  the  innocent 
blood  with  the  kiss  of  treachery  and  shame. 
Thoma  sees  in  the  approximation  of  Judas 
the  approach  of  the  prophetic  Beast  to  the 
true  King,  and  endeavours  out  of  the  letters 
of  his  name  to  read  the  number  666  !  It  is 
true  that  ch.  xiii.  27  represents  Satan  as 
having  entered  into  Judas.  He  stood  there, 
he  fell  there,  with  the  powers  of  darkness. 
What  a  moment !  The  devil  may  have 
tempted  Christ  to  blast  his  emissaries  with 
the  breath  of  his  nostrils ;  but,  true  to  his 
sublime  mission,  he  is  occupied  only  with 


382 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xviii.  1—40. 


tlie  safety  and  future  work  of  those  who 
knew  that  he  had  come  out  from  God. 

Vers.  7,  8. — Again  then  (^oZv,  regarding  all 
tlie  conditions,  the  cup,  the  cross,  the  blood - 
baptism,  the  supreme  will,  all  are  at  stake)  he 
asked  them,  Whom  seek  ye  ?  Then,  restored 
from  their  fright  and  spasm  of  conscience, 
produced  by  the  presence  of  One  whom 
no  fetters,  not  even  those  of  death  itself, 
could  bind,  and  reassured  now  by  the  same 
voice  (cf.  Dan.  x.  10  ;  Rev.  i.  17),  they  reply, 
Jesus  the  Nazarene.  He  thus  compels  them 
to  limit  their  design,  and  to  single  liimself 
out  for  the  malice  and  devilish  plot  of  their 
masters.  I  told  you  that  I  am  he :  if  there- 
fore ye  seek  me,  suffer  these  to  depart.  There 
is  much  in  this  that  lies  beneath  the  surface. 
(1)  There  is  an  explanation  of  the  miracu- 
lous blast  which  had  a  few  moments  before 
rolled  them  at  his  feet.  They  will  not  dare 
to  disobey  him.  "What  may  he  not  do,  if 
they  proceed  to  arrest  the  disciples,?  (2) 
The  disciples  are  discharged  from  the  im- 
mediate function  of  sufifering  and  death. 
They  were  in  imminent  danger,  as  is  con- 
spicuous from  the  fleeing  youth,  and  from 
the  language  of  the  bystanders  subsequently 
to  Peter ;  but  their  hour  was  not  yet  come. 
(3)  He  would  tread  the  winepress  alone. 
They  were  none  who  could  go  with  him  into 
this  terrible  conflict  (cf.  "  Ye  shall  leave  me 
alone ;  yet  not  alone  "). 

Ver.  9. — But  John  found  (4)  a  deeper 
reason  still.  He  said  this  in  order  that  the 
word  which  he  spake  an  hour  or  two  before 
might  be  fulfilled,  not  finally  exhausted  in 
its  unfathomable  depth,  but  gloriously  illus- 
trated. Concerning  those  whom  thou  hast 
given  me,  not  one  of  them  I  lost.  This  is 
a  proof,  as  recognized  by  De  Wette  and 
others,  that  the  evangelist  was  quoting  exact 
words  of  the  Master,  not  words  which  he 
had  theologically  attributed  to  him.  The 
temporal  safety  of  the  disciples  was  a  means 
on  that  dread  night  of  saving  their  souls 
from  death,  as  well  as  their  bodies  from  tor- 
ture or  destruction.  "  Christ,"  says  Calvin, 
"  continually  bears  with  our  weakness  when 
he  puts  himself  forward  to  repel  so  many 
attacks  of  Satan  and  wicked  men,  because 
he  sees  that  we  are  not  yet  able  or  prepared 
for  them.  In  short,  he  never  brings  his 
people  into  the  field  of  battle  till  they  have 
been  fully  trained,  so  that  in  perishing  they 
do  not  perish,  because  there  is  gain  provided 
for  them  both  in  death  and  in  life."  The 
reference  of  the  apostle  to  ch.  xvii.  12  is, 
moreover,  also  one  of  the  numerous  proofs 
which  the  Gospel  itself  supplies,  that  great. 
Heaven-taught  as  the  apostle  was,  he  stands, 
with  all  his  inspiration,  far  below,  at  least 
on  a  different  plane,  from  that  occupied  by 
the  Lord.  His  occasional  interjections  and 
explanations  of  his  Master's  words  cannot 


be  put  on  the  same  level  with  the  words 
themselves.  Even  Reuss  finds  here  a  reason 
for  holding  the  authenticity  of  many  at  least 
of  the  sayings  themselves,  while  refusing  to 
accept  the  genuineness  of  the  Gospel  as  a 
whole  ('  Theologie  Johannique,'  in  loco). 

Ver.  10.— Then  Simon  Peter.  The  other 
evangelists  simply  tell  us  that  one  of  the 
number  of  the  disciples  performed  the  fol- 
lowing act.  The  ovy  here  is  introduced 
between  Simon  and  Peter,  as  if  to  imjtly  that 
it  was  not  merely  Simon  son  of  Jonas,  but 
Simon  the  Rock,  the  man  of  mighty  impul- 
sive passion,  ready,  as  he  said  a  few  hours 
since,  to  go  with  his  Master  to  prison  and 
to  death.  The  name  and  identification  of 
Peter  with  the  brave  man  who  struck  at 
least  one  blow  for  his  Master,  is  a  proof,  not 
of  John's  animosity  against  Peter,  or  any 
desire  to  humble  him,  but  rather  to  exalt 
him.  The  extraordinary  concomitance  of 
this  act  with  all  the  other  delineations  of 
Peter's  character  is  another  undesigned  hint 
of  the  authenticity  of  the  narrative.  Simon 
Peter,  then,  having  a  sword.  Here  we  see 
the  unintentional  agreement  with  the  sy- 
noptic narrative  (Luke  xxii.  38).  Nothing 
would  be  less  likely  than  that  Peter  should 
have  a  sword  at  his  disposal;  i.e.  judging 
from  the  Johannine  narrative.  The  Gospel 
of  Luke  explains  it.  Having  a  sword,  he 
drew  it,  and  smote  the  slave  (not  one  of  the 
uTTT/peVai,  but  the  SoOXos,  body-servant)  of 
the  high  priest,  and  cut  off  his  right  ear.' 
The  slave,  in  receiving  such  a  wound,  must 
have  been  in  fearful  danger  of  his  life.  The 
reference  to  the  rigid  ear,  mentioned  also  by 
Luke  (xxii.  50),  is  noteworthy.  Now  the  name 
of  the  slave  was  Malchus.  Here  the  eye-wit- 
ness, not  the  theologian,  nor  the  dramatist, 
reveals  his  hand.  Thoma  sees,  however,  the 
fulfilment  of  prophetic  outline,  and  a  refer- 
ence to  the  kings  and  chief  captains,  the 
Malchuses  and  chiliarchs,  tiiat  are  ultimately 
to  flee  before  him.  The  subsequently  men- 
tioned circumstance  (ver.  15)  that  the  evan- 
gelist was  "  known  to  the  high  priest," 
explains  this  recovery  of  an  otherwise  value- 
less name.  The  instant  when  Peter  cried, 
"  Shall  we  smite  with  the  sword  ?  "  was  most 
opportune.  For  the  moment  Peter  felt  that 
the  whole  band  could  be  discomfited  by  a 
bold  stroke.  Christ  •  with  his  word,  the 
brave-hearted  apostle  with  his  weapon,  could 
scatter  all  the  jfoes  of  the  Lord.  As  on  so 
many  other  occasions,  Peter  gives  advice  to 
the  Master,  only  to  find  himself  in  grievous 
mistake. 

'  'nriou  is  read  by  Lachmann  and  T.R.  and 
numerous  uncials  ;  wTapiov  is  read  in  K,  B, 
C*,  L,  X,  Vulgate,  by  Westcott  and  Hort, 
R.T.,  and  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.).  ,  Both 
words  are  diminutives  for  ovs. 


CH.  xvni.  1—40.]    THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


383 


Ver.  11. — In  Christ's  reply  there  is  no 
mention  made  of  the  miracle  which  followed, 
and  yet  the  narrative  is  incomplete  without 
it.  Something  must  have  restrained  the  band 
and  the  high  priest's  own  temple-watch  from 
at  once  arresting  Peter,  if  not  the  entire 
group.  The  characteristic  touch,  descriptive 
of  our  Lord's  most  Divine  compassion,  is  in 
itself  valuable,  but  it  also  accounts  for  the 
immunity  of  Peter.  The  solemn  rebuke  of 
Peter  is  full  of  Divine  meaning,  and  is 
another  link  with  the  synoptic  narrative  of 
the  agony.  "  Put  up,"  or  more  literally, 
Cast  the  '  sword  into  its  sheath  (koAcJs  is  the 
classical  word ;  driKri  more  generally  used  of 
repository,  receptacle,  sepulchre,  etc.);  or 
into  its  hiding-place ;  bury  it  away  (t^ttoV 
is  used  in  ]\Iutthe w).  Matthew  adds  a  memor- 
able saying,  but  is  silent  as  to  the  deep 
Divine  reason  of  the  submission  of  our  Lord 
to  his  fate.  The  cup  which  the  Father  hath 
given  me,  shall  I  not  drink  it  ?  This  imagery 
recalls  the  Passion,  through  which  we  learn 
from  the  synoptists  that  our  Lord  had  passed 
into  a  Divine  patience  and  submission  to 
the  will  of  God  (Matt.  xx.  22 ;  xxvi.  39). 
The  use  of  this  most  remarkable  phraseology 
recalls  that  which  John  too  had  heard  from 
his  lips  in  the  sweat  of  his  agony,  and  of 
which  he  and  Peter  were  the  principal  wit- 
nesses. The  supplementary  character  of 
the  Gospel,  though  by  no  means  sufficient 
to  account  fur  all  the  omissions  and  additions 
of  this  narrative,  yet  does  explain  very  much. 
"  Jesus  is  now  of  his  own  accord  at  the  dis- 
posal of  his  enemies ;  his  words  have  put  a 
stop  to  all  further  steps  taken  for  his  de- 
fence" (Moulton).  (See  Introduction,  pp. 
cvi.,  cvii.) 

Vers.  12 — 27. — (2)  The  preliminary  exa- 
mination before  Annas,  interwoven  icith  the 
vjeakness  and  treachery  of  Peter.  This  pas- 
sage describes  the  first  steps  taken  by  the 
enemies  of  our  Lord  to  conduct  the  exami- 
nation which  was  to  issue  in  a  judicial 
murder,  and  therefore  to  provide  the  basis 
on  which  the  charge  might  be  laid  before 
Pilate  and  that  Roman  court,  which  alone 
could  carry  into  execution  the  malicious  con- 
clusion on  which  they  had  already  resolved. 
Moreover,  this  passage  is  interwoven  with 
the  melancholy  record  of  the  fall  of  Peter. 
There  are  grave  difficulties  in  the  passage, 
which  have  led  to  harsh  judgment  on  the 

'  The  trov  is  not  found  in  N,  A,  B,  C.  D, 

L,  and  numerous  other  authorities,  and  is 
not  read  by  Tregelles,  Tischendorf  (8tb 
edit.),  Westcott  aiid  Ilort,  and  R.T.,  though 
T.R.,  Gric  sbach,  and  Scholz  retained  it,  with 
1,  CO,  and  several  vcrsiona. 


narrative  itself  and  on  its  general  truthful- 
ness. Keim  almost  angrily  dismisses  it,  and 
Strauss  endeavours  to  show  that  it  is  in- 
compatible with  the  synoptic  narrative- ; 
while  Renan,  on  tho  other  hand,  sees  in  it 
numerous  lifelike  touches  and  great  circum- 
stantial value.  The  prima  f arte  objection  ia 
that  John  describes  a  preliminary  exami- 
nation before  Annas,  whom  he  confounds 
with  the  high  priest,  and  says  nothing  of  the 
judicial  trial  before  the  Sanhedrin  under  the 
presidency  of  Caiaphas.  Baur  and  Strauss 
supposed  that  tho  autlior  did  this  in  order  to 
exaggerate  the  guilt  of  the  Jews  by  doubling 
their  unbelief,  and  aggravating  their  offence 
by  making  two  high  priests  rather  than  one 
condemn  their  Messiah.  In  reply  to  this 
we  have  simply  to  say  that  John,  though 
he  shows  the  animus  of  both  these  notorious 
men,  does  not  mention  the  judicial  condem- 
nation pronounced  by  either  (see  Weiss,  iii. 
334,  Eng.  trans.).  The  omission  of  the 
sublime  answer  of  our  Lord  to  the  chal- 
lenge of  Caiaphas  and  others  (Matt.  xxvi. 
62,  etc. ;  Luke  xxii.  G7,  etc. ;  Mark  xiv.  68, 
70)  is  surely  profoundly  contradictory  to 
tlie  supposed  theological  purpose  of  the 
writer;  and  we  can  only  account  for  its 
omission  on  the  ground  that  the  synoptic 
tradition  had  made  it  widely  known,  and 
that  that  tradition  still  needed  correc- 
tion by  the  record  of  important  supple- 
mentary matter.  Some  harmonists  have 
endeavoured  to  transpose  ver.  24  into  close 
proximity  with  ver.  13,  or  to  give,  as  the 
Authorized  Version  does,  a  pluperfect  mean- 
ing to  aiTfo-TfiKe  of  ver.  24,  the  effect  of 
which  is  to  make  the  two  examinations  vir- 
tually one,  but  one  from  which  John  leaves 
out  the  most  striking  features.  This  is  sup- 
posed to  be  necessitated  by  the  vers.  19 — 23, 
where  the  "  high  priest "  is  said  to  have  in- 
terrogated Jesus.  Moreover,  the  supposition 
of  there  being  a  considerable  space  in  the  city 
between  the  house  of  Annas  and  the  palace  of 
the  high  priest  Caiaphas  renders  the  harmony 
of  the  narratives  touching  tho  denials  of 
Peter  inextricably  confused,  seeing  that,  ac- 
cording to  the  synoptic  narrative,  they 
occurred  in  the  court  of  Caiaphas,  while  in 
John  they  apparently  were  made  in  tho 
court  of  Annas.  This  difficulty  is  entirely 
met  by  tho  natural  suppositions  arising  out 
of  the  relations  of  these  two  men.     Annas 


384 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN,    [ch.  xviti.  1—40. 


(Hanan,  Ananias,  Ananus)  was  a  man  of 
great  capacity  and  exclusiveness,  charged 
with  fiery  passions  and  bitter  hatred  of  the 
Pharisaic  party.  He  was  appointed  high 
priest  in  a.d.  7,  by  Quiriuus,  Governor  of 
Syria;  in  a.d.  14  he  was  compelled  to  retire 
in  favour  of  his  son  Ishmael.  After  him 
followed  Eleazar,  and  in  a.d.  25  Joseph 
Caiaphas,  his  son-in-law,  was  appointed,  and 
this  man  held  the  office  till  a.d.  37.  Three 
other  sons  of  Annas  held  the  like  position,  and 
it  was  during  the  high  priesthood  of  one  bear- 
ing his  father's  name  (Ananus)  that  James 
the  Just  was  cruelly  murdered  (Josephus, 
'  Ant.,'  XX.  8.  1).  The  influence  of  the  old 
priest  throughout  the  entire  period  covered 
by  New  Testament  narrative  was  very  great. 
Luke  (iii.  2)  speaks  of  Annas  and  Caiaphas 
as  high  priests,  and  Annas  is  again  in  Acts 
iv.  C  spoken  of  as  high  priest.  John  never 
speaks  of  him  as  "  high  priest,"  unless  he 
must  be  held  to  do  so  in  this  passage.  Our 
most  thoughtful  commentators  differ  on  the 
point  whether  John  does  not  so  designate 
him  (ver.  19),  adopting  the  well-known 
usage  of  Luke,  which  gave  him  the  title  of 
high  priest.  The  evangelic  narrative  re- 
veals, however,  quite  enough  to  explain  that 
he  may  have  been  at  the  heart  of  the  an- 
tagonism to  Jesus,  have  aided  Caiaphas  with 
his  suggestions,  and  consented  to  conduct  a 
preliminary  midnight  investigation  which 
would  give  at  least  a  semblance  of  legal 
sanction  to  the  condemnation,  which,  between 
them,  they  would  be  able  to  secure  as  soon 
as  the  day  dawned.  In  tract  '  Sanhedrin,' 
Mishna,  ch.  iv.  1  and  v.  5,  we  learn  that, 
though  an  acquittal  of  a  prisoner  or  accused 
person  might  be  pronounced  on  the  day  of 
trial,  yet  a  capital  sentence  must  be  delayed 
till  the  following  day.  As  this  trial  must 
be  brought  at  once  to  a  termination,  such  an 
investigation  as  that  which  John  describes 
would  furnish  the  necessary  validity.  More- 
over, some  hours  must  have  elapsed  before  the 
Sanhedrin,  under  the  legal  superintendence 
of  Caiaphas,  could  have  assembled.  Now, 
the  domestic  relation  of  Annas  and  Caiaphas 
would  make  it  highly  probable  that  the  hall 
of  the  Sanhedrin  and  the  house  of  Annas 
were  on  different  sides  of  the  same  great 
court  of  the  palace,  and  that  one  court,  aiiK-fi, 
sufficed  for  both.  With  these  preliminaries, 
let  us  proceed  with  the  narrative  as  given  by 


John.  The  frivolous  supposition  of  Thoma, 
mat  the  author  of  this  Gospel  was  playing 
up  )ii  the  idea  of  the  beast  (Judas)  and  the 
false  prophet,  and  on  the  five  brothers  of  the 
rich  man  of  Luke's  parable,  is  allowed  to 
disfigure  this  writer's  treatment  of  the  intro- 
duction of  the  part  taken  by  Hanan,  or  Annas, 
in  the  Passion- tragedy. 

Vers.  12 — 14. — Ovv,  Therefore — i.e.  since 
no  further  resistance  was  made  by  Jesus — the 
band  (or  cohort),  which  here  takes  the  lead, 
and  the  captain  of  it,  and  the  officers  of  the 
Jews  in  association  with  each  other,  took  Jesua, 
and  bound  him,  as  sign  that  he  was  their 
prisoner,  and  to  prevent  escape  until  he  should 
be  in  safe  keeping.  It  is  probable  that  the 
binding  process  was  repeated  by  Annas  and 
again  by  Caiaphas  (ver.  24  and  Matt,  xxvii. 
2),  implying  that  during  judicial  examination 
the  cordage  was  taken  off,  and  reimposed 
when  the  accused  was  sent  from  one  court  to 
another ;  or  else  that  additional  bonds  were 
placed  upon  him,  for  the  sake  either  of 
greater  security  or  of  inflicting  indignity. 
Chjist,  by  accepting  the  indignity  publicly, 
yielded  his  holy  will,  confessing  the  supreme 
ordinance  of  the  Father  as  to  the  method  in 
which  he  would  now  glorify  him.  And  they 
led  (him) '  to  Annas  first.  The  mention  of 
the  word  "  first"  shows  that  John  discrimi- 
nated between  the  two  legal  processes,  the 
first  being  a  preliminary  examination  of  the 
accused,  with  the  view  of  extracting  from 
him  some  matter  which  should  furnish  the 
priests  with  definite  charges,  and  to  make 
a  show  of  partial  conforinity  with  the  customs 
of  their  own  jurisprudence.  He  was  father- 
in-law  of  Caiaphas,  who  was  high  piiest  that 
same  year.  John's  reiteration  of  this  state- 
ment (see  ch.  xi.  49  and  note)  shows  that 
he  was  in  no  ignorance  of  the  custom  an<i 
principle  of  high-priestly  succession,  which 
the  Eomans  had  treated  so  arbitrarily. 
"That  same  year"  was  the  awful  year  in 
which  the  Christ  was  sacrificed  to  the  wilful 
Ignorance,  malice,  and  unbelief  of  the  Jews. 
Now  Caiaphas  was  he  who  counselled  the 
Jews  that  it  was  expedient  that  one  man 
should  die  •  for  the  people  (see  ch.  xi.  50, 51)  • 
and  while  John  leaves  no  doubt  who  is  the 
virtual  high  priest,  he  calls  attention  to  the 
fact  that  Jesus  had  no  justice  or  mercy  to 
expect  from  the  decision  of  his  judge,  and 

»  Westcott  and  Hort,  R.T.,  Tischendorf 
(8th  edit.),  with  N,  B,  D,  read  ^yayov  instead 
of  airrjyayov  avTov  of  T.R.  Lachmann  and 
Alford  bracket  the  latter  reading. 

^  Lachmann,  Tregelles,  Tischendorf  (8th 
edit.),  Alford,  R.T.,  with  N,  B,  C,  L,  and 
thirteen  cursives  and  versions,  read  aTrodavi'iv 
instead  of  diT0\4adai  of  T.R. 


CH.  xviii.  1—40.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


335 


also  reminds  his  readers  once  more  of  the 
ai?uificanc«  of  every  step  in  this  traj^edy. 

"Ver.  15.— Now.  After  tlio  first  dispersion 
of  all  the  disciples,  two  of  them  gathered  up 
their  courage.  Simon  Peter  was  following 
Jesus  "afar  off"  (say  all  the  syuoptists), 
•'even  up  to"  t&s,  the  court  of  the  high  priest " 
(say  Matthew  and  Mark).  Tiie  account  of 
Matthew  implies  that,  having  come  up  to  the 
door,  he  went^  ffftc,  and  sat  down  to  see  the 
end ;  ho  does  not  say  how  he  was  admitted, 
though,  by  the  use  of  the  two  prepositions, 
he  implies  there  was  a  cause.  And  also 
another '  disciple  :  but  that  disciple  was 
known  to  the  high  priest,  and  therefore  to 
the  oQieials,  and  went  in  with  Jesus  into 
(fls  T^v,  right  within)  the  court  of  the  high 
priest ;  for  he  was  well  known  to  be,  and  from 
the  first  did  ndl  pretend  to  be  anything  else 
than,  one  of  the  disciples  of  Jesus.  From 
the  known  habit  of  the  evangelist  in  other 
places,  the  vast  majority  of  commentators  at 
once  conclude  (see  Introduction,  p.  liv.)  that 
the  writer  designates  himself  by  this  refer- 
ence. Godet  and  Watkins  are  di.sposed  to 
question  it,  and  imagine  that  it  may  have 
been  the  author's  brother  James.  With  the 
absence  of  the  article  before  HWus,  the  matter 
is  left  in  doubt.  But  by  this  supposition  much 
of  the  justification  is  lost,  which  the  writer  of 
the  Gospel  quietly  supplies,  touching  his  own 
ability  to  describe  what  otherwise  would 
never  have  entered  into  the  evangelic  narra- 
tive. The  supposition  we  have  made  above, 
that  Annas  and  Caiaphas  occupied  the  same 
palace,  ordiflferent  portions  of  the  same  edifice, 
solves  the  chief  difficulty.  Annas  held  his 
preliminary  unofficial  inquiry  in  his  depart- 
ment of  the  building.  The  difficult  question 
arises  whether  Annas  was  assisted  or  not  by 
the  reigning  "high  priest"  in  conducting 
this  examination  (see  ver.  19). 

Vers.  1 G,  17.— But  Peter  was  standing  at  the 
door  without.  Up  to  this  moment  Peter  had 
only  pressed  as  far  as  to  the  outer  door;  the 
other  disciple  had  gone  bravely  in.  The  hum 
of  voices  was  now  deadened  by  the  closed  door 
dividing  Peter  from  his  Lord.  The  night, 
the  cold,  the  strange  blighting  of  all  his 
expectations,  the  necessary  conviction  forced 
upon  him  that  he  had  implicated  himself  by 
the  assault  he  had  delivered  on  the  servant 
of  the  high  priest,  combined  to  induce  a 
new  and  desponding  mood.  All  hope  had 
fled.  Then  John  bethought  him  of  tlie  con- 
dition of  his  friend,  and  so  we  read  that  the 
other  disciple,  who  was  known  to  the  high 
priest,  therefore  went  out  to  the  entrance- 

>  'O,  which  is  found  in  iT,  C,  L,  and  other 
uncials,  is,  on  the  authority  of  N*,  A,  B,  D, 
and  many  others,  omitted  by  TiscLeudorf 
(;8th  edit.)  and  modern  editors.  Aiford 
brackets  it,  and  so  does  Tregelles. 
jOHir.— II. 


door,  and  finding  Peter  there,  spake  to  her 
who  kept  the  door  (cf.  Acts  xii.  13).  Ilis 
appeal  may  easily  be  supplied — and  he 
brought  in  Peter.  The  other  evangelists 
imply  that  before  Peter  was  challenged  the 
fire  of  coals  had  been  lighted,  and  that  the 
apostle,  with  the  servants  and  with  the  rest 
of  the  group  who  had  apprehended  Jesus 
gathered  round  it.  He  placed  himself  as 
if  he  were  an  unconcerned  spectator,  iden- 
tified himself,  as  it  were,  rather  with  the 
captors  than  with  the  Lord ;  nor  is  the 
narrative  of  John  inconsistent  with  the  sy- 
noptic statement.  In  ver.  18  the  incident 
is  certainly  introduced  by  the  writer  after 
he  mentioned  the  challenge.  Still,  lie  states 
it  as  a  condition  of  the  denial  rather  than  as 
a  subsequent  event.  Matthew  describes  his 
position  as  "  without,  in  the  court,"  not  in 
the  audience-chamber,  but  in  a  court  opening 
"  upon  "  it  or  "  above  "  it,  as  Mark  (xiv.  6G) 
implies.  Luke  tells  us  he  was  "  sitting  in 
the  midst  of  the  court,"  with  the  glow  of  the 
burning  charcoal  on  his  face,  "  he  was  -irphs 
rh  <pu>s,"  where  the  maiden  might  see  him 
more  attentively  than  when  she  hurriedly 
admitted  him.  "  The  other  disciple  "  had 
moved  swiftly  on  to  some  corner  where  he 
could  see  and  hear  all  that  was  liappening 
to  the  Master.  But  Peter's  first  step  down- 
wards had  been  already  inwardly  taken. 
Before  he  had  verbally  denied  his  Lord,  he 
had  acted  as  though  he  were  indiflerent  to 
the  result  (see  Hanna's  'Last  Day  of  our 
Lord's  Passion,'  ch.  ii.).  Matthew's  and 
Mark's  accounts  represent  Peter's  first  and 
other  denials  as  taking  place  after  the 
mockery  of  Jesus  that  followed  upon  his 
great  confession  of  Messiahshi p.  Luke  places 
them  all  three  together  before  the  formal  ex- 
amination or  conftssion,  and  before  the  judicial 
condemnation.  John's  account  throws  much 
needed  light  upon  the  synoptic  narrative, 
which  is  more  inconsistent  with  itself  than 
with  that  of  the  Fourth  Gospel.  Matthew's 
method  of  putting  together  into  connected 
concurrent  groups  miracles,  events,  sayings, 
or  parables  which  are  allied  to  each  other, 
will  explain  the  substantially  identical 
report  contained  in  his  and  Mark's  Gospels. 
There  are  with  all  differences  some  remark- 
able coincidences.  (1)  All  four  accounts 
describe  our  Lord's  prediction  of  Peter's 
denial.  (2)  All  four  evangelists  agree  to  repre- 
sent the  first  temptation  as  proceeding  from 
"a  certain  maiden,"  "one  of  the  maids  of 
the  high  priest,"  or  "a  damsel."  John's 
Gospel  explains  the  point  by  saying,  the  maid 
who  kept  the  door  (rj  evpapSs)  said  therefore, 
seeing  she  had  admitted  him,not  in  the  rush  of 
the  other  servants,  but  at  the  request  of  "  the 
other  disciple  " — considerable  meaning  is 
thus  put  into  her  words,  which  is  lost  in 
the  syuoptists  by  lack  of  the  hint  already 

2  c 


386 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xvm.  1— 40 


given  by  JoLn — Art  thon,  as  well  as  my  ac- 
quaintance yonder,  also  one  of  this  Man's 
disciples  1  He  saith,  I  am  not.  The  other 
evangelists  amplify  this  negative  in  various 
ways.  IMark.  the  reporter  of  Peter's  own 
preaching,  aggravates  throughout  theheinous- 
ness  of  Peter's  fall,  adding,  "He  denied, 
Baying,  I  know  not,  neither  understand  I 
what  thou  sayest."  His  position  was  suffi- 
ciently taken,  and  he  thought  to  have  estab- 
lished for  himself  a  perfect  incognito. 

Ver.  18. — The  flaT-rtKeiffav  Se  implies  the 
conditions  under  which  the  first  fearful  fall 
of  Peter  was  accomplished.  Now  the  servants 
and  the  oflBcers  were  standing'  (imperfect 
tense),  having  made  (7r€7ro»i7/c(5Tes,  perfect 
participle)  a  fire  of  coals  (avdpaKtdv),  congeries 
prunarum  ardentium  (cf.  ch.  xxi.  9 ;  Ecclus. 
xi.  32,  "a  glowing  fire;"  Aquila,  Ps.  cxx. 
4),  because  it  was  cold  (in  the  dead  of  the 
night,  even  in  April,  at  the  present  day,  the 
temperature  falls  considerably,  and  the  cold 
is  felt  far  more  keenly  in  these  climates  in 
contrast  with  the  heatof  tliesunby  day):  and 
Peter '  was  standing  with  them,  standing  and 
warming  himself.  The  whole  construction 
of  the  sentence  implies  that  this  was  how 
matters  stood  while  the  examination  was 
going  on  to  which  John  then  reverts.  The 
synoptists  know  or  say  nothing  of  this  first 
examination,  which  bears  upon  it  strong 
marks  of  authenticity. 

Ver.  19. — The  olv  connects  tlie  following 
incident  with  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth 
verses.  The  high  priest.  Hengstenberg, 
Godet,  and  Westcott  here  say  that  the  high 
priest  is  Caiaphas,  present  i.e.  at  the  exami- 
nation over  which  Annas  presides  as  the 
older  man ;  but  Renan,  Meyer,  Lange,  Stein- 
meyer  ('  Passion  and  Resurrection  History  '), 
and  Moulton,  with  many  others,  say  Annas 
was  here  the  high  priest  in  question.  Tho- 
luck  dismisses  tlie  idea  of  Annas  altogether, 
and,  by  inverting  the  place  of  ver.  24  or 
treating  the  aTrecrreiKt  as  pluperfect,  suppose 
that  Annas  had  sent  the  Lord  to  Caiaphas 
(so  Calvin,  De  Wette,  Hase,  and  others),  who 
thus  commenced  his  interrogatory.  But 
the  text  of  ver.  24,  now  recovered,  will 
not  admit  of  this  rendering.  We  find  it 
far  more  satisfactory  to  accept  this  less 
formal  examination,  under  the  presidency 
of  Annas,  at  which  an  attempt  is  made  to 
put  the  Lord,  if  possible,  to  a  test  which  will 
incriminate  him.  Keim  says,  "  If  Caiaphas 
were  the  acting  high  priest,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  soul  of  the  movement  against  Jesus, 
it  was  for  him  and  not  for  his  father-in-law 

'  Westcott  and  Hort  here  read  lff-ri)Kuaav, 
with  N,  A,  B»,  A ;  but  not  Tiscliendorf  (8th 
edit.)  or  R.T. 

^  The  position  of  &  Tltrpos,  is  after  aiiTuy, 
in  T.R.  and  Lachmann. 


to  take  knowledge  of  the  matter  and  report 
to  the  Sanhedrin."  We  must  choose  between 
two  difficulties :  (1)  Caiaphas  is  first  spoken 
of  as  "  high  priest,"  who,  as  we  know  from 
the  synoptists,  conducted  the  examination- 
in-chief,  and  then  that  Annas,  as  conducting 
a  preliminary  examination,  is  also  styled 
"  high  priest "  without  any  explanation ;  (2) 
or  we  must  admit  tlie  supposition  that  after 
Caiaphas  had  asked  these  incriminating 
questions,  Annas  (who  was  not  dpxt^pfvs), 
sent  Jesus  bound  to  Caiaphas  the  high  priest. 
The  former  hypothesis  is  the  easier.  The 
high  priest  then  asked  Jesus  concerning  his 
disciples,  the  extent  of  his  following,  the 
number  of  his  accomplices,  the  ramifications 
of  the  society  or  kingdom  he  professed  to 
have  founded,  and  concerning  his  doctrine, 
the  secret  teachings  that  heW  his  followers 
together.  He  evidently  knows  the  claims 
of  Jesus  well  enough ;  his  spies  and  officers 
have  continually  been  dogging  the  steps  of 
Jesus,  and  hitherto  he  has  failed  to  gain 
evidence  positively  incriminating  him.  And 
as  his  representatives  a  few  days  ago  were 
utterly  foiled,  notwithstanding  their  clever 
design,  he  hopes  by  his  own  ingenuity  to 
entrap  the  Lord  in  his  talk.  Our  Lord, 
anxious  not  to  endanger  his  disciples,  points 
to  the  publicity  of  his  ministry,  and  ap- 
peals to  all  and  sundry  who  have  heard 
him. 

Ver.  20. — Jesus  answered  him,  I  have 
frankly  (so  Meyer,  Lange;  not  "openly," 
but  boldly,  with  freedom  of  speech)  spoken ' 
to  the  world.  Without  reserving  any  of  the 
essentials  of  my  teaching,  always  I  taught 
in  ^  synagogue,  and  in  the  temple,  whither 
all  the  Jews  resort  and  come  together ;  and 
in  secret  spake  I  nothing,  which  they  were 
not  bidden  to  proclaim  upon  the  housetops. 
Christ  here  repudiates  esoteric  teaching 
distinct  from  his  abuudant  public  ministry. 
It  is  true  he  explained  his  parables  to  his 
disciples,  and  he  had  within  the  last  few 
hours  poured  forth  the  depth  of  his  feelings 
upon  them;  still,  he  had  said  the  same 
things  virtually  in  the  synagogues,  on  the 
hillside,  in  the  temple,  in  the  hearing  of 
Greek  as  well  as  Jew.  Much  of  that  which 
he  had  just  said  in  the  upper  chamber, 
hundreds  and  thousands  had  already  heard. 
This  great  utterance  accounts  for  the  fact 
that  St.  Paul  had  received,  long  before  the 

'  AeAdArjKo,  with  N,  A,  B,  C*,  L,  X,  etc., 
against  ^A.aA7jtra,  C,  D,  T,  A,  and  T.R.,  is 
preferred  by  Tregelles,  Alford,  Tischendorf 
(8th  edit.),  Westcott  and  Hort,  and  R.T. 

*  The  omission  of  rf}  before  a-waywyp  is 
defended  by  the  same  authorities.  The 
phrase,  "  in  synagogue,"  is  equivalent  to  our 
"in  church."  The  Revised  Version  trans- 
lates "  in  synagogues." 


en.  XVIII.  1—40.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


387 


Fourth  Gospel  was  written,  truth  allied  to 
the  teaching  of  the  upper  chamber. 

Ver.  21. — Why  askest  thou  mel  If  tl.ou 
wantcst  evidence  touching  my  design,  my 
disciples,  or  my  teiichiug,  ask,  interrogate,' 
those  who  have  heard  me,  what  I  have  said 
to  them.  Lo,  these  (pointing  to  numbers  in 
the  angry  crowd  around  him)  know  what 
I  spake  onto  them  (the  iyw  at  tlie  end  of  this 
sentence  is  very  emphatic).  Christ  thus 
rebukes  the  craftiness  and  hypocritical 
endeavour  of  his  enemies  to  induce  him  to 
inculpate  his  disciples,  or  to  give  his  pro- 
secutors matter  against  him.  To  false 
witnesses  he  preserved  an  invincible  silence, 
and  before  Caiaphas  and  Pilate  he  answered 
to  many  of  their  queries  not  a  single  word, 
insomuch  that  these  governors  marvelled 
greatly.  However,  the  case  was  altered 
when  Caiaphas,  in  full  Sandedrin,  officially 
challenged  him  to  say  whether  he  was  tlie 
Christ,  and  adjured  him  to  declare  whether 
he  was  the  Son  of  God.  Then,  on  the  most 
public  scale,  knowing  well  tlie  issues  of  his 
declaration,  and  of  his  oath-bound  word,  he 
did  not  hesitate  to  confess  that  he  was  the 
Son  of  God,  and  would  come  in  the  glory  of 
his  Father,  and  that  he  was  no  less  than  the 
Christ  of  God.  On  the  present  occasion, 
when  Annas  was  seeking  to  justify  his  own 
craft,  and  to  utilize  the  disgraceful  betrayal 
which  he  had  diplomatically  and  cruelly 
contrived,  Jesus  refused  to  incriminate 
either  himself  or  his  disciples.  Renan  has 
the  temerity  to  say  that  this  great  announce- 
ment was  quite  superfluous,  and  probably  was 
never  made.  Any  conclusion  whatever  may 
be  derived  from  historical  documents,  if 
such  liberties  may  be  taken  with  impunity. 

Ver.  22. — And  when  he  had  said  these 
things,  one'  of  the  officers  standing  by, 
anxious  to  win  with  his  oflScious  zeal  the 
approval  of  his  master,  gave  Jesus  a  pd-iriana. 
(Meyer  says  it  cannot  be  settled  whether  this 
word  means  a  stroke  with  a  rod  (us  Godet, 
Bengel)  or  a  blow  on  the  cheek  or  ear,  which 
was  the  current  punishment  for  a  word  sup- 
posed to  be  insolent ;  but  S4ptis  of  ver.  23, 
which  means  "to  flay,"  implies  a  more 
severe  punishment  than  a  blow  on  the  face 
with  the  hand.)  This  is  the  beginning  of 
the  coarse  and  terrible  mockery  which  was 
the  lot  of  the  sublime  Sufferer  through  the 
remaining  hours  of  the  awful  day  which  is 

'  The  compound  verb  is  used  in  both 
clauses  in  the  T.R. ;  the  simple  form  is  pre- 
ferred, X,  B,  C,  etc.,  by  R.T.,  Westcott  and 
Hort,  etc. 

'  T.R.  and  R.T.  place  irapto-TTjKwj  after 
(niriptrwu,  with  A,  C^  D  ;  (Is  irapfffrriKws  tuv 
{nrnptrSiv  is  the  reading  of  N*,  B,  followed 
by  Westcott  and  Hort ;  twv  irapfarwroiv  is 
in  the  margin  of  Lachmann  and  Tregelles. 


now  dawning  on  him.     Saying,  Answerest 
thou  the  high  priest  so ! 

Ver.  23.— Jesus  answered  him,  If  I  have 
spoken  evil,  oome  forward  as  a  witness  of 
the  evil  which  thou  hast  heard.  Thus  he 
took  no  notice  of  the  charge  brought  against 
him.  But  if  I  have  spoken  well,  why  smitest 
thou  mel  A  quiet  appeal  to  the  conscience 
of  the  wretclied  upstart  who  dared  to  insult 
the  Lord  of  glory.  It  is  thus  that  the  Lord 
explained  the  spirit  of  his  own  injunction, 
"  Whosoever  shall  smite  thee  on  the  one 
cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also  "  (Matt.  v. 
39).  Nothing  was  gained  by  this  private 
interrogatory  except  an  appeal  to  the  outside 
world  of  his  hearers,  and  a  call  for  testimony ; 
and  no  decision  could  be  legally  taken  against 
him  without  incriminating  evidence.  Dr. 
Farrar  ('  Life  of  Christ ')  has  pointed  out 
with  great  force  that  the  chief  priests  and 
Pharisees,  from  their  intestine  animosities, 
had  great  difficulty  in  formulating  any 
specific  charge.  The  Pharisaic  party,  if  they 
made  a  point  of  his  doctrine  and  practice  con- 
cerning the  sabbath,  would  have  been  foiled 
by  the  Sadduceau  latitudiuarians ;  and  the 
priests  did  not  dare  to  call  in  question  his 
imperial  cleansing  of  the  temple,  knowing 
that  the  Pharisees  would  immediately  have 
justified  the  act.  Consequently,  Annas 
limited  his  inquiries  to  the  supposed  esoteric 
character  of  some  private  teachings  to  his 
initiated  disciples — a  charge  that  was  refuted 
by  the  continual  jiublicity  and  openness  of 
all  his  teaching. 

Ver.  24. — The  ovv '  is  quite  in  John's  style, 
and  the  verse  should  read,  Annas  therefore 
sent  him  bound  to  Caiaphas  the  high  priest ; 
i.e.  to  the  full  court  of  the  Sandedrin,  under 
the  presidency  of  Caiaphas,  now  got  together 
for  the  judicial  sifting  and  verdict.  If  John 
had  intended  a  pluperfect  sense  to  be  given 
to  the  verb,  why  not  use  that  tense  ?  The 
relative  clauses,  where  the  aorist  is  used  for 
the  pluperfect,  are  not  relevant  here  (Meyer). 
In  other  cases  the  context  clearly  reveala 
the  occasion  of  such  a  sense  (see  Matt.  xvL 
5 ;  xxvi.  48).  John  is  not  unaware  of  the 
momentous  consequences  of  this  act  of 
Annas,  seeing  that  ho  refers  to  them,  nor  of 
the  fact  of  the  accusation  made  by  the  false 
witnesses,  nor  of  the  judicial  condemnation 
which  followed  Christ's  own  claim  to  be  the 
Son  of  God.    The  subsequent  narrative  im- 

»  The  text  as  read  by  Tiichendorf  (8th 
edit.),  Meyer,  Alford,  Westcott  and  Hort, 
and  R.T.,  on  the  authority  of  B,  C*,  L,  X,  A,  n, 
1,  33,  retains  ovv  in  this  sentence,  though  X 
here  joins  the  cursives  13,  CO,  with  T.R. 
Tregelles  puts  it  in  the  margin.  Some  of 
the  versions  suppose  5e  in  its  place.  Gries- 
bach  and  Scholz,  with  A,  C\  D',  and  many 
cursives,  have  no  particle. 


388 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xviii.  1—40. 


plies  such  condemnation  (vers.  29,  30,  35; 
ch.  xix.  11).  The  author  of  this  narrative  does 
not  ignore  the  fact  of  the  appearance  before 
Caiaphas,  nor  the  issue ;  but  in  consequence 
of  the  wide  diffusion  of  the  synoptic  Gospels, 
he  merely  called  attention  to  the  facts  which 
they  had  omitted  so  far  as  they  bore  directly 
on  the  human  character  of  the  Lord.  The 
theological  bias  with  which  the  evangelist 
is  credited  by  some  would  be  strangely 
subserved  both  by  the  omission  of  the  scene 
before  Caiaphas,  and  by  the  faithful  record  of 
this  purely  human  and  beautiful  trait  in  the 
personal  character  of  Jesus.  The  fact  that 
the  fourth  evangelist  should  have  recorded 
facts  of  which  he  was  eye-witness,  and 
omitted  others  which  would  have  forcibly 
sustained  his  main  thesis,  is  an  invincible 
evidence  of  historicity. 

Ver.  25. — '^Hv  S4.  In  startling  contrast  to 
this  scene,  and  while  Annas  had  completed 
his  bad-hearted  but  foiled  inquisition,  possibly 
even  while  our  Lord  was  being  transferred 
from  the  one  court  to  the  other — anj  event 
which  provided  an  opportunity  for  the 
searching,  loving,  compassionate  glance 
which  broke  Peter's  heart — the  second  and 
third  denials  of  Peter  were  also  being 
enacted.  Now  Simon  Peter,  who  had  been 
challenged  by  the  doorkeeper,  was  standing 
and  warming  himself  (a  form  of  verbal  con- 
struction of  auxiliary  verb  with  participle 
to  which  John  is  addicted,  and  especially  in 
those  portions  of  his  Gospel  which  represent 
his  personal  composition ;  ch.  i.  6, '.),  24,  27 ; 
iii.  24,  27) — "  standing,"  not  "  sitting,"  as 
Luke  describes  his  position  at  the  first 
denial,  having,  we  might  suppose,  impetu- 
ously changed  his  position.  They  said  there- 
fore unto  him.  Art  thou  also  one  of  his 
disciples]  This  sentence  of  John  really 
gathers  up  another  moment  of  Peter's 
terrible  fall,  variously  and  even  discrepantly 
put  by  the  synoptic  narrative,  and  is 
virtually  accordant  with  them  all  three. 
According  to  Matthew  "another  maid," 
according  to  Mark  "  the  maid "  who  had 
first  challenged  him,  returned  to  the  assault. 
Nothing  more  likely  than  that  what  was 
said  by  one  woman  should  be  eagerly  taken 
up  by  another,  and  therefore  that  both 
statements  are  true.  Luke,  however,  de- 
scribes the  event  thus  :  erepos,  "another 
man  "  (perhaps  "  a  different  person  ")  saw 
him  and  said,  "Thou  art  one  of  them." 
.  John's  statement  embraces  the  substance  of 
all  three  statements,  "  They  said  unto  him." 
The  general  resemblance  of  the  second 
charge  brought  against  the  apostle,  as  stated 
by  all  four  evangelists,  is  remarkable.  The 
different  personages  by  whose  lips  the 
charge  was  urged  can  best  be  explained  by 
the  occurrence  of  simultaneous  and  widely 
epreadtng  conviction,  instead  of  an  unneces- 


sary multiplication  of  the  denials  them- 
selves. Matthew  and  Mark  represent  Peter 
as  overhearing  the  conversation  of  the  maids 
with  those  who  were  there  (^ksI),  showing  the 
obvious  occasion  for  some  eager  erepos  to 
take  up  their  statement  as  an  accusation. 
The  difficulty  of  place  is  not  so  easily  re- 
solved, for  Matthew  and  Mark  speak  of  the 
"  gate,"  TTvXuv,  or  npoavXtov,  "  porch,"  outer 
hall  of  the  court,  and  John  of  the  fire  where 
Peter  first  sat  in  ajoparent  unconcern.  We 
do  not  know  how  near  the  fire  was  to  the 
TTvXdv,  whether  it  was  not  indeed  between 
the  Bvpa  and  the  ttvXcuv,  in  the  irpoavXtov.^ 
According  to  Matthew  he  was  moving 
towards  the  irvXdiv,  probably  in  the  stir  of 
the  procession  from  the  house  of  Annas  to 
the  court  of  Caiaphas.  The  four  evangelists 
agi'ee  in  the  declaration  made  by  Peter. 
He  denied,  and  said,  I  am  not ;  i.e.  I  am  not 
one  of  the  disciples  concerning  whom  Annas 
asks.     "  I  do  not  know  the  Man." 

Vers.  26,  27. — Between  the  second  and 
jihird  denials  some  time  elapsed.  Thus  ac- 
cording to  Matthew  and  Mark  "after  a 
little  while,"  according  to  Luke  "  about  the 
space  of  one  hour  after,"  an  effort  was  made 
to  identify  Peter  by  some  sign  of  his  asso- 
ciation with  Jesus.  All  the  synoptists  re- 
present it  as  turning  on  his  provincial,  Gali- 
la3an,  speech,  but  John  gives  a  closer  point 
of  identification.  There  were  thousands  of 
Galilajans  in  Jerusalem,  and  this  was  a 
feeble  ground  of  proof,  though  it  may  have 
corroborated  the  suspicion  of  the  maidens 
and  others,  that  Peter  was  an  accomplice  of 
the  hated  Nazarene ;  but  the  charge  came 
home  in  terrible  earnest  and  verisimilitude 
as  recorded  by  John.  His  account  is  far  more 
lifelike,  forcible,  and  circumstantial.  The 
fourth  evangelist  says,  One  of  the  servants 
(5oii\cov)  of  the  high  priest,  being  a  kinsman 
of  him  whose  ear  Peter  cut  off,  says,  Did  I  not 

*  The  diagram  may  explain  how  Jesus 
was  hurried  from  one  court  to  another,  and 
the  place  and  probable  occasion  of  Peter's 
denials. 


Annas 


iTpoav'Kiov 


6ifa  *  icvKuiv  I 

fire 


a 


Sanhe- 
drin 


CH.  xviii.  1—40.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


S89 


see  thee  in  the  garden  with  him  1  The  his- 
torically attested  fact  gave  the  lie  to  Peter's 
previous  assertions.  Clearly  he  was  seen  and 
recoguizetl  and  in  imminent  peril,  and  he  is 
now  more  vehement  than  ever.  IMatthew 
and  Mark  tell,  "  He  begun  to  curse  and  swear, 
saying,  I  do  not  know  the  Man."  John,  with 
less  feeling  of  reproach,  says,  Peter  there- 
fore denied  again.  The  intercessory  prayer, 
the  solemn  warning,  the  agony  in  the  garden, 
above  all,  the  following  of  the  sublime  en- 
couragements by  this  (earful  failure, the  igno- 
minious binding  and  rude  indignity  ottered 
to  the  Man  who  had  claimed  to  be  the  Vice- 
gerent and  Imago  and  Glory  of  the  Father, 
combined  to  shatter  Peter's  courage,  though 
it  did  not  annihilate  his  faith  (see  Stein- 
meyer  and  Weiss).  The  Lord  had  prayed 
that  his  faith  should  not  fail.  He  was  sifted 
as  wheat,  but  the  apostle  knew,  even  in  the 
depths  of  his  shame,  that  he  was  a  poltroon 
and  coward,  and  that  the  Lord  was  everything 
he  said  he  was.  But  meanwhile  be  denied 
again.  He  kept  up  with  his  violence  of  lan- 
guage, his  hypocritical  denial  of  his  own 
faith— and  straightway  the  cock  crew.  Mark, 
who  had  made  the  prediction  of  our  Lord 
cover  a  twofold  cockcrowiug,  records  the 
twofold  fulfilment ;  John,  who  in  ch.  xiii.  38 
had  given  the  prediction  "  before  the  cock 
crow,"  here  shows  how  Peter  must  have  been 
reminded  of  his  Lord's  preternatural  know- 
ledge and  forecast.  So  that,  though  John 
does  not  mention  the  repentance,  ho  refers 
to  the  well-known  occasion  of  it,  and,  more- 
over, shows  more  forcibly  than  either  of  the 
synoptibts  the  extraordinary  tenderness  of 
the  risen  and  reconciled  liord  to  his  erring 
and  cowardly  disciple.  Some  extreme  har- 
monists have  spread  out  the  fault  of  Peter 
into  nine  distinct  acts  of  treachery  ;  others 
have  reduced  them  to  seven  or  eight. 
M'Clellan,  in  a  powerful  note  (p-  ■1-17),  urges 
that  there  were  "  twice  three,"  or  six  distinct 
denials.  Matthew  and  Mark  report  three 
denials  while  the  trial  before  Caiaphas  was 
going  on;  these  are,  according  to  M'Clellan, 
entirely  distinct  from  John's  "  first  denial," 
which  preceded  even  the  lighting  of  the  fire. 
Nor  does  he  allow  that  Luke's  first  denial, 
"  sitting  at  the  fire,"  can  coincide  with 
John's  *'  second  denial,"  which  must  also 
have  preceded  that  which  Luke  gives  as 
the  first,  and  that  Joliu's  "third  denial"  is 
distinct  again  from  Matthew's  third,  Mark's 
third,  and  Luke's  third.  Thus  he  makes 
John's  account  entirely  supplementary  to  the 
synoptists.  Peter  may  have  used  a  variety 
of  expressions  on  each  occasion,  and  each 
challenge  may  have  been  accompanied  by 
some  features  not  especially  noted  as  to  pos- 
ture or  place,  but  the  arrangement  adopted 
in  the  text  represents  a  threefold  assault 
upon  the  apostle,  which  had  three  crises 


of  intensity  and  terrible  result.  Taking 
Matthew  and  Mark  as  virtually  identical, 
Luke's  account  as  a  separate  tradition  with 
reference  to  the  second  denial,  and  agreeing 
with  Matthew  and  Mark  in  the  third,  and 
in  his  first  with  John's  second,  we  have 
three  denials  once  more  following  the  pre- 
diction. John's  account,  whether  distinct 
or  not  from  the  other  two  records,  bears 
the  same  relation  to  our  Lord's  previous 
announcement  that  the  synoptists'  do  to 
theirs,  and  shows  that  in  no  quarter  was 
there  a  general  belief  in  7nore  than  three  vir- 
tual acts  of  apostasy.  Mark  alone  mentions 
a  twofold  warning  from  the  cock,  one  after 
the  first  denial,  and  on  Peter's  going  out  to 
the  TrpoouAio*',  or  the  enclosure,  i.e.  between 
the  irvKwv  and  the  6vpa,  and  again  after  the 
third  denial.  M'Clellan  and  others  find  a 
threefold  denial  before  each  crowing  of  the 
cock. 

Certainly  John  has  omitted  the  entire 
scene  detailed  by  the  synoptists  in  the  hall 
of  Caiaphas,  viz.  the  calling  of  the  witnesses ; 
the  lack  of  harmony  in  the  false  witnesses ; 
the  adjuration  of  Caiaphas;  the  wondrous 
confession  of  the  persecuted  and  bound  Suf- 
ferer; the  verdict  pronounced  against  him, 
on  the  part  of  all  assembled,  that  he  was 
guilty  of  death ;  the  first  cruel  mockery  ;  and 
the  very  early  assembly  of  the  entire  San- 
hedrin — all  the  chief  priests  (iravrts  oi  apxi- 
fpeis)  and  elders  of  the  people  (Matt,  xxvii. 
1,  2 ;  Mark  xv.  1,  the  chief  priests,  with 
the  elders  and  scribes  and  all  the  Sanhe- 
drin).  The  synoptists  assure  us  that  the 
object  of  this  council — which  was  probably 
held  in  the  celebrated  chamber  of  the  temple 
appropriated  for  the  purpose — was  to  adopt 
the  most  suitable  measures  for  immediately 
carrying  their  unanimous  judgment  into 
efiect.  As  we  shall  see  shortly,  John  is  per- 
fectly aware  of  such  a  measure  having  been 
taken  (see  not  only  ver.  31,  but  ch.  xi.  47, 
etc.).  Nevertheless,  he  passes  on  at  once  to 
the  legal  and  civil  trial  before  the  Roman 
propraitor. 

This  is  not  the  place  to  discuss  the  two- 
fold trial  of  Jesus  before  the  Sanhcdrin. 
Derembourg,  Farrar,  and  Westcott  suppose 
that  the  first  demands  of  the  high  priest,  as 
to  whether  ho  was  the  Christ,  as  given  by 
Matthew  and  Mark,  were  different  from  tho 
scene  described  by  Luke,  where  he  claimed 
airh  rod  vvv  to  be  seated  on  the  right  hand 
of  the  power  of  God,  and  suppose  that  this 


390 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvni.  1—40. 


last  was  the  occasion,  when  the  verdict  was 
given  by  the  Saiihedrin  in  full  session,  not 
in  the  palace  of  the  high  priest,  but  in  the 
"  Gazith,''  or  possibly  in  the  "  Booths  of 
Hanau,"  on  tlie  Mount  of  Olives.  Luke 
clearly  discriminates  between  oIko^  tov  apx^' 
(piws  (xxii.  5i),  and  the  <rvy45ptov  avrSiv  of 
ver.  66. 

Ver.  28— ch.  xix.  16.— (3)  The  Boman 
trial,  presupposing  the  decision  of  the  Sanhe- 

Vers.  28— 32.  — (a)  [Without  the  Prse- 
torium.]  Filate  extorts  the  malign  intention 
of  the  Jews,  and  dares  them  to  disobey  Boman 
law. 

Ver.  28. — Then  they  lead  Jesus  from  the 
house  of  Caiaphas  to  the  Fraetorium — to  the 
imperial  palace  of  the  Roman  governor.  The 
word  is  used  primarily  for  the  general's  tent 
in  the  Roman  camps,  and  for  the  legal  resi- 
dence of  the  chief  of  a  province.  Now,  the 
ordinary  residence  of  the  Roman  governors 
was  at  Cse-area,  but  at  the  time  of  the  gieat 
feasts  they  were  in  the  habit  of  going  up  to 
Jerusalem,  and  at  a  later  time  than  this 
(Josephus,  'Bell.  Jud.,'  ii.  14.  8  ;  15.  5)  the 
governors  utilized  for  this  purpose  the  for- 
mer palace  of  Herod,  a  gorgeous  residence  in 
the  upper  city.  It  is,  however,  more  pro- 
bable that  Pilate  occupied  the  palace  of  the 
Castle  of  Antonia, overlooking  the  north-west 
corner  of  the  temple  area,  and  having  means 
of  direct  communication  with  it.  Edersheim 
inclines  to  the  palace  of  Herod.  From  the 
high-priestly  palace  to  the  castle  they  led 
Jesus.  And  it  was  early.  [In  Matt.  xiv.  25 
and  Mark  xiii.  35  irpu't  is  equivalent  to  the 
fourth  watch  of  the  night,  between  three 
and_8ix  o'clock.  The  breadth  of  the  p"Erase 
would  cover  the  period  of  the  hurried  council 
(see  Matt,  xxvii. ;  Mark  xv.)  and  the  session 
of  Pilate.  The  Roman  judgments  were  often 
conducted  in  early  morning  (Seneca,  '  De 
Ira,'  ii.  7) — prima  luce.']  The  council  having 
in  their  indecent  haste  conveyed  Jesus  to 
the  Praetorium,  while  (and  *)  they  themselves 
went  not  into  the  Prsetorium,  *  lest  they 
should  be  defiled  (juioiVoi,  the  solemn  word 
for  "  profane "  in  Plato,  Sophocles,  and 
the  LXX.).  This  defilement  by  entrance 
into   the   house  of  a   Gentile  was  not  an 

*  An  instance  of  the  adversative  force  of 

KOI. 

*  In  the  translation  of  this  word  the  Re- 
visers have  preserved  in  every  place  where 
it  occurs  the  same  English  word,  "  palace," 
except  in  Phil.  i.  13,  where  they  have  rightly 
rendered  it  "praetorian  guard."  The  Eng- 
lish Version  gave  seven  or  eight  different 
translations  (see  ver.  33 ;  <  h.  xix.  9 ;  Matt, 
xxvii.  27  ;  Mark  xv.  6:  Acts  xxiii.  35,  etc.^. 


enactment  of  the  Law,  but  was  a  purely 
rabbinic  observance  (belitzsch,  ''J'almu- 
dische  Studien,'  xiv.  (187-1);  'Zeitschrift  fiir 
die  gesammte  Luth.  Theol.').  We  find  it 
operative  in  Acts  x.  28,  and  thus  a  hint 
given  not  merely  of  the  authors  knowledge 
of  the  inner  life  of  Judaism,  but  of  his  quiet 
recognition  of  the  stupendous  spectacle  of 
malicious  ritualism,  and  of  unscrupulous 
antagonism  to  the  Holiest  One,  busying 
itself  about  attention  to  the  letter  of  that 
which  wus  only  a  rabbinic  legislation.  But ' 
might  eat  the  Passover.  Here  in  this  pas- 
sage we  come  once  more  face  to  face  with 
the  persistent  puzzle  occasioned  by  tlie 
divergent  intimations  of  John  and  the  sy- 
noptists  as  to  the  day  of  our  Lord's  death.  In 
Mutt.  xxvi.  17  and  Mark  xiv.  12—14  this 
very  phrase  is  used  for  the  preparation  of 
that  Paschal  supper  which  our  Loid  cele- 
brated witli  his  disciples  (see  Introduction, 
pp.  xciii.,  etc.).  So  that  we  have  at  any 
rate  a  discordant  verbal  usage,  however  the 
problem  be  solved.  The  day  is  breaking, 
which  constitutes,  according  to  John  (prima 
facie),  the  14th  of  Nisan,  in  the  evening  of 
which  and  commencement  of  the  15th  the 
Passover  would  be  killed.  According  to  the 
synoptists,  that  Passover  meal  was  already 
over,  and  the  first  great  day  of  tlie  feast  had 
commenced — the  day  of  convocation,  with 
sabbatic  functions  and  duties.  The  state- 
ments are  apparently  in  hopeless  variance. 
Many  emphasize,  exaggerate,  and  declare  in- 
soluble the  contiadictiou,  repudiating  either 
the  authority  of  John  or  that  of  the  synop- 
tists. Meyer  and  Liicke  give  their  verdict 
with  John,  the  eye-witness,  as  against  the 
synoptic  tradition.  Strauss  and  Keim,  who 
also  hold  the  invincible  discrepancy,  lift  the 
synoptic  account  to  a  comparatively  high 
state  of  historic  validity,  and  thereby  dis- 
credit the  authenticity  of  the  Fourth  Gospel. 
We  have  two  methods  of  reconciling  the 
difficulty :  (1)  An  endeavour  to  show  that  the 
synoptic  narrative  itself  is  inconsistent  with 
the  idea  that  the  night  of  the  Passion  was 
the  night  of  the  general  Passover,  (a)  That 
the  entire  proceeding  of  the  trial  was  incon- 
sistent with  the  feast-day ;  (6)  that  Simon  the 
Cyrenian  could  not  bear  the  cross  on  that  day ; 
(c)  the  circumstance  that  that  Friday  evening 
was  the  preparation  of  the  Passover ;  and  (d) 
that  the  reckonings  of  the  weeks  till  the  Pen- 
tecost Sunday  are  all  made  to  show  that  the 
synoptic  narrative  itself  admits  that  the  Cru- 
cifixion took  place  before  the  Passover  meal. 
So  also  does  the  decision  of  the  priests,  that 
they  would  put  Jesus  to  death  /j.^  iv  rfj  eoprrj 
(Matt,  xx-vi.  5  ;  Mark  xiv.  2).  On^this  un- 
derstanding the  passage  before  us  is  inter- 

'  'A\A.'  'Iva  is  the  reading  of  T.R.,  butdAAi 
simply  is  read  by  all  the  modern  editors. 


CH.  xvui.  1—40.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


3:tl 


preted  in  its  natural  sense ;  the  Jews  were 
unwilling:  to  contract  ceremonial  defilement, 
because  tliey  were  about  to  eat  tlie  Piissover, 
and  so  with  resjwct  to  the  other  references 
in  John's  Gospel,  which  nil,  prima  facie,  sug- 
gest the  same  chronolnijical  arrangement. 
(2)  A  very  powerful  argument  has  bien  con- 
structed, however,  which  brings  John's  ac- 
count here,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  into  har- 
mony with  the  supposed  assertion  of  a 
synoptic  nnrrative,  that  the  Paschal  meal 
preceded  the  trial  of  Jesus.  It  is  said  by 
Hengstenberg,  M'Clellan,  Edersheim,  and 
others  that  this  unwillingness  to  defile 
themselves  was  because  they  were  anticipat- 
ing their  midday  meal,  at  wliich  sacrificial 
offerings  and  thank  ofi'erings,  also  called 
chagigah,  were  regarded  as  "t  ating  the  Passs- 
over"  (Deut.  xvi.  2,  3 ;  2  Chron.  xxx.  22; 
XXXV.  7—9).  It  is  argued  that,  if  the  Jews 
were  thinking  of  a  meal  which  would  not 
come  off  till  sundown,  their  fear  of  defile- 
raeut  was  illusory.  But  examination  of 
these  passages  shows  that  there  is  a  distinc- 
tion drawn  between  the  Paschal  lamb  and 
the  cattle  which  might  form  part  of  the 
general  sacrificial  feasting  of  the  following 
days,  and  that  the  term  "  Passover "  is 
strictly  limited  to  the  Paschal  lamb.  More- 
over, the  duration  of  the  defilement  thus 
contracted  would  certainly  have  prevented 
them  from  any  participation  in  the  slaying 
of  the  Paschal  lumb  "  between  the  even- 
ings"  of  the  14th  and  15th  of  Nisan.  Dr. 
Moulton  has  made  the  ingenious  suggestion 
that  John's  statement  here  is  brought  into 
harmony  with  the  synoptic  narrative,  by  the 
supposition  that  the  chief  priests  had  been 
disturbed  in  their  Passover  preparations, 
and  were  intending  to  complete  their  meal 
as  soon  as  the  decision  of  the  Roman 
governor  had  been  given.  Tijis  very  sup- 
position reveals  the  exceeding  unlikelihood 
that  all  the  hierarchs  and  chief  scribes, 
Pharisees,  and  elders  of  the  people  had  con- 
eented  to  forego  the  due  solemnization  of 
their  national  rite  on  that  previous  evening. 
This  supposition  involves  a  much  greater 
violation  of  Passover  regulation  than  that 
Jesus  and  tlie  twelve  should  have  antici- 
pated the  ceremony  by  a  few  hours.  If  the 
day  is  the  14th  of  Nisan,  all,  so  far  as  John's 
account  is  concerned,  is  obvious.  I  am  there- 
fore disposed  to  agree  with  Meyer,  Keim, 
De  Presscnse',  Baur,  Neander,  De  Wette, 
Ebrard,  Ewald,  Westcott,  Godet,  and  Liicke, 
against  Hengstenberg,  Wicseler,  Tholuck, 
Luthardt,  M'Clellan,  and  many  others.  The 
full  interpretation  of  the  synoptic  narrative 
is  discussed  elsewhere  (Introduction,  p.  xcii.). 
Certainly  John  makes  no  reference  to  the 
Passover  in  his  account  of  the  Last  Supper, 
neither  does  he  refer  to  tlie  institution  of 
the  Lord's  Supper.     It  will  not  be  just  to 


say,  with  Renan,  that  John  has  substituted 
tlie  foot-washing  for  the  sacramental  feast. 
(On  the  principle  of  his  omissions,  see  Intro- 
duction, pp.  c. — cv.) 

Ver.  2it. — Pilate  therefore,  because  of 
their  rooted  national  prejudice,  went  out  * 
unto  them  beyond  his  court,  to  some  open 
sj)ace  convenient  for  hearing  the  case. 
Pilate  is  introduced  hero  without  any  pre- 
liminary statement  or  title,  as  though  the 
jmsitiou  of  the  man  were  well  known  to  his 
readers — another  proof  that  the  synoptic 
narrative  is  presupposed.  This  scrupulous- 
ness contrasts  with  the  summary  proceed- 
ing of  Herod  Agrippa  (Acts  xii.  1,  2).  and 
with  the  conduct  of  the  Roman  authorities 
(Acts  xxii.  24).  The  very  question  he  asks 
implies  that  something  had  conspired  to 
provoke  a  certain  sympathy  on  his  part 
with  Jesus,  and  to  excite  additional  bus- 
picion  of  the  Jews,  'i'he  statement  of 
Blatt.  xxvii.  19  may  account  for  the  former. 
The  fact  tiiat  he  was  ready  to  hear  the  case 
at  this  early  hour  shows  that  he  must  have 
been  prepared  for  the  scene,  and  even 
primed  for  it.  Pilate  (the  manuscripts 
vary  between  Peilatos  and  Filatos)  was  the 
fifth  governor  of  Judaja  under  the  Romans, 
and  held  oflBce  from  a.d.  26 — 36.  He  is 
represented  by  Philo  ('  Legatio  ad  Caium,' 
38)  as  a  proud,  ungovernable  man  ;  and,  in 
his  conflicts  with  the  Jews,  he  had  especial 
reason  to  detest  their  obstinate  ceremonial 
and  religious  prejudices.  Philo  speaks  of 
Pilate's  "  ferocious  passions,"  says  that  ho 
was  given  to  fits  of  furious  wrath,  and  that 
he  had  reason  to  fear  that  complaints  laid 
before  Tiberius  for  "his  acts  of  insolence, 
his  habit  of  insulting  people,  for  his  cruelty, 
and  murders  of  people  untried  and  uncon- 
demned,  and  his  never-ending  inhumanity," 
might  bring  upon  him  the  rebuke  which 
ultimately  the  emperor  gave  him,  in  con- 
sequence of  his  endeavour  to  force  from  the 
Jews  assent  to  his  placing  gilt  shields  in  the 
palace  of  Herod.  Josephus  ('  Ant.,'  xviii.  2. 
4)  gives  a  better  account  of  Pilate,  and  shows 
that  a  portion  of  his  administration  was  not 
witiiout  beneficent  purpose,  thwarted  by 
the  fanatical  oppo.sition  of  the  Jews.  On 
this  occasion  he  asked  first  of  the  mob  of 
priests,  What  accusation  do  ye  bring  against 
this  Man  1  He  may  have  known,  probably 
did  know,  but  chose  to  give  formality  to 
the  charge,  and  not  simply  to  register  their 
decrees. 

Vers.  30,  31. — They  answered  and  said,  If 

'  'EJo)  is  here  introduced  by  Tischend«rf 
(8th  edit.),  Tregelhs,  Alford,  Westcott 
and  Hort,  and  R.T..  on  the  authority  of  N, 
B,  C.  L,  etc.,  1,  27,  33,  Syriac,  again.st  T.R., 
which   omits  it,  with  A,  C»,  D,  and  some 


392 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xviii.  1—40. 


he  were  not  a  malefactor/  we  should  not 
have  delivered  'h\m  up  to  thee.  This  was 
6omewliat  audacious.  It  was  as  much  as  to 
say,  "We  have  judged,  you  have  only  to 
register  our  decisions.  We  are  not  bound 
to  go  through  our  evidence  before  you."  If 
it  had  been  so,  the  deprivation  of  the  jus 
gladii,  the  power  of  capital  execution  would 
have  mattered  little  to  tliem.  Pilate,  in 
scoru  and  irciny,  replies,  "  If  that  be  so,  why 
have  ye  brought  him  to  me?  If  you  are 
unwilling  to  comply  with  the  terms  of  Roman 
jurisprudence,  then  it  must  be  some  case 
which  you  can  dis-pose  of  according  to  your 
own  rules."  Take  ye  him  yourselves,  and 
according  to  your  Law  judge  him.  Pilate 
saw  their  animus,  and  that  they  were 
thirsting  for  the  blood  of  Jesus,  and  wished 
at  once  to  flout  them  and  make  them  confess 
their  impotence  and  admit  his  suzerainty. 
For  them  to  judge  (^Kpiveiv)  was  not  equivalent 
to  put  to  death  (airoKTelvai),  and  Pilate 
clearly  suggested  that  much.  The  Jews 
[therefore'']  said  to  him,  It  is  not  lawful 
(oi/K  f^effTi)  to  us  to  put  any  man  to  death. 
This  was  perfectly  true,  notwithstanding 
the  tumultuary  and  violent  acts  and  threats, 
and  incipient  stonings  of  Jesus,  to  which 
the  Gospel  refers  (ch.  viii.  3,  59 ;  vii.  25). 
Other  interpretations  of  this  exclamation 
have  been  supplied,  viz.  "  to  execute  crimi- 
nals of  state"  (Krebs),  "to  do  so  on  feast- 
days  "  (Semler) ;  but  the  power  had  been 
formally  taken  from  even  the  supreme  court, 
forty  ytars  before  the  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem.* The  instance  of  the  massacre  of 
James  the  Just,  occurring  between  the 
departure  of  one  Roman  governor  and  the 
arrival  of  another,  is  mentioned  by  Jose- 
phus  ('Ant.,'  XX.  9.  1)  as  a  distinct  infringe- 
ment and  violation  of  law.  The  stoning  of 
Stephen  in  a  wild  tumult,  and  the  proceed- 
ings of  Herod  Agrippa,  are  rather  confirma- 
tions than  violations  of  the  rule.     Thus  the 

'  Tiechendorf  (8th  edit.)  and  Weymouth 
r.  ad  here  KaKhv  iroiuiv,  with  N"^*,  B,  L  ;  but 
T.R.,  Lachmann,  and  R.T.,  /co/cottok^s  ;  A, 
C,  D,  7,  uncials  and  cursives,  and  Atha- 
nasius  read  KaKovpy6^ ;  N,  KaKbv  ■noir)cas. 

•  B  and  C  omit  ovv,  with  Tregelles, 
Westcott  and  Hort,  and  R.T. ;  but  Tischen- 
dorf  (8th  edit.)  preserves  it  on  the  authority 
of  X,  L,  X,  Vulgate,  Sahidic,  etc. 

'  See  the  long  note  of  Lightfoot,  'Horao 
Ilebraicse,'  in  loco,  where  he  discusses  the 
reason  of  this  withdrawment  of  power  of 
life  and  death ;  whether  it  was  due  to  the 
arbitrary  act  of  Rome,  or  was  the  voluntary 
concession  of  the  authorities,  who  abstained 
from  capital  punishment  ('Avodah  Zarah,' 
fol.  8.  2.  See  Wiinsche,  quotation  from 
'Sanhedrin,'  fol.  41  a,  'Berachoth,'  fol.  58  a. 
Bee  Wilson,  '  On  the  New  Testament '). 


malign  disposition  and  distinct  purpose  of 
the  Jews  were  revealed.  They  would  not 
have  brought  Jesus  at  all  before  the  Roman 
governor,  nor  admitted  his  claim  to  decide 
any  case  involving  religious  ideas  and 
practices,  if  they  had  not  fully  decided  that 
Jesus  muat  die.  But  John  sees  a  deeper 
reason  still. 

Ver.  32. — In  order  that  the  word  of  Jesus 
might  be  fulfilled,  which  he  spake,  signifying 
by  what  manner  of  death  he  was  about  to 
die.  Thus  the  very  political  order  of  the 
world,  the  whole  process  by  which  Judsea 
became  a  Roman  province,  was  part  of  the 
wondrous  plan  by  which  Jew  and  Gentile 
should  together  oifer  up  the  awful  sacrifice, 
and  all  the  world  be  guilty  of  the  death  of 
its  Lord.  The  manner  of  the  death  had 
been  foretold  by  our  Lord.  In  ch.  iii.  14  he 
spoke  of  being  lifted  up  (yy^'xQnvai),  in  ch. 
viii.  28  he  charged  the  Jews  with  the 
intention  of  so  lifting  him  up  to  die  {orav 
inpwff7]Te),  implying  a  method  of  capital 
punishment  which  was  contrary  to  their 
ordinary  habits ; .  and  in  ch.  xii.  32  he 
declared  that  this  lifting  up  of  the  Son  of 
man  would  create  part  of  his  sacred  and 
Divine  attraction  to  the  human  race.  In 
the  synoptists  he  is  said  to  have  repeatedly 
spoken  of  his  tnavpos  (Luke  xiv.  27  ;  Mark 
viii.  34 ;  Matt.  x.  38 ;  xvi.  24) ;  but  in  Matt. 
XX.  19  he  had  clearly  predicted  his  cruci- 
fixion by  the  Gentiles  (cf.  Luke  ix.  22,  28). 
The  manner  or  kind  of  death  was  full  of 
significance ;  it  provided  opportunity  for 
the  royal  demission  of  his  own  life  ;  it  gave 
conditions  for  much  of  the  sublime  self- 
manifestation  of  the  closing  hours ;  it  has 
proved,  notwithstanding  all  the  shame  and 
curse  of  the  proceeding,  eminently  symbolic 
of  the  compassion  with  which  he  embraced 
the  human  race  in  all  its  defilement  and  aU 
the  variety  of  its  need.  We  are  not  sur- 
prised to  find  that  the  evangelist  saw,  in  the 
complicated  relations  of  Jewish  and  Roman 
authority,  a  divinely  ordered  arrangement, 
and  a  clearly  foreseen  and  predicted  con- 
summation. Luke  xxiii.  2  shows  that  the 
charge  brought  against  Jesus  was  made  to 
receive  a  colouring  likely  to  prejudice  the 
Roman  governor  against  him  :  "  We  found 
this  Man  perverting  our  nation,  and  for- 
bidding to  give  tribute  to  Csesur,  saying 
that  he  himself  is  Christ  a  King."  The 
uproar  and  the  false  and  malicious  charge 
would  be  more  likely  than  any  other  to 
move  Pilate  against  him;  and  thus' the 
synoptic  narrative,  being  presupposed,  gives 
an  explanation  of  the  first  question  which 
John,  as  well  as  the  synoptists,  represents 
Pilate  as  first  of  all  pressing  upon  the 
Divine  Sufferer.  Without  I^uke's  state- 
ment, Pilate's  question  is  abrupt  and  in- 
explicable ;  but  it  must  be  admitted  that 


CH.  xviii.  1— 10.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


393 


there  is  in  John's  narrative  no  direct  hint 
of  Luke's  addition ;  and  Christ's  counter- 
quoation  to  the  inquiry  of  Pilate  (wliich 
last  is  given  in  the  same  form  by  all  four 
evangelists)  implies  tiiat  he  had  not  over- 
hoaid  the  false  charge  which  the  Jews  had 
brought  into  the  court.  The  Lord  was 
within  the  Prrotorium.  Pilate  and  the 
Jews  were  on  the  open,  external  space, 
wliere  tl>e  altercation  proceeded.  We  may 
also,  with  Steinmeyer,  observe  that  nothing 
could  appear  more  anomalous  to  Pilate 
than  that  these  bigoted  and  rebellious 
priests,  who  jjerpetually  resisted  the  claims 
of  Roman  governors  to  enforce  tribute, 
should  now  hypocritically  pretend  that  a 
prophet-leadtr  of  their  own  had  been  guilty 
of  such  a  charge.  Instead  of  resisting,  the 
Pharisees  would  have  fostered  a  demagogue 
who  had  taken  such  a  disloyal  part.  Pilate 
would  at  once  have  suspected  that  there 
was  something  ominous  in  the  very  charge 
itself,  when  tumultuously  pressed  by  a  party 
who  were  accustomed  to  regard  such  pro- 
ceedings as  patriotic ;  and  he  saw  with 
shrewdness  that  the  Jews  had  merely 
cloaked  their  real  antagonism  by  present- 
ing an  incrimination  which,  under  ordinary 
circumstances,  they  would  have  treated  as  a 
crowning  virtue. 

Vers.  33— 38.— (6)  [Within  the  Prse- 
torium.]  Clirist's  admission  that  he  teas  a 
King,  but  that  his  kingdom  was  not  of  this 
world. 

Vers.  33,  34. — Pilate  therefore  entered 
again  •  into  the  Praetorium,  out  of  direct 
hearing  of  the  vociferous  crowd,  where 
Jesus  and  John  himself  had  remained 
under  supervision  of  the  olBcers  of  the 
court,  and  called — summoned — Jesus  to  his 
side,  and  said  to  Mm  that  of  which  the  mob 
outside  formed  an  imperfect  idea.  The 
account  of  John  throws  much  light  on  the 
inference  which  Pilate  drew  frum  the  reply 
of  Jesus,  as  given  in  ver.  38  and  in  Luke 
xxiii.  4.  To  the  loud  accusations  and  bitter 
charges  of  "  the  chief  priests  and  elders  " 
(Matt,  xxvii.  IL  12 ;  Mark  xv.  3,  4)  brought 
in  the  presence  of  Pilate,  Christ  answered 
nothing.  His  solemn  and  accusing  silence 
caused  the  governor  to  marvel  greatly  (see 
both  Matt,  xxvii.  14  and  Mark  xv.  5).  He 
marvelled  not  only  at  the  silence  of  the 
Lord,  but  at  that  silence  after  he,  Pilate, 
had  received  from  him  so  explicit  a  state- 
ment as  to  the  nature  of  his  own  kingdom. 
An  explanation  of  the  motive  of  Pilate,  and 
of  his  entire  manner  upon  this  occasion,  is 
to  be  found  in  the  private  interview  between 
our  Lord  and  the  Roman  governor  within 

•  T.R.  and  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.)  place 
iraKiv  after  irpairwptov ;  R.T.,  Trcgelled,  and 
Westcott  and  Uort,  before  €»s. 


the    Prietorium.      It    is  unnecessary  (with 
many)   to  see   in   Pilate  an    "almost   per- 
suaded "   believer  in   the  claims  of  Jesus, 
who  yet  was  warring  with  his  better  judg- 
ment, and  apostatizing  from  a  nascent  faith. 
He  appears  rather  as  tlie  Roman  man  of  the 
world,  who  has  never  learned  to  rule  his 
policy  by  any  notions  of  righteousness  and 
trutli,  and  is  utterly  unable  to  appreciate  the 
spiritual  claims  of  this  Nuzarene ;  yet  he  was 
siirewd  enough  to  see  that,  so  far  ns  Roman 
authority  was  concerned,  this  Prisoner  was 
utterly   harmless.     His  question   was,   Art 
thou  the  King  of  the  Jews  1     Of  course,  he 
expected  at  first  a  negative  reply.     Should 
this  abused  and  rejected,  this  bound  and 
bleeding  Sufferer,  with  no  apparent  followers 
around  him,  actually  betrayed  by  one  of  his 
intimate  friends,  deserted  by  tho  rest,  and 
hounded   to  death   by   the    fierce  cries   of 
Pharisee  and  Sadducee,  chief   priest  and 
elder,  answer  in  tlie   affirmative,  it  might 
easily  suggest  itself  to  Pilate  that  he  must 
be  under  some  futile  hallucination.     It  has 
been   said   that   the   question    might   have 
been  answered  right  off  in  the  affirmative 
or  in  the  negative,  according  as  the  term 
"Kingof  the  Jews"  was  understood.   If  what 
Pilate  meant  was  a  popular  titular  leader, 
imperator  of  Jewish  levies,  one  prepared  for 
the  career  of  Judas  of  Galilee,  or  Herod  the 
Idumaoan,  or  for  that  of  Barchochab  in  after 
times, — nothing  could  seem  to  be  less  likely 
or  more  patently  repudiated  by  the  facts  ; 
moreover,  from  our  Lord  himself,  who  had 
always  refused  a  quasi-royal  dignity  (ch.  vi. 
15),  it  would  have  required   an   emphatic 
negative.      Pilate   knew   no  other   way  of 
interpreting  the  phrase.     If  the  term  meant 
the   true   '*  King  of    Israel,"   the   Messiah 
anticipated  by   prophecy  and    psalm,   the 
King  of  all  kings  and  Lord  of  lords,  the 
Ruler  of  hearts,  who  would  draw  all  men  to 
him,  and  cast  out  and  vanquish  the  prince 
of  this  world,  then  the  "  crown "  was  his, 
and  he  could  not  deny  it ;    but  before  this 
assertion  was  made  in  the  hearing  of  the 
multitude,  our  Lord  would  draw  from  Pilate 
the   sense   in  which    he    used   the   words. 
He  does  not  say  to  him,  2t;  \eyfis,  "  Thou 
sayest  " — a  reply  given  verbatim  by  all  the 
synoptists,  and  referring  to  a  second  demand 
made  in  the  presence  of  the  multitude — but 
he  put  a  counter-question,  Sayest  thou  this 
thing,  askeat  thou  this  question,  from  thyself  T 
— from  thy  knowledge  of  the  hopes  kindled 
by  the  ancient  books,  or  from  comparing  my 
words   with   my  appearance,   or   from   any 
judgments  thou  hast  formed  a  priori?  (so 
Godet,  Neander,   Olshauscu,   and   Ewald). 
Thus   Jesus   was    not   so   much    informing 
Pilate  of  the  distinction  between  the  two 
kingships,  as  claiming  qua  Prisoner  at  the 
bar  the  source  of  tho  accusation.    "Have 


394 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvni.  1—40. 


I  put  forth  any  claim  of  this  kind,  which 
thou  as  the  chief  magistrate  of  this  Roman 

Erovince  hast  any  legal  cognizance  of?" 
t  was  not,  as  Hen  gsten  berg  and  Westcott 
suggest,  an  appeal  to  the  man  rather  than 
to  the  governor,  to  the  conscience  of  Pilate 
rather  than  to  the  forms  of  the  tribunal ;  but 
(Meyer),  with  the  intrepid  consciousness  of 
perfect  innocence  of  the  political  crime,  our 
Lord  asks  for  the  formal  declaration  of  the 
charge  brought  against  him.  Or  did  others 
tell  it  thee  concerning  me  1  Alford,  Lange, 
Schaff,  etc.,  all  agree  with  Godet  in  sup- 
posing that  Glirist  was  discriminating  be- 
tween the  theocratic  and  the  political  use 
of  the  great  phrase.  It  is  obvious  that  he 
did  rise  from  the  latter  to  the  former  in  the 
following  verses,  but  it  is  diflacult  to  find 
the  distinction  in  this  alternative  question. 
"  Did  others  (not  thine  own  police  or  ob- 
servation)— did  the  Jews,  in  fact,  bring  thee 
this  charge  against  me?  Nay,  did  they 
not?  Is  it  not  entirely  due  to  this  outbreak 
of  hostility  to  my  teaching  that  they  have 
chosen  thus  to  impeach  me  before  thee — to 
deliver  me  to  thee?"  Therefore,  first  of 
all,  Christ  repudiated  the  charge,  in  the 
only  sense  in  which  it  could  have  conveyed 
any  colourable  idea  to  the  mind  of  Pilate. 

Ver.  35. — Pilate  answered,  with  the  proud 
and  haughty  tone  of  a  Roman  military  judge 
or  procurator,  Am  I  a  Jew?  The  4yti'  is 
very  emphatic,  and  the  force  of  the  question 
requires  a  negative.  You  know  that  it 
would  be  insult  to  me  to  make  such  a  sup- 
position. The  nation  that  is  thine,  not  mine, 
and  the  chief  priests,  delivered  thee  to  me. 
An  unequivocal  statement  that  he  had  no 
reason  of  his  own  to  assume  that  Jesus  was 
a  political  aspirant.  Whatever  inner  reasons 
these  Jews  had  to  malign  Jesus  and  confuse 
Pilate's  mind  with  the  ambiguity  of  the 
title,  the  governor  is  innocent  as  yet  of  any 
such  theocratic  or  religious  meaning  in  the 
charge.  More  than  this,  the  humiliation  of 
the  Divine  Lord  of  men,  the  King  of  Israel, 
is  grievously  aggravated  by  the  very  use  of 
the  word.  "  Thy  own  nation  has  delivered 
thee  up,  has  betrayed  thee  to  me."  The 
crime  of  Judas  has  been  adopted  by  the 
religious  authorities  and  the  patriotic  leaders 
of  the  people.  "  He  came  unto  his  own,  and 
his  own  peoi^le  received  him  not."  Christ 
frequently  anticipated  this  result  of  his 
ministry ;  and  he  regarded  it  as  the  climax 
of  his  indignity  (see  especially  Luke  ix.  44 ; 
and  cf.  the  language  of  St.  Peter,  Acts  iii. 
13),  that  the  anointed  King  should  by  his 
own  people  be  "delivered"  up  to  lawless 
Gentile  hands  to  be  crucified  and  slain. 
Pilate  assures  him  that,  if  he  is  now  in  his 
hands,  the  cause  of  it  is  simply  that  his  own 
people  had  utterly  repudiated  his  claims, 
whatever  they  may  have  been.    What  didst 


thou  do  to  transform  into  thy  bitter 
enemies  those  who  would  naturally  condone 
or  favour  any  such  claim  as  that  of  being  a 
seditious  rival  to  the  Roman  Caesar  ? 

Ver.  36. — In  reply  to  this  challenge,  Jesus 
answered — obviously  assuming  the  fact  that 
he  was  a  king  in  a  sense  entirely  different 
from  that  which  had  been  maliciously  sug- 
gested to  Pilate — My  kingdom — the  king- 
dom that  is  mine — is  not  of  this  world. 
Neither  now  nor  at  any  future  period  will 
it  derive  its  origin  from  this  world.  So  far 
as  Christ  is  King,  his  royal  power  and  state 
are  not  furnished  by  earthly  force,  or  fleshly 
ordinances,  or  physical  energies,  or  material 
wealth,  or  imperial  armies.  The  dominion 
that  he  will  wield  will  be  one  over  hearts 
and  lives;  the  authority  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
cannot  be  arrested  or  overpowered  by  physi- 
cal force.  Most  commentators  justly  regard 
this  as  a  spiritual  manifesto  of  the  sources 
and  quality  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  a 
foreshadowing  of  the  separation  between  the 
spiritual  and  secular  power — a  declaration 
that  all  effort  to  embody  Christian  laws  and 
government  in  compulsory  forms,  and  to 
defend  them  by  penal  sanctions  and  temporal 
force,is  disloyalty  to  the  royal  rank  and  crown 
rights  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Hengsten- 
berg  regards  the  assertion  as  precisely  the 
reverse ;  sees  in  the  passage,  "  rightly  under- 
stood, the  very  opposite  purpose.  The  king- 
dom that  sprang  directly  from  heaven  must 
have  absolute  authority  over  all  the  earth, 
and  it  will  not  submit  to  be  put  into  ob- 
scurity. The  kingdoms  of  this  world  must 
become  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord  and  his 
Anointed,  and  he  shall  reign  for  ever  and 
ever."  This  is  true,  but  not  along  the  lines 
or  with  the  machinery  of  earthly  rule  and 
authority.  The  influence  and  authority  of 
Heaven  works  upon  the  spirit  by  truth  and 
righteousness  and  peace,  and  thus  transforms 
institutions,  permeates  society  from  the 
ground  of  the  heart,  modifies  the  relations 
between  the  members  of  a  household,  and 
transfigures  those  between  a  ruler  and  his 
subjects,  between  the  master  and  his  slaves, 
between  labour  and  capital,  and  between 
man  and  man.  Whenever  it  is  triumphant, 
whenever  the  lives  of  kings  and  their  peoples 
are  sanctified  by  supreme  obedience  to 
Christ  the  King,  then  war  will  be  impos- 
sible, all  tyrannies  and  slaveries  will  be 
abolished,  all  malice  and  violence  of  monaichs 
or  mobs  will  be  at  an  end ;  then  the  wolfish 
and  the  lamblike  nature  will  be  at  peace. 
Then  all  the  means  for  enforcing  the  will 
of  one  against  another  will  be  done  away. 
He  will  have  put  down  all  rule,  authority, 
and  power ;  for  he  must  reign,  and  he  alone. 
This  kingdom  is  not  (ck)  "  from,"  "  out  of," 
this  world's  methods  or  resources;  does  not 
begin  from  without  and  establish  itself,  or 


CH.  xvin.  1—40.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


propagate  or  preserve  itself,  from  the  worM, 
wiiich  is  a  rival,  and  is  not  to  be  coerced  but 
drawn  to  itself.  Like  the  individual  disciple, 
the  kingdom  may  be  in  the  world,  but  not  of 
it.  Christ  proceeded.  If  the  kingdom  that  is 
mine  were  from  this  world,  whicli  it  is  not 
(mark  tlie  form  of  the  condition ),then,ou  that 
supposition,  wonld  the  servants  (uirTjpfxoi, 
jrenerally  translated  "officers")  that  are 
mine  fight,  with  physical  force,  in  order 
that  I  shoold  not  be  delivered  up  (-jrapoSodw) 
to  the  Jews.  The  supposition  that  the 
vTr:}p(Tat  of  whom  our  Ijord  spoke  were  "  the 
angels"  (as  Bengel,  Lampe,  Slier,  and  at 
one  time  Luthardt,  imagined),  is  distinctly 
repudiated  by  tlie  «  toC  k6<tixov  tovtov,  "  of 
this  present  world."  If  it  were  the  case,  as 
it  is  not,  then  would  ray  officers  be,  not  a 
handful  of  disciples  (whom  he  generally 
calls  StaKovoi,  Sov\oi),  but  the  servants  who 
would  be  appropriate  to  my  royal  mission, 
— then  u-ouhl  7ny  servants  be  busily  fight- 
ing that  1  fhould  not  be  delivered  up  by 
the  Roman  power  that  is  for  the  moment 
tlirown  over  me  like  a  shield,  to  the  Jews, 
who  are  thirsting  for  my  blood.  The  loud 
cry  of  hatred  and  vengeance  may  even  at 
tins  moment  have  pierced  the  interior  of 
the  Praetorium,  thus  giving  its  force,  if  not 
fiirm,  to  the  sentence.  Godet  thinks  our 
Lord  was  referring  to  the  crowds  who 
actually  gathered  round  him  on  Palm 
Sunday,  and  not  to  hypothetical  umjpeVai ; 
but  the  force  of  the  condition  goes  down 
deeper,  and,  moreover,  such  language  might 
have  awakened  the  suspicion  that,  after  all, 
Jesus  had  a  political  following,  if  he  should 
choose  to  evoke  it.  Observe  that  this  entire 
severance  between  "  the  Jews "  and  the 
friends  of  Christ,  which,  though  occasionally 
adopted  by  the  evangelist,  is  not  the  cus- 
tomary method  of  our  Lord.  The  moment 
at  which  the  Saviour  speaks  gives  great 
significance  to  the  phraseology  (observe  ch. 
iv.  22;  xiii.  33;  xviii.  20;  the  only  other 
occasions  on  which  the  Lord  used  this  phrase 
to  denote  his  own  people).  But  now  (the 
vvv,  cf.  ch.  ix.  41  and  xv.  22,  is  logical,  not 
temporal) ;  i.e.  But  seeing  that  it  is  so — my 
kingdom,  he  adds,  is  not  from  hence.  The 
e'/c  Tov  Koafiou  is  equivalent  to  ii/Tevdfv,  and 
suggests  that  the  kingdom  derives  its  re- 
sources and  its  energies  "from  the  upper 
world,"  "  from  above." 

Ver.  37. — Pilate  therefore  said  to  him, 
Art  thou  a  King  theni  The  precise  mean- 
ing of  this  exclamation  depends  on  the  ac- 
centuation of  ovKovv — whether  it  be  nvnovi/ ' 
eqi.iviilent  to  igitur,  "therefore:"  ''There- 
fore on  your  own  showing  you  are  a  King  !  ' 

'  Winer,  Kiihner,  Godet,  and  Luthardt 
differ  as  to  the  meaning  of  both  ovkoCv  and 
oiKouv.    Wcstcott  and  Uort  read  the  former. 


or  whether  oCkow  bo  the  form ;  then  it  would 
have  the  force  of  nonne  igitur  9  expecting 
an  affirmative  response.  It  is  an  fiiro{ 
\fy6fifvov  in  the  New  Testament,  but  it 
genendly  implies  an  inference  and  a  ques- 
tion expecting  agreement  with  the  questioner. 
Here  Pilate  flaslies  out  with  haughty  rebuke. 
He  had  satisfied  himself  that  Jesus  was  no 
political  rival ;  but,  in  wonderment  and  scorn, 
he  would  sound  a  little  deeper  the  mystery 
of  the  kingly  claim.  It  is  not  a  judicial 
inquiry,  but  a  burst  of  ironical  surprise  :  So 
then,  after  all,  thou  art  a  King,  even  thou  ? 
wavering  between  positive  and  negative  reply. 
Hengstenberg  sees  neither  irony  nor  scorn 
in  the  oiifcoD*',  but  a  certain  amount  of  dis- 
turbed equanimity.  Testis  answered,  Thou 
sayest  it,  that  I  am  a  King  This  mode  of 
affirmation  is  not  found  in  classical  Greek 
or  the  LXX.,  but  occurs  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, and  in  the  synoptists  also  it  is  given 
as  the  great  answer  of  Jesus.  Some  have 
translated  the  on  as  "  for  "  or  "  because," 
and  added  "well"  and  "rightly"  to  the 
\fyiis.  Thus  :  Tliou  sayest  icell,  for  I  am  a 
King.  Hengstenberg  and  Lampe  separate 
this  declaration  from  what  follows,  which 
they  interpret  exclusively  of  the  prophetic 
office  of  Jesus ;  but  the  tls  rodro  points  back- 
wards as  well  as  forwards,  and  our  Lord 
accepts  that  which  he  proceeds  to  explain 
as  his  royal  functions.  Westcott,  however, 
suys  that  Jesus  neither  accepts  nor  rejects 
the  title  of  King,  but  simply  reiterates 
Pilate's  words,  "  Thou  sayest  that  I  am  a 
King ;  I  will  proceed  to  explain  what  I  mean 
by  my  royal  mission."  Seeing,  however, 
that  our  Lord  had  already  implicitly  avowed 
Ms  kingly  state,  it  is  far  better  to  discern  in 
the  reply  an  acknowledgment  of  the  infer- 
ence which  Pilate  had  scornfully  drawn 
(see  parallel  method  of  answering  the  ques- 
tion, "Art  thou  the  Son  of  God?"  Luke 
xxii.  70,  "  Ye  say  that  1  am ; "  on  eyd  dfii 
comimred  with  Mark  xiv.  62).  This  is  the 
"  good  confession "  to  which  St.  Paul  re- 
ferred (1  Tim.  vi.  13).  This  is  the  assump- 
tion, before  the  tribunal  of  the  whole  world, 
that  he  was  and  would  for  ever  remain  its 
true  King.  To  this  end  have  I  been  bom. 
rfyfvvrjtiai  is  an  important  admission  of  his 
true  humanity,  which  Keiin  and  others  are 
unwilling  to  find  in  the  Fourth  Gospel.  And 
to  this  end  have  I  come  into  the  world. 
These  words  are  not  tautological.  In  the 
first  clause  he  asserts  his  birth  as  a  man,  in 
the  second  he  refers  to  tiic  state  of  being 
vshich  preceded  his  incarnation  (cf.  here 
ch.  xvi.  28,  note),  out  of  which  he  came, 
and  to  which  he  is  now  returning.  The 
being  "  born "  of  woman  is  one  fact,  the 
"coming  into  this  world"  is  another  which 
he  makes  antithetical  to  his  return  to  the 
Father.     'EA^Auflo,  present  perfect,  being 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xviii.  1—40. 


used  instead  of  ij\eov,  and  implies  that  his 
•'  coming  is  permanent  in  its  effects,  and  not 
simply  a  past  historic  fact  "  (Westcott).  In 
order  that  I  might  hear  witness  onto  the 
truth.  This  is  liis  supreme  claim.  There 
is  an  absolute  reality.  God's  way  of  thinking 
about  things  is  the  closest  approximation 
we  can  make  to  the  concept  of  "  truth  per  se." 
In  this  is  comprehended  all  the  reality 
of  the  Divine  nature  and  character  ;  all  that 
the  eternal  God  thinks  concerning  man  and 
the  laws  which  have  been  given  him,  and 
concerning  the  failure  of  man  to  realize 
God's  idea  of  what  he  ought  to  have  been ;  all 
the  absolute  fact,  just  as  it  really  is,  of  man's 
peril  and  his  prospects,  the  actual  relations 
between  body  and  spirit,  between  the  in- 
dividual and  the  community ;  all  man's 
positive  need  of  redemption ;  all  the  deep 
mystery  of  Christ's  own  Person  and  work. 
These  constitute  the  mighty  realm  of  thing.s, 
beings,  duties,  and  prospects,  which  we  call 
truth.  Jesus  said  he  had  been  bom  and 
]iad  come  into  the  world  in  order  to  bear 
witness  to  truth.  From  Jolin  the  Baptist's 
standpoint,  that  prophet  bore  witness  con- 
cerning the  light  (ch.i.  7,8),  and,  according 
to  the  range  of  his  vision,  he  too  (ch.  v.  33) 
bore  "  witness  to  the  truth  "  (i.e.  so  far  as 
he  knew  it)  of  the  Christ.  Our  Lord  now 
solemnly  declares  that  he  himself  came  to 
bear  witness  to  the  truth  in  all  its  amplitude. 
Hengstenberg  sees  in  these  words  simply 
a  reference  here  to  the  prophetic  office  of 
Christ ;  but  the  next  clause  shows  that  our 
Lord  is  actually  defining  by  this  claim  the 
extent  of  the  kingdom  that  is  "not  from 
hence "  or  from  this  world  as  its  origin. 
Every  one  that  is  of  the  truth  heareth  my 
voice.  To  "  hear  tlie  voice  "  is  to  obey  as  a 
supreme  authority  (ch.  x.  8,  16,  27),  and  the 
phrase  shows  Ijow  widely  the  thought  ranges. 
Every  mind  open  to  the  influence  of  truth, 
every  one  who  is  set  against  the  unrealities 
of  mere  opinion  or  tradition,  who  derives 
life  and  joy  from  the  realm  of  reality,  every 
one  who  therefore  knows  how  different  he 
might  be,  how  much  he  needs,  who  is  "  of 
God,"  as  the  Source  and  Beginning  and 
Ground  of  all  things.  Compare  here  the 
remarkable  parallel  to  this  sentiment,  ch. 
viii.  47 ;  and  also  the  words  of  the  high- 
priestly  prayer,  "  All  thine  are  mine,  and 
mine  are  thine,"  and  "  Those  whom  thou 
hast  given  me  are  thine ;  thine  they  were, 
and  thou  gavest  them  me."  The  same  large 
embrace  of  human  souls  is  conspicuous  here, 
Ever])  one  that  is  of  the  truth  heareth  the 
voice  of  Christ,  and  will  accept  his  authority 
as  final  and  supreme.  The  sublime  wit- 
ness to  the  truth  which  he  had  been  bearing, 
in  this  manifestation  of  the  Name  of  the 
Father,  would  make  the  voice  of  Jesus  the 
imperial  and  august  authority  for  all  who 


felt  how  much  they  needed  truth.  The 
Sanhedrists  said  that  "  truth  is  the  seal  of 
God,"  and  they  played  upon  the  word  riDK 
or  "  truth,"  by  making  it  equivalent  to  the 
first  and  middle  and  last  of  all  things,  seeing 
that  N,  D,  n,  are  the  first,  middle,  and  last  of 
the  letters  of  the  alphabet ! 

Ver.  38. — Pilate  saith  unto  him,  What  is 
truth  ?  The  aphorism  of  Lord  Bacon, 
"  '  What  is  truth  ? '  said  jesting  Pilate,  and 
did  not  wait  for  an  answer,"  scarcely  repre- 
sents the  reality  of  the  case.  Pilate  was  not 
scornfully  jesting  with  a  metaphysical  pro- 
blem, nor  professing  himself  hopelessly 
baffled  in  search  for  it.  The  language  was 
not  the  utterance  of  irrepressible  homage  to 
hismysterious'Prisoner,  or  heartfelt  sympathy 
with  him.  For  on  this  supposition  why  did 
he  not  wait  for  some  more  words  of  strange 
unearthly  wisdom  ?  Nor  does  he  go  so  far 
in  his  scepticism  as  Pliny  the  Elder  did 
when  he  said,  "  that  there  is  only  one  thing 
certain,  viz.  that  there  is  nothing  certain ; " 
but  as  a  man  of  the  world  having  to  do  with 
Eoman  authority  or  intrigue  and  Jewish 
fanaticism,  Pilate  despised  earnestness  and 
zeal,  and  was  utterly  unable  to  believe  in 
the  existence  of  a  world  or  region  where 
any  higher  reality  than  force  prevailed. 
But  the  governor  was  now,  with  his  narrow 
range  of  thought,  strongly  convinced  that 
Jesus  was  utterly  innocent  of  the  charge 
brought  against  him.  The  unanswered 
question  is  equivalent  to  this — What  has 
truth  to  do  with  kingship?  What  has  the 
vague  shadowy  region  over  which  this  poor 
king  reigns  to  do  with  plots  against  Caesar  ? 
He  saw  enough  to  induce  him  to  break  off 
the  interview  within  the  Prsetorium,  and  he 
proceeded,  though  vainly,  to  deliver  a  verdict 
on  the  case.  When  he  had  said  this,  he 
went  out  to  the  Jews,  and  said,  I  find  no 
crime  in  him.  Here,  liowever,  must  be  in- 
troduced the  scenes  described  by  Matthew, 
Mark,  and  especially  by  Luke — scenes  of 
loud  and  angry  dispute  and  renewed  and 
fierce  accusation  (Matt,  xxvii.  12 — 14;  Mark 
XV.  3 — 5 ;  Luke  xxiii.  4—12).  In  all  three 
accounts,  after  the  admission  that  he  was 
King  of  the  Jews,  the  loud,  fierce  accusations 
followed  in  which  our  Lord,  notwithstanding 
the  repeated  summons  of  Pilate,  "  answered 
nothing."  At  this  the  governor  marvelled 
greatly  (Matthew  and  Mark).  It  is  not  im- 
possible that  the  first  question  which  Pilate 
put  to  him  within  the  Praetorium  was  re- 
newed and  laconically  answered  with  the 
Su  Xiyns,  as  before ;  but  all  the  wild  roar  of 
the  chief  priests  and  people  could  extract 
nothing  more.  This  silence  in  face  of  the 
accusation  of  the  mob  astonished  Pilate, 
and  made  him  more  than  ever  convinced  of 
the  innocence  of  his  Prisoner.  B.  Weiss 
shows  conclusively  how  much    light  this 


cu.  XVIII.  1—40.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


397 


interview  with  Pilate  throws  on  the  synoptic 
narrative ;  tliat,  in  fact,  Pih\to'3  whole  con- 
duct is  only  explicable  on  the  supposition 
that  he  had  received  cogent  reasons  to  dis- 
arm all  political  mistrust  (.see  '  Lilo  of  Jesus,' 
vol.  iii.  pp.  348,  349).  Westcott  says,  "  It  is 
of  great  interest  to  compare  this  confession 
before  Pilate  with  tiie  cornsponding  con- 
fession before  the  high  priest  (Matt.  xxvi. 
64).  The  one  addressed  to  the  Jews  is  in 
the  language  of  prophecy,  the  other  addressed 
to  a  lloman  appeals  to  tiie  verdict  of 
universal  conscience.  The  one  speaks  of  a 
future  manifestation  of  glory,  the  other  of  a 
present  manifestation  oi  trutU." 

Vers.  39,  40.— (c)  [Without  the  Prae- 
toriuni.]  The  Roman  trial  continued  without 
the  Frxtorium,  where  Pilate  declared  Christ 
innocent,  and  made  another  effort  to  save 
him.  The  Barabbas-proposal.  Before  the 
scene  which  John  here  introduces  with  a 
but — as  though  it  followed  immediately 
upon  the  utterance  of  a  verdict  of  acciuittul 
— Luke  tells  us  that  casual  leference  was 
made  to  the  circumstance  that  Jesus  was  a 
Galilaean,  and  was  in  Herod's  jurisdiction. 
Eager  to  quit  himself  of  a  troublesome 
presence  and  business,  Pilate  caught  at  the 
expedient  of  sending  Jesus  at  once  to  the 
court  of  Herod  (Luke  xxiii.  6 — 12).  This 
issuing  in  no  result  except  in  fresh  and 
hideous  mockery  of  the  King  of  kings,  and 
in  a  renewed  protestation  of  his  innocence 
and  harmlessness,  so  far  as  the  Il.)man 
Pilate  or  the  Herodian  tetrarch  could  dis- 
cover, Pilate  oflfered  to  scourge  the  Son  of 
God,  and  release  him.  The  utter  meanness 
and  cowardice  of  his  offer  to  aild  ignomi- 
nious pain  and  insult  to  the  brutal  mockeries 
of  Herod  and  his  sohliers,  brands  Pilate 
with  eternal  shame.  As  soon  as  the  word 
"  release  "  broke  upon  their  ears,  there  was 
a  reminder  from  the  people  that  Pilate 
should  follow  at  the  feast  the  custom  for 
some  time  in  vogue,  of  releasing  a  prisoner. 
Now,  there  was  a  notorious  criminal,  who 
had  stirred  up  a  bloody  insurrection  in  the 
city,  one  which  had  resulted  in  murder. 
He  may  have  been  popular  among  the  ve- 
hement anti-imperial  party  for  some  setlitious 
proceedings  against  constituted  authorities ; 
ho  may,  iu  fact,  really  have  been  guilty  of 
the  very  charge  brouglit  wickedly  against 
the  holy  Jesus.  This  is  only  conjecture. 
But  there  he  stood — Barabbas,  and,  according 
to  some  manuscripts,  "  Jesus  "  also  by  name, 
*'  Son  of  the  Father,"  but  a  violent  man,  a 
\r](TTiis,  stained  with  crime,  whether  he  were 
a  Gaulonite  or  not.  The  notion  of  releas- 
ing Barabbas,  in  accordance  with  a  time- 
honoured  custom,  did,  according  to  Luke, 
originate  first  of  all  with  some  of  the  people  ; 
and  this  apparent  difference  between  the 
iynoptic  narrative  and  John's  is  represented 


and  referred  to  in  this  Gospel  by  the  intro- 
duction of  a  iraKtv  (vor.  40).  For  although 
John  does  not  mention  the  first  attempt  to 
secure  the  safety  of  Barabbas,  ho  imj)lied 
that  the  hifernal  shout,  "  Not  this  Man,  but 
Barabbas ! "  had  already  Ijurst  upon  his 
ears,  and  was  repeated  so  soon  as  Pilate 
had  exclaimed,  as  John  briefly  reports,  Ye 
have  a  cnstom,  that  I  should  release  unto 
you  one  at  the  Passover  (or,  Kard  Si  fopr-nv, 
IMaik  XV.  0).  Wo  know  nothing  of  the 
origin  of  this  "  custom,"  n^r  is  it  elsewhere 
referied  to.  The  two  clas.ses  into  which 
critics  are  divided  about  the  "  day  of  our 
Lord's  death,"  here  take  opposite  views  as 
to  tiie  meaning  of  tlie  phrase,  fv  rS  irdffxa. 
The  one  class  press  the  fart  that  the  Paschal 
meal  must  be  over,  and  that  this  must  have 
been  the  first  day  of  unleavened  bread,  in 
order  to  justify  this  expression ;  the  other 
critics  urge  tliat  since  the  feast  had  not 
commenced,  Pilate  was  prcj)ared  to  grant 
release  in  time  for  Barabbas  to  tnke  his 
place  with  his  friends  in  all  the  national 
ceremonies.  The  phrase,  according  to  Meyer 
and  others,  is  so  indelinite  that  it  may 
most  certainly  belong  to  both  the  14th  and 
loth  days  of  Nisan,  and  no  conclusive  argu. 
ment  can,  from  its  use,  be  drawn  in  favour  of 
either  day.  Will  ye  therefore  that  I  release 
unto  you  the  King  of  the  Jews?  Again 
therefore  they  cried  all,  Not  this  Man,  but 
Barabbas !  Now  Barabbas  was  a  robber. 
Possibly  Pilate  wished  to  find  out  whether 
among  the  oxAoy  there  were  any  sympathizers 
with  Jesus,  who  miglit  be  gratified  at  the 
expense  of  the  hated  priests;  for  he  "knew 
that  by  reason  of  envy  they  had  delivered  up 
Jesus  to  him."  He  wislied  to  set  tiie  multi- 
tude and  the  priesthood  at  variance,  and  to 
save  Jesus  through  their  mutual  recrimi- 
nations. He  would  have  made  a  diversion 
in  favour  of  his  Prisoner.  He  adroitly 
suspected  that  some  of  the  surging  crowd 
might  have  been  the  friends  or  accomplices 
of  Jesus,  and  he  would  have  been  gratified 
to  free  himself  from  the  responsibility  of 
slaying  an  innocent  man.  Tlie  phraseology 
of  Mark  suggests  that  Pilate  would  have 
been  justified  in  such  a  conjecture,  for  a 
momentary  pause  occurred.  There  were 
some  symptoms  of  wavering  in  the  crowd. 
But  the  suggestions  of  the  chief  priests  passed 
to  the  people.  Matthew  (xxvii.  20)  s;iys,  "  The 
chief  priests  and  elders  persuaded  (lirejo-av) 
the  multitudes  that  they  should  demand 
Barabbas,  and  destroy  Jesus."  They  needed 
some  persuasion,  then !  but, alas !  they  yielded 
to  it.  Mark  (xv.  11)  is  still  more  explicit : 
"  The  chief  priests  stirred  up  the  people  (avt- 
atiaav),  in  order  that  he  might  release  Barab- 
bas unto  them."  The  double  phrase  sets 
forth,  in  vivid  touches,  the  eager  circulation 
to  and  fro  among  the  crowda  of  the  hot- 


398 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvui.  1— 40. 


headed  and  malignant  priests  and  elders, 
who  thus  secured,  not  without  some  diffi- 
culty, a  popular  confirmation  of  their  ma- 
lignant scheme.  "  Not  this  Man,  but 
Bababbas  ! "  was  the  repeated  cry  of  a 
stupefied  crowd.  The  memory  of  all  the 
gracious  words  and  life-giving  actions  of 
Jesus  did  not  subdue  the  raging  passion  of 
their  lust ;  they  could  neither  see  with  their 
eyes,  nor  hear  with  their  ears,  nor  under- 
stand with  their  hearts.  The  light  that 
was  in  them  was  darkened.  They  preferred 
tliat  a  murderer  should  be  granted  to  them. 
«'  Not  this  Man,  but  Barabbas !  "  is  their 
verdict.  Human  power  and  popular  feeling 
and  corporate  conscience  reached  the  bot- 
tomless abyss  of  degradation.  Jerusalem 
that  killed  the  prophets  would  have  none 
of  him.  Even  human  nature  itself  must 
bear  the  shame  which  by  this  cry  for  ven- 
geance against  goodness  was  branded  upon 
its  brow  for  ever.  Through  this  daemonic 
hatred  of  the  noblest  and  the  best,  mani- 
fested by  the  world,  the  world  is  itself  con- 
demned. "  Who  is  he,"  said  John  after- 
wards, "  that  overcometh  the  world  ?  Even 
he  who  believeth  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of 
God."  The  world  has  made  its  Sesostris, 
its  Tiberius,  its  Nero,  its  Antiuoiis,  into 
sons  of  God  ;  the  world  has  ever  cried, "  Not 
this  Man" — not  Jesus  of  Nazareth — but 
"Jesus  Barabbas  is  son  of  God."  It  will 
find  out  its  mistake  too  late. 

The  synoptic  narrative  (Matt,  xxvii.  19 — 
23 ;  Mark  xv.  12—14 ;  Luke  xxiii.  20—23)- 
had  already  made  the  Church  familiar  with 
other  details  more  or  less  connected  with 
this  incident,  and  which  preceded  the  final 
sentence.  John,  who  followed  his  Master 
as  closely  as  possible,  was  acquainted  with 
some  interesting  facts,  full  of  suggestion, 
which  throw  additional  light  upon  the  con- 
duct of  Pilate,  and  bring  forth  some  sublime 
traits  in  the  character  and  bearing  of  our  Lord. 
From  the  synoptists  we  learn  that  Pilate 
struggled  for  some  considerable  time  to  get 
his  own  way,  and  he  remonstrated  repeatedly 
with  the  people  concerning  their  choice  of 
Barabbas,  the  murderer  and  brigand,  and 
their  refusal  to  recall  their  malignant  de- 
liverance of  Jesus  to  him  as  a  malefactor. 
The  bare  idea  that  this  gentle,  silent,  mag- 
nanimous Sufferer,  bereft  of  his  friends, 
mocked  by  Herod,  deserted  by  his  disciples, 
should  have  the  faintest  shadow  of  a  claim  to 
sovereignty  in  the  only  sense  in  which  Pilate 
could  understand  such  an  idea,  revolted  his 
common  sense.  The  message  from  his  wife 
(Matt,  xxvii.  19)  had  furthermore  excited  his 


semi-superstitious  fears,  and  he  maundered 
in  a  feeble  fashion,  "  What  shall  I  do  with 
Jesus  that  is  called  Christ?" — "with  him 
whom  ye  say  is  (accused  of  being)  King  of 
the  Jews  ? ''  and  for  the  first  time  the  omi- 
nous and  terrible  cry  is  returned,  "  Cri'- 
ciFY  HIM ! "  They  do  not  ask  that  he  be 
speared  or  beheaded,  or  treated  like  a  con- 
victed aspirant  or  usurper ;  nay,  they  will 
not  be  pacified  until  the  doom  of  a  common 
malefactor,  the  shameful  death  of  a  criminal 
slave,  is  meted  out  to  him.  Pilate  is 
amazed,  and  even  horrified,  by  the  intensity 
of  their  spite  and  the  cruelty  of  their  hatred. 
Once  and  again  Pilate  said,  "  Why,  wh;it 
evil  has  he  done  ?  I  found  in  him  no  proved 
occasion  of  any  kind  of  death."  The  tu- 
mult was  rising  every  moment,  and  Pilate 
would  have  been  glad  to  compromise  the 
matter  by  sending  Barabbas  to  the  cross ; 
and  before  he  took  the  course  dictated  by 
the  angry  mob,  he  washed  his  hands  in  a 
basin  of  water,  and  proclaimed  the  fact 
that  he  had,  and  would  take,  no  responsi- 
bility for  the  judicial  murder  to  which 
they  would  hound  him.  "  I  am  guiltless  of 
the  blood  of  this  Man :  see  you  to  it "  (Matt, 
xxvii.  24,  25).  Many  commentators  refer 
this  proceeding  of  Pilate  to  the  moment 
when  he  finally  uttered  the  cursed  verdict : 
Ihis  ad  crucem.  Matthew's  act-ount  is  much 
more  concise  at  this  point  than  John's. 
Heathen  writers  had  repeatedly  scofied  at 
the  notion  of  water  washing  away  the  guilt 
of  blood.  We  can  hardly  suppose  that  Pilate 
meant  more  than  a  disdainful  repudiation  of 
any  sympathy  with  the  infuriated  crowd  (see 
Steinmeyer).  This  act,  instead  of  appeasing, 
served  to  madden  the  fury  of  the  populace, 
who  shouted  in  bitter  earnest,  "  His  blood 
be  upon  us,  and  upon  our  children " — a 
sentence  of  their  own,  which  rankled  in 
their  memories,  and  came  back  a  few  months 
afterwards  with  grim  earnestness  (Acts  v. 
28).  "Then,"  says  St.  Matthew,  "Pilate 
released  Barabbas  to  them."  To  do  this, 
the  governor  would  return  to  the  Praetorium, 
and  Jesus  was  thus  once  more  face  to  face 
with  him.  Probably  the  gorgeous  robe 
which  Herod  had  thrown  over  his  fettered 
limbs  had  been  taken  from  him ;  and  then 
Pilate,  bewildered,  weak,  with  some  ulterior 
motive  of  staving  ofi"  the  madness  of  the 
Jews,  and  satiating  their  inhuman  thirst 
for  blood,  adopted  another  expedient. 


CH.  xvm.  1— 40.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  39D 


HOMILETICS. 

Vers.  1 — 11. — The  apprehension  of  Jesus.     The  crisis  has  come  at  last. 

I.  The  scene  of  the  arkest.  "  He  went  forth  with  liis  disciples  over  the  brook 
Kedron,  where  was  a  garden,  into  which  he  entered,  and  his  disciples."  1.  TJie  garden 
wat  on  the  slope  of  Mount  Olivet,  and  there/ore  outside  Jerusalem.  2.  He  did  not  resort 
to  it  for  the  purpose  of  hiding  himself  from  his  enemies  ;  for  Judas,  the  traitor,  knew 
the  place.  It  was  to  be  the  scene  of  his  prayers  and  his  ao;onies.  Its  name  was  Gcth- 
semane.  3.  It  belonged,  evidently,  to  some  friend  or  disciple  of  Jesus;  for  it  was  a 
frequent  meeting-place  for  Jesus  and  the  disciples.  4.  2Tie  thought  (f  the  garden,  as 
the  beginning  of  the  Lord's  Passion,  links  itself  by  natural  association  with  the  garden 
of  Eden,  the  scene  of  the  Fall  of  man,  which  made  the  Passion  necessary. 

II.  The  arrival  of  the  band.  "Judas  then,  having  received  the  band,  with 
officers  from  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees,  cometh  thither  with  lanterns  and  torches 
and  arms."  1.  Judas  is  the  leading  actor  in  this  scene.  2.  The  combination  of  the 
Roman  soldiers  with  the  police  of  the  Sanhedrin  marks  the  share  of  Jew  atid  Qentile  in 
the  transaction  which  culminated  in  the  scene  of  Calvary.  3.  The  use  of  lights  at  a 
time  vjhen  the  full  moon  was  in  the  sky  suggested  the  fear  that  Jesus  might  try  to  escape 
arrest  in  the  dark  comers  of  the  garden. 

III.  The  meeting  of  Jesus  with  the  band.  "  Jesus  therefore,  knowing  all  that 
should  happen  to  him,  went  forth,  and  said  to  them.  Whom  seek  ye  ?  "  1.  There  was 
a  Divine  necessity  recognized  in  our  Lord's  action  ;  for  he  foresaw  all  the  events  of  the 
Passion  as  occurring,  not  through  the  mere  malice  of  men,  but  by  the  foreordination  of 
God.  2.  He  doi-s  not  allow  this  foreknowledge  to  paralyze  his  action  or  disturb  the 
quietude  of  his  soul.  3.  His  question,  "Whom  seek  yeV  implies  that  it  was  not  man's 
power,  but  his  own  permission,  which  brought  his  sutt'erings  upon  him.  4.  I'he  effect  of 
his  statement,  "  I  am  he"  (Jesus  the  Nazarene),  is  astounding.  (1)  Whether  it  was  due 
to  natural  or  to  supernatural  causes,  his  presence  had  an  overwhelming  effect  upon  the 
band.  "  They  went  backward,  and  fell  to  the  ground."  (2)  His  word  was  not  an 
angry  word  ;  but  Judas  may  have  led  the  band  to  suppose  that  Jesus  might  make  a 
marvellous  display  of  his  power.  (3)  The  scene  suggests  fear,  awe,  veneration,  and  not 
the  display  of  force.  (4)  It  suggested  to  the  disciples  that  the  band  fulfilled  its  com- 
mission by  Christ's  own  consent.  5.  Jesus  pleads  for  his  disciples.  "I  have  told  you 
that  I  am  he  :  if  therefore  ye  seek  me,  let  these  go  their  way."  (1)  It  was  necessary 
for  the  purposes  of  his  kingdom  that  the  apostles  should  be  spared.  (2)  They  were  not 
yet  in  a  condition  spiritually  to  die  with  their  Lord.     They  all  deserted  Christ  at  last. 

(3)  It  was  needful  that  he  should  suffer  alone.     He  was  to  "  tread  the  winepress  alone." 

(4)  His  care  for  the  disciples  was  in  fulfilment  of  prophecy.  "That  the  saying  might 
be  fulfilled,  which  he  spake.  Of  them  which  thou  gavest  me  have  I  lost  none."  Their 
temporal  preservation  was  to  involve  a  great  and  more  blessed  realization  of  spiritual 
deliverance. 

IV.  Peter's  attempt  at  defence.  "  Then  Simon  Peter  having  a  sword  drew  it, 
and  smote  the  high  priest's  servant,  and  cut  off  his  right  ear."  1.  The  action  of  the 
apostle,  so  characteristic  of  his  impulsive  nature,  was  the  proof  of  love,  zeal,  faith,  and 
sincerity.  2.  Our  Lord  condemns  his  action.  (1)  He  healed  the  ear  of  Malchus,  and 
thus  saved  Peter  from  arrest.  (2)  He  shows  that  there  is  no  warrant  for  irregular 
actions  or  for  rash  zeal.  (3)  Peter's  conduct  threatened  to  compromise  our  Lord,  who 
was  in  a  few  hours  to  assure  Pilate,  "  If  my  kingdom  were  of  this  world,  then  would  my 
servants  fight."  (4)  Our  Lord  recognized  in  his  coming  Passion  the  bitter  cup  that  his 
Father  designed  for  him.  "  The  cup  which  my  Father  hath  given  me,  shall  I  not 
drink  it  ?  "     He  drank  it  willingly. 

Vers.  12 — 24. — Jesus  before  Annas  and  Caiaphas.  The  ecclesiastical  trial  comes 
first.  Owing  to  the  relation  between  Annas  and  Caiaphas,  they  probably  dwelt  in  the 
same  house,  and  there  may  have  been  an  informal  trial  by  Annas  before  the  acting 
high  priest,  Caiaphas,  investigated  the  case  of  Jesus. 

I.  'J'he  inquiry  of  Caiaphas.  "The  high  priest  then  asked  Jesus  of  his  disciples, 
and  of  his  doctrine."     1.   The  object  was  to  extras  from  the  lips  of  Jesus  some  answer 


400  THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ce.  xvni.  1— 40. 

that  might  become  the  ground  of  his  condemnation.  2.  TJie  high  priest  was  anxious 
to  ascertain  the  number  of  Christ's  disciples  and  the  principles  of  his  teaching. 

II.  The  akswer  of  Jesus.  "I  spake  openly  to  the  world;  I  ever  taught  in  open 
synagogue,  and  in  the  temple,  whither  all  the  Jews  resort ;  and  in  secret  nave  I  said 
nothing."     1.  He  does  not  ansiuer  the  inquiry  concerning  his  disciples,  whose  safety  he 

fears  to  compromise.  2.  He  protests  the  entire  publicity  of  his  teaching.  3.  There  was 
nothing  secret  or  esoteric  in  his  doctrine.  He  taught  publicly  what  he  taught  secretly. 
The  disciples  were  charged  to  proclaim  on  the  housetops  what  they  heard  in  the  ear 
(Matt.  X.  27).  4.  He  demands  a  formal  trial,  and  the  summoning  of  witnesses. 
•'  Why  askest  thou  me  ?  ask  them  which  heard  me,  what  I  have  said  unto  them." 

III.  The  first  act  of  violence  and  insult  offered  to  the  Saviour.  "And 
when  he  had  thus  spoken,  one  of  the  officers  which  stdod  by  struck  Jesus  with  the 
palm  of  his  hand,  saying,  Answerest  thou  the  high  priest  so?"  1.  Jesus  had  done 
nothing  to  justfy  this  rude  assault ;  for  in  his  answer  he  was  only  using  the  liberty  the 
Law  allowed  him.  He  was,  as  always,  an  innocent  Sufferer.  2.  Our  Lord's  answer  was 
a  gentle  reproof  of  public  injustice.  "  If  I  have  spoken  evil,  bear  witness  of  the  evil : 
but  if  well,  why  smitest  thou  me?"  (1)  He  does  not  smite  the  officer  dead  by  his 
power,  but  remonstrates  against  injury.  (2)  Though  he  does  not  avenge  the  insult, 
he  will  vindicate  his  own  conduct.  We  therefore  infer  (a)  that  it  is  not  wrong  to 
defend  our  innocence  or  good  name ;  (h)  that  there  is  no  inconsistency  between  our 
Lord's  action  in  this  case  and  his  counsel  in  the  sermon  on  the  mount :  "  If  they  smite 
thee  on  one  cheek,  turn  the  other  also."  This  condemns  revenge,  but  does  not  silence 
us  in  the  presence  of  wrong.  Our  Lord's  own  practice,  therefore,  explains  his  precept 
(Matt.  V.  39). 

Vers.  15 — 18,  25 — 27. — The  three  denials  of  Peter.  After  all  the  disciples  had  fled, 
some,  like  John  and  Peter,  returned  to  the  scene  of  our  Lord's  last  trials.  This  fact 
must  be  remembered  to  Peter's  credit. 

I.  The  historical  circumstances  of  Peter's  fall.  1.  The  first  circumstance 
was  his  introduction  into  the  court  of  the  high  priest  by  John.  This  brought  him- into 
dangerous  association  with  Christ's  enemies.  2.  The  second  was  his  recognitionby  those 
who  had  seen  him  in  the  garden  at  the  time  of  our  lord's  arrest.  3.  The  third  was  his 
Oalilsean  accent.  4.  The  fourth  was  the  injury  he  had  done  with  the  sword  to  Malchus. 
There  was  thus  a  combination  of  fear  and  presumption  in  his  presence  among  Christ's 
enemies. 

II.  Peter's  fall.  The  denial  of  Christ  was  :  1.  A  serious  crime,  regarded  by  itself 
and  its  repetition,  and  in  the  light  of  the  warning  that  preceded  it,  and  the  oaths  and 
the  curses  that  followed  it.  It  was  a  crime  full  of  ingratitude,  cowardice,  and  lies. 
2.  Mark  the  peculiarity  of  this  crime.  (1)  Consider  it  in  the  light  of  Peter's  calling. 
(a)  He  was  an  apostle,  a  chosen  "  fisher  of  men."  (6)  He  was  admitted  to  the  closest 
intimacy  with  our  blessed  Lord,  and  honoured  with  his  deepest  confidence  and  affection. 
He  might  well  say,  "  To  whom  shall  we  go  but  unto  thee  ?  Thou  hast  the  words  of 
eternal  life."  (2)  Consider  Peter's  crime  in  the  light  of  his  circumstances,  and  his 
transgression  is  somewhat  extenuated,  (a)  He  had  passed  the  previous  night  in 
watching.  He  was  nervous  and  excited  from  the  want  of  sleep,  as  well  as  from  the 
prospect  of  losing  the  best  of  Masters.  (6)  He  was  deserted  by  the  other  apostles,  who 
were  scattered  everywhere.  Peter's  courage  was  of  that  character  that  rises  when  the 
danger  is  to  be  encountered  with  surrounding  circumstances  of  sympathy,  (c)  The 
personal  help  of  Jesfis  was,  besides,  now  suddenly  withdrawn,  (d)  His  attack  upon 
Malchus  weakened  his  courage.  When  a  man  does  a  wrong  thing  or  takes  up  a  wrong 
position,  he  is  from  that  moment  a  weaker  man.  (e)  He  did  not  yet  comprehend  the 
necessity  of  Christ's  death.  "  Far  be  it  from  thee."  He  was  not,  therefore,  himself  in 
a  position  to  die.  (3)  Consider  Peter's  crime  in  the  light  of  his  character,  and  it  is 
easily  explained.  He  was  (a)  confident  and  zealous,  but  (b)  wanting  in  firmness  and 
resolution.     His  character  was  a  curious  mixture  of  courage  and  fear. 

III.  Peter  roused  from  the  slumber  of  his  conscience.  The  crowing  of  the 
cock,  and  our  Lord's  look,  awakened  him  to  his  true  state.  The  look  had  a  penetrative 
force  in  his  soul.  1.  It  was  a  look  of  lasting  remembrance.  "  Did  I  not  tell  thee  that 
thou  wouldst  deny  me  ?  "     2.  It  was  a  look  of  inward  sorrow.     "  Is  this  thy  sympathy 


CH.  XVIII.  1—40.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  401 

for  thy  Friend?"  3.  It  was  a  look  of  bhssed  consolation.  "I  have  prayed  for  thee^ 
that  thy  faith  fail  not."  4.  Jt  tvas  a  look  that,  perhaps,  gave  a  timely  hint  to  tit* 
apostle  to  depart  at  once  from  the  scene  of  danger. 

IV.  The  EFFECTS  OF  Peter's  FALL.  \.  He  went  out,  andwcpthitterly.  (1)  Solitude 
was  the  only  resource  after  such  a  crisis.  (2)  The  flow  of  penitential  tears,  so  homoui- 
ing  to  Jesus,  would  be  refreshing  to  the  apostle.  2.  Ills  fall  made  him  humHe  and 
sympathizing  and  consolatory  in  his  relations  with  the  Church.  His  Epistles  contain 
traces  of  the  effects  of  his  fall  and  bis  restoration. 

Ver.  28 — ch.  xix.  16. — The  trial  before  Pilate.  This  was  the  civil  investigation 
following  the  ecclesiastical.  Tlie  Sauhedriu  wanted  Pilate  simply  to  ratify  the  sentence 
of  death  they  bad  pronounced  upon  Christ. 

I.  The  eakly  resort  to  Pilate.  "  Then  led  they  Jesus  from  Caiaphas  unto  the 
ball  of  judgment:  and  it  was  early;  and  they  themselves  went  not  into  the  judgmeot- 
ball,  lest  they  should  be  defiled  ;  that  they  might  eat  the  Passover."  1.  The  Sanhedrin 
were  eager  for  the  destruction  of  Jesus,  and  therefore  sought  Pilate  at  an  unusually 
early  hour  of  the  morning.  Their  eagerness  led  them  to  disresiird  the  law  that  did  not 
allow  sentence  and  execution  to  occur  on  the  same  day.  2.  They  were  obliged  to  seek 
Pilate's  intervention  ;  for  the  Romans  had  deprived  the  Jews  of  the  right  of  inflicting 
capital  punishment.  They  might  sentence  Jesus  to  death  ;  it  was  for  Pilate  to  execute 
the  sentence.  3.  Mark  their  hypocrisy.  They  feared  the  defilenient  of  approachinn'  a 
Gentile  tribunal,  but  they  did  not  shrink  from  the  greater  defilement  of  shedding 
innocent  blood. 

II.  The  first  phase  of  the  civil  procedure.  The  Jews  want  their  sentence  on 
Jesus  confirmed  without  examination.  "If  he  were  not  a  malefactor,  we  would  not 
have  delivered  him  up  unto  thee."  They  had  judged  Jesus ;  it  was  for  Pilate  to  act 
the  part  of  the  executioner.  1.  Pilate's  attempt  to  evade  this  demand.  "  Take  ye  him, 
and  judge  him  according  to  your  Law."  The  Jews  still  had  the  right  of  excom- 
munication and  scourging,  but  not  of  inflicting  capital  punishment.  Pilate  imagined 
that  they  would  be  content  with  the  exercise  of  such  inferior  punishment  as  remained 
to  them.  2.  TJie  Jews  parried  the  thrust  by  declaring,  in  effect,  that  nothing  but  the 
capital  sentence  would  satisfy  them,.  "  It  is  nut  lawful  for  us  to  put  any  man  to 
death."  This  language  implied  their  dependence  on  Pilate  for  carrying  out  the 
sentence.  3.  This  fact  led  to  the  fulfilment  of  our  Lord's  own  prophecy.  "That  the 
saying  of  Jesus  might  be  fulfilled,  which  he  spake,  signifying  what  death  he  should 
die."  (1)  Crucifixion  was  not  a  Jewish,  but  a  Roman  punishment.  If  the  Jews  had 
been  their  own  masters  in  Palestine,  Jesus  would  have  been  stoned,  and  not  "lifted 
up  from  the  earth  "  (ch.  xii.  32).  (2)  The  Gentile  as  well  as  the  Jew  must  have 
a  share  in  the  greatest  crime  in  all  history.  This  was  to  fulfil  Christ's  own  words  that 
"  he  should  be  delivered  to  the  Gentiles,  and  be  crucified"  (Matt.  xx.  19). 

III.  The  second  phase  of  the  civil  procedure.  The  Jews  frame  a  political  accu- 
sation. "Art  thou  the  King  of  the  Jews?"  He  had  made  himself  a  King !  1.  The 
question  of  Pilate  implies  a  charge  on  the  part  of  the  accusers  as  having  given  rise  to  it. 
The  Jews  said,  "  We  found  him  perverting  the  nation,  and  forbidding  to  give  tribute 
unto  Cfesar,  saying  that  he  is  Christ  the  King"  (Luke  xxiii.  2).  2.  It  was  a  question 
which  admitted  of  two  very  different  ansiuers.  (1)  Jesus  could  have  repudiated  the 
kingship  in  the  Roman  sense.  (2)  He  could  not  have  repudiated  it  in  the  religious 
sense  without  disclaiming  the  Messiahship.  3.  Our  Lord's  method  of  answering 
Pilate's  inquiry.  "  Sayest  thou  this  thing  of  thyself,  or  did  others  tell  it  thee  of 
me  ? "  Everything  dejiended  in  the  answer  upon  the  fact  whether  it  issued  from 
Jewish  or  from  Gentile  lips.  Jesus  acted  wisely  ;  he  neither  affirms  nor  denies  any- 
thing. 4.  Pilate's  hasty  and  contemptuous  rejoinder.  "  Am  I  a  Jew  ?  Thine  own 
nation  and  the  chief  priests  have  delivered  thee  unto  me:  what  hast  thou  done?" 
What  crime  have  you  committed  ?  5.  Our  Lord's  answer  is  at  once  an  admission  and 
a  denial  of  kingship,  according  as  the  standi)oint  of  interpretation  is  Gentile  or  Jewish. 
"  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world  :  if  my  kingdom  were  of  this  world,  then  would  my 
servants  fight,  that  I  should  not  be  delivered  to  the  Jews  :  but  now  is  my  kingdom 
not  from  hence."  (I)  His  kingdom  does  not  derive  its  origin  from  earth,  though  hero 
it  has  its  historical  development.    (2)  Jesus  makes  no  concession  to  the  zealots  who 

JOIIN. — u.  2  D 


402  THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xviii.  1—40. 


looked  for  a  temporal  kingdom  of  the  Messiah.  (3)  His  kingdom,  as  essentially 
spiritual,  was  not  to  be  promoted  by  violence  or  force.  (4)  The  weapons  of  his  warfare 
were  taken  from  the  armoury  of  truth.  "  To  this  end  was  I  born,  and  for  this  canse 
came  I  into  the  world,  that  I  should  bear  witness  unto  the  truth."  (a)  The  revelation 
of  God  is  the  true  sceptre  in  Christ's  hands  ;  as  unlike  as  possible  to  the  methods  of 
Roman  rule.  Truth  is  the  realm  of  Christ,  (b)  The  subjects  of  this  realm  are  all  who 
hear  the  truth.  "  Every  one  that  is  of  truth  heareth  my  voice."  "  The  spiritual  man 
judgeth  all  things."  6.  Pilate's  contemptuous  dismissal  of  the  whole  subjict.  "  What 
is  truth  ?  "  (1)  This  question  was  not  the  expression  of  a  genuine  quest  after  truth  ; 
(2)  nor  the  despair  of  a  spirit  that  had  failed  to  discover  it  among  the  philosophies  of 
his  time ;  (3)  but  the  cynical  and  frivolous  suggestion  of  a  sceptical  spirit.  (4)  He 
had  the  opportunity  now  of  learning  all  about  the  truth,  but  he  hastily  closed  the 
interview  with  the  Prisoner  at  his  bar.  "  He  went  out  again  unto  the  Jews,  and  said 
to  them,  I  find  in  him  no  fault  at  all."  Nothing  certainly  to  warrant  the  political 
accusation  of  the  Jews.  But  he  acted  an  illogical  and  time-serving  part.  He  ought  at 
once  to  have  dismissed  Jesus  from  his  bar.  (5)  Pilate  makes  a  fresh  effort  to  save 
Christ  without  offending  the  Jews.  "  Ye  have  a  custom,  that  I  should  release  unto 
you  one  at  the  Passover :  will  ye  therefore  that  I  release  unto  you  the  King  of  the 
Jews?"  (a)  Pilate  presumed  upon  a  popular  reaction  in  Christ's  favour,  (b)  But  the 
chief  priests  were  masters  of  the  situation.  Barabbas,  a  robber,  was  chosen,  and  Christ 
left  for  crucifixion.  (6)  Pilate  makes  a  fresh  effort  to  save  Christ.  "  Then  Pilate  took 
Jesus,  and  scourged  him."  (a)  He  hoped  in  this  way  to  avert  the  extreme  punishment 
by  conciliating  the  less  violent  of  Christ's  enemies,  and  awakening  the  compassion  of 
the  populace.  But  he  utterly  miscalculated  the  fierceness  of  Jewish  fanaticism,  (b) 
The  parody  of  Jewish  royalty — the  crown  of  thorns,  the  purple  robe,  the  "  Hail,  King 
of  the  Jews !  " — was  the  scornful  act  of  the  Roman  soldiers,  who  wished  to  pour  con- 
tempt upon  the  Messianic  hopes  of  a  people  they  despised.  (7)  Pilate's  further,  but 
weaker,  efforts  to  save  Christ.  "  Behold,  I  bring  him  forth  to  you,  that  ye  may  know 
that  I  find  no  fault  in  him."  "Behold  the  Man!"  (a)  There  is  a  tone  of  pity  and 
respect  in  Pilate's  words,  which  meets  no  response  among  the  Jews.  (6)  The  chief 
priests  and  officers  demand  his  crucifixion.  "They  cried  out,  saying,  Crucify  him! 
crucify  him ! "  The  name  of  the  cross  is  now  mentioned  for  the  first  time,  and  by 
Jewish  lips.  Concessions  had  only  made  them  bolder.  Pilate  could  not  now  resist 
their  extreme  demands. 

IV.  The  third  phase  of  the  civil  proceduee — the  EELiGiors  accusation.  "  The 
Jews  answered  him,  We  have  a  law,  and  by  our  law  he  ought  to  die,  because  he  made 
himself  the  Son  of  God."  1.  Tlie  Jeivs  point  to  the  article  of  their  code  which  punishes 
blasphemy  loith  death,  and  demand  Filatts  execution  of  their  sentence.  2.  The  charge 
wan  true.  Jesus  was,  indeed,  the  Son  of  God.  3.  The  charge  had  a  startling  effect  upon 
the  h'llf-sctptical,  half-superstitious  natxire  of  Pilate.  "  When  Pilate  therefore  heard 
that  saying,  he  was  the  more  afraid."  He  asked  Jesus,  "Whence  art  thou?"  (1) 
This  is  not  a  question  respecting  his  earthly  origin.  Pilate  knew  perfectly  that  he  was 
a  Galilajan.  (2)  It  is  a  question  as  to  whether  he  is  a  Divine  Being  who  had  appeared 
on  earth.  4.  Jesus  gives  no  ansiver  to  the  question.  (1)  Because  it  is  asked  in  pure 
curiosity.  (2)  The  true  answer  to  the  question  would  not  have  affected  the  procedure 
of  Pilate  in  t,is  present  circumstances.  Had  he  not  already  several  times  declared  him 
to  be  innocent?  (3)  The  change  of  accusation,  besides,  was  the  self-condemnation  of 
the  .Jews.  (4)  If  Jesus  had  not  been  the  Son  of  God,  he  would  not  have  kept  silence. 
His  silence  is  his  assent  to  the  charge.  5.  Pilate's  offence  at  the  silence  of  Jesus. 
"  Speakest  thou  not  unto  me?  knowest  thou  not  that  i  have  power  to  crucify  thee, 
and  have  power  to  release  thee?"  (1)  The  governor  stands  upon  his  power  and 
authority.  (2)  Jesus  does  not  repudiate  the  claim,  but  shows  that  it  is  derived,  and 
jiot  inherent,  with  a  corresponding  responsibility.  "  Thou  couldest  have  no  power  at 
all  against  me,  except  it  were  given  thee  from  above."  (a)  The  answer  displays  at  once 
piety  and  meekness,  (b)  It  implies  a  Divine  government  of  society.  Under  God 
"  kings  reign  and  princes  decree  justice."  It  therefore  implies  that  Pilate  was  respon- 
sible for  the  use  of  his  power,  (c)  It  implied  that  it  was  in  accordance  with  a  Divine 
dispensation  that  he  was  now  subjected  to  the  disposal  of  human  authority.  (3)  The 
greater  responsibility  and  guiltiness  of  the  Sanhedxin.    "  Therefore  he  that  delivered  me 


OH.  xviii.  1—40.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  403 

unto  thee  hath  the  greater  sin."  (a)  The  Sanhedrin  subjected  their  King  to  the 
authority  of  the  foreigner,  and  thus  "  committed  an  act  of  theocratic  felony."  (l)  Tiie 
greater  the  light,  the  more  aggravated  is  the  guilt  of  offenders.  The  Jews  were  more 
guilty  than  the  Gentiles  in  the  whole  transaction  of  our  Lord's  crucifixion. 

V.  The  fourth  phase  of  the  civil  procedure.  The  intimidation  of  Pilate. 
" Pilate  saith  to  them.  Shall  I  crucify  your  King?  The  chief  priests  answered.  We 
have  no  king  but  C»sar."  1.  The  Jews  appealed  to  Pilate's  fears  ;  for  he  was  vulnerable 
upon  many  points,  and  Tiberius  the  emperor  was  the  most  suspicious  of  despots.  "  If 
thou  let  this  Man  go,  thou  art  not  Cresar's  friend."  2.  Pilate,  in  turn,  avenges  himselj 
upon  the  Jens  by  compelling  them  to  forswear  all  their  Messianic  hopes.  They  pro- 
nounced with  their  own  lips  the  abolition  of  the  theocracy.  "  Such  a  victory  was  a 
suicide."  It  marked  the  extreme  desperation  of  the  Jews,  and  their  utter  unscrupulous- 
ness  in  the  pursuit  of  their  bloodthirsty  ends.  3.  The  success  of  their  last  manoeuvre. 
"Then  delivered  he  him  therefore  unto  them  to  be  crucified."  The  death  of  Jesus  was 
compassed  by  a  double  treason  :  (1)  on  the  part  of  the  Jews  to  their  true  Kiug ;  (2)  on 
the  part  of  Pilate  to  truth,  justice,  and  law. 


HOMILIES   BY  VATIIOUS  AUTHORS. 

Vers.  1,  2. — Gethsemane.  The  mind  of  man  is  naturally  interested  in  places,  not 
so  much  for  their  own  sake,  as  for  the  sake  of  associations  connected  with  them. 
Religions  have  their  sacred  places  :  the  Jew  cannot  forget  Jerusalem  ;  the  Mohammedan 
venerates  the  holy  Mecca ;  and  the  Christian  regards  Gethsemaoe  with  a  tender  and 
pathetic  interest. 

I.  The  garden  was  to  the  minds  of  the  twelve  a  place  of  holy  intercourse 
WITH  their  Lord.  "  Jesus  ofttimes  resorted  thither  with  his  disciples."  Doubtless 
they  learned  much  from  Jesus  as  he  taught  in  the  temple  and  in  the  synagogues,  in 
the  highways,  and  in  the  dwellings  of  the  people.  But  there  was  much  he  wished  to 
say  to  them  which  could  be  said  better  in  private.  He  took  them  aside  into  a  desert 
place,  and  in  seclusion  and  quiet  communicated  to  them  tidings  which  were  not  for 
the  multitude.  He  gathered  them  together  in  an  upper  room,  and  discoursed  to 
them  with  such  profundity  and  spirituality,  that  it  needed  the  illumination  of  events 
that  were  yet  to  happen  to  make  plain  his  wonderful  sayings.  He  led  them  away  from 
the  thronged  streets  and  temple-courts  of  the  city,  crossed  the  Kedron  ravine,  and 
took  them  into  the  retired  garden,  that  he  might,  withottt  interruption,  reveal  to  them 
whatever  truth  they  were  able  to  bear.  Gethsemane  thus  became  a  symbol  for  the 
"quiet  resting-places,"  where  the  Saviour  meets  congenial  souls,  and  unfolds  to  them 
the  volume  of  his  truth,  the  mystery  of  his  love.  Such  intercourse  binds  the  heart  of 
the  scholar  to  his  Master.  Such  fellowship  makes  its  lasting  mark  upon  the  character. 
*'  Did  not  I  see  thee  in  the  garden  with  him  ?  " 

II.  The  garden  was  to  the  Lord  Jesus  the  scene  of  bitterest  mental  anguish. 
It  seems  strange  that  John,  who,  we  know,  was  one  of  the  chosen  three  who  were  near 
Jesus  in  his  agony  and  bloody  sweat,  says  nothing  of  his  Master's  conflict  in  Geth- 
semane. This  silence  cannot  be  attributed  to  want  of  sympathy,  for  the  beloved  disciple 
felt  keenly  with  and  for  his  Lord.  He  was  content  that  his  fellow-evangelists  should 
tell  the  awful  sorrows  of  the  Redeemer,  The  unexampled  pains  which  Christ  endured, 
when  with  strong  crying  and  tears  he  made  supplication,  constituted  a  phase  of  his 
mediatorial  ministry,  not  only  deeply  affecting  to  the  sensitive  mind  that  contemplates 
the  scene  of  woe,  but  doubtless  ever  memorable  to  our  Divine  Representative  himself. 

**  Our  Fellow-Sufferer  yet  retains 
A  fellow-feeling  of  our  pains  ; 
And  still  remembers,  in  the  skies, 
His  tears,  his  agonies,  and  cries." 

"  Perfect  through  suffering,"  the  Captain  of  our  salvation  looks  back  to  the  nour  when 
he  drank  the  bitter  cup  in  our  stead ;  and  to  him  Gethsemane  is  for  ever  linked  with 
bis  sacred  undertaking  of  our  cause,  with  the  price  he  paid  for  our  redemption. 


404  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xviii.  1—40. 

III.  The  gardkn  was  to  Judas  the  spot  where  he  heartlessly  betrayed  his 
Lord.  To  the  mind  of  the  traitor  the  one  point  of  interest  in  Gethsemane  was  this — 
it  was  a  place  where  Jesus  might  be  apprehended  by  the  officers  of  the  priests  and 
Pharisees,  with  no  fear  of  disturbance  or  opposition.  The  garden,  though  near  Jeru- 
salem, was  secluded  and  solitary ;  no  admiring  and  sympathizing  crowd  would  there 
protect  or  rescue  the  honoured  and  beloved  Teacher  and  Healer.  After  the  capture, 
during  the  few  hours  of  life  remaining  to  him,  Judas  could  not  think  of  Gethsemane 
without  distress  of  mind,  which  deepened,  not  into  repentance,  but  into  remorse.  The 
thought  of  his  own  sin  and  of  his  Master's  innocence  must  have  oppressed  his  guilty 
soul,  until  he  was  driven  to  confession  and  to  suicide.  Terrible  is  the  state  of  that 
man  before  whose  memory  there  constantly  arises  the  scene  of  crime  from  which  he  sees 
no  deliverance,  for  which  he  sees  no  expiation,  the  scene  of  violence  and  cruelty,  of 
debauchery,  or  of  profanity.  "  Better  had  it  been  for  that  man  that  he  had  never  been 
born." 

IV.  The  garden  is  to  Christ's  Church  for  ever  associated  with  Divine 
SACRIFICE  AND  REDEMPTION.  The  same  place,  the  imagination  of  which  awoke  the 
guilty  conscience  of  Judas  to  misery  and  despair,  is  associated  in  all  Christians'  minds 
with  the  ransom  which  was  paid  for  the  deliverance  of  many  from  sin  and  death. 
There  the  anguish  was  endured,  the  cry  was  uttered,  the  cup  was  drunk,  the  perfect 
submission  was  rendered,  the  death  on  Calvary  was  anticipated.  Very  dear  to  the 
heart,  very  present  to  the  memory,  of  Christendom  is  the  garden  whither  Jesus  oft 
resorted,  where  Jesus  suffered  himself  to  be  betrayed,  where  Jesus  took  upon  his  heart 
the  burden  of  human  sin,  where  Jesus  cried,  "  Not  my  will,  0  my  Father,  but  thine, 
be  done ! "— T. 

Vers.  8,  9. — The  unselfislmess  of  Christ.  Jesus  was  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane. 
He  had  passed  through  the  agony.  He  was  in  the  presence  of  the  betrayer  and  his 
myrmidons.  He  was  about  to  endure  the  indignities  of  the  trials  and  the  anguish  of 
the  cross.  Yet  his  thoughts  were  not  of  himself,  but  of  his  friends.  Knowing  the 
danger  to  which  they  were  exposed,  the  weakness  which  still  characterized  them,  he 
was  anxious  on  their  behalf  that  they  should  not  be'  exposed  to  a  trial  which  they  were 
not  then  ready  to  bear.  Hence  the  stipulation  and  the  plea  to  which,  in  surrendering 
himself,  he  gave  utterance,  *'  If  therefore  ye  seek  me,  let  these  go  their  way." 

I.  There  were  special  reasons  why  at  this  crisis  Jesus  should  take  measures 

I'OR   THE   liberty   AND   SAFETY   OF   HIS   FRIENDS   AND   FOLLOWERS.       1.    JeSUS   intended 

them  to  be  his  apostles,  and  therefore  it  was  not  in  accordance  with  his  purposes  that 
they  should  at  that  time  accompany  him  to  trial  and  to  death.  2.  It  was  part  of 
Jesus'  plan  to  die  alone.  Malefactors,  indeed,  yielded  up  their  bi'eath  by  his  side.  But 
as  his  was  a  death  unique  in  its  import,  it  was  not  consonant  with  his  wishes  that  any 
of  his  adherents  should  partake  his  Passion,  and  distract  attention  from  himself.  3.  In 
all  likelihood  the  faith  and  devotion  even  of  his  nearest  friends  were  not  such  as  to 
enable  them  to  endure  participation  in  his  death.  They  could  not  suffer  for  Christ 
until  Christ  had  first  suffered  for  them.  4.  Our  Ijord  designed  to  fulfil  his  own  decla- 
ration uttered  in  his  intercessory  prayer — that  of  those  given  to  him  he  had  lost  none. 

II.  This  regabJo  of  Jesus  fob  others  was  in  harmony  with  his  conduct  through- 
out HIS  ministry.  It  was  his  habit  to  forget  himself  in  his  benevolent  work  and  in 
his  regard  for  those  whom  he  came  to  save.  E.g.  his  disinterested  and  generous  treat- 
ment of  his  forerunner,  John ;  the  complete  self-forgetfulness  which  he  displayed  in 
the  season  of  his  temptation,  when  he,  for  the  sake  of  his  mission  to  men,  lost  sight  of 
hunger,  reputation,  power  ;  his  benevolent  ministry  to  the  multitude,  to  the  sick,  the 
suffering,  the  sinful.  His  own  ease,  comfort,  or  renown,  never  occupied  his  attention  ; 
but  no  pains  did  he  ever  spare  that  he  might  serve  the  objects  of  his  Divine  pity. 
Christ  would  not  have  been  himself  if  he  had  not  thought  of  and  secured  the  liberation 
of  his  threatened  friends. 

III.  The  unselfishness  which  Jesus  displayed  in  the  hour  of  his  arrest  was 
perfected  in  his  sacrificial  sufferings  and  death.  It  was  his  own  profession  that 
the  laying  down  of  his  life  should  be  for  his  friends — his  sheep.  Paul  testified  that  he 
gave  himself  a  Eansom  for  all,  that  he  was  a  Propitiation  for  the  sins  of  the  whole 
world.    When  the  Saviour — in  accordance  with  the  appointment  of  Divine  wisdom. 


CH.  xviii.  1—40.]    THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  405 


and  with  a  view  to  ends  the  most  purely  benevolent  that  were  ever  conceived  in  the 
whole  history  of  the  universe— huu<:  upon  the  cross,  it  seems  to  us  that  he  uttered  a 
cry  which  was  the  earnest  of  the  spiritual  deliverance  and  emancipation  of  mankind, 
a  cry  which  was  the  e.xpression  at  once  of  the  deepest  agony  and  the  kingliest  gladness 
of  his  comjxissionate  nature,  and  that  the  purport  of  the  cry  was  this:  "Let  these 
men  go ! " 

IV.  Christ's  benevolent  self-forgetfclness  is  often  neglected  and  abused. 
In  a  family  we  sometimes  observe  one  person  peculiarly  kind  and  unselfish,  whose 
demeanour,  so  far  from  being  an  example  and  an  advantage  to  the  other  members  of 
the  household,  is  abused.  The  yielding  and  self-denial  of  one  sets  others  at  liberty  to 
carry  out  their  own  favourite  plans,  to  gratify  their  own  selfish  tastes.  There  is  some- 
thing parallel  to  this  in  the  way  in  which  some  persons  in  Christian  communities  take 
advantage,  for  their  own  temporal  comfort  and  prosperity,  of  the  influences  of  Chris- 
tianity, without  at  all  recognizing  their  obligation  to  the  Saviour  for  all  the  benefits 
they  have  received,  social  and  domestic.  So  far  as  we  can  see,  such  persons  are  little 
the  better  for  all  that  Christ  has  undergone  for  them,  for  the  immunity  from  many  ills 
which  he  has  secured  for  them.  The  self-devotion,  magnanimity,  and  pity  of  the 
Redeemer  should  surely  be  to  such,  first  a  rebuke,  and  then  an  exhortation  to  a  nobler 
and  a  better  life. 

V.  The  self-sacrificing  devotion  of  the  Saviour  is  the  everlasting  inspira- 
tion OF  THE  HIGHER  LIFE  OF  MANKIND.  This  was  the  intention  of  Christ;  and  it  was 
this  prospect  which  sustained  him  amidst  the  treachery,  the  hatred,  the  desertion,  the 
mahce,  the  indignities,  to  which  he  exposed  himself.  How  sorely  the  world  was  in 
need  of  a  principle  and  power  which  should  correct  and  heal  its  selfishness,  is  well 
known  to  every  one  who  is  acquainted  with  his  own  heart,  who  has  studied  the  moral 
ills  of  human  society.  The  wars  and  enmities  which  even  now  disgrace  humanity  are 
sufiScient  evidence  of  this.  There  were  others  than  Christ  who  to  some  extent  saw  the 
evil,  and  desired  to  do  what  in  them  lay  to  remedy  it.  Even  the  heathen  Seneca  could 
say,  "  I  would  so  live  as  if  I  knew  I  received  my  being  only  for  the  benefit  of  others." 
But  that  which  philosophical  theory,  ethical  dogma,  even  serene  example,  could  not 
effect,  has  been  in  some  measure  efl"ected,  and  will  be  brought  at  last  perfectly  to  pass, 
by  him  whose  unsel6sh,  self-sacrificing  spirit  found  utterance  in  the  cry,  "  Let  these 
men  go ! " — T. 

Ver.  11. —  The  sword  and  the  cup.  To  ordinary  human  nature  work  is  easier  than 
patience,  and  resistance  than  submission.  Our  Lord,  in  this  crisis  of  his  history,  both 
adopted  the  more  diflicult  course  for  himself,  and  commended  it  to  his  disciples. 

I.  Christ's  disavowal,  of  the  sword.  1.  The  sword  is  the  symbol  of  physical 
force,  of  resistance.  Properly  a  weapon  of  attack,  it  may  nevertheless  be  used  for 
defence.  The  sword  is  in  the  hands  of  the  soldier  who  withstands  his  foe ;  of  the 
magistrate  who  maintains  order  and  vindicates  justice,  and  who  bears  it  not  in  vain. 
It  is  the  emblem  of  secular  authority,  of  carnal  power.  2.  There  was  a  sense  in  which 
the  use  of  the  sword  had  been  sanctioned  by  Christ.  When  he  had  said,  "  I  came,  not 
to  send  peace,  but  a  sword,"  Jesus  had  referred  to  the  conflicts  which  should  arise  in 
society  as  a  result  of  his  mission  to  earth.  But  he  had,  almost  immediately  before  the 
occurrence  in  connection  with  which  the  words  of  the  text  were  spoken,  expressly 
directed  his  disciples  to  arm  themselves,  telling  them  of  the  perils  they  should 
encounter,  and  bidding  them  even  to  sell  their  garments  in  order  to  procure  the  means  of 
defence.  Evidently  there  were  some  kinds  of  danger  against  which  they  were  at  liberty 
to  arm.  3.  The  time  of  Christ's  sacrifice  was  not  the  time  for  resistance.  Peter,  indig- 
nant at  his  Lord's  betrayal,  impulsive  in  his  nature,  and  impetuous  in  his  action,  seeing 
his  Master  in  danger,  drew  and  used  his  sword.  But  Jesus  forbade  and  disclaimed  the 
use  of  carnal  weapons  in  his  cause.  His  kingdom  was  not  of  this  world,  and  it  would 
not  have  been  consonant  either  with  his  gentle  character  or  with  the  nature  of  his 
religion — a  spiritual  religion  relying  on  conviction  and  affection — to  sanction  the  pro- 
mulgation of  his  doctrine,  the  extension  of  his  Church,  by  means  of  the  sword.  Christ's 
people  were  not  prohibited  from  taking  advantage  of  their  privileges  as  citizens,  from 
using  lawful  means  to  secure  protection  and  safety,  from  defending  themselves  against 
lawless  violence.    But  to  resist  civil  authority  by  force,  in  the  name  of  Christ  and  for 


406  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST,  JOHN.    [ch.  xvm.  1— 40. 

the  spread  of  Christianity,  was  certainly  forbidden,  both  by  the  language  and  by  the 
example  of  Jesus. 

II.  Christ's  acceptakce  of  the  cup.  1.  The  nature  of  this  cup  is  apparent  from 
the  context  as  well  as  from  other  parts  of  Scripture.  By  "  the  cup  "  we  are  to  under- 
stand suffering  and  sorrow.  This  is  its  meiinino;  iu  the  question,  "  Can  ye  drink  of  the 
cup  which  I  drink  of?"  and  iu  the  prayer,  "If  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from 
me."  The  bitter  ingredients  in  Christ's  cup  were  the  suffering  and  agony  of  body 
involved  in  crucifixion ;  the  mental  distress  involved  in  his  betrayal,  denial,  and  for- 
saking by  his  disciples,  in  the  apparent  success  of  his  enemies'  plot,  in  the  fickleness 
and  ingratitude  of  his  fellow-countrymen;  the  anguish  of  soul  CDusequeut  upon  his 
consciousness  of  the  world's  sin,  its  estrangement  from  God,  and  ill  desert,  the  heavy 
burden  (to  change  the  figure)  of  his  sacrifice.  2.  Christ's  shrinking  from  tliis  cup  was 
natural;  for  his  bodily  frame  was  sensitive,  and  his  heart  was  tender.  He  would  fain 
have  avoided  drinking  the  bitter  draught.  He  even  i^rayed  to  be  relieved  from  the  dis- 
tressing experience,  if  such  avoidance  and  relief  were  compatible  with  the  Father's  will, 
and  with  his  own  purpose  to  redeem  mankind.  3.  The  inducement  to  accept  the  sorrow 
was  the  highest  and  the  most  constraining  possible  ;  the  cup  was  "  given"  him  by  his 
Father.  Apparently  it  was  prepared  and  handed  to  him  by  his  foes.  But  really,  in  a 
wonderful,  mysterious  sense,  it  was  the  appointment  of  the  Father's  wisdom.  This 
was  not  at  the  time  understood  by  Peter  or  by  the  other  disciples;  Jesus  alone  com- 
prehended the  nature  of  this  crisis  in  the  moral  history  of  mankind.  The  cup  was  not 
given  as  a  sign  of  the  Father's  displeasure,  but  as  a  means  to  a  higher  spiritual  end, 
which  was  dear  to  the  Father's  heart.  4.  1"he  resolve  of  the  Son  of  man  to  drink  the 
cup,  when  this  was  seen  and  felt  to  be  the  Father's  will,  is  very  instructive.  This  was 
part  of  his  perfect  obedience,  of  obedience  taking  the  form  of  submission.  Thus  was 
he  made  "  perfect  through  sufi'ering."  5.  The  results  of  this  sacrifice  have  been  most 
beneficial  and  precious  to  mankind.  By  drinking  the  cup  of  sufi'ering  our  Saviour  has 
released  us  from  drinking  the  cup  of  personal  guilt  and  merited  punishment. 

Pkactical  lessons.  1.  Gratitude  and  faith  towards  a  Saviour  so  compassionate  and 
self-sacrificing.  2.  Patience  and  submission  beneath  the  trials  and  sufferings  of  life. 
When  seeking  for  motive  and  for  strength  to  drink  the  bitter  cup  of  pain  and  grief,  let 
Christians  recur  with  humility  and  with  sympathy  to  the  incomparable  example  of 
their  suffering  Lord. — T. 

Vers.  15 — 17. — Ardent  affection  and  timorous  falsehood.  The  inconsistency  of  which 
human  nature  is  capable  is  proverbial.  In  the  conduct  of  Peter  we  have  a  very  striking 
instance  of  this  characteristic  quality  of  man.  In  Peter  we  have  extremes  meeting. 
None  of  Christ's  disciples  showed  a  quicker  and  clearer  appreciation  of  the  Master's 
claims  ;  none  showed  a  more  fervent  attachment  to  the  Master  himself.  Yet,  strange 
to  say,  Peter  was  conspicuous  above  the  rest  for  his  faint-heartedness  in  the  time  of 
trial  and  of  danger.  The  two  dispositions  are  equally  apparent  upon  occasion  of  the 
incident  recorded  in  this  passage. 

I.  Ardent  affection.  The  sincerity  and  strength  of  Peter's  love  for  Jesus  canijot 
be  questioned.  1.  It  was  this  which  had  impelled  him  to  draw  the  sword  in  h^s 
Master's  defence.  2.  It  was  this  which  impelled  him  to  follow  Jesus  when  his  colleagues 
and  companions  had  fled.  3.  It  was  this  which  urged  him  to  accompany  John  without 
having  the  guarantee  of  safety  which  John  possessed.  4.  It  was  this  which  led  him  to 
dare  the  risk  attaching  to  the  neighbourhood  of  the  court  and  high  priest's  dwelling. 
No  motive  save  the  pure  motive  of  affection  could  have  induced  Peter  to  act  as  he  did. 

II.  1"iM0R0US  falsehood.  1.  This  was  apparently  upon  a  slight  occasion  nnd 
inappreciable  danger.  The  charge  brought  by  a  maid  who  kept  the  door  was  enough 
to  throw  off  his  guard  the  boldest  and  chief  of  the  apostles.  2.  It  was  in  contrast  with 
his  previous  confessions.  None  of  the  twelve  had  been  more  forward  to  ajiprehend  and 
to  acknowledge  the  claims  of  Jesus  to  Messiahship  and  to  Divinity  than  had  Peter.  3. 
It  was  a  poor  recompense  for  the  distinguishing  favour  which  had  been  shown  to  Peter 
in  common  with  two  other  of  the  twelve.  He  who  had  been  on  the  mount  and  in  the 
garden  with  Jesus  now  denied  him.  4.  It  was  the  occasion  of  bitter  remorse  and  true 
repentance  on  thepart  of  the  offender  against  conscience  and  against  Christ.  5.  It  became 
a  recollection,  which  in  his  after-ministry  stimulated  Peter  to  watchfulness  and  to  prayer^ 


en.  xviii.  1—40.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  407 

Lessox.  The  narrative  is  a  warning  against  relying  too  much  upon  religious  feeling. 
Peter  felt  deepl}'  and  warmly  towards  Christ;  yet  he  lell.  Many  Christians  think  that 
they  are  secure  because  the  gospel  touches  their  emotions.  The  counsel  of  Jusus  him- 
self must  not  be  forgotten :  "  Watch  and  pray,  lest  ye  enter  iuto  temptation  ! " — T. 

Vers.  19,  20. — The  publicity  of  Chrisfs  ministry.  Had  the  high  priest  q'lcstioned 
Jesus  in  this  manner  from  any  re;il  desire  to  be  his  disciple,  or  from  an  ordinary  and  intel- 
ligent curiosity,  his  inquiries  would  have  been  received  in  a  very  different  manner  from 
that  in  which  Jesus  did  actually  respond  to  them.  But  it  was  plain  tliat  the  whole 
purpose  of  the  interrogator  was  to  induce  Jesus  to  criminate  himself  and  his  disciples. 
Thus  it  was  that  Jesus,  taking  no  notice  of  the  question  concerning  his  adherents, 
referred  the  high  priest,  for  information  regarding  his  teachini:,  to  those  who  had  heard 
him  discourse  and  converse.  There  could  be  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  exidence  upon 
this ;  for,  as  Jesus  asserted,  his  teaching  had  been  open  and  public,  and  multitudes  of 
the  Jews  had  beard  his  doctrine. 

I.  As  A  M.^TTER  OF  FACT,  OUU  LoRD  FULFILLED  HIS  MIXISTIIY  AS  A  PUBLIC  TeACIIER, 

WITH  UNDENIABLE  puBLiCiTY.  In  the  country  districts  he  taught  in  the  .synagogues, 
the  places  appointed  for  public  religious  instruction  and  worship.  In  the  metropolis 
he  was  wont  to  frequent  the  precincts  of  the  temple,  not  only  upon  ordinary  occasions, 
but  at  the  great  national  festivals.  He  expressly  witnessed  that  his  open  instructions 
had  been  intended  for  the  benefit  of  the  Jews  and  of  the  world  at  large. 

II.  As   A   RELIGIOUS   TeACUER,  JeSUS   HAD    NOTHING   TO    CONCEAL    AND    EVERYTHING 

TO  PROCLAIM  IN  PUBLIC.  He  had  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of  in  the  whole  cycle  of  his 
doctrine.  And  knowing  that  his  communications  were  adapted  to  benefit  all  mankind, 
Jesus  benevolently  desired  to  bring  as  many  as  possible  under  the  sound  of  his  voice, 
under  the  influence  of  his  revelations,  counsels,  and  promises.  His  lessons  were  as  the 
living  waters  of  the  brook,  which  flow  in  a  ceaseless  stream,  so  that  all  may  drink  of 
them  and  be  refreshed. 

III.  The  PUBLICITY  of  Christ's  teaching  secured  the  establishment  of  his 
INNOCENCE  AND  OF  THE  INJUSTICE  OF  HIS  FOES.  If  he  had  spokeu  aught  secretly,  an 
opening  might  have  been  left  for  the  slanderous  imputations  of  his  foes.  But  all 
Judaea  and  all  Galilee  were  witnesses  to  his  doctrines  concerning  God,  concerning  man, 
concerning  duty,  sin,  judgment,  forgiveness,  and  life  eternal.  Of  high  and  holy  doctrine 
unnumbeied  witnesses  were  able  to  testify.  But  none  could  be  brought  forward  with 
any  credible  account  of  sayings  suVwersive  of  order,  of  peace,  of  morality.  Nothing 
could  be  clearer  than  the  inability  of  Christ's  foes  to  convict  him  of  any  teaching  which 
might  justify  their  charges. 

IV.  In  this  publicity  Christ  is  a  model  for  all  his  followers  to  copy. 
Christianity  has  no  esoteric  doctrines,  no  secret  societies  or  guilds,  no  rites  or  ceremonies 
for  private  performance,  Christianity  is  no  sect,  no  party.  A  world-wide  religion,  it 
challenges  the  attention  of  all  mankind.  Those  who  teach  and  preach  in  Christ's 
name  are  bound  to  follow  the  example  of  their  Lord — to  discharge  their  ministry  iu 
public  places  wherever  men  resort.  The  language  of  the  true  preacher  of  wisdom  and 
righteousness  is  this :  "  To  you,  0  men,  I  call,  and  my  voice  is  unto  the  sons  of 
men."— T. 

Ver.  28. — Defilement,  ceremonial  and  real.  All  religions  recognize  the  twofold^  nature 
of  man.  As  we  are  body  and  soul,  the  requirements  of  religion  respect  both  these  parts 
of  our  being.  Tiie  heart  is  the  spring  of  conduct,  and  actions  are  the  manifestation  of 
the  spiritual  nature.  It  is  obvious  that  an  opening  thus  exists  for  hypocrisy  ;  it  is 
possible  that  there  may  be  the  outward  form  where  the  inner  reality  is  lacking.  Such 
was  the  case  with  those  Jews — chiefly  priests  and  Pharisees — whose  conduct  is  described 
in  the  tex,t.  They  felt  no  scruple  in  defiling  their  conscience  with  the  crime  of 
shedding  the  blood  of  the  innocent;  but  they  would  on  no  account  enter  the  Praitorium, 
where  leaven  might  be  present  in  some  of  the  rooms,  lest  they  should  be  ixjUuted,  and 
unfitted  for  taking  part  in  the  solemnities  of  the  approaching  Passover. 

I.   CfiRKMONIAL   DEFILEMENT    MAY   BE    AVOIDED    WHILST    REAL    DICFILEMENT    OF    THE 

SOUL  IS  CONTRACTED.  The  heathen  religions  of  antiquity  were  in  no  vital  way  con- 
nected with  morality.    A  man  might  be  a  very  religious,  and  yet  a  very  bad,  man  ;  and 


408  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xviii.  1—40. 

that  without  any  inconsistency.  But  the  faith  of  the  Hebrews  was  based  upon 
revelation,  and  combined  belief  of  the  truth  with  practice  of  righteousness.  It  was 
culpable  in  a  high  degree  in  men  who  enjoyed  revelation  so  clear  and  full,  to  be  led 
aside  from  the  ways  of  justice  at  the  very  moment  when  they  were  carefully  observing 
the  requirements  of  the  ceremonial  law.  It  is  an  evidence  of  their  depravity,  and  at 
the  same  time  of  their  blunted  sensibilities  to  what  was  right  and  reasonable,  that  they 
should  so  act.  How  much  more  deserving  of  condemnation  are  professed  Christians, 
who,  whilst  scrupulously  observing  the  ordinances  of  religion  and  the  regulations  of 
their  Churches,  at  the  same  time  are  guilty  of  serious  infractions  of  the  moral  law ! 
Yet  men  are  found  who  keep  with  outward  strictness  the  day  of  rest,  who  partake  of 
the  holy  Eucharist,  and  yet  are  not  ashamed  to  act  unjustly,  to  speak  slanderously, 
and  to  cherish  a  selfish  and  worldly  spirit. 

II.  Ceremonial  defilement  may  be  contracted  whilst  real  defilement  of 
THE  soul  is  avoided.  There  are  many  cases  in  which  "  to  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice, 
and  to  hearken  than  the  fat  of  rams."  As  David  ate  the  shewbread,  as  the  disciples 
of  Jesus  plucked  the  ears  of  com,  and  Jesus  himself  healed  the  sick  on  the  sabbath,  so 
men  may  often  be  justified  in  transgressing  the  letter  of  a  commandment  in  order  to 
keep  the  spirit  of  the  law.  The  claims  of  humanity  are  rightly  to  be  preferred  to  the 
requirements  of  an  external  character,  which  nevertheless  have  their  place  and  their 
use.  And  good  men  may  even  frequent  the  society  of  the  vicious,  the  criminal,  the 
degraded,  when,  by  so  doing,  they  may  make  an  opportunity  for  bringing  the  gospel  of 
Christ's  love  before  the  minds  of  those  to  whom  nothing  but  the  gospel  can  bring  rescue, 
salvation,  and  eternal  life.  Many  methods  may  upon  this  principle  be  justified  which 
would  not  on  their  own  account  be  accepted  and  practised  by  the  sensitive  and 
fastidious.  Solus  popuU  suprerna  lex.  If  it  is  so  in  politics,  surely  in  the  religious 
liie  we  may  well  be,  like  the  apostle,  "all  things  to  all  men,  if  by  any  means  we  may 
win  some." — T. 

A'^er.  36. — The  unworWly  kingdom.  It  is  not  always  possible  to  return  a  direct 
answer  to  a  question.  "When  Pilate  asked  our  Lord  Jesus,  "Art  thou  a  King?"  the 
reply  could  not  have  been  either  "  Yes  "  or  "  No  "  without  misleading  the  questioner. 
In  a  sense  he  was  not  a  king, — that  is,  he  made  no  claim  to  an  earthly,  temporal 
sovereignty  ;  in  another  sense  he  was  a  King, — a  spiritual  Sovereign,  although  his 
kingdom  was  not  of  this  world.  Thus  the  question  of  the  Eoman  governor  was  the 
occasion  of  the  utterance  of  a  great  truth,  a  great  principle,  distinctive  of  the  religion 
and  Church  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

I.. Christ's  kingdom  is  unworldly  in  its  compatibility  with  and  its  tolerance 
of  other  kingdoms.  Earthly  governments  do  not  admit  of  the  imperium  in  imperio. 
The  same  subject  cannot  owe  allegiance  to  two  lords.  The  same  land  cannot  admit 
the  promulgation  of  different  codes  of  law.  Oppression,  confusion,  rebellion,  anarchy, 
would  be  the  result  of  such  an  attempt.  But  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord  Jesus  can  exist 
and  flourish  in  the  most  diverse  forms  of  secular  government.  The  subjects  of  a 
despotic  monarchy,  and  the  citizens  of  a  democratic  republic,  are  alike  capable  of 
acknowledging  the  supremacy  and  obeying  the  commands  of  King  Jesus.  So  far  from 
destroying  or  imperilling  a  state,  Christianity,  when  it  takes  possession  of  a  people, 
tends  to  establish  a  state  in  righteousness,  freedom,  and  peace.  The  ruler  and  the 
jr..vprned  may  alike  confess  the  sway  and  honour  the  authority  of  the  Lord  and  King 
of  men. 

II.  Christ's  kingdom  is  unworldly  in  the  character  and  the  appearance 
OF  its  Monarch.  Earthly  kings  are  always  imperfect  in  character,  and  sometimes 
unjust,  malevolent,  vain,  and  selfish  ;  yet  they  may  maintain  the  outward  semblance 
ot  dignity,  wealth,  magnificence,  and  pow-er.  'l"he  Lord  Christ,  on  the  contrary,  had 
no  earthly  rank,  or  splendour,  no  gorgeous  palace,  no  imposing  retinue.  He  was  in 
outward  guise  lowly  and  obscure,  and  he  was  by  men  scoffed  at  and  despised.  Yet 
he  was  and  is  the  Holy  One  and  Just,  the  faultless  and  benevolent  Ruler  of  men,  the 
Lord  of  heaven,  the  Judge  of  all.  How  wonderful  and  sublime  a  contrast  to  the  kings 
of  this  world  is  the  meek  Monarch,  the  sceptre  of  whose  kingdom  is  a  right  sceptre! 

III.  Christ's  kingdom  is  unworldly  in  its  own  origin  and  in  its  Sovereign's 
title  and  claim.     The  conception  did  not  spring  up  in  a  human  mind.     "  Now," 


CH.  xvm.  1—40.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  409 

said  Jesus,  "  is  my  kingdom  not  from  hence."  Designated  "  the  kingdom  of  heaven  " 
and  "  the  kingdom  of  God,"  it  is,  in  its  ground  and  in  its  character,  wliat  such  designations 
involve.  It  is  to  the  Divine  wisdom  and  love  that  this  unworldly  kingdom  must  be 
traced.  Christ  is  King  by  inheritance,  as  Son  of  God  ;  by  conquest,  as  the  redeeming 
Lord ;  by  choice  and  election,  being  welcomed  by  the  joyful  acclamations  of  his  loyal 
subjects.  In  all  these  respects  our  Saviour's  title  to  the  throne  is  very  different  from 
the  titles  put  forward  by  the  kings  of  this  earth. 

IV.  Christ's  kingdom  is  unworldly  in  the  nature  of  its  dominion  over  its 
SUBJECTS.  The  subjects  of  an  earthly  monarch  are  usually  born  beneath  tlie  sway  of 
their  liege  lord.  In  any  case  their  obedience  and  submission,  their  aid  and  support, 
are  required,  and  the  requirement  is,  if  necessary,  enforced  by  penalties.  The  sway  of 
the  king  is  over  the  outward  actions,  the  speech  and  habits  of  the  subjects.  Very 
different  is  the  case  with  the  members  of  that  spiritual  state  of  which  Jesus  is  the 
sovereign  Ruler.  They  are  all  citizens  of  the  commonwealth  and  subjects  of  the  King 
in  virtue  of  personal  faith  and  voluntary  submission.  Christ  reigns  in  the  heart ;  he 
has  no  care  for  the  mere  homage  of  the  lips,  the  mere  prostration  of  the  body.  His  is 
a  spiritual  empire. 

V.  Christ's  kingdom  is  unworldly  in  the  aim  it  seeks  and  the  means  it 
EMPLOYS.  Wiiilst  earthly  sovereignties  aim  at  the  outward  order  and  prosperity  of 
the  community,  at  peace  and  wealth,  at  conquest  and  glory,  at  power  and  fame,  and 
whilst  they  employ  secular  means  towards  these  ends — Christ's  kingdom  contemplates 
purely  moral  ends — the  growth  and  prevalence  of  righteousness  and  holiness,  patience 
and  love ;  in  a  word,  those  spiritual  characteristics  which  are  distinctive  of  every  divinely 
ordered  society,  and  by  means  in  harmony  with  such  ends.  No  fear  or  constraint,  no 
magistrates,  officers,  soldiers,  prisons,  does  Christ  employ.  He  disclaims  force  ;  "else," 
said  he,  "  would  my  servants  fight."  His  is  a  kinj;dom  in  which  truth  is  revealed  and 
embodied — truth  which  calls  for  faith,  and  the  support  of  intelligence  and  loyalty.  The 
laws  of  the  spiritual  kingdom  are  not  prohibitions ;  they  take  the  form  of  examples, 
and  are  sustained  by  the  sanction  of  Divine  love. 

VI.  Christ's  kingdom  is  unworldly  in  its  extent  and  perpetuity.  Whilst 
no  earthly  conqueror  has  been  suffered  by  Divine  providence  to  achieve  a  universal 
dominion,  Christ  shall  "reign  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  unto  the  ends  of  the 
earth."  Whilst  all  human  governments  are  liable  to  decay,  and  the  Roman  empire 
itself  passed  into  a  decline  which  issued  in  its  fall,  Christ's  "  kingdom  is  an  everlasting 
kingdom,  and  his  dominion  endureth  to  all  generations." — T. 

Ver.  38. — "  What  is  truth  ?"  When  the  Lord  Jesus,  in  explanation  of  bis  claim  to 
kingship,  declared  himself  a  Witness  to  "  the  truth,"  the  turn  to  the  conversation 
between  him  and  the  Roman  governor  was  to  all  appearance  very  abrupt.  Govern- 
ment, royalty,  —  these  were  ideas  with  which  Pilate  was  familiar,  in  which  his 
position  bound  him  to  take  interest.  With  regard  to  truth,  he  might  or  he  might  not 
concern  himself.  In  any  case  it  would  scarcely  occur  to  him  that  there  was  any 
special  connection  between  kingship  and  that  witness  to  the  truth  which  the  accused 
One  professed  that  it  was  his  mission  to  bear.  Whether  Pilate  asked  the  question 
from  mere  curiosity,  from  real  interest,  in  ridicule,  or  in  cynical  unbelief,  we  cannot 
confidently  say.  The  possibility  that  any  one  of  these  motives  may  have  influenced 
him  suggests  the  various  attitudes  of  mind  with  which  the  truth  of  God  is  regarded 
by  men. 

I.  Unbelief  asks,  "  What  is  truth  ?  "  with  a  cynical  contempt  towards  those 
WHO  believe  that  they  have  found  it.  The  disbelief  of  Christianity  as  a  Divine 
and  authoritative  religion  is  no  new  thing.  Infidelity  has  existed  from  the  earliest 
ages  of  Christianity  down  to  the  present  time.  It  has  taken  diflerent  forms.  Atheism, 
agnosticism,  deism,  rationalism,  mysticism,  differ  in  what  they  affirm,  but  they  larijely 
agree  in  what  they  deny.  The  chief  offence  taken  with  our  religion  is  because  of  its 
supernatural  claim,  because,  by  affirming  Jesus  to  be  the  Son  of  God  and  to  have  risen 
from  the  dead,  it  affirms  the  being  of  a  God  deeply  interested  in  man's  true  welfare, 
and  interposing  in  order  to  secure  it.  That  there  is  some  solid  basis  for  the  Christian 
faith  and  for  the  Christian  Church,  only  the  most  ignorant  deny.  With  regard  to  the 
historical  facta  which  accounted  for  Christiauity  as  a  human  system,  there  is  among 


410  THE  GOSPEL'  ACCOKDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xviii.  1—40. 

unbelievers  difference  of  opinion.  But  when  the  Christian  teacher  or  preacher  declares, 
as  he  is  bound  to  do,  that  the  Scriptures  reveal  "  the  truth  "  concerning  the  character 
and  purposes  of  God,  and  concerning  the  nature  and  prospects  of  man,  then  all  the 
liostility  of  the  opponent  of  religion,  of  the  man  who  believes  in  food  and  clothing,  in 
science  and  art,  and  in  nothing  beyond,  is  aroused  within  him ;  and  with  all  the 
scorn  of  incredulity  in  his  tones  he  asks,  assured  that  there  is  no  answer  to  be  given, 
"  What  is  truth  ?  " 

II.  Scepticism  asks,  "What  is  truth?"  with  the  saddest  doubt  as  to  the  possi- 
bility OF  attaining  it.  The  opponent  of  the  believer  is  the  infidel,  who  cZjsbelieves. 
Between  the  two  stands  the  sceptic,  whose  attitude  is  one  of  doubt,  examination, 
iadecision.  This  is  a  stage  of  thought  through  which  most  educated  and  thoughtful 
persons  pass — some  to  faith  and  some  to  disbelief,  whilst  there  are  those  who  linger  in 
this  state  throughout  the  rest  of  life.  Christianity  is  no  foe  to  candid  inquiry ;  it  bids 
us  "  prove  all  things ; "  any  other  principle  would  keep  heathens  heathens,  and  Moham- 
medans Mohammedans,  all  through  life.  Wlaat  is  to  be  avoided  and  blamed  is  the 
settled,  contented  acquiescence  in  doubt,  which  tends  to  no  conclusion  of  belief,  no 
definite  action.  Now,  whilst  there  are  topics  upon  which  we  are  not  bound  to  have  an 
opinion — topics  beyond  our  faculties,  or  remote  from  our  interests — it  must  be  main- 
tained that  religion  is  of  importance  so  vital,  that  if  truth  with  regard  to  it  can  possibly 
be  attained,  it  must  earnestly  be  sought.  Permanent  scepticism  is  either  a  sign  of  the 
weakest  intellect,  or  it  is  a  confession  that  the  problem  of  greatest  interest  to  us  is  a 
problem  we  can  never  solve. 

III.  Inquiry  puts  the  question,  "  What  is  truth  ?  "  with  sincere  and  prayerful 
INTEREST.  There  is  no  question  which  affords  to  the  Christian  teacher  and  preacher 
greater  pleasure,  when  propounded  with  intelligence  and  candour,  than  this.  It  evinces 
a  mind  alive  to  the  great  purposes  and  the  great  possibilities  of  life.  And  further, 
there  is  the  assurance  that  the  seeker  shall  be  the  finder  of  truth.  In  mauy  of  their 
enterjirises  the  fervent,  the  inquisitive,  the  avaricious,  the  ambitious,  are  doomed  to 
fail.  But  there  is  a  price  with  which  truth  may  be  bought ;  and  the  promise  holds 
good,  "  He  that  seeketh  findeth."  Truth  must  indeed  be  sought  in  a  right  method  and 
in  a  right  spirit ;  so  sought,  it  will  not  be  sought  in  vain. 

IV.  Faith  asks,  "  What  is  truth  ?  "  and  receives  to  the  question  an  answeb 
DEFINITE,  assured,  AND  SATISFYING.  Belief  in  Christian  truth  is  reasonable,  based  as 
it  is  upon  evidence  and  testimony,  upon  the  highest  and  most  unquestionable  authority, 
and  upon  the  congruity  between  Christianity  and  the  innate  needs  of  man's  under- 
standing, conscience,  and  heart.  Belief,  as  an  intellectual  assent,  is  necessary  to  true 
religion ;  but  it  is  in  itself  insufficient.  To  believe  the  gospel  is  to  put  faith  in  him 
who  is  himself  the  Gospel,  and  faith  in  Christ  is  faith  in  God.  Christ  has  said,  "  I 
am  the  Truth ; "  they,  then,  who  find  him,  find  revealed  in  him  the  mind,  the  very  heart 
of  God.  The  truth  is  to  the  Christian  the  favour  and  the  fellowship  of  the  Eternal, 
the  law  of  life,  the  satisfaction  of  the  whole  nature.  Very  different  are  the  Christian's 
convictions  from  many  which  are  held  tenaciously  by  the  *'  men  of  this  world ; "  for 
they  are  convictions  which  shall  never  be  distrusted  and  abandoned ;  they  shall  out- 
last the  perishable  fabrics  reared  by  human  ingenuity  and  human  imagination. — T. 

Ver.  38. — No  crime  in  Christ.  Pilate's  language  and  conduct  furnish  us  with  an 
example  of  the  way  in  which  weak  and  uniDrincipled  men  are  wont  to  allow  themselves 
to  be  guided  by  the  expected  consequences  of  their  actions,  instead  of  referring  those 
actions  to  principles  and  law?  by  which  they  might  decide  what  is  the  right  course  to 
folluw.  Often,  as  in  the  case  of  Pilate,  where  the  results  of  actions  are  more  regarded 
than  their  standards,  men's  convictions  lead  in  one  direction,  whilst  their  practical 
conduct  follows  another  and  inferior  path. 

I.  The  immediate  and  historical  lessons  deducible  from  this  acknowledg- 
ment OF  Pilate.  1.  With  reference  to  the  governor  himself  who  thus  spoke,  we  infer 
from  this  language  his  judicial  impartiality.  Accustomed  to  such  examinations  a^ 
that  he  was  now  conducting,  he  saw  at  once  through  the  motives  of  the  accusers,  and 
recognized  the  absurdity  of  their  charges  and  the  innocence  of  the  Accused.  This 
was  to  the  credit  of  his  intelligence  ;  but  his  clear  ]!erception  of  the  merits  of  the  case 
makes  his  guilt  the  greater  in  yielding  to  the  malice  of  the  priests  and  the  passion  of 


CH.  xvin.  1—40.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  411 

the  populace.  2.  This  language  testifies  to  the  sinful  and  malicious  conduct  of  Christ's 
enemies.  Pilate  was  ready  enough  to  see  matters  as  they  were  seen  by  the  influential 
class  among  the  Jews.  But  the  case  was  so  flagrant  a  case  of  groundless  hatred  and 
false  accusation,  that  it  was  impossible  that  Pilate  should  be  blinded  to  the  truth. 
What  the  governor  said  was  literally  true — there  was  no  crime  in  Jesus.  3.  Wo  aro 
justified  in  accepting  this  witness  to  the  character  of  our  Lord.  As  Christians  we 
believe,  indeed,  far  more  than  the  Saviour's  innocence  of  the  crime  of  civil  insurrection. 
But  we  are  at  liberty  to  take  this  evidence,  and  to  require  its  acceptance  by  all  students 
of  Christ's  character  and  claims.  If  the  historical  inquirer  will  go  no  further,  we  may 
justly  expect  him  to  grant  that  the  charge  upon  which  our  Lord  was  put  to  death  was 
a  charge  utterly  groundless. 

II.  The  general  and  religious  lessons  decucible  from  this  acknowledgment 
OF  Pilate.  1.  It  harmonizes  with  the  declarations  of  Scripture  concerning  the  blame- 
lessncss  and  sinlessness  of  Jesus.  2.  It  suggests  the  inquiry  why  one  so  blameless 
should  endure  such  undeserved  ignominy  and  sufl'ering.  It  is  plain  from  the  narrative 
that  Jesus  might  have  avoided  what,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  consented  to  undergo. 
There  was  a  reason  for  this— a  reason  to  be  found  in  the  Divine  purposes  regarding  the 
salvation  of  sinful  men.  His  qualifications  are  such  as  fit  him  for  his  mighty  and 
merciful  office,  as  the  sinless  Saviour  of  a  sinful  race. — T. 

Vers.  4 — 8. — The  moral  courage  of  Jesus,     We  see  this  if  we  consider— 

I.  What  he  might  have  done  under  the  circumstances  There  is  no  virtue  in 
not  doing  thus  if  we  cannot  do  otherwise.  But  what  could  Jesus  do  now  ?  1.  He  might 
have  not  visited  the  garden  on  this  night.  He  knew  all  that  was  coming.  He  knew 
that  the  devil  of  pillering  and  covetousness  had  entered  Judas,  and  that  he  was  then 
in  the  city  betraying  him  to  his  thirsty  and  cruel  foes.  He  entered  not  the  garden  in 
ignorance  of  what  was  coming.  It  would  be  the  easiest  thing  for  him  to  go  elsewhere. 
2.  He  might  have  escaped  lefore  his  foes  were  upon  him.  Apart  from  his  absolute  know- 
ledge of  things,  the  gleaming  light  and  subdued  talk  of  the  hostile  throng  would  give 
him  sufficient  warning,  and  he  could  have  made  his  escape  under  the  cover  of  friendly 
trees.  His  little  guard  slept  fast ;  but  he  was  awake,  and  specially  sensitive  to  every 
approaching  sight  and  sound.  3.  He  might  have  disappeared  from  kis  foes  in  their 
very  presence.  He  might  have  let  them  come  upon  him  so  as  to  think  that  he  was  in 
their  hands,  and  then  at  once  vanish  away  from  their  very  clutches,  disappoint  their 
fondest  hopes,  and  make  fools  of  them  all.  4.  He  might,  with  his  power,  strike  them 
dead,  or  into  a  fit  so  as  to  make  their  hostile  attack  quite  futile.  He  just  showed  them 
what  he  could  do  when  he  said,  "  I  am  he ; "  they  went  backwards,  and  fell  to  the 
ground.  What  produced  this  ?  AVas  it  a  flash  of  his  Divinity  from  without  striking 
terror  to  his  assailants,  or  a  flash  of  memory  from  within  of  his  mighty  deeds  ?  or  was 
it  the  effect  of  the  simple  moral  courage  and  majesty  of  that  defenceless  but  heroic 
One  ?  However,  they  fell  to  the  ground — a  striking  illustration  of  what  he  might  have 
done.  5.  He  might  have  received  almighty  help  from  his  Father.  If  he  at  this  time 
had  not  many  earthly  friends,  and  those  not  very  strong  nor  skilful  in  human  warfare, 
he  was  rich  in  heavenly  allies,  and  these  were  all  at  his  command,  as  he  told  one  of  his 
followers,  *'  Thinkest  thou  that  I  cannot  now  pray  to  my  Father,"  etc.  ?  One  of  these 
with  the  brush  of  his  wing  slew  the  mighty  Assyrian  army,  and  one  of  them  would 
slay  all  Christ's  enemies  if  he  so  wished.  But  he  did  not  use  his  power  nor  influence 
io  his  own  defence.     He  had  sufficient  courage  to  stand  all  alone. 

II.  What  HE  did.  1.  He  remained  in  the  garden.  He  was  perfectly  self-composed. 
He  had  a  special  work  to  do  in  the  garden.  There  the  coming  battle  was  morally 
fought  and  won.  There  he  trained  himself  for  the  encounter,  edged  his  sword  and  put 
on  his  armour,  and  viewed  the  battle-field.  He  was  too  busily  engaged  with  his  Father 
and  the  busiuess  of  his  life  to  be  disturbed  by  the  approaching  foe.  2.  He  went  forth 
io  meet  his  enemies.  He  had  finished  his  work  there,  and  his  language  and  action  were, 
"  Let  us  arise,  and  go  hence."  He  went  forth  to  meet  them.  His  courage  was  not  rash, 
but  discreet,  and  under  the  guidance  of  perfect  wisdom.  He  never  went  forth  to  meet 
liis  enemies  before,  for  his  hour  was  not  come;  but  now  his  hour  was  come,  and  as  soon 
as  he  heard  the  clock  strike  it,  instead  of  waiting  their  arrival,  he  went  furth  to  meet 
them.    He  had  a  great  work  to  do  in  an  hour,  and  there  was  no  time  to  lose.     His 


412  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [cH.  xviii.  1—40. 

co\ira<:e  completely  spoilt  their  anticipated  sport  of  a  chase  or  a  fight.  3.  He  made 
himself  known  to  them.  He  could  ask  them  with  firmness, '*  Whom  seek  ye?"  but 
tremblingly  tliey  replied,  "Jesus  of  Nazareth."  The  Roman  soldiers  had  unflinchingly 
faced  many  mighty  foes,  but  this  defenceless  Jesus  of  Nazareth  overpowered  them  with 
his  majrsty.  "  I  am  he  "  proved  too  much  for  them.  1'hey  fell  to  the  ground.  And 
the  ciJlisiou  would  have  proved  fatal  to  tliem  were  it  not  for  the  buffers  of  his  goodness 
and  mercy.  Judas's  kiss  was  unnecessary;  Jesus  introduced  himself.  4.  He  went 
forth,  althouyh  kiiowing  all.  "  Knowing  all  things,"  etc.  His  knowledge  in  one  sense 
was  disadvantageous  to  him.  There  is  a  certain  amount  of  ignorance  connected  with 
all  human  bravery.  Hope  of  escape  and  victory  is  an  element  in  the  heroism  of  the 
bravest  soldier.  If  we  knew  all  our  future,  it  would  go  far  to  unnerve  our  courage  and 
paralyze  our  energies ;  but  Christ  knew  all.  He  had  mentally  gone  through  all  the 
tortures  of  the  next  few  hours.  He  knew  that  death  with  all  its  pains  and  shame  was 
but  a  drop  to  the  ocean  of  his  agonies.  He  knew  infinitely  more  than  the  soldiers  and 
the  disciiiles.  They  only  knew  the  outward  ;  he  knew  the  inward.  They  only  knew 
the  visible ;  he  knew  the  invisible.  They  only  knew  a  part ;  he  knew  all.  The 
■weight  of  death  was  nothing  to  the  weight  of  sin  he  had  to  bear.  He  knew  this  in  all 
its  bearings  and  bitterness ;  but  in  spite  of  all,  such  was  his  courage  that,  in  this  hour  of 
trial,  he  did  not  flag,  but  went  forth. 

III.  The  sources  of  his  courage.  What  courage  was  his  ?  1.  The  courage  of  an 
exceptionally  great  nature.  We  must  have  an  adequate  cause  to  ever}'  effect.  The 
heroism  of  Jesus,  although  human,  yet  often  towered  above  it  and  became  Divine.  He 
was  the  Word  made  flesh,  and  God  manifested  in  the  flesh.  He  was  a  perfect  Man,  but 
ever  united  with  Divinity — full  of  Divine  life  which  made  him  triumphant  over  death 
and  its  agonies.  2.  The  courage  of  loving  obedience  to  his  Father^s  will.  He  was  ever 
conscious  of  this.  It  was  his  delight,  and  the  inspiration  of  his  life.  "  My  meat  and 
my  drink,"  etc. ;  "  The  cup  that  my  Father  hath  given,"  etc.?  It  is  bitter,  but  I  shall 
drink  from  his  hand  whatever  may  be  the  consequences.  3.  The  courage  of  conscious 
rectitude  and  innocency.  Guilt  and  imposture  make  a  man  a  coward,  while  rectitude 
and  innocency  make  him  a  hero.  Conscious  of  the  Divinity  of  his  mission,  the  purity 
of  his  life,  the  guilelessness  of  his  spirit,  and  the  rectitude  of  his  motives,  Jesus  went 
forth  to  meet  his  foes;  and  this  consciousness  raised  him  so  far  above  timidity  as 
to  clothe  him  with  the  majesty  of  Divine  heroism,  which  sent  them  reeling  to  the 
ground.  4.  Tlie  courage  of  perfect  knowledge  of  results.  He  not  only  knew  his  suffer- 
ings, but  also  his  joys ;  not  only  the  sham.e,  but  also  the  glory ;  not  only  the  apparent 
defeat,  but  the  subsequent  grand  victories.  He  could  see  life  in  his  death  for  myriads, 
and  glory  in  the  highest.  With  the  agonizing  groans  of  Gethsemane  were  mingled  the 
anthems  of  triumph,  and  in  the  gleam  of  torches  and  lanterns  he  could  see  the  world 
flooded  with  light,  and  heaven  with  glory  and  happiness.  5.  The  courage  of  self-sacri- 
ficing and  disinterested  love.  In  the  greatest  bravery  of  selfishness  there  is  an  element 
of  cowardice  ;  but  in  Christ  there  was  not  a  taint  of  selfishness, — his  life  was  absolutely 
a  sacrifice  for  others.  He  would  not  implicate  others  in  his  hour  of  trial,  but  gave 
himself  to  save  them — and  all  this  was  voluntary.  The  volunteer  is  ever  more 
courageous  than  the  pressed  soldier.  The  courage  of  Jesus  was  that  of  a  volunteer,  and 
his  heroism  that  of  Divine  and  self-sacrificing  love. 

Lessons.  1.  The  foes  of  Jesus  were  the  unconscious  ministers  of  Divine  justice 
demanding  his  life  as  a  ranson  for  sin.  They  were  inspired  by  hatred  to  Jesus,  but 
this  hatred  was  overruled  to  answer  the  most  benevolent  purpose.  2.  Jesus  personally 
and  willingly  gave  his  life  up  for  this  purpose.  He  was  most  anxious  that  justice 
should  be  paid  in  the  genuine  coin,  and  not  in  counterfeit.  "  If  ye  seek  me,  let,"  etc. 
3.  In  consequence  of  his  meeting  the  demand  of  justice  by  his  life,  he  demands  the  release 
of  his  friends.  "  If  ye  seek  me,"  etc.  He  does  not  ask  this  as  a  favour,  but  demands 
as  his  right.  4.  This  demand  is  most  readily  granted.  In  this  instance  they  were  not 
touched.  Justice  cannot  resist  the  logic  of  Christ's  death  and  intercession  with  regard 
to  believers.  If  the  accepted  surety  pay,  the  debtor  is  free.  5.  The  infinite  importance 
to  be  united  by  faith  with  Christ.  Then  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  is  upon  him, 
but  otherwise  it  must  be  upon  ourselves. — B.  T. 

Vers.  1,  2. — A  hallowed  spot.    There  are  depths  and  unique  things  in  this  Gospel 


CH.  XVIII.  1—40.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  413 

which  make  it  easily  to  be  accounted  for  that  some  should  reckon  it  the  clioiccst  of 
the  Gospels.  It  has  what  the  others  have  not ;  but  when  we  compare  the  others  with 
it,  to  look  for  their  peculiar  excellences,  then  we  find  how  the  others  liave  what  this 
Gospel  lacks.  One  would  have  thought  beforehand  that  John  would  have  enlarged  on 
the  ni3'steries  and  sorrows  of  Gethsemane,  but,  strangely  enough,  lie  passes  thein  over 
without  a  word.  Here  is  one  of  the  illustrations  of  how  real  a  thing  insi)iration  is, 
these  Gospels  being  not  written  after  the  fashion  of  human  books,  tliougli  they  came 
through  human  minds.  If  John  had  been  asked  why  he  omitted  to  enlarge  on  the 
Passion,  he  could  hardly  have  told.  But  though  John  says  notliing  of  how  Jesus 
began  to  be  sorrowful  and  very  heavy  even  unto  death,  though  he  says  nothing  of 
that  sweat  which  was  like  great  drops  of  blood  falling  to  the  ground,  yet  we  are  sure 
all  these  dreadful  experiences  must  have  been  often  in  his  grateful  recollection. 
Gethsemane  was  the  last  place  where  Jesus  and  his  disciples  had  free  speech  before 
his  death,  and  it  was  well  that  they  should  have  the  recollection  of  it  as  a  place  where 
they  had  often  been.  Many  things  at  many  times  Jesus  must  have  told  them  there, 
and  the  remembrance  of  the  place  would  bring  up  the  remembrance  of  the  words.  We 
must  not  make  too  much  of  this  mere  locality,  even  if  we  were  quite  certain  of  it. 
Every  Christian  must  have  his  own  hallowed  places.  Every  Christain  must  have 
places,  the  recollection  of  which  is  sweeter  far  to  him  than  ever  the  mere  sight  of 
traditional  spots  in  Palestine  can  be.  We  must  have  holy,  mcmorablo  places  in  our 
own  experience,  and  then  perhaps  we  may  get  some  good  from  coasidering  the  so-called 
holy  places  of  the  so-called  Holy  Land. — Y. 

Ver.  10. —  TJie  vanity  of  violence.  Here  we  have  a  peculiarly  valuable  illustration  of 
the  vanity  of  violence.  Over  and  above  the  wickedness  of  violence,  there  is  the  useless- 
ness  of  it.  Men  arm  themselves  with  all  sorts  of  deadly  weajjons,  and  go  out  against 
each  other;  and  what  is  the  good  of  it  all  ?  Man  was  not  made  for  anything  requiring 
violence  or  extraordinary  exertion.  He  has  neither  the  muscles,  the  claws,  nor  the 
fangs  of  the  beast  of  prey.  Man  gains  his  proper  results  by  the  industrious  hand, 
directed  by  the  God-glorifying  brain.  Nothing  of  the  highest  has  ever  been  gained  by 
brute  force. 

I.  Look  at  those  attacking  Jesus.  They  act  after  their  kind  and  according  to 
their  light.  They  know  no  weapons  but  force  and  stratagem.  The  whole  appearance 
of  this  multitude,  going  out  with  swords,  and  sticks,  and  lamps,  and  torches,  has  some- 
thing ridiculous  and  despicable  about  it.  This  array  of  forces  would  have  been  all 
right  if  a  lion  or  a  bear  from  the  wilderness  had  been  seen  skulking  about  the  Mount 
of  Olives.  The  weapons  would  have  corresponded  against  a  murderer  or  a  brigand  in 
hiding  there.  But  it  was  Jesus  against  whom  they  were  going  out — Jesus,  who  did 
everything  in  his  work  by  persuasion  and  spiritual  energy.  Of  course,  all  this  showed 
great  ignorance,  but  that  is  what  the  enemies  of  Christ  and  his  Church  always  do  show. 
The  opposition  of  the  world,  being  completely  ignorant  of  what  has  to  be  conquered, 
has  no  astuteness  in  it.  What  can  all  the  combined  efforts  of  the  world  do  against  a 
man  who  is  ready,  if  need  be,  to  die  for  his  religion  ?  Jesus  in  the  hands  of  his  enemies 
is  the  grand  illustration  of  how  little  the  enemies  of  the  body  of  Christ  can  do,  or 
rather  the  particular  enemies  who  make  physical  pain  their  weapon.  Such  are  not 
the  worst  enemies.  It  is  not  the  wolf,  confessed  in  all  his  natural  ferocity,  that  we 
have  most  to  fear,  but  the  wolf  in  sheep's  clothing,  the  foe  who  comes  with  the  look 
and  language  of  the  friend. 

II.  Look  at  the  methods  op  defence.  1.  The  way  of  Peter.  Peter  had  very 
likely  made  himself  possessor  of  one  of  the  two  swords  mentioned  in  Luke  xxii.  38. 
Of  course,  this  shows  an  utter  misunderstanding  of  the  meaning  of  Jesus  in  Luke  xxii. 
36.  If  we  act  on  some  wrong  meaning  of  a  word  of  Jesus,  we  shall  sutler  for  the 
blunder,  sooner  or  later.  Peter  got  a  weapon  into  his  hands  that,  to  a  man  of  his  rash, 
impetuous  ways,  was  just  the  thing  to  bring  him  into  trouble.  Peter  should  have 
done  the  rijiht  thing  at  the  right  time.  Jesus  put  him  and  others  to  watch  and  pray, 
to  act  as  sentinels.  The  sentinels  fell  asleep  at  their  posts,  and  reckless  lunging  with 
a  sword  could  not  mend  matters  afterwards.  Notice,  too,  how  the  eOects  of  this  rash 
act  were  worst  to  the  man  who  committed  it.  Here  surely  is  the  secret  of  the  sub- 
sequent denials.     2.  Tlie  way  of  Jesus.     Jesus  yields.     He  defends  and  conquers  by 


414  THE  GOSPEL  ACCOKDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xvni.  1— 40. 

yielding.  He  shows  in  his  own  Person  how  the  just  man  has  a  fortress  impreo;nable 
to  violence.  He  could  have  vanished  mysteriously  from  the  midst  of  his  enemies,  as 
he  had  done  before;  but  what  would  that  have  advantaged  us?  We  cannot  vanish 
from  an  opposing  world ;  we  must  either  meet  violence  with  violence,  or  yield  what  is 
merely  outward,  knowing  that  the  inward  is  sacreAand  invulnerable. — Y. 

Ver.  17. —  The  folly  of  fear.  Simon  Peter,  having  shown  the  vanity  of  violence  in 
his  useless  blow  at  the  high  priest's  servant,  now  proceeds  to  show  the  folly  of  fear  in 
a  vain  attempt  to  conceal  his  connection  with  Jesus.  Extremes  meet.  The  spirit  that 
impels  to  a  reckless,  random  attack  is  immediately  followed  by  the  spirit  that  seeks 
present  safety  at  any  cost.  The  denial  by  Peter  illustrates  many  truths.  We  take  it 
here  as  illustrating  the  folly  of  fear. 

I.  Peter  meakt  to  be  prudent.  He  sought  to  keep  safe  what  he  valued  most, 
and  what  he  valued  most  was  his  own  present  life.  What  a  man  most  fears  to  lose 
is  his  treasure.  Peter  had  not  yet  gained  the  true  prudence,  because  he  had  not  yet 
found  out  the  most  precious  thing  a  man  can  possess,  even  an  inward  union  with  that 
which  is  inward  in  Jesus.  He  had  to  do  the  best  he  couM  for  the  best  he  had,  and 
that  best  led  him  into  a  lie.  Once  he  admitted  his  association  with  Jesus,  he  did  not 
know  what  the  admission  might  lead  to. 

II.  The  only  path  to  true  courage.  The  Christian  can  be  the  only  truly 
courageous  person.  For  he  knov/s  that,  whatever  may  come  from  the  outside,  the  best 
things  are  safe.  A  higher  courage  is  often  needed  than  that  in  which  Peter  proved  to 
be  lacking,  even  moral  courage.  Some  would  even  dare  to  die,  but  they  would  not 
dare  to  fly  in  the  face  of  the  world's  customs  and  demands.  Peter  had  harder  things 
to  do  afterwards  than  preserve  his  natural  life.  He  had  to  turn  his  back  on  Judaism. 
He  had  to  make  ready  for  being  laughed  at  and  sneered  at,  again  and  again.  The 
wisest  fear  is  a  fear  of  losing  living  union  with  Jesus.  If  we  value  that  as  we  ought 
to  do,  then  the  laughter  and  the  threats  of  men  will  be  robbed  of  what  makes  them  so 
dreadful  to  many. — Y. 

Ver.  20. — Nothing  to  conceal.  I.  A  contrast.  What  religion  is  there  that  can 
bear  the  light  of  day  as  Christianity  can  ?  The  false  needs  to  be  arranged  and  beau- 
tified and  kept  ever  in  one  particular  light.  Jesus  could  expose  everything  if  neces- 
sary. What  a  contrast  to  the  life  in  the  temple  at  Jerusalem !  There  was  not  a  priest 
who  could  afford  to  have  all  his  doings  brought  out  and  set  before  men.  This  ought  to 
be  part  of  our  power  when  we  are  dealing  with  false  religions.  The  more  they  are 
searched  into,  the  more  their  abominations  are  exposed.  The  more  Christianity  is 
searched  into,  the  more  transparent  and  attractive  it  becomes.  Not  that  everything 
is  clear  to  the  intellect,  not  that  there  is  absence  of  mysteries ;  but  these  mysteries, 
whatever  they  are,  lie  open  for  everybody  to  contemplate  them  and  be  the  better  for 
them.  The  mysteries  of  heathendom  are  only  priestcraft  when  one  gets  in  behind 
them.  Christianity  is  symbolized  by  the  contents  of  the  ark.  That  ark  was  sacred, 
not  to  be  touched  with  heedless  hands ;  but  once  it  was  opened,  nothing  lay  theie  but 
the  commandments,  every  one  of  which  uttered  forth  the  condemnation  of  everything 
false. 

II.  An  example.  That  openness  which  was  in  Jesus  must  be  in  all  his  followers. 
All  true  Christian  assemblies  are  perfectly  open  places,  except  when,  in  charity  and 
kindness  to  individuals,  the  door  is  closed ;  and  even  then  the  closing  of  the  door  is 
known  to  all,  and  why  it  is  so.  Those  entrusted  with  the  propagation  of  Christianity 
have  nothing  to  conceal.  Their  aim  is  the  good  of  men ;  their  method  is  by  persuasion 
and  appeal ;  they  draw  all  their  topics  and  their  teaching  from  a  book  which  is  as  open 
to  others  as  to  themselves.  None  of  the  first  apostles  needed  to  conceal  anything ; 
there  was  no  false  step,  no  dubious  word  of  their  Master  to  gloss  over  or  keep  in  the 
background ;  and  similarly  we  have  nothing  to  apologize  for.  We  need  not  to  pro- 
claim a  mere  ideal  for  the  acceptance  of  men.  Our  real  is  better  than  the  best  ideal 
our  imagination  can  fancy. 

III.  A  CAUSE  FOB  GLORYING.  DifiBculty  is  taken  out  of  our  way.  We  feel  that 
since  all  is  open  and  clear  and  satisfactory  now,  it  always  will  be  so.  We  find  nothing 
to  be  ashamed  of,  nothing  contradictory,  in  our  experience  of  Christ  in  time.     And 


CH.  xvin.  1— 40.]     THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  415 

similar  surely  will  be  our  experience  in  eternity.  "Whatever  record  leap  to  light," 
Christ  will  be  the  same.  Whatever  testimonies  be  unearthed,  there  will  be  nothing 
awkward  to  get  over. — Y. 

Ver.  21. — The  right  people  to  ask.  I.  Why  Jesus  could  refer  to  his  hearers. 
It  is  not  every  teacher  that  could  refer  confidently  to  his  hearers,  not  even  to  his  most 
attaclicd  and  trustful  ones.  If  he  did,  and  if  an  accurate  report  could  be  got  of  all 
their  impressions,  the  result  might  not  be  very  complimentary  to  the  teacher.  He 
might  find  out  that  as  yet  he  himself  was  only  a  learner.  He  might  find  out  that  he 
himself  was  only  making  guesses  and  dealing  with  the  surface  of  things.  But  Jesus 
knew  whence  he  came,  and  all  he  .«aiel  was  said  with  the  sjiontaueity,  the  mtural 
coherence,  belonging  to  him  who  spake  as  never  man  spake.  We  know  the  impression 
the  teaching  of  Jesus  makes  upon  us,  and  we  know  that  the  miscellaneous  crowds  who 
first  listened  to  it  must  have  been  impressed  in  the  same  way.  It  is  not  meant  that 
they  understood  everything,  or  always  understood  rightly.  But  there  was  this 
impression,  at  all  events,  that  Jesus  spoke  with  authority,  and  not  as  the  scribes.  Jesus 
knew  that  the  common  people  of  the  country  were  not  against  him,  and  his  enemies 
also  knew  that  they  could  not  afford  to  inquire  too  curiously  into  the  opinions  of  the 
multitude.  That  multitude  might  not  be  enthusiastic  about  Jesus,  but  a  decided 
condemnation  of  him  the  multitude  never  would  give,  if  only  a  sufficient  number  of 
people  had  been  asked. 

II.  A  HINT  FOR  us  IN  OUR  JUDGMENTS  ABOUT  Jesus.  We  are  too  much  accus- 
tomed to  fly  to  books  about  Jesus  which  have  intellectual  merit  rather  than  personal 
experience  in  them.  Jesus  referred  confidently  to  the  great  bulk  of  his  auditors,  even 
the  common  people.  And  we  should  try  to  find  out  what  the  common  people  think 
about  him.  If  Jtsus  cannot  bless  everybody,  he  cannot  bless  anybody.  The  scribt-s 
and  Pharisees  made  difliculties  where  the  common  people  made  none.  And  so.  we 
should  do  well  in  our  difficulties  to  consider  whether  they  are  shared  by  others.  There 
is  great  benefit  in  listening  to  the  opinions  of  all  sorts  of  people  about  Jesus  Christ. 
It  is  well,  on  the  one  hand,  to  hear  what  can  be  said  by  tue  learned  and  academical 
mind ;  and  it  is  also  w^ell,  on  the  other,  to  listen  to  those  who,  behind  all  that  has  been 
peculiar  in  Christ's  teaching,  all  that  has  wanted  learning  whereby  to  undcr.stand  it, 
have  seen  the  universal  truth  that  was  meant  to  do  them  good.  Christ's  teaching  can 
lay  hold  of  hearts  and  consciences  when  the  most  elaborate  system  of  mere  ethics  has 
no  grasp.  Christ  is  more  than  anything  he  has  said,  and  those  who  make  no  pretence 
to  intellectual  superiority  or  anything  special,  can  see  him  through  his  every  word  and 
deed.  We  had  better  not  reject  Christ  betore  we  have,  listened  well  to  the  kind  of 
people  who  have  accepted  him. — Y. 

Ver.  37. — "  TJie  King  of  the  Jews."  It  is  the  peculiarity  of  some  people  that  a  plain 
"Yes"  and  "No"  can  hardly  ever  be  got  out  of  them.  After  all,  however,  it  is  only 
an  irritating  peculiarity,  not  a  dangerous  one.  The  real  danger  is  when  peo])le  say 
"Yes"  and  "No"  too  easily,  too  thoughtlessly.  Here  is  the  question  of  Pilate  to 
Jesus,  "Art  thou  the  King  of  the  Jews?"  What  at  first  sight  could  look  simpler  and 
easier  to  answer?     Yet  it  was  not  simple  and  ea-y.     Thus  we  have  to  consider — 

I.  Jesus  in  his  treatment  of  Pilate's  question.  To  Pilate  the  question  was 
simple  enough.  He  meant,  of  course,  a  king  in  the  ordinary  acceptation  of  the  term. 
If  Jesus  had  said  "No"  to  this  question,  the  answer  Avould  have  been  right  enough, 
but  it  would  only  have  led  on  to  other  questions,  without  any  real  result  to  the 
interests  of  truth.  Jesus  evidently  did  not  wish  to  talk  much  at  this  season.  The 
time  for  teaching  was  past;  the  time  for  submission  and  suffering  had  now  fully  come. 
Still,  whatever  Jesus  had  to  say  must  be  significant,  and  mere  "Yes"  or  "No"  to 
ignorant  human  queationings  would  have  told  nothing.  Hence,  without  saying  he  was 
a  king,  Jesus  talks  about  his  kingdom  and  its  principles  of  defence,  which,  of  course, 
were  equally  its  principles  of  attack. 

II.  Thus  we  see  Jesus  answering  the  question  by  showing  the  elements  of  his 
powF.R  AND  the  METHOD  OF  HIS  PROGRESS.  1.  The  elements  of  his  pon-er.  He  looks 
a  lunely  Man  before  the  representatives  of  the  greatest  power  in  the  then  world. 
Whatever  could  be  done  by  force  of  numbers  and  discipline,  Rome  could  do.     But 


416 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [en.  xix.  1—42. 


quantity  of  a  lower  kind  can  do  nothing  against  quality  of  a  higher  kind.  Jesus  is 
not  concerned  to  maintain  the  integrity  of  a  fleshly  body,  though  even  that  he  could 
have  done  if  needful.  It  was  the  integrity  of  the  inner  life  Jesus  had  to  maintain 
Hgainst  temptation.  Jesus  hal  his  own  personal  battle  to  fight  and  victory  to  win, 
before  he  could  lead  men  in  their  greatest  battle  and  most  decisive  victory.  The  risen 
Saviour  is  the  Man  Christ  Jesus  made  fully  manifest  in  his  abiding  sinlessness.  If 
Pilate  will  only  wait  a  little  while,  and  open  his  mind  to  the  truth,  he  will  see  by  deeds 
that  Jesus  is  a  King.  Not  what  a  man  says,  but  what  he  does,  proves  his  claim. 
2.  The  method  of  his  progress.  Jesus  wants  us  to  get  above  the  ideas  of  mere  conflict 
and  victory  and  overcoming  of  opposition.  What  he  desires  is  the  free,  joyous,  and 
entire  submission  of  the  individual,  because  of  the  truth  which  is  made  clear  to  him  in 
Jesus.  Jesus  is  the  only  one  who  can  distinguish  reality  from  appearance,  truth  from 
falsehood,  and  the  abiding  from  the  perishing.  Jesus,  as  he  savs,  came  into  the  world. 
The  world  was  ever  in  his  thoughts,  for  the  world's  good.  He  no  more  belonged  to 
the  land  he  happened  to  live  in  than  the  sun  belongs  to  that  particular  part  of  the 
earth  where  he  happens  to  be  shining.  The  sun  belongs  to  the  whole  world,  and  so 
does  Jesus.  The  sun  belongs  to  every  age,  and  so  does  Jesus.  He  came  into  the 
world  to  bear  witness  to  the  truth,  and  wherever  there  is  a  soul  wrapped  in  delusion 
and  falsehood,  mistaking  realities  for  dreams,  and  dreams  for  realities,  Jesus  is  there  to 
tell  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth. — Y. 


EXPOSITION. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


Vers.  1— 3.— (rf)  [Within  the  Prsetorium.] 
The  -unjust  scourging,  and  the  crown  of  thorns. 

Ver.  1. — Then  Pilate  therefore  took  Jesus, 
and  scourged  Mm.  The  force  of  the  ''  there- 
fore" may  be  seen  in  the  foregoing  observa- 
tions (see  especially  Luke  xxiii.  23 — 25). 
He  obviously  fancied  that  the  sight  of  their 
Victim's  utter  humiliation,  his  reduction  to 
the  lowest  possible  position,  would  sate  tlieir 
burning  rage.  Scourging  was  the  ordinary 
preliminary  of  crucifixion,  and  it  might  be 
regarded  as  Pilate's  verdict,  or  the  conclusion 
of  the  whole  matter.  Roman  and  Greek 
historians  confirm  the  custom  (Josephus, 
'  Ant.,'  V.  11. 1 ;  '  Bell.  Jud.,'  ii.  14.  9 ;  comp. 
Matt.  XX.  19  ;  Luke  xviii.  33)  of  scourging 
before  crucifixion.  It  may  have  had  a  twofold 
motive — one  to  glut  the  desire  of  inflicting 
physical  torment  and  ignominy,  and  another 
allied  to  the  offer  of  anodyne,  to  hasten 
the  final  sufiferiugs  of  the  cross.  But  the 
governor  clearly  thought  that  he  might,  by 
first  humouring  the  populace,  in  releasing 
Barabbas  from  his  confinement,  and  then 
reducing  to  a  political  absurdity  the  charge 
of  treason  against  Caesar,  save  the  suf- 
fering Prisoner  from  further  wrong.  The 
morbid  suggestion  of  a  mind  accustomed 
to  gladiatorial  shows,  and  to  the  sudden 
changes  of  feeling  which  ran  through  the 
amphitheatres  at  the  sight  of  blood,  not 
only  reveals  the  incapacity  of  Pilate  to 
understand  the  difference  between  right  ami 
wrong,  but  proves  that  he  had  not  sounded 
the  depth  of  Jewish  fanaticism,  nor  under- 
stood the  people  he  had  been  ordered  to 


coerce.  John  uses  the  word  iixacTiyaxrfv, 
a  purely  Greek  word.  Matthew  and  Mark, 
who  refer  to  the  scourging  which  preceded 
Christ's  being  led  to  Calvary,  use  another 
official  and  technical  word  (ppayeWwa-as 
(identifiable  with  the  Latin  vford  flagellans). 
This  does  not  require  us  to  believe. in  two 
scourgings.  Matthew  and  Mark  simply 
refer  to  the  scourging,  which  had  been 
arbitrarily  and  informally  inflicted,  as  John 
informs  us,  before  the  condemnation  was 
pronounced.  The  Roman  punishment  fla- 
gellis  inflicted  hideous  torture.  "  It  was 
executed  upon  slaves  with  thin  elm  rods  or 
straps  having  leaden  balls  or  sharply  pointed 
bones  attached,  and  was  delivered  on  the 
bent,  bare,  and  tense  back."  The  victim 
was  fastened  to  a  pillar  for  thcpurpose,  the 
like  to  which  has  actually  been  found  by 
Sir  C.  Warren  in  a  subterranean  cavern,  on 
the  site  of  what  Mr.  Ferguson  regards  as 
the  Tower  of  Antonia  (Westcott).  The 
flagellation  usually  brought  blood  with  tiie 
first  stroke,  and  reduced  the  back  to  a  fear- 
ful state  of  raw  and  quivering  flesh.  Strong 
men  often  succumbed  under  it,  while  the 
indignity  of  such  a  proceeding  in  this  case 
must  have  cut  far  deeper  into  the  awful 
sanctuary  of  the  Sufferer's  soul. 

Ver.  2. — Pilate  then  allowed  the  wounded 
and  bruised  man  to  be  yet  further  and  cruelly 
insulted   by  the   Roman  soldiers,  who  de- 
lighted in  cruel  play  and  coarse  scorn.     And 
I  the  soldiers  plaited  a  crown  of  thorns,  and 
!   pat  it  on  his  head,  and  arrayed  him  in  a 
I   purple  robe.     The  '•  gorgeous  robe  "  '  which 

I       '  The  three  epithets  used,  \a.fj.np6s  (Luke 


CH.  XIX.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


417 


had  been  put  upon  Jesus  by  Herod  hnd 
been  probably  taken  from  him  before  he 
was  brought  the  second  time  into  the  Pra3- 
torium,  and  necessarily  before  his  scourging. 
Now,  though  it  is  called  a  "  purple  robe " 
by  John,  and  was  probably  a  cast-off  toga  of 
the  Herodian  court,  in  all  likelihood  it  was 
the  same  garment  whicli  was  tlirown  again 
around  his  fettered  limbs,  his  bowfd  and 
bleeding  form.  And  the  soldiers  plailed  a 
crown  of  thorns ;  in  imitation  of  the  victor's 
wreath  at  a  •'  triumph,"  ratlier  than  the 
coronet  or  diadem  of  a  king.  The  material 
is  believed  by  Winer,  Hug,  Luthardt,  and 
Godet  to  be  the  Lycium  spinosum,  often 
found  at  Jerusalem,  not  the  acanthus,  whoso 
leaves  decorate  our  Corinthian  columns.  It 
is  of  flexible  stem,  and  would  be  soon 
woven  into  a  wreath,  the  spikes  of  which, 
when  it  was  placed  around  that  majestic 
head,  would  be  driven  into  the  flesh,  and 
produce  great  agony. 

Ver.  3. — They  kept  on '  coming  to  him,  and 
saying  to  him,  in  sportive  mockery  of  his 
supposed  Kingship,  and  utter  scorn  of  the 
nation  whose  IMesj^ianic  hope  they  derided, 
Hail,  Xing  of  the  Jews  !  They  did  a  sham 
obeisance  to  liini,  having  elected  him,  as 
Roman  guards  often  did,  an  "  imperator  " 
on  the  field  of  battle.  The  offerings  which 
they  presented  to  him  were  not  the  kiss  of 
homage,  but  ^aitifffi-ara.  They  kept  on  offer- 
ing him  blows  on  the  face,  strokes  with  the 
hand  or  with  rods  (cf.  ch.  xviii.  22,  note). 
Hengstenberg,  recalling  here  (3Iatt.  xxvii. 
29)  that  they  put  a  reed  in  his  hand,  symbol 
of  a  sceptre,  supposes  thut  he  refused  to 
hold  it,  in  consequence  of  which  they  took 
it  from  him,  and  smote  him  with  it.  The 
awful  indignity  was  a  wondrous  prophecy. 
Nay,  from  that  very  hour  he  began  to  reign. 
That  crown  of  thorns  has  been  more  lasting 
than  any  royal  diadem.  Those  cruel  insults 
have  been  the  title-deeds  of  his  imperial 
sway,  by  which  he  has  mastered  the  nations. 
He  was  wounded,  bruised,  for  the  iniquities 
of  us  all.  The  representatives  of  the  outside 
world  thus  share  expressly  in  the  shame 
and  ban  by  which  the  Hebrew  theocracy  is 
crushed,  and  the  prince  of  this  world  is 
judged.  "  They  know  not  what  they  do  ;  " 
but  Jew  and  Koman  are  guilty  before  God. 

xxiii.  11),  kAkkIvos  (Matt,  xxvii.  28),  irop- 
<pvpovv  (ch.  xix.  2),  are  not  inconsistent. 
The  \aixirp6s  does  not  mean  "  white,"  but 
glittering  or  gorgeous;  and  "scarlet"  and 
"  purple  "  are  continually  interchanged  or 
mixed  (Rev.  xvii.  4;  xviii.  16). 

'  Kai  fifixo""^"  i^P^s  avrAv.  This  addition 
to  T.R.  is  made  by  Tregellcs,  Tischendorf 
(8th  edit.),  Alford,  R.T.,  and  Westcott  and 
Hort,  on  the  authority  of  N,  B,  L,  U,  X,  33, 
69,  the  Syriac  and  otlier  versions. 
JOHN. — u. 


Vers.  4— 7.— (e)  [Without  the  Prastorium.] 
Further  protestations  by  Pilate  of  Christ  s 
innocence  bring  out  the  hitherto-concealed 
Jewish  verdict  that  he  had  claimed  to  be  the 
Son  of  God. 

Ver.  4. — And  Pilate,  with  grim  intouciance, 
allows  the  mockery  to  take  place,  and  then, 
with  his  poor  derided  sham-king  at  his  side, 
he  went  forth  again'  from  the  Pra3torium 
to  the  public  seat,  wliero  lie  kept  up  tlie 
conflict  with  the  accusers  and  the  ever- 
gathering  crowd,  and  saith  to  them,  with 
more  of  passion  tlian  before,  imagining  that 
this  pitiable  caricature  of  a  king  would 
reduce  the  cry  of  "  Crucify  him  !  "  into  some 
more  moderate  and  less  preposterous  demand. 
Behold,  I  lead  him  forth  to  you,  crowned, 
but  bleeding,  robed  as  a  king,  but  humiliated 
to  a  condition  worse  than  a  slave,  that  ye 
may  know  that  I  find  no  crime  -  in  him ; 
literally,  no  charge ;  i.e.  no  "  crime."  Pilate 
thus  renews  and  varies  his  testimony  to  the 
character  of  the  Holy  One!  He  makes 
another  fruitless  appeal  to  the  humanity 
and  justice  of  the  maddened  mob.  But 
what  a  revelation  of  Pilate's  own  weakness 
and  shame  !  He  can  find  no  fault,  but  has 
connived  at,  nay,  ordered,  the  worst  part  of 
this  atrocious  punishment.  Keim  would 
have  us  think  that  Pilite's  anxiety  to  save 
a  Jew  is  a  mere  invention  made  by  the 
second-century  fabricator.  There  is,  how- 
ever, nothing  incompatible  with  a  Roman 
official's  anxiety  not  to  commit  a  judicial 
murder,  for  his  own  sake,  and  perhaps  for 
the  honour  of  his  order.  The  liypoihesis 
is  irrational  that  the  entire  representation 
of  Pilate's  desire  to  screen  or  save  Jesus 
from  the  malice  of  the  Jews  was  a  device 
of  the  author,  due  to  his  Gentile  nationality 
and  proclivities,  anxious  to  put  even  the 
Roman  officials  in  the  best  possible  light. 
Surely  Christians  had  no  temptation  to 
mitigate  their  judgments  upon  Rome  at  the 
time  of  the  persecution  under  Marcus  Anto- 
ninus. Thoma,  like  Strauss,  finds  the  basis 
of  the  representation  in  the  prophetic  types 
of  Isa.  liil.  and  Ps.  xxii. 

Ver.  5.— Jesus  then  came  forth,  at  Pilate's 
order,  into  some  prominent  position,  wear- 
ing (<popfw,  not  (pipai),  as  a  regular  costume, 
the  thorny  crown,  and  the  purple  robe,  and 
he  (Pilate,  from  his  judgment-seat)  saith  to 
them,  as  this  hateful  and  tragic  melodrama 
was  being  enacted,  Behold  the  Man !     Ecce 

'  K,  D,  and  r  read  efTjAflev,  with  Tischen- 
dorf (8th  edit.) ;  Griesbach  and  T.R.  read, 
with  E,  G,  H,  etc.,  t^riKdiv  oZv ;  Lachmann, 
R.T.,  and  Westcott  and  Hort,  with  A,  B,  K, 
etc.,  read  koX  t^ri\6 fi>. 

^  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Alford,  and 
Westcott  and  Hort  differ  as  to  the  order  of 
the  words. 

2e 


418 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xix.  1—42. 


Homo  !  This  waa,  doubtless,  said  to  miti- 
gate or  allay  their  ferocity.  '•  Let  his 
simple  humanity  plead  with  you!  After 
this  surely  you  can  desire  no  more."  ' 
"  The  Man,"  rather  than  "  the  King."  As 
Caiaphas  did  not  know  the  enormous  signi- " 
ficance  of  his  own  dictum  (ch.  xi.  50),  so 
Pilate,  from  his  purely  secular  position,  did 
not  appreciiite  the  world-wide  meaning  of 
his  own  words.  He  did  not  know  that  he 
had  at  his  side  the  Man  of  men,  the  perfect 
veritable  Man,  the  unattainable  Ideal  of  all 
humanity  realized.  He  did  not  anticipate 
that  that  crown  of  thorns,  that  robe  of 
simulated  royalty,  that  sign  of  bloody 
agony,  and  these  insults  borne  with  sublime 
patience  and  ineffable  love,  were  even  then 
lifting  Jesus  to  the  throne  of  eternal  memory 
and  universal  dominion ;  nor  liow  his  own 
words  would  be  enshrined  in  art,  and  con- 
tinue to  the  end  of  time  a  crystallization 
of  the  deepest  emotion  of  the  Church  of  God. 
The  hymn  of  Gerhard  expresses  in  thrilling 
tones  the  universal  and  perpetual  feeling  of 
all  Christians — 

"  O  Haupt  voll  Blut  und  Wunden 
VoU  schwerz  und  voller  Hohn  ! 
O  Haupt  zum  Spott  gebunden 
Mit  einer  Dornerkron  ! " 

But  the  appeal  to  humanity  was  vain,  and 
Pilate's  momentary  sentiment  failed  of  its 
end.  Not  a  voice  in  his  favour  broke  the 
silence;  but — 

Ver.  6. — When  then  the  chief  priests  and 
the  officers  saw  him,  tliey  stifled  every  move- 
ment of  possible  sympatliy  by  "  loud  harsh 
cries  "  ^iKpavyacrav).  They  cried  out,  Crucify, 
crucify  him!  ^  Scourging  and  mockery  do 
not  meet  the  case,  nor  exhaust  the  curse  and 
the  verdict  they  have  already  pronounced. 
He  must  die  the  doom  of  the  vilest.  He 
must  be  done  to  death  as  a  slave.  Pilate 
saith  unto  them,  certainly  not  granting  to 
them  permission  to  take  the  law  into  their 
hands,  irrespective  of  the  Prajtorian  court 
and  against  his  will,  but  in  angi-y  sarcasm, 
and  with  an  unconcealed  threat.  Take  him, 
ye  yourselves,  and  crucify;  that  is,  if  you 
daie.  Go,  do  your  deed  of  blood  by  your 
own  hands,  take  all  the  responsibility ;  for  I 
find  no  crime  in  him.  Pilate  thus  derides 
tlieir  powerlessness,  and  repeats  his  verdict 

>  The  R.T.  here  reads  iSe,  with  A,  D,  r, 
Lachmauu,  etc. ;  but  Tregelles,  Tischendorf 
(Stli  edit.),  and  Westcott  and  Hort  read 
(5oi',  with  N,  B,  L,  X,  etc.,  1,  and  33. 

2  Griesbach,  Lachmann,  and  Tregelles 
<margiu)  introduce  avTov,  and  there  is  tlie 
authority  of  N,  A,  D^  X,  and  several  other 
uncials,  and  numerous  authorities.  Tisclieu- 
dorf  (8th  edit.),  R.T.,  Westcott  and  Hort, 
with  B,  L,  omit  it. 


of  acquittal  (see  ch.  xviii.  31).  At  this 
moment  tlie  so-called  trial  might  have 
ended,  so  far  as  Pilute  was  concerned,  with 
a  frank  and  immediate  release.  It  would 
seem  as  though  the  governor  had  decided, 
and  there  could  be  no  more  discussion. 
But— 

Ver.  7. — The  Jews  answered  Mm,'  ready 
with  an  expedient  which  Idtherto  they  had 
not  ventured  to  try  upon  the  Roman  official. 
It  might  have  met  with  the  kind  of  recep- 
tion which  Gallio  gave  to  the  accusers  of 
Sosthenes  in  the  Corinthian  court.  He  might 
have  driven  them  at  point  of  spear  or  whip 
from  the  judgment-seat.  "  The  Jews  "  here 
mentioned,  rather  than  "the  chief  priests 
and  officers "  of  the  previous  verse,  for 
the  multitude — by  some  other  spokesmen 
than  they — exclaim.  We  have  a  law,  and 
according  to  that  (the)  law^  he  ought  to 
die;  whatever  jo\i  may  have  made  of  the 
charge  of  political  treason.  In  full  session 
of  our  Sanhedrin,  he  made  himself,  repre- 
sented himself,  as  something  more  than 
Cfesar,  nay,  more  than  man,  as  Son  of  God. 
"  King  of  Jews  "  was  a  usurpation  of  the 
Messianic  dignity ;  but  he  had  claimed,  in 
their  very  hearing,  to  be  more  than  a 
national  leader.  He  raised  himself  to  the 
position  of  being  "  Jehovah's  King  upon  his 
holy  hill,"  to  whom  Jehovah  had  sworn, 
"  TJiou  art  my  Son ;  this  day  have  I  begotten 
thee ;  "  "  Son  of  God  "  as  well  as  "  King  of 
Israel."  Pilate  would  not  and  could  not 
understand  this  strange  "  testimony  to  the 
truth  ; "  and  the  people  were  now  in  a  more 
angry  and  excited  state  than  ever,  and 
appealed  to  the  law  of  their  own  code  (Lev. 
xxiv.  16),  which  denounced  death  upon  the 
blasphemer.  This  charge  was  just  unless 
the  claim  was  true.  If  Christ  had  not  been 
to  his  own  inmost  consciousness  what  he 
said  he  was,  the  Sanhedrin  was  in  the  right ; 
and,  according  to  law,  he  was  guilty  of 
death.  It  is  here  vastly  interesting  to  see 
another  indication  of  relation  between  the 
synoptic  narrative  and  the  Fourth  Gospel. 
Though  John  passed  over  the  scenes  before 
the  Sanhedrin,  and  the  circumstance  that 
Christ  had  been  actually  there  doomed  be- 
cause he  had  made  there  no  secret  of  his 
Divine  claims,  and  declared  himself  to  be  a 
king  in  a  higher  sense  than  Pilate  dreamed  ; 

•  T.R.,  R.T.,  Tregelles,  and  Westcott  and 
Hort  introduce  aurcS,  with  A,  B,  D,  L,  X, 
and  cursives;  but  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.) 
and  Bale  Revisers  omit  it,  with  X  and  1. 

^  T.R.  here  introduces  ■^A''!^''>"o^^i'-"  There 
is  considerable  authority  both  for  addition 
and  omission.  Tischendorf  (Sth  edit.),  Tre- 
gelles, R.T.,  and  Westcott  and  Hort  omit  it, 
with  N,  B,  D^  L,  A,  with  Italic,  Vulgate, 
and  other  versions. 


en.  XIX.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOTIN. 


4in 


yet  John  has  given  clear  proof  that  he  was 
well  aware  of  the  confession,  and  records 
the  still  more  striking  fact  that  this  special 
claim  of  supreme  prerogative  actually  came 
to  the  ears  and  before  the  judgment-seat  of 
Borne. 

Vers.  8— 11.— (/)  [Witliin  the  Prffitorium.] 
The  fear  of  Pilate,  ami  the  aj^portinnmcnt  of 
the  measures  of  guilt  bij  the  viajtstic  Sufferer. 

ViT.  S. — When  therefore  Pilate  heard 
this  word  he  was  more  afraid,  implying 
that  John  had  seen  all  along  that  some 
element  of  "  fear  "  had  moved  Pilate,  and 
that  now  it  was  angnented.  Suj)orstition 
goes  hand  in  hand  with  scepticism.  In- 
stead of  this  being  (as  Keim  says)  con- 
trary to  psychologic  liuvs,  tiie  history  of 
scepticism  is  constantly  presenting  the  same 
features  (cf.  Herotl  Aiitipas  the  Sadducee, 
who  would  dogmatically  have  repudiated 
the  idea  of  resurrection,  crying  out  concern- 
ing Jesus,  "  It  is  John  the  Baptist,  whom 
I  beheaded  :  he  is  riseu  from  the  dead,"  etc.). 
We  need  not  suppose  that  Pilate  was  sud- 
denly alfected  by  the  truth  of  Jewish  mono- 
theism ;  but  he  may  readily  have  believed 
that  the  wondrous  Being  before  him  was 
enshrouded  in  a  mystery  of  supernatural 
portent  and  pretension  that  he  could  not 
fathom,  and  before  which  he  trembled.  The 
idea  of  Divine  energy  enshrined  in  and 
wielded  by  human  beings  was  not  altogether 
foreign  to  heathen  thought — and  one  cen- 
turion, at  least,  who  was  probably  present  on 
this  very  occasion,  exclaimed  that  Jesus  was 
a  Son  of  God  (Matt,  xxvii.  54). 

Ver.  9. — And  he  entered  the  Praetorium 
again  (Jesus  following  him),  and  he  saith  to 
Jesus,  Whence  art  thou  ?  but  Jesus  gave  him 
no  answer.  Almost  all  commentators  reject 
the  old  explanation  of  the  question  of  Pilate 
given  by  Paulus,  that  he  simply  asked  Jesus 
of  his  birthplace  or  his  home.  The  governor 
was  disturbed,  and  ready  to  suspect  that  he 
had  on  his  hands  some  supernatural  Being 
whom  no  cross  could  destroy — some  mysteri- 
ous half-human,  half-Divine  creature,  such 
as  filled  the  popular  literature ;  and,  without 
any  spiritual  insight  on  his  own  side,  he  en- 
ticed Jesus  to  give  him  his  confidence,  and 
entrust  to  his  keeping  some  of  the  secret  of  his 
origin,  and  the  source  of  the  bitter  antago- 
nism to  his  claims.  There  was  fear,  curiosity, 
and  great  desire  for  his  own  sake  to  save  the 
suffering  Man  from  the  clutches  of  his  ene- 
mies. "  Whence  art  thou  /  Ilast  thou  indeed 
made  this  claim  ?  Dost  thou  call  thyself 
Son  of  tiod  ?  that  God  is  thy  proper  Father ; 
that  thou  art  coming  in  the  glory  of  heaven ; 
that  thou,  in  thy  purple  roi)e  and  bleeding 
form,  art  already  seated  on  thy  throne  of 
judgment?"  Surely  all  this  was  really 
conveyed  by  the  question,  for  we  cannot 
suppose  that  "the  Jews"  confined  them- 


selves to  the  laconic  recital  of  the  charge  as 
here  recorded.     The  silence  of  Jesus  is  very 
impressive,  and  we,  in  our  ignorance,  can  only 
vaguely  any  what  it  meant.     Very  numerous 
explanations  arc  offered.     Luthardt's  idea, 
thwt  Christ  would  not  give  an  answer  which 
would  have  the  effect  of  preventing  Pilate, 
in  his  agitated  state,  from  giving  the  order 
for   his   crucifixion,  is   stagey  and    unreal. 
Moreover,  it  is  bound  up  witli  very  question- 
able ethic,  and  sugg(\-,ts  that  Jesus  is  answer- 
able for  the  awful  sin  of  Pilate,  from  which, 
by  a  word,  he  might  have  saved  him.     We 
admit  that  at  any  moment  the  Lord  could, 
if  he  had  chosen,  have  smitten  his  foes  with 
blindness,  or  delivered  himself  from  their 
malice   by  passing   through   them   (cf.    ch. 
xii.  59).      They   would  all  have   fallen   to 
the  earth  if  he  liad  glanced  at  them  as  he 
had  done  upon  the  Roman  guard  in  Geth- 
semane — upon  that  very  band  of  men  who 
were  now  so  busy  in  wiping  out  the  stain  of 
their  momentary  panic.    On  other  occasions, 
when  his  hour  of  self-deliverance  and  self- 
devotion  to  the  Father's  will  had  not  arrived, 
he  discomfited  his  enemies  ;  but  now  his  hour 
had  come,  and  he  did  not  shrink.    All  this  is 
true,  but  it  does  not  account  for  the  refusal 
to  answer  a  question  like  this.     Doubtless 
the  silence  was  as  expressive  as  speech,  and 
even  less  likely  to  be  misunderstood.     He 
could  not  have  denied  that  he  was  "  Son  of 
God."     He  could  not  have  affirmed  it  witii- 
out  leading  Pilate  to  put  human  and  heathen 
notions  into  it.     But  could  not  he,  who  is 
infinite  wisdom   incarnate,  have   given  an 
answer  which  would  have  avoided  both  dan- 
gers?   That,  however,  is  practically  what  he 
did  effect.     The  prophetic  picture  had  fore- 
told of  him,  tiiat  "  like  a  sheep  ])efore  its 
shearers  is  dumb,   so  he    opened   not  his 
mouth ; "  and  the  previous  silences  of  Jesus 
before  Annas,  and  before  the  false  witnesses, 
before   Caiaphas,   and  Pilate  himself,  and 
before  Herod,  are  all  governed  by  the  same 
rule — a  refusal  to  save  himself  from  malig- 
nant falsity,  or  tricky  design,  or  conspicu- 
ously lying  charges ;  biit  when  challenged 
to  say  whether  he  was  the  Christ,  whether  he 
wastheSonof  God,  whether  he  wasa  King, ho 
gave  the  answers  needed.     There  was  some 
likeness  between  the  spirit  of  Herod,  Caia- 
phas, and  the  false  witnesses,  and  of  Pilate's 
"  Whence  art  thou?  "  which  did  not  deserve 
an  affirmative  answer.     The  governor,  who 
had   scourged  and  insulted  an  apparently 
defenceleso  man,  at  the  very  moment  when 
he  was  proclaimed  innocent,  and  now  was 
afraid  of  what  ho  had  done,  came  into  the 
category  of  the  slayers  of  the  silent  Lamb. 
But  to  the  next  incjniry.  which  went  down 
to  the  depths  of  his  heart,  and  revealed  the 
utter  unspirituality  and  self-ignorance  which 
needed  response,  a  wondrous  reply  was  given. 


420 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [en.  xix.  1—42. 


Ver.  10. — Therefore '  saith  Pilate  to  him; 
nettled  by  this  silence,  and  with  the  arro- 
gance of  a  Roman  procurator,  Speakest 
thou  not  to  me  1  "I  do  not  wonder  at 
vour  silence  before  that  malignant  crowd, 
but  to  me  your  refusal  to  speak  is  in- 
explicable." He  did  not  appear  to  desire 
genuine  information,  nor  was  his  con- 
science touched  by  reflecting  upon  the 
hateful  mistake  he  had  made.  "  The  ifxai 
bears  the  emphasis  of  mortified  power,  which 
attempts  even  then  to  terrify  and  entice  " 
(Meyer).  Archdeacon  Watkins  says  well, 
"  Pilate  is  true  to  the  vacillating  character 
whicli  now,  as  man,  trembles  before  One  who 
may  be  a  being  from  the  other  world,  and 
now  as  Roman  governor  expects  that  Being 
to  tremble  before  him."  Knowest  thou 
not  that  I  have  authority  (e^ovrriav)  to  re- 
lease thee;^  and  that  I  have  authority  to 
.crucify  thee  ?  Pilate  scofBngly  assumes 
supreme  authority  of  life  and  death.  He 
virtually  says,  "  I  am  the  judge ;  you  are 
the  accused  criminal.  I  am  your  master, 
and  the  master  of  the  Jews ;  you  are  abso- 
1  utely  in  my  power."  This,  then,  was  another 
moment  of  critical  and  intense  interest,  and 
of  tremendous  temptation  from  the  prince 
of  this  world.  The  destiny  of  the  Church,  of 
Christianity,  and  of  the  world  might  seem 
to  be  trembling  in  the  balance,  A  single 
glance,  a  single  word  of  admission  or  plead- 
ing, a  gesture  of  deference,  or  merely  human 
confidence,  or  gentle  flattery,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  exercise  of  the  very  power  by  which 
the  Lord  had  erewhile  spell-bound  his  cap- 
tors, or  paralyzed  the  arms  which  meant  to 
stone  him,  and  the  whole  history  of  the 
world  (judged  from  human  and  historical 
standpoints)  would  have  been  utterly  dif- 
ferent. But  the  same  Christ  who  would  not 
accept  the  help  of  daemons,  nor  ascend 
from  the  mountain  of  Transfiguration  to 
his  native  and  primeval  home,  nor  at  any 
time  work  a  miracle  for  the  supply  of  his 
merely  personal  need,  uttered  the  memorable 
words — 

'  The  oZv  is  found  in  T.  B.,  Lach- 
mann,  Tregelles,  R.T.,  Westcott  and  Hort, 
and  Meyer,  on  the  authority  of  N,  B,  C, 
DS"P,  and  thirteen  other  uncials,  Vulgate 
and  other  versions;  but  it  is  omitted  by 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  and  bracketed  by 
Alford,  with  N*,  A,  and  some  minuscules. 
There  seems,  «  priori,  far  more  likelihood  of 
an  omission  than  of  an  addition  on  the  part 
of  the  copyists. 

*  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  R.T.,  Westcott 
and  Hort,  on  the  authority  of  N,  A,  B,  E, 
as  against  D,  E*,  L,  and  other  authorities, 
suggest  the  most  natural  order  of  the  two 
words,  appealing  first  to  hope  and  then  to 
fear. 


Ver.  11. — Thou  wouldst  not  have '  autho- 
rity against  me  of  any  kind,  either  judicial 
or  actual,  or  both  combined  :  thou  wouldst 
hold  no  judicial  position  which  I  or  others 
could  recognize,  nor  wouldst  thou  have  the 
faintest  power  to  proceed  against  me  unless, 
etc.  Here  our  Lord  points  to  the  great 
doctrine  which  Paul  afterwards  expressed 
(Rom.  xiii.  1)  about  the  powers  that  be,  and 
hints  that  every  circumstance  and  event 
which  led  to  Pilate's  occupancy  of  that 
judgment-seat,  or  which  in  recent  times  had 
delivered  up  the  people  of  the  Lord  to  the 
authority  of  Rome,  and  prepared  for  the 
occupancy  of  the  Prajtorium  by  Pontius 
Pilate  himself,  was  altogether  beyond  the 
range  of  his  judge's  spontaneity  and  compe- 
tency. Unless  it  were  given  thee  from  above 
(&va)dfv).  He  does  not  say,  "  from  my 
Father,"  or  "  from  God " — phrases  which 
would  have  been  incomprehensible  to  a 
sceptical  heathen;  but  "from  above,"  from 
that  Divine  providential  source  of  all  power 
which  rules  all.  The  Lord  thus  implies 
the  Divine  legitimation  of  the  judicial  rank 
of  Pilate  ;  and  the  fact  that  his  continuous 
occupancy  of  it  was  a  talent  revocable  in  a 
moment  by  the  hand  that  gave  it,  and  that 
all  the  exercise  of  his  so-called  i^ovcrla  was 
dependent  on  his  supreme  will.  For  this 
cause  he  that  delivered^  me  up  to  thee. 
Though  Judas  is  continually  described  as 
6  TtapaSovs  (ch.  xviii.  2 ;  xiii.  2 ;  xi.  21  ; 
xii.  4 ;  vi.  64 — 71),  yet  we  have  already 
seen  that  the  act  of  Judas  had  been  en- 
dorsed by  the  people,  and  by  the  Sanhe- 
drin,  who  now  by  their  highest  official 
representative  had  "  delivered  "  him  up  to 
Pilate  (ch.  xviii.  35,  note),  betrayed  him 
with  murderous  intention  to  the  power 
which  could  not  merely  excommunicate,  but 
could  kill  by  judicial  process.  Our  Lord  may 
either  refer  to  Caiaphas  (Bengel,  Meyer, 
Luthardt)  or  to  the  Sanhedrin  and  people 
as  a  whole  (Godet).  Hath  greater  sin. 
"  Because  the  initiative  has  been  taken  by 
him,  and  irrespective  of  thee;  because  thy 
power,  such  as  it  is  over  me,  is  a  Divine 
arrangement,  made  irrespective  of  thy  will ; 
and  the  whole  of  this  proceeding  has  been 
forced  upon  thee  against  thy  better  judg- 

'  Ejxest  the  reading  of  Tischendorf  (6th 
edit.),  T.R.  and  R.T.,  Westcott  and  Hort,  on 
the  authority  of  B,  r,  A,  and  other  uncials, 
is  disputed  by  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  who 
reads  exets.  The  imperfect  indicative  without 
&v  expresses  the  strong  asseveration  (Kiihner, 
Stallbaum,  and  ]\Ieyer). 

^  HapaSovs,  X,  B,  E,  A,  A,  etc.,  is  preferred 
by  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Westcott  and 
Hort,  and  R.T.  to  the  7rapo5i5ouj  of  T.R.,  Tre- 
geUes  (margin),  and  Alford,  which  rests  on 
A  and  twelve  other  unciala. 


OH.  XIX.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


4^1 


ment."  Nevertheless,  he  implies  that  Pilate 
has  sinned :  he  was  exercising  his  seeminp; 
judicial  rights  irrespective  of  justice.  He 
had  declared  Jesus  to  be  free  from  blame  or 
charge  in  open  court,  but  he  had  neverthe- 
less submitted  the  innocent  Sufferer  to  the 
utmost  wrong ;  but  he  that  delivered  Christ 
to  Pilate  had  done  so  out  of  wilful  ignorance, 
and  was  sinning  against  light  and  know- 
ledge. Caiaphas  might  have  recognized 
Christ's  true  Messiahsliip,  and  accepted  his 
tnie  claims,  and  bowed  before  him  as  the 
Sent  of  God,  as  the  Son  of  the  Blessed;  but 
instead  of  this  ho  had  violated  the  law,  and 
sacrificed  the  hope  and  spiritual  indepen- 
dence of  his  own  people,  out  of  deference  to 
the  sacrosanct  honours  of  his  own  order. 
Pilate's  consciousness  of  independence  is 
rebuked,  and  his  conscience  appealed  to, 
and  the  Lord,  in  this  last  word  to  his  judge, 
claims  to  be  his  Suzerain,  and  awards  to  him 
his  share  of  blame.  Pilate  said  to  the  Jews, 
"  I  find  no  fault  in  him ; "  Jesus  said  to 
Pilate,  "  Thou  hast  committed  a  great  sin, 
though  there  is  another  God-given  f^ovcria, 
which  is  more  seriously  and  culpably  trifled 
with  than  thine  is  :  he  that  delivered  me 
to  thee  hath  committed  a  greater." 

Vers.  12 — 16. — (g)  Pilate  vanquished  by 
his  neljigh  fearg,  and  judgment  given. 

Vur.  12. — Upon  this  [Revised  Version 
(Ik  rovTov) ;  not  from  this  moment,  or  "  hence- 
forth," as  in  the  English  Version,  but  in  conse- 
quence of  this  statement  and  apportionment 
of  blame,  and  not  from  any  appreciation  on 
Pilate's  part  of  the  Divine  So)islup  which 
Jesus  had  admitted  witliout  further  defini- 
tion]— upon  this  Pilate  sought  (imperfect 
tense,  suggesting  repetition  and  incomplete- 
ness in  the  act)  to  release  him.  We  are  not 
told  by  what  means,  and  we  have  no  right 
to  introduce  the  additional  notion  of  "pe- 
remptorily," or  "the  more,"  but  that  he 
made  some  further  steps  in  the  direction 
of  resistance  to  the  will  of  "the  Jews." 
Baur  and  others  think  that  the  author  is, 
from  doctrinal  grounds  by  mere  fabrication, 
empliaoiziug  the  hostility  of  the  Jews,  and 
prolonging  tiie  agony  of  a  vain  attempt. 
Every  one  of  these  vivid  touches  iiupresses 
us  with  the  unintentional  indication  of  the 
eye-witness.  Probably  the  governor  pro- 
ceeded to  give  the  order  of  release ; 
beckoned  his  body-guard  to  remove  our 
Lord  to  a  place  of  safety,  and  took  some 
obvious  steps  to  screen  him  from  the  malice 
and  envy  of  his  tormentors.  But  the  Jews, 
catching  siglit  of  the  process,  and  ima- 
gining some  manoeuvre  to  baulk  them  of 
their  prey,  reveal*  d  a  spirit  that  has  some- 
times, but  rarely,  disgraced  humanity  :  they 
dropped  their  religious  plea,  they  smotiiered 
their  affected  loyalty  for  their  ancient  Law, 
and,   having  no    further    chargo    to  bring 


against  Jesus,  hid  their  most  intenJ^ 
hatred  of  Roman  rule  by  assuming  the 
mask  of  loyal  subjection  fo  Tiberius  and  to 
the  majesty  of  the  Caisar.  They  endeavoured 
to  work  upon  the  fears  of  Pilate,  who  kne\x 
perfectly  well  that  his  position  and  life 
were  at  jeopardy  if  the  matter  stood  as 
they  pretended.  With  unscrupulous  aban 
donment  of  all  their  patriotic  boasts,  th^ 
men  who  hated  Rome  and  were  perpetually 
plotting  against  the  imjjerial  power,  ex- 
claimed {iKpavyaffav,*  shouted  with  harsh 
loud  yells  of  bitter  hate,  that  Kpavyri  rau^ 
for  half  a  century  in  the  ears  of  tlie  loved 
and  faithful  disciple).  If  thou  release  this 
Man,  thou  art  not  Caesar's  friend.  Tlie 
friendship  and  confidence  of  Caesar  was  the 
title  in  their  hearts  to  an  unresting  hatred 
and  loathing ;  yet  they  are  cunning  enough 
to  know  that  Tiberius  was  jealous  of  his 
own  authority,  and  no  charge  was  so  fatal 
to  a  Roman  procurator  as  crimen  majestatis 
(Tacitus,  'Ann.,'  iii.  38).  Amicus  Cxsaris 
was  a  title  of  honour  given  to  provincial 
governors,  and  sometimes  to  allies  of  the 
CjEsar ;  but  (as  Alford,  Meyer,  and  Westcott 
think)  on  this  occasion  it  was  used  in  wider 
sense,  and  was  capable  of  a  more  deadly 
emphasis.  Every  one  who  maketh  himself  ^ 
a  king  speaketh  against  (declares  himself 
opposed  to,  rebels  against)  Caesar.  As  if 
that  was  likely  to  distress  these  maddened 
fanatics  ;  and  as  if  the  very  charge  had  not 
been  already  deliberately  laughed  to  scorn 
by  both  Herod  and  Pilate.  There  was  a  Man 
who  said  he  was  a  King,  and  Pilate  was 
guilty  of  misprision  of  treason.  Pilate's 
political  history  aggravated  his  fears.  His 
relations  with  the  emperor  were  not  satis- 
factory (Josephus, '  Ant.,'  xviii.  3. 1, 2  ;  '  Bell. 
Jud.,'  ii.  9.  2—4;  cf.  Luke  xiii.  1),  and  his 
knowledge  of  the  power  of  these  Jews  to 
renew  partisan  and  patriotic  charges  against 
him  was  now  a  very  serious  danger. 

Ver.  13. — When  Pilate  therefore  heard 
these  words,  or,  sayings,^  his  fear  of  Tiberius 

»  Here  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Alford, 
and  T.R.  read  iKpavya(ov,  with  numerous 
uncials  and  cursives;  Westcott  and  Hort, 
Tregelles,  fKpavyatrav ;  but  R.T.  takes  fKpa- 
(ov,  with  N%  E,  H,  etc. ;  Matthew  and  Mark 
use  (Kpa^av  and  (Kpa(ov ;  the  Vulgate  reads 
clamabaid. 

2  R.T.,  Westcott  and  Hort,  Tregelles,  and 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  on  the  authority  of 
nearly  all  the  uncials,  read  tavr6v  instead 
of  aiirdv  of  T.R.  and  Compluteusian  Poly- 
glott. 

'  TcDi/  \6yuv  TovTwv  is  the  reading  of  N,  B, 
L,  and  is  adopted  by  Tischendorf  (bth  edit.), 
Westcott  and  Hort,  and  II. T.,  in  profereuco 
to  TovTov  r6v  \6yov  of  T.B.,  which  rests  on 
small  autliority.    There  were,  in  fact,  two 


422 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xix.  1—42 


became  greater  than  his  fear  of  Christ ;  his 
anxiety  for  himself  predominated  over  his 
desire  for  justice  and  fair  play.  He  found 
he  had  gone  too  far.  Borne  commentators 
and  harmonists  here  introduce  the  "  hand- 
washing" (see  above,  ch.  xviii.  40);  but 
such  a  proceeding  at  this  moment,  when  he 
was  straightening  up  his  back  for  the  last  act 
of  injustice,  would  have  roused  fresh  and 
dangerous  charges  against  bis  personal 
honour.  He  brought  Jesus  out  from  the 
Pj  ffitorium  to  a  place  in  view  of  the  people, 
and  sat  down  (not,  as  some  say,  caused  Jesus, 
in  mofkery,  to  take  his  place  upon  the  judg- 
ment-seat (KaBt^oD  has  the  transitive  sense 
in  ]  Cor.  vi.  4  and  Eph.  i.  20,  but  not  in  John ; 
and  undoubtedly  it  has  the  intransitive 
sense,  not  only  in  John,  but  in  Acts  xxv.  6, 
17.  Moreover,  the  mockery  was  the  act  of 
the  soldiery  and  of  Herod's  men  of  war,  not 
of  Pilate).  It  is  remarkable,  as  Dr.  James 
Dnimmond (Theological  Revieio,  1877)  points 
out,  that  Justin  Martyr  ('Apol.,'  i.  35) 
apparently  refers  to  this  supposed  transitive 
u,-age  of  KtidtCa)  in  this  very  connection  by 
John,  by  the  words,  Ataavpovrts  avrhv  (k6.Bl- 
aav  iwl  $r)fj.aTOS  Koi  elnov'  Kpivov  rj/xii'.  It  is 
reasonable  inference  that  Justin  read  John's 
Gospel,  and  supposed  him  to  give  transitive 
force  to  the  verb  (see  Dr.  Salmon,  '  Intro- 
duction to  New  Testament,'  p.  89,  note). 
Upon  the  judgment-seat  in  a  place  called 
KidoffrpoiTor,  the  tesselated  Pavement — equi- 
valent to  "  stone-joining" — in  which  Romans 
delighted  from  the  days  of  Sulla ;  a  decora- 
tion which  Julius  Csesar  carried  about  with 
him  (Suet.,  'Vit.,'  xlvi.)  for  purposes  of 
judgment — but  in  the  Hebrew,  Gabbatha. 
This  was  probably  an  elevated  and  fixed 
platform  overlooking  the  temple-courts,  or 
joining  the  Castle  of  Antonia  with  the 
temple.  Its  etymology  is  Nn'3-3^,  the  ridge 
of  the  house  or  temple.'  Ewald  has  en- 
deavoured to  find  in  the  word  the  root  yap, 
Aramaic  for  "  insert,"  modified  into  j;2^^ 
and  then  to  suppose  that  we  have  here  an 
exact  equivalent  to  Ai66(TTpuTov ;  but  where 
this  word  occurs  in  the  LXX.  it  is  the  equi- 
valent   of    the    Hebrew  c)sn,  Song  of  Sol. 

distinct  "  sayings  "  which  influenced  Pilate. 
To  give  the  accusative  after  aKovu  of  the 
thing  heard,  might  easily  have  led  to  altera- 
tion of  the  genitive,  copyists  not  perceiving 
ilie  personal  interests  involved  in  the  sayings 
which  now  rang  in  Pilate's  ear. 

'  Kautzsch,  'Grammatik  des  Bibl.  Ara- 
maischen,'  p.  10,  gives  the  pointing  ya^^ada, 
with  R.T.,  and  remarks  on  Westcott  and 
Hort  (who,  with  Tregelles  and  Alford,  read 
yaPiSaBd,  and  says  it  is  an  Aramaic  word,  Nna  j, 
stat.  emphat.  to  t<35,  an  elevation,  which  is 
fLminine  to  aa). 


iii.  10.  The  KiOiaTpuTov  was  possibly  some 
elevated  seat  reached  by  a  flight  of  stairs, 
and  in  the  open  air,  not  the  hema  within 
the  Prajtorium,  where  the  more  private 
conversations  took  place. 

Ver.  14. — Now  itwas  the  preparation  of  the 
Passover.  Once  more  the  question  of  the  dis- 
crepancy between  the  Johaunine  anrl  synop- 
tic implication  of  the  day  of  our  Lord's  death 
reappears.  Tins  statement  is  claimed  eagerly 
by  both  classes  of  critics.  Hengstenberg, 
M'Clellan,  Lange,  Schaff,  etc.,  all  urge  that 
the  word  "  preparation  "  is  simply  the 
"  Friday  "  before  the  sabbath — "  the  eve  of 
the  sabbath,"  and  that  tou  Ylaaxo.  is  added 
in  the  broad  Johannine  sense  of  the  entire 
Paschal  festival,  and  means  the  "  Friday  " 
of  the  Passijver  week,  and  that  thus  John 
only  confirms  the  synoptic  narrative  that  the 
Passover  had  been  sacrificed  on  the  previous 
evening.  To  this  it  is  replied,  by  Meyer, 
Godet,  Westcott,  Farrar,  etc.,  that  this  use  of 
irapa(TKfV7)  belongs  to  a  much  later  period, 
aud  here  it  is  used  in  the  sense  of  the  "  pre- 
paration "  for  the  Paschal  meal,  without 
interfering  with  the  fact  afterwards  men- 
tioned, that  it  was  the  pro-sahbaton,  the  day 
before  the  sabbath  ;  the  first  day  of  un- 
leavened bread  coinciding  with  the  ordi- 
nary weekly  sabbath.  The  rod  ir&ffxa  here 
would  have  no  meaning  for  a  reader,  who 
had  not  learned  this  technical  and  later 
patristic  usage.  Why  should  not  John,  on 
that  understanding,  have  simply  used  the 
word  in  the  sense  which  the  synoptists  give 
to  it,  as  equivalent  to  the  irpoaa^^aTov  ? 
[There  is  another  difiiculty  in  the  former 
interpretation  :  if  our  Lord  was  crucified  on 
the  first  day  of  unleavened  bread  and  after 
the  Paschal  meal,  there  would  be  a  second 
preparation  of  the  Passover  on  that  day 
week,  so  that  John  could  not  have  spoken 
of  it  with  the  precision  which  he  used  (see 
notes  on  ch.  xiii.  1 ;  xviii.  28).]  The  balance 
of  argument,  so  far  as  John  is  concerned,  is 
in  favour  of  the  Passover  meal  being  still  in 
prospect,  and  the  statement  is  made  to  call 
attention  to  the  fact  that,  as  St.  Paul  said, 
"  Christ  our  Passover  is  sacrificed  for  us." 
Thus  doubtless  the  blindness  of  the  Jews 
is  aggravated,  and  the  typical  and  symbolic 
meaning  of  the  correspondence  between 
the  ritual  and  its  antitype  emphasized. 
Another  serious  perplexity  occurs.  It  was 
about  the  sixth  hour.  This  is  in  manifest 
opposition  with  Mark's  statement  (xv.  25) 
that  the  Crucifixion  took  place  at  tlie  third 
hour,  and  with  all  three  of  the  synoptists, 
that  the  supernatural  darkness  overspread 
Jerusalem  from  the  sixth  to  the  ninth  hour. 
This  is  represented  as  taking  place  after 
our  Lord  had  been  hanging  for  some  time 
upon  the  cross.  Some  relief  to  this  great 
difliculty  of  horology  is  found  in  the  slight 


CH.  xix.  1—42.]    THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN. 


423 


modification  of  the  text  from  &pa  Si  itrel 
e/cTT)  of  T.K.  to  wpa  rjv  uis  (kty],^  which  may 
suffer  the  reailing  of  Laugo  ("os  war  pogcii 
die"),  "it  was  going  on  towards  the  sixth 
hour  " — the  tliird  hour,  9  a.m.,  wa-;  passed, 
and  it  was  moving  on  to  midday.  Westcott, 
iu  an  ehiborate  note  on  Joiin's  UK-asiircment 
of  time,  endeavours  to  prove  tliat  he  always 
uses  tiio  Roman  system  of  measure  fmm 
midnight  to  midday,  instead  of  the  Oriental 
metliod  of  measurement  from  sunrise  to  sun- 
set, and  that  he  meant  hy  the  si.\th  hour 
6  a.m.,  not  12  midday.  But  if  this  is  pos- 
sible, the  perplexity  is  ratiier  increased  than 
dimiiii.shed.  It  is  difficult  to  imagine  that 
this  stage  of  the  proceedings  could  have  been 
reached  by  six  o'clock  a.m.,  and  that  three 
hours  still  followed  before  the  Lord  was  cru- 
cified. Bl'Clellan  hotly  espouses  this  inter- 
pretation, and,  against  Farrnr,  maintains 
that  the  Romans  did  adopt  this  computa- 
tion, by  quotations  from  Censorinus  ('  De  Die 
Nat.,'  xxiii.),  Pliny  ('Nat.  Hist.,'  ii.  77), 
Aulus  Gellius,  and  Macrobius ;  and  he  re- 
minds his  readers  that  John  wrote  in  Epho- 
sus,  and  proves  that  there  was  an  Asiatic 
computation  of  time  which  corresponded 
with  the  Roman,  and  that  there  is  abundant 
time  before  6  a.m.  for  all  that  is  needed  to 
have  taken  place.  This  is  the  interpreta- 
tion of  Townson  ('  Discourses  on  the  Four 
Gospels  '),  and  it  is  espoused  by  Gresswell, 
Wieseler,  Ewald,  Westcott,  Moulton.  Godet, 
however,  gi\-es  strong  proof,  on  ch.  i.  39, 
that  the  Greeks  of  Asia  Minor  were  familiar 
with  the  Jewish  reckoning  from  sunrise  to 
sunset  (see  notes  on  ch.  i.  39 ;  iv.  6 ;  xi.  9). 
Eusebius  supposed  an  alteration  of  the  text 
of  John,  converting  [^  =  3  into  '^'  =  6.  It  is 
strange  that  no  manuscripts  have  revealed 
the  fact,  though  the  third  corrector  of  N° 
and  the  suppkment  to  D  suggest  this  early 
solution  of  the  dilficulty.  Eusebius  was  fol- 
lowed by  Ammonius  and  Severusof  Aritioch. 
Beza,  Bengel,  and  Alford  with  hesitation 
accept  this  conclusion.  Lutliardt,  Farrar, 
and  Schaff  seem  inclined  to  think  that  this 
may  be  the  explanation,  unle.-.s  the  us  be 
used  with  great  latitude  of  meaning,  and 
that  what  is  really  intended  was  that  it 
was  moving  on  to  midday.  The  nine  o'clock 
had  been  passed.  Lutliardt  is  dissatisfied 
with  every  explanation,  not  simply  because 
it  is  incoiisiatent  with  the  synoptic  narrative, 
but  because  it  is  incompatible  with  John's 
own  reckoning.  Hengstenberg  thought 
that  the  division  of  the  day  into  four 
periodii   of  three   hours   each   is   far  older 

'  The  latter  reading  is  preferred  by  R.T., 
Trcgelles,  Westcott  and  Hort,  Alford,  Ti- 
schendorf  (8th  edit.),  on  uncial  authority 
and  numerous  references  to  the  subjtct  in 
the  Fathers. 


than  either  the  Talmud  or  Mainionides  (of. 
Mark  xiii.  35;  Luke  xii.  3« ;  Matt.  xx. 
3,  4),  and  that  the  synoptic  narrative 
reckoned  by  the  terminus  a  quo,  wliich, 
taken  literally,  would  bo  too  early  for  the 
act  of  crucifixion,  and  that  John's  reckon- 
ing points  to  the  tirminiis  ad  qucm,  which, 
taken  literally,  would  be  too  late.  M'Clellau 
thinks  this  "outrageous !"tliough  Audrewes, 
Lewin,  Ellicott,  and  Lango  practically 
adopt  it.  Augustine  says,  "  At  the  third 
hour  (Mark)  he  was  crucified  by  the  tongues 
of  the  Jews,  at  the  sixtli  hour  (John)  by  the 
hands  of  the  soldiers."  Da  Costa  suggested 
that  the  sixth  hour  was  reckoned  backward 
from  3  p.m.,  the  commcneenient  of  the  pre- 
paration. IMark,  by  using  the  aorist,  cannot 
have  intended  to  convey  that  the  whole 
process  of  crucifixion,  commencing  with 
the  scourging,  including  the  procession  to 
Golgotha,  and  the  last  scene  of  all,  was  in- 
cluded in  the  verb.  (Hesychius  argued  this 
view  at  length,  saying  that  Mark  refers  to 
the  verdict  of  Pilate,  and  John  to  the  nailing 
to  the  cross.)  At  the  hour,  thus  indicated  by 
a  term  which  cannot  be  finally  interpreted, 
Pilate,  trembling  with  rage  and  impotent 
fury,  endeavoured  to  fling  at  t"he  head  of 
the  haughty  priesthood  another  maddening 
taunt,  and  yet  with  a  flash  of  inward  con- 
viction which,  after  all,  staggered  him:  he 
pointed  once  more  to  the  sublime  Sufferer, 
bleeding  from  his  wounds  and  crowned 
with  thorns,  having  every  maik  upon  him  of 
their  insulting  cruelty  and  insensate  hate, 
wearing  the  mock  and  crviel  habiliments  of 
royalty,  and  he  saith  unto  the  Jews,  Behold 
your  King !  There  is  the  King  whom  you 
have  crowned,  and  whose  claim  lies  altogether 
beyond  your  ken.  Wavering  between  the 
favour  of  Tiberius  and  the  claims  of  justice, 
remembering  that  Sejanus,  to  whom  he  had 
personally  owed  his  own  appcjintment,  had 
already  fallen  a  victim  to  the  jealousy  of 
their  common  master,  he  yet  cannot  suppress 
the  bitter  taunt  involved  in  'I5e  6  BaaiAeus 
vfj.u>v ! 

Vers.  1 5, 16. — They  on  the  other  hand  there- 
fore yelled  '  out,  Away  with  him !  away  with 
(him)  !  Crucify  him  !  The  aorists,  apov 
cTTavpwffov,  imply  the  haste  and  impatience 
which  they  manifest  to  have  done  with  the 
coiilliet;  and  Pilate,  eager  to  thrust  another 
envenomed  dagger  into  the  heart  of  their 
pride,  and  knowing  that  to  call  this  Man 
whom  he  had  made  vile  in  their  eyes  tlieir 
"King,"  and  to  crucify  One  to  whom  such 
a  title  could  be  given    would  bo  gall  and 

*  "EKpavyaffay  again.  Trcgelles,  R.T., 
Westcott  and  Hort,  and  Ti.-,ehendorf  (8th 
edit.)  give  odv  iKf'ifoi  for  the  oi  5e'  of  T.R. 
and  Lachmann,  on  the  authority  of  H",  iJ, 
L,  X. 


424 


THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xix.  1—42. 


wormwood  to  them,  cried,  with  flashing 
anger.  Shall  I  crucify  your  Eingi  This 
wrung  forth  from  them  a  cry  which  expressed 
the  uttermost  and  basest  abandonment  of 
all  their  proud  boasts,  a  heartless  atid  fate- 
ful acknowledgment  of  their  servility  and 
dependence.  The  chief  priests  answered. 
We  have  no  king  but  Caesar !  Our  Messianic 
hope  is  dead,  our  national  independence 
is  at  an  end,  our  witness  as  a  people  to 
truth,  our  listening  to  the  voice  which 
would  have  gathered  us  together,  are  over. 
As  before  they  had  shouted,  "  Not  this  Man, 
but  Barabbas  ! "  so  now,  "  Not  the  Lord  of 
glory,  but  the  daemon  lord  of  Rome;  not 
this  King  of  kings,  but  Tiberius  Augustus 
et  Dominus  sacratissimus  noster."  In  re- 
nouncing Christ  by  the  lips  of  their  chief 
priests,  they  put  themselves  under  the  power 
of  the  prince  of  this  world,  and  terribly  they 
answered  for  their  crime.  "They  elected 
Caesar  to  be  their  king ;  by  Caesar  they  were 
destroyed  "  (Lampe).  Their  theocracy  fell 
by  their  mad  rage  against  the  perfect  em- 
bodiment of  the  highest  righteousness  and 
purest  love.  "  The  kingdom  of  God,  by  the 
confession  of  its  rulers,  has  become  the  king- 
dom of  this  world."  How  terribly  sjmp- 
tomatic  of  the  perpetual  resistance  of  his 
claims  by  all  those  who  deliberately  reject 
his  authority !  "  We  have  no  king  but 
fashion ! "  "  We  have  no  king  but  mammon ! " 
"  We  have  no  king  but  the  leader  of  our 
clique ! "  "  We  have  no  king  but  pleasure  1 " 
"  We  have  no  king  but  our  royal  selves  !  " 
— are  voices  not  unfrequently  heard  even 
now.  This  cry  was  too  much  for  Pilate ;  he 
wavered,  paltered  with  justice,  vented  his 
insolence  and  pride,  knew  better  and  did 
the  thing  which  he  felt  to  be  base.  "He 
who  bad  often  prostituted  justice  was  now 
utterly  unable  to  achieve  the  one  act  of  jus- 
tice which  he  desired.  He  who  had  so  often 
murdered  pity  was  now  forbidden  to  taste 
tiie  sweetness  of  a  pity  for  which  he  longed  " 
(Farrar).  Then  therefore  he  delivered  him 
to  them,  in  order  that  he  might  be  cruci- 
fied. "  Ibis  ai>  ckucem.  I  miles  expedi 
CRUCEM,"  were  the  awful  words  in  which  he 
would  deliver  his  judgment  and  secure  an 
everlasting  execration.  He  delivered  up 
Jesus  unto  them ;  for  they,  though  not  the 
positive  hands  by  which  the  foul  deed  was 
done,  were  the  sole  inciting  causes  of  the 
act.  Luke,  as  well  as  Jolin,  involves  this 
idea,  and  Peter  (Acts  ii.  23)  says,  "  Ye  slew 
him,  crucifying  iiim  by  the  hands  of  lawless 
men,"  and  (Acts  iii.  15)  "  Ye  killed  the  Prince 
of  Life."  Yet  they  were  profoundly  anxious 
for  his  death  by  Roman  crucifixion,  not  only 
bscause  thus  t'ley  were  impelled  to  fultil  the 
great  prophecy  and  confirm  the  words  of 
the  blossed  Lord  himself,  but  because  they 
wished  to  stamp  out  in  disgrace  and  shame 


all  his  claims  ;  because  they  wished  that  the 
supreme  court,  the  heathen  and  corrupting 
power,  should  dash  down  to  earth  and  defile 
this  idol  of  some  of  the  people  and  even 
some  of  their  own  number;  because  they 
wished  to  deliver  themselves  from  the  re- 
sponsibility of  the  act,  and  to  avoid  being 
called  to  give  an  account  to  Rome  of  their 
judicial  murder ;  and  in  the  act  itself  they 
wished  to  have  a  Roman  guard  to  prevent 
an  escape  and  quell  an  €meute.  The  school 
of  Tiibingen  endeavour  to  invalidate  the 
Johannine  portraiture  of  Pilate,  and  to 
ascribe  its  fictitious  creation  in  the  second 
century  to  a  desire  then  rampant,  to  charge 
upon  the  Jews  all  the  blame  of  the  act,  and 
to  exhibit  Pilate  as  a  symbol  of  the  sym- 
pathy which  the  Gentile  world  was  extend- 
ing to  Christianity  and  the  Church.  The 
persecutions  which  prevailed  from  the  days 
of  Nero,  Domitian,  and  Trajan,  to  those  of 
the  Antonines,  rebuke  such  a  supposition. 
Moreover,  the  synoptic  narrative  is  equally 
explicit  with  St.  John  in  setting  forth  the 
sympathy  of  Pilate,  or  rather  his  desire  to 
release  Jesus  (Matt,  xxvii.  14  and  18,  17 — 
23, 24 ;  Mark  xv.  8—10 ;  Luke  xxiii.  13—22). 
Luke  tells  us  that  Peter  charges  the  guilt  of 
the  Crucifixion  upon  the  Jews  (Acts  ii.  23 ; 
iii.  15;  cf.  Jas.  v.  6;  Rev.  xi.  8).  The  ex- 
planation of  Pilate's  conduct  and  of  his  final 
despicable  act  is  given  only  in  John's  Gos- 
pel ;  and  even  Reuss  admits  that  we  have  in 
John  "  the  true  key  of  the  problem  "  (see 
Godet,  in  loc.,  vol.  iii.  pp.  260—263). 

Vers.  17— 24.— (4)  The  Ckucifixion. 
Love  unto  the  uttermott. 

Vers.  17,  18. — (a)  The  circumstances  of 
the  death.  ' 

Ver.  17. — Therefore  they  took  (received) 
Jesus  '  from  the  hands  of  the  Gentile,  lead- 
ing the  way  in  their  accursed  procession, 
gloating  over  their  Victim.  nap4\a0ov  re- 
minds us  (Westcott)  of  the  irapeXa^ov  (ch.  i. 
11),  where  it  is  said,  "His  own  received  him 
not."  They  did  not  receive  him  in  the  ful- 
ness of  his  grace,  but  they  did  receive  him 
to  intiict  the  curse  and  shame  and  death 
for  which  they  had  plotted  and  clamoured. 
This  powerful  suggestion  is  brought  out  by 
the  amended  text.  At  this  point,  when  the 
sacred  Sufferer  left  the  Prsetorium  and  was 

■  The  ovv,  "then,"  has  the  authority  of 
B,  L,  X,  33,  and  some  versions ;  but  a  large 
number  of  uncials  read  5e,  ^\ith  T.R.,  Gries- 
bach,  and  Scholz,  who  also  add,  koI  anriyayov. 
The  N*  reads  ot  S«  \afi6vTfs.  The  varia- 
tions are  numerous  in  the  end  of  the  sen- 
tence. Tregelles,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.), 
Westcott  and  Hort,  and  R.T.  read  oSv  with- 
out addition.  (Syriac — Harclean,  margin — 
adds,  fh  rb  irpatTwpioy.)  Some  cursives  add, 
eis  tJ>  ffTavDmaai. 


CH.  XIX.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDINa  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


425 


dragged  into  the  rush  of  the  vociferating 
crowd,  the  synoptic  narrative  becomes  far 
fuller  in  detail.  The  terrible  tra";edy  in- 
cludes the  disrobing.  The  bleeding  form 
is  once  more  clothed  with  his  own  gar- 
ments (Matt,  xxvii.  31 ;  Mark  xv.  20). 
It  is  not  necessary  to  suppose  a  second 
scourging  (see  ver.  1).  The  circumstance 
mentioned  (Luke  xxiii.  26  and  parallel  pas- 
sages) of  Simon  of  Cyrene  made  to  bear  his 
cross  after  him,  shows  how  Jesus  in  his 
human  nature  had  suffered  already.  A 
second  scourging  (if  we  judge  by  all  we  can 
gather  of  such  an  infliction)  would  have 
been  followed  by  immediate  death,  and 
would  thus  have  snatched  from  them  the 
realization  of  tlieir  inhuman  purpose.  The 
statement  that,  bearing  his  cross  for  himself, 
he  went  forth,  sliows  that  they  tried  to 
force  him  thus  in  his  agony  to  endure  this 
additional  humiliation,  and,  from  his  physi- 
cal exhaustion,  were  compelled  to  make  use 
of  the  expedient  described  by  the  synoptists. 
Mark  (xv.  22)  introduces  another  most  sug- 
gestive word,  (pepovffiv  avrhf,  literally,  "they 
carry  him  "  from  the  place  where  they  com- 
pelled (ayyapfvovcrii')  Simon  to  take  up  his 
cross,  and  at  least  he  hints,  if  he  does  not 
express,  the  terrible  fact  that  they  had,  by 
their  fell  cruelty  of  all  kinds,  at  length  ex- 
hausted all  the  human  physical  strength  of 
the  Sufferer.  John's  language,  though  at 
first  sight  discrepant  with  Luke's,  really  ex- 
plains it.  Luke  also  describes  the  wailing 
of  the  daughters  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  sub- 
lime self-forgetfulness  with  which  Jesus 
turned  their  thoughts  from  his  agony  to 
themselves  and  tlieir  children.  Matthew 
and  Mark  both  relate  another  scene,  which 
seems  as  if  one  gleam  of  pity  had  crossed 
some  heart — "  They  offered  him  wine,  mixed 
with  narcotic  gall,"  to  stupefy  his  senses, 
and  lull  his  physical  agony.  He  did  not 
put  it  by  "  witLi  suicidal  hand ; "  but,  as 
Keble  sang — 

"  Thou  wilt  feel  all,  that  thou  mayst  pity  all ; 
And   rather   wouldst   thou   wrestle   with 
strong  puin 

Than  overcloud  thy  soul, 
So  clear  in  agony. 
Or  lose  (ine  glimpse  of  heaven  before  the 
time." 

('  Christian  Year.') 

He  went  forth  to  a  place  called  the  place  of 
a  skull,  which  is  called  in  the  Hebrew,  Gol- 
gotha. "He  went  forth"  from  the  Prajtorium 
along  the  Via  Dolorosa,  wheresoever  it  was, 
beyond  the  city  wall  (Heb.  xiii.  12,  etc., "  He 
suffered  without  the  gate  ").  Moses  had  for- 
bidden (Lev.  xxiv.  H ;  Numb.  xv.  35)  capital 
punishment  within  the  camp  (cf.  1  Kings 
xxi.  13 ;  Acts  vii.  H8).  The  traditional  site 
of  the  place  is  fur  within  the  present  walls 


in  the  north-western  quarter  of  the  city,  not 
far  from  the  gate  of  Damascus ;  and  endless 
discussions  have  prevailed  with  respect  to 
the  lino  of  the  second  city  wall,  which  at 
that  time  must  either  have  included  or 
excluded  the  site  of  the  Churcli  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre.  The  identification  of  tlie  site 
of  Golgotha  is  rendered  difficult  from  the 
eagerness  with  which  theories  have  been 
sustained.  (1)  Ferguson's '  theory  is  that 
Constantine's  "  Church  of  the  Resurrection  " 
is  to  be  found  in  the  '  dome  of  the  rock ' 
in  the  temple  enclosure !  He  urges  that  the 
tradition  was  moved  thence  to  the  "  Church 
of  the  Holy  Sepulchre "  in  the  eleventh 
century,  when  Fatimite  kaliphs  drove  the 
Christians  away,  and  persecuted  the  pilgrims 
to  such  an  extent  as  to  produce  the  reaction 
of  the  Crusades.  (2)  The  ecclesiastical 
theory  is  that  the  tomb  and  all  the  awful 
and  blessed  associations  are  to  be  reckoned 
for  somewhere  within  the  buildings  or  ruins 
of  the  present  church.  The  difficulties  are 
great ;  for,  instead  of  being  "  without  the 
gate,"  or  "  nigh  the  city,"  it  is  situated  in 
the  heart  of  the  present  city,  and  it  is  very 
difficult  to  imagine  or  trace  any  line  of  wall 
which  could  have  run  in  such  a  way  as  to 
exclude  the  supposed  site  of  the  tomb  from 
the  city.  (3)  A  modern  theory  (see  '  Survey 
of  Palestine  ')  finds  the  tomb  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  Jeremiah's  grotto,  to  the 
north  of  the  Damascus  gate.  This  feite  has 
good  claims,  from  the  probability  (a)  that 
it  was  the  place  of  public  execution ;  (/>)  that 
the  second  wall  of  the  city  did  correspond 
with  the  present  wall ;  (c)  that  there  are 
reasons  to  think  that  it  was  built  over  ftnd 
concealed  from  view  until  comparatively 
recent  years.  Warren  and  Conder  give  a 
drawing  of  the  tomb  and  its  arrangement, 

*  See  Ferguson's  art.  "Jerusalem,"  in 
Smith's  'Diet,  of  the  Bible.'  Williams 
('  Holy  City ')  places  much  dependence  on 
the  sanctity  of  the  tradition.  See  '  Survey  of 
Western  Palestine:  Jerusalem'  Warren  and 
Conder,  pp.  319,  etc.,  429,  etc.,  380,  etc.,  for 
a  recent  and  most  important  suggestion ; 
'  Pictorial  Palestine,'  i.  14,  etc.,  for  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  present  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre. Dr.  Robinson,  '  Bibl.  Researches,'  ii. 
14 — 80,  shows  that  the  walls  of  the  city  at  the 
time  of  Christ  were  so  ordered  as  to  include 
within  the  city  the  traditional  site.  Caspari 
(loc.  cit.,  229,  etc.,  304)  strongly  sustains  the 
traditional  site,  and  believes,  in  opposition 
to  Robinson,  that  the  second  wall  of  the  city 
did  pass  south  and  east  of  the  church.  Dr. 
Hitchcock,  Lange,  Schaff,  and  Stanley  sup- 
pose it  to  be  the  hill  (ioath  (Jer.  xxxi.  39), 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  shcep-gatc.  The 
lino  of  the  wall  is  at  the  present  moment 
receiving  fresh  investigation. 


426 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xix.  1— 42. 


which  sustains  the  probability  that  it  is  the 
tomb  ouce  hallowed  by  the  most  stupendous 
event  in  the  history  of  the  world.  Robinson 
said,  "  The  place  was  probably  upon  a  great 
road  leading  from  one  of  the  gates,  and  such 
a  spot  would  only  be  found  upon  the  west 
or  north  side  of  the  city,  on  tlie  roads  lead- 
ing to  Joppa  or  Damascus."  The  word 
"Gulgotba"  or  "Gulgaltha"  is  the  Aramaic 
(cf.Syriac  GaguUd)ioTm.oi  Gulgolath,}iehTevf 
for  "  skull,"  and  may  derive  its  name  from 
the  form  of  the  mound  or  bare  place  where 
was  the  garden  in  which  the  rock-hewTi 
tomb  of  Joseph  had  been  excavated.  The 
Vulgate  translates  the  word  Calvaria,a,  skuW, 
from  which  our  word  "  Calvary  "  is  derived. 
The  English  version  in  Lxike  xxiii.  33 
thus  translates  the  Greek  word  Kpai/lov,  and 
from  this  passage  the  word  has  been  natu- 
ralized in  our  language.  There  is  no  autho- 
rity for  the  appellation  "  Mount  Calvary." 
The  name  probably  refers  to  the  shape  of 
the  site  where  the  event  took  place.  From 
this  verse  we  learn  that  Jesus  went  forth  to 
the  spot,  and  (ch.  xix.  20)  John  further  says 
it  was  "nigh  unto  the  city,"  therefore  not 
within  it.  The  same  position  relative  to 
the  city  is  obvious  from  Matt,  xxviii.  11, 
where  the  Roman  guard  came  from  the 
tomb  els  rrjv  troXiv.  The  Romans  were  ac- 
customed to  execute  their  criminals  in  some 
conspicuous  position,  adjoining  a  travelled 
road,  so  that  those  passing  by,  as  well  as 
those  who  congregated  for  the  purpose, 
might  know  and  learn  its  meaning.  They 
reached  the  chosen  spot — 

Ver.  18. — Where  they  crucified  him.  As 
John  barely  mentions  this  awful  climax  of 
his  Gospel,  it  is  not  needful  here  to  enlarge 
upon  the  heartrending  details  of  this 
hideous  process,  one  which  Cicero  described 
as  "crudelissimum,teterrimum,summum  sup- 
plicium,"  one  from  which  no  Roman  citizen 
could  sutfer,  and  which  was  reserved  for  the 
most  ignominious  and  degraded  of  mankind — 
for  traitors,  brigands,  and  condemned  slaves.' 
It  is  sufficient  to  say  that,  from  the  mention 
of  the  iiziypa<p))  eir'  avrw  (Luke  xxiii.  38), 
the  cross  was  not  simply  of  the  T  shape 
called  crux  commissa,  but  rather  (Luthardt 
and  Zockler)  of  the  familiar  shape  +  and 
termed  crux  immissa,  upon  the  upper  arm  of 
which  the  title  or  accusation,  which  had 
been  placed  round  his  neck,  was  affixed. 
The  victim  of  this  punishment  was  stripped, 
laid  on  the  central  bar,  and  the  arms 
attached  by  ropes  to  the  transverse  beam, 
the  hands  and  feet  fastened  with  huge  iron 

'  Otto  Zockler,  '  Cross  of  Christ,'  Clark's 
trans.;  Winer,  ' Realworterbuch,'  "Creuzi- 
gung  ;  "  Farrar's  '  Life  of  Christ ; '  have 
exhausted  the  subject  (cf.  Steinmeyer, 
'  Passion,'  etc.). 


nails  to  the  wood.  A  sedile  was  arranged 
to  bear  a  portion  of  the  weight  of  the  body, 
which  wguld  never  have  been  sustained  by 
the  gaping  wounds.  The  cross  was  then 
raised  by  the  executioners,  and  thrust  with 
a  fierce  jerk  into  the  hole  or  socket  prepared 
for  it.  There  was  nothing  in  this  inhuman 
torture  necessarily  to  occasion  death.  The 
sufferers  often  lingered  for  twelve  hours, 
and  sometimes  for  several  days,  dying  at 
last  of  thirst,  starvation,  and  utterly  in- 
tolerable agony.  The  Romans  generally 
left  the  bodies  to  be  devoured  by  birds  of 
prey ;  the  Jews  buried  the  corpses.  Constan- 
tino I.,  after  his  conversion,  out  of  reverence 
for  the  Lord  whom  he  had  chosen,  abolished 
the  punishment,  which,  far  more  terrible 
than  one  by  wild  beasts  or  fire,  has  never 
been  renewed,  and  rarely  pi-actised  in  Europe 
since  that  day.  There,  then,  these  Jews,  by 
the  hands  of  lawless  men,  by  Roman  execu- 
tioners, "crucified  the  Lord  of  glory,"  and 
by  their  hideous  insensibility  to  goodness,  by 
judicial  blindness,  bigotry,  envy,  and  pride, 
not  knowing  the  infinite  crime  they  were 
committing,  offered  up  a  sacrifice,  slew  the 
Lamb  of  God,  killed  a  Passover  of  transcen- 
dent price.  That  torture-tree  has  become 
his  throne,  and  the  very  symbol  of  all  that 
is  most  sacred  and  awe-inspiring  in  the 
entire  region  of  human  thought.  They  did 
not  by  this  gross  and  inconceivable  wicked- 
ness bring  their  rage  to  its  full  satisfaction  ; 
for  they  crucified  two  other  with  him,  on 
either  side  one  (^evTevOev  koI  evrevdeu,  an 
expression  only  found  in  this  passage  and 
Rev.  xxii.  2),  and  Jesus  in  the  midst,  most 
prominent  in  this  tragedy,  and  exalted  to 
what  they  believed  was  the  very  pinnacle  of 
shame.  The  synoptic  nan-ative  has  told  us 
these  two  men  were  "  robbers  "  {xriarai,  not 
KKeTTTai)  or  {KaKovpyoi)  "  malefactors,"  who, 
according  to  their  own  confession,  were 
"  sufi'ering  the  due  reward  of  their  deeds." 
For  a  while  both  these  dying  ruffians  tried 
to  add  torment  to  their  quiet  and  patient 
fellow-Sufferer.  Luke's  account  of  the 
change  that  came  over  one  of  them  as  the 
awful  hours  rolled  on  is  one  of  the  sublimest 
portents  that  attended  the  Crucifixion.  John 
passes  this  well-known  incident  by,  most 
obviously  supplementing  the  synoptists'  nar- 
rative with  matter  which  they  had  omitted. 
It  is  strange  th^t  John,  if  he  had  simi^ly  a 
theological  purpose  in  his  selection  of  facts, 
should  have  omitted  the  sublime  prayer, 
"  Father,  forgive  them ;  for  they  know  not 
what  they  do  "  (Luke  xxiii.  34),  a  revelation 
of  compassion,  power,  inward  agony,  blended 
with  Divine  prerogative  and  unspeakable 
tranquillity,  which  has  done  so  much  to 
reveal  "  the  heart  of  Christ,"  the  essence 
and  character  of  the  living  God. 
Vers.  19— 22.— (6)  The  title  on  the  croBs. 


CH.  XIX.  1-42.]    THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


427 


Vor.  19. — The  evangelist  turns  to  an  event 
of  wliich  the  synoptists  say  little,  and  quietly 
attribute  to  the  Jews  them-elvcs.  John, 
from  the  special  access  wliich  ho  had  to 
information  about  the  hij,'h  priest  ami  the 
court  of  Pilate,  s:\ys.  Now  Pilate  wrote  a  title 
also  (the  Latin  technical  word  rirXov  is  used 
in  preference  to  the  (ircok  word  fiTiypa<pri, 
"superscription"),  and  he  put  it,  by  the 
hands  of  his  own  soldiers,  on  the  cross.  We 
cannot  translate  eypa^f/f  as  a  pluperfect,  and 
therefore  it  becomes  probable  that  after  the 
procession  had  Roue  howling  and  cursing 
away  to  Golgotha,  ho  had  luul  the  t'itKov 
prepared.  And  there  was  written  upon 
the  paichment,  or  the  tablet,  in  letters  all 
could  read.  JESUS  OF  NAZAEETH  THE 
KING  OF  THE  JEWS,  thus  Pilate  resolved 
to  sting  these  murderous  Jews  to  the  last 
point  of  exasperation,  in  harmony  with  the 
character  given  him  by  Philo-Juda;us;  but 
perhaps  this  motive  was  also  stimulated  by 
another — though  he  sought  to  punish  their 
pride  \N-ith  scorn  and  scoil'  at  their  hypocri- 
tical charge,  he  may  have  had  some  strange 
irresistible  conviction  that  there  was  reality 
in  the  royal  supremacy  of  this  marvellous 
Being,  who  throughout  was  conspicuously 
triutuphant  iu  his  patient  dignity.  He  seems 
muttering  to  himself.  "  Let  him  be  Chief  of 
malefactors,  but  he  is  and  will  be  King  of 
the  Jews  nevertheless,  and  I  do  not  ignore 
Ihe  memories  of  either  David  or  Solomon, 
Zerubbabel,  Hyrcanus,  or  Idumaean  Herod." 
The  title  difl'ers  sliglitly  in  its  phrase  in  the 
four  evangelists,  yet  they  all  preserve  lite- 
ratim the  central  fact  of  the  change,  "  the 
King  of  the  Jeicf."  John  alone  mentions  the 
circumstance,  which  may  explain  the  minute 
differences  (so  Gresswell,  'Diss.,'  xlii.),  viz. 
that  it  was  written  in  three  languages.  («)  the 
vernacular,  or  "  Hebrew ;  "  (li)  the  official,  or 
'•  Latin ;  "  (c)  the  speech  generally  under- 
stood by  all  strangers,  or  •'  Greek."  The 
minute  diflerences  may  be  represented  by 
Matthew  using  the  Hebrew,  Mark  the  Latin, 
and  Luke  and  John  the  Greek,  the  latter 
simply  adding  tiie  personal  name  of  tiie 
crucitied.  ^Vhether  this  hypothesis  explain- 
ing the  "  this  is  "  of  JIattliew,  the  '•  Ilex 
Judfeorum  "  of  Mark,  the  '•  this  "  of  Luke, 
and  the  fuller  statement  of  John,  which  gives 
what  was  contained  in  one  of  the  languages, 
be  verilied  or  not,  it  should  be  observed  that 
the  four  evangelists  agree  as  to  the  verbatim 
form  of  the  curia,  John  more  abundantly 
Bupplementing  the  information  by  record- 
ing the  full  tj'tAoj.  Evt-n  Stiau.-s  docs  not 
regard  these  ditferences  as  discrepancies. 

Ver.  '20. — This  title  therefore  many  of  the 
Jews  read :  for  the  place  where  Jesus  was 
crucified  was  nigh  unto  the  city ;  and  it  was 
written  in  Hebrew,  in  Roman  (Latin),  and 
in  Greek.    The  word  'E^paiaTi  occurs  four 


times  in  this  Gospel  and  twice  in  the 
Kovelation,  and  nowhere  else  iu  the  New 
Testament.  Codex  B  reads  TwitiaTaTi  first. 
Tiie  Latin  form  of  the  trilingual  inscription 
may  very  naturally  have  been  placed  at 
the  top.  The  reference  to  this  peculiarity 
of  tiie  inscription  as  also  given  by  Luke,  in 
T.R.,  is  tiiere  omitted  by  Tisclicndorf  (8tii 
edit.),  Tregelles,  Westcott  and  Hort,  and 
II. T,,  M'Clellan,  and  others ;  it  looks  as  if 
tiie  reading  had  been  borrowed  from  John,  or 
rather  from  the  spurious  '  Acts  of  Pilate,' 
with  which  it  verbally  agrees.  The  procla- 
mation of  Ciirist's  royalty  to  tlic  three  great 
divisions  of  the  civilized  world  is  a  providen- 
tial fact  of  supreme  interest.  Thousands  of 
Jews  would  carry  tlie  news  of  the  mysterious 
"  title  "  to  far-off  places,  and  ponder  it  in 
their  homes.  Tliis  was  part  of  the  prepara- 
tion made  by  Divine  providence  for  an- 
nouncing to  the  wiiole  world  the  kingdom  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Since  the  cross  from  the  very 
first  thus  became  a  throne,  and  the  Cruci- 
fixion an  installation  into  the  kingdom,  we 
learn  thence  the  meaning  of  the  Christian 
principle,  "  If  we  suffer  with  him,  we  shall 
also  reign  with  him." 

Ver.  '21. — Then  said  the  chief  priests  of 
the  Jews  to  Pilate.  They  must  have  hurried 
back  to  hiin  with  petidant  resentment  of  his 
intentional  scorn.  Observe  the  very  unusual 
phrase,  "  the  chief  priests  of  the  Jews,"  as 
though  the  priesthood  felt  the  connection 
between  the  priesthood  and  king.-hip  of  the 
theocratic  people,  and  it  gave  additional 
sting  to  the  sarcastic  repro;  ch  involved  in 
the  inscription.  Write  not,  The  King  of  the 
Jews ;  but  that  he  said,  I  am  King  of  the 
Jews.  They  resented  the  association  of 
the  theocratic  or  Messianic  8yml)ol  with 
tlie  spiritual  Being  whom  tiiey  had  con- 
demned. Had  tiiey  not  already  declared 
that  they  had  no  king  but  Caesar?  Doubt- 
less he  said,  "  I  am  tlie  King  of  tiie  Jews ; " 
he  made  the  claim,  not  in  a  sense  whicli 
could  be  rationally  entertained  in  a  Koman 
court,  but  in  tlie  true  Messianic  autl  pro- 
phetic sense.  The  priests  knew  perfectly 
well  that  because  Jesus  had  altogether 
refused.  Heir  of  David  though  ho  was,  to 
entertain  the  Kingship  in  the  only  sense  in 
whicli  thoy  desired  to  proclaim  it,  they  had 
rebelled  against  him  and  rejected  his  claims. 
For  Pilate  to  have  given  any  colour  to  the 
purely  spiritual  prerogative  of  their  Victim 
roused  tlieir  remonstrance,  but  that  it  might 
bo  treated  as  identification  of  tiio  national 
cause  with  a  convicted  and  crucified  felon 
exasperated  them. 

Ver.  22. — Pilate  answered,  What  I  have 
written  I  have  written.  And  lie  curtly 
dismissed  tiiem.  I'ilate  no  long.r  dreaded 
their  making  his  apparent  favour  to  Jesua 
into  a  complaint  to  the  emperor,  aud  he 


428 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [en.  xix.  1— 42, 


gave  waj'  to  the  indomitable  temper  of 
which  Philo  accuses  him.  He  found  grim 
satisfaction  in  insulting  and  browbeating 
them  for  a  monieut,  *0  y4ypa<pu,  y€ypa(pa. 
"  I  said  it,  and  I  meant  it ;  I  have  crucified 
your  King ;  yes,  true  King  in  his  own  sense, 
but  not  in  youis.  You  have  falsely  charged 
him  with  rebeliiug  against  Caesar,  and  you 
know  that  you  have  lied  to  my  face.  Let 
be;  he  is  your  King,  and  so  perish  all  your 
futile  attempts  to  shatter  the  arm  that  holds 
you  now  in  its  grasp."  That  and  more  was 
condensed  in  this  haughty  and  obstinate 
reply.  While  this  was  going  on  in  the 
Prsetorium,  the  tragedy  was  proceeding  at 
Golgotha ;  and  St.  John  now  returns  thither, 
and  describes  an  event  of  intense  interest 
w  hich  occurred,  as  all  synoptists  say,  at  the 
very  time  of  the  elevation  of  the  cross.  John, 
however,  has  further  facts  and  symbolic 
detail  to  append  which  were  omitted 'by 
them. 

Vers.  23,  24. — (c)  The  seamless  garment. 

Ver.  23.— Matthew  (xxvii.  35),  Mark  (xv. 
24),  and  Luke  (xxiii.  34)  all  mention  that 
the  soldiers  took  his  garments  (ijuana),  and 
divided  them  according  to  the  ordinary 
custom  followed  at  executions  amongst 
themselves.  These  were  the  head-dress,  the 
large  outer  robe  with  its  girdle,  the  sandals, 
one  taking  one  thing  and  another  another, 
and  each  evangelist  added  that  the  soldiers 
cast  lots  upon  the  garments,  as  to  who  should 
take  which.  As  these  garments  may  have 
been  of  varied  value,  the  lot  may  have  been 
required ;  but  John,  in  his  narrative,  throws 
fresh  light  upon  this  latter  and  humiliating 
act.  Then  the  soldiers,  when  they  had  cruci- 
fied Jesus,  took  his  garments,  and  made  four 
parts,  to  every  solder  a  part.  This  shows 
that  a  quaternion  of  soldiers,  and  not  the 
"  whole  iiand,"  had  been  told  off  for  the 
infernal  deed.  Pilate  knew  now  that  there 
was  no  need  of  an  army  to  keep  the  people 
from  popular  insurrection.  The  rest  of  the 
garrison  were  not  far  off,  should  they  be 
required ;  moreover,  the  servants  of  the  high 
priest  were  ready  to  act  on  an  emergency  ; 
but  John  adds,'  And  also  the  coat  (the 
Xtrdv,  the  tJ'ia'p) ;  the  long  vesture  which 
clothed  his  whole  person,  reaching  from  the 
neck  to  the  feet,  and  which,  when  removed, 
left  the  sacred  body  naked.  This  had  pro- 
bably not  been  removed  by  either  Herod  or 
Pilate  before,  and  the  cursed  indignity  thus 
reached  its  climax  (Hengstenberg ;  cf.  Job 
xxiv.  7 — 10).  Now  the  coat  was  without 
seam  *  from  the  top — from  the  upper  por- 
tions— woven  throughout  (Si*  '6\ov,  an  ad- 

'  K.T.,  T.R.,  Westcott  and  Hort,  and 
Luthardt  spell  &^pa<pos;  but  Tischendorf 
(8th  edit.)  and  Tregelles  read  &pa(^os,  with 
K,  A,  D,  and  a  large  number  of  later  uncials. 


verbial  form)  —  woven,  possibly,  by  the 
mother  who  loved  him,  and  corresponding 
with  the  dress  of  the  priests.  Keim  and 
Thoma  see  here  "  a  symbolizing  of  Jesus  as 
the  High  Priest "  (see  Holman  Hunt's  cele- 
brated picture  the  "  Light  of  the  World  "). 
Certainly  John  saw  the  Lord  in  his  glory 
with  a  garment  of  the  kind  (woven  of  radiant 
light,  and  reaching  to  the  feet,  Rev.  i.).  The 
unity  of  the  Saviour's  seamless  vesture  has 
been  variously  treated  in  patristic  litera- 
ture :  as  symbolic  of  the  unity  of  natures  in 
his  Person,  by  the  Monophysites ;  and  by 
Cyprian  ('  De  Unitate  Ecclesiae,'  §  7)  in 
his  conflict  with  Novatianists,  as  symbolic 
of  the  unity  of  the  Church,  and  he  actually 
builds  on  it  his  dictum,  "  He  cannot  possess 
the  garment  of  Christ  who  parts  and  divides 
the  Church  of  Christ."  This  garment  could 
not  be  conveniently  divided. 

Ver.  24. — They  said  therefore  to  one 
another,  Let  us  not  rend  it,  but  let  us  cast 
lots  for  it,  whose  it  shall  be.  How  obviously 
we  have  the  eye-witness  again,  and  the 
observation  of  one  whose  whole  heart  was 
bleeding  with  unutterable  anguish  !  Here 
is  the  true  explanation  of  the  "  lot "  referred 
to  by  the  synoptists,  and  moreover  a  subse- 
quent reflection  of  the  evangelist,  who  saw 
once  more  a  realization  of  the  prophetic 
picture  of  the  ideal  Sufterer  at  his  last  ex- 
tremity of  reproach  and  humiliation.  He 
quotes  almost  verbally  from  the  LXX.,  That 
the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled  (which  ' 
saith).  They  parted  my  garments  among  them 
(to  themselves),  and  for  my  vesture  (i>aTicr- 
fiSv  fiou)  they  did  cast  lots.  If  John  had 
quoted  accurately  from  the  Hebi-ew,  he 
would  have  preserved  more  obviously  the 
contrast  between  the  Diaa  and  the  tria^, 
which  yet  was  clearly  in  his  mind.  The 
Xirciv  was  the  portion  of  the  iixanafjiSs  upon 
which  the  lots  were  cast.  Liicke  and  De 
Wette  (though  not  Meyer)  regard  it  as 
certain  that  John  took  the  i/iaTitrjuds  as 
identical  with  the  x'Ttcj'.  Strauss  describes 
Ps.  xxii.as  the  programme  of  the  Crucifixion. 
He  styles  it  thxis  for  the  purpose  of  under- 
valuing the  historical  character  of  the 
narrative,  and  of  suggesting  that  it  owed 
its  origin  to  the  prophetic  picture  rather 
than  to  the  actual  fact  (so  Thoma).  There 
is  another  sense  in  which  the  statement  is 
true.  Unconsciously  the  various  concomi- 
tants of  the  suffering  of  the  Holy  One  of 
God  were  being  one  by  one  realized  by  the 
Divine  Lord.  The  synoptists,  without  refer- 
ence to  the  ancient  oracle,  record  the  fact 

•  N,  B,  and  the  Italic,  and  other  authori- 
ties omit  T)  Kiyovaa,  with  Tischendorf  (8th 
edit.),  and  Westcott  and  Hort.  The  words 
are  retained  by  K.T.,  T.K.,  Tregelles,  and 
Alford. 


CH.  XIX.  1-42.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


429 


imperfectly.  John  adds  what  came  under 
his  own  eye,  explains  their  inadeijuato  re- 
presentation of  the  "lot,"  and  discerns  the 
veritable  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy.  The 
reference  in  Mattheio  to  this  fnllilim'nt  of 
propliecy  is  expunged  from  the  text  by 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  "Westcott  and  Hort, 
and  R.T.,  on  the  authority  of  N,  A,  B,  D, 
nine  uncials  and  two  iiundred  manuscripts, 
numerous  versions  and  Fathers.  Thus  the 
fourth  evangelist  is  the  solitary  autiiority 
for  this  fulfilment  of  the  prophetic  word,  and 
he  reveals  a  feature  wliich  is  sometimes 
denied  him  by  those  who  try  to  establish 
the  Gentile  origin  of  tlie  (lospel.  These 
things  therefore  the  soldiers  did.  A  graphic 
and  historic  touch,  corresponding  witli  the 
method  in  which  Herodotus  closed  his 
account  of  the  slaughter  at  ThermopylsB. 
Tn  John's  case  more  was  suggested.  While 
Pilate  had  announced  to  the  world  that 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  "  King  of  the  Jews," 
and  Caiaphas  had  declared  that  "  it  was 
expedient  that  one  man  should  die  for  tlie 
people,"  the  Komafi  soldiers,  without  any 
knowledge  of  Hebrew  oracles,  had  all  un- 
consciously filled  up  the  features  of  the 
suffering  Messiah  in  literal  harmony  with 
the  ancient  prediction.  In  a  commentary  on 
John's  Gospel  we  cannot  here  discuss  some 
of  the  other  impnssive  features  of  the  Cruci- 
fixion, upon  which  the  fourth  evangelist 
is  silent.  Matthew,  Murk,  and  Luke  all 
describe  a  revolting  scene  of  brutal  mockery 
which  ridiculed  the  dying  Lord  with  his 
helplessness,  and  charged  him  with  hypo- 
crisy, scoffed  at  his  having  boasted  of  his 
Divine  Sonship,  and  of  power  to  build  the 
demolished  temple  in  three  days — an 
ominous  charge,  which  he  was  so  soon  to 
meet.  They  did  not  see  that  they  were  de- 
stroying the  temple  of  his  body,  and  that  he 
would  verily  paralyze  all  their  power  to 
crush  his  kingdom  by  building  it  up  at  the 
predestined  hour.  The  great  cry  was, 
"  Come  down  from  the  cross,  and  we  will 
accept  thy  claims,  and  believe  that  thou  art 
'  Son  of  God.' "  This  was  even  a  greater 
provocative  of  his  human  soul  than  that 
which  the  devil  had  suggested  in  the 
wilderness,  or  which  he  had  endured  on 
the  Mountain  of  Transfiguration  (Godet's 
'  Biblical  Studies  of  the  New  Testament '). 
He  knew  that  he  could  at  once  have  stepped 
upwards  from  the  high  mountain  on  the 
shining  way,  and  left  behind  him  a  perfect 
and  most  gracious  memorial  and  ideal  of  the 
blessed  life.  But  he  had  a  "  decease  to 
accomplish,"  and  he  came  down  to  "  give 
his  life  a  ransom  for  many,"  to  take  all  our 
burden  and  all  our  care  and  all  our  sin 
upon  him,  to  lay  down  his  life  that  he 
might  take  it  again  (of.  ch.  x.  17).  But 
the  question  does  arise — Has  he  not  done 


enough  to  meet  all  the  case  ?  Has  he  not 
been  offired  up  as  certainly  as  Isaac  was 
when  Abraham  bouml  his  son  upon  the 
altar?  Could  he  not,  might  he  not,  now 
como  down  from  the  cross,  liaving  perfectly 
consecrated  himself?  Would  he  not  by 
this  act  make  converts  of  the  Sanhedrin  ? 
au<l  would  not  tens  of  thousands  at  once 
turn  their  curses  into  jubilant  hosanuas? 
The  chief  priests  join  in  th(3  same  taunt, 
and,  according  to  Matthew  and  Mark,  even 
the  tiying  robbers  cast  the  same  reproaches 
in  his  teeth.  The  special  taunt  wa-<,  "  He 
saved  others;  himself  he  cannot  save." 
Sublimely  true,  the  very  hurricane  of  abuse, 
as  it  reaches  him,  is  transformed  into  the 
sweetness  and  fragrance  of  the  eiernal  love. 
He  had  power  in  the  desert  to  make  the 
kingdoms  of  the  world  his  own,  if  lie  would 
have  bowed  down  to  the  prince  of  this 
worhl.  He  had  authority  to  vanish  into  tlie 
ethereal  homo  with  Moses  and  Elijah.  He 
might  have  saved  himself,  but  ho  could  not. 
He  must  drink  the  cup  to  the  final  dregs. 
He  must  bear  the  death-penalty  itself.  If 
he  had  not  done  this,  the  syinpatiiy  with 
man  had  fallen  infinitely  below  the  demands 
of  his  own  heart.  Sin  and  death  would  still 
have  been  inseparably  linked  ;  the  curse 
would  not  have  been  broken,  nor  tiie  sacri- 
fice been  completed.  As  before  Pilate, 
Herod,  and  the  rest,  he  was  silent.  No 
murmur,  no  rebuke,  broke  from  him.  The 
breath  of  his  mouth  is  as  yet  no  two- 
edged  sword.  But  the  penitent  brigand, 
overcome  by  his  majestic  patience,  pleads 
for  mercy,  and,  after  the  long  hours  have 
passed,  the  cry  of  the  helpless  sufferer  at 
his  side  meets  with  immediate  response, 
while  all  the  cruel  howling  bigots  around 
him  could  not  prevail  to  draw  from  him  one 
syllable  of  remonstrance  !  The  "  To-day 
shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise"  is  the 
royallest  of  all  the  words  from  the  cross. 
According  to  the  hypothesis  of  the  Tiibingen 
school,  they  ought  unquestionably  to  have 
been  selected  for  citation  by  the  author  of 
the  Fourth  Gospel.  The  assumption  of  the 
existence  and  reality  of  his  kingdom,  and 
the  admission  in  the  other  world  of  his 
conscious  Lordship  over  the  souls  of  men, 
is  the  most  explicit  and  unapproachable 
claim  that  he  ever  made  to  Divine  preroga- 
tives. John  takes  notice  of  another  moat 
impressive  scene,  in  which  himself  had 
personal  concern,  and  which  affected  the 
remainder  of  his  own  wonderful  life.  An 
incident  this  which  the  other  evangelists  did 
not  presume  to  touch.  It  was  the  Divine 
expression  of  the  true  humanity  of  the  Son 
of  God. 

Vers.  25 — 30.— (5)  The  worda  on  the  crost. 

Vers.  25,  26.— (a)  Filial   love—''  Behold 
thy  son ! " 


430 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN,    [ch,  xrs.  1— 42. 


Ver.  25. — But  there  were  standing  by  the 
cross  of  Jesus.  Matthew  says  (xxvii.  55 ; 
Maik  XV.  40,  41)  that  many  women  stood 
afar  off  beholding  these  things,  and  amongst 
them  Mary  Magdalene,  Mary  the  mother  of 
James  (tlie  less,  i.e.  the  son  of  Aiphseus)  and 
Joses,  and  the  mother  of  Zebedee's  children, 
expressly  identified  here  as  elsewhere  with 
Salome,  "  women  who  followed  him  from 
Galilee  "  (Luke  xxiii.  55),  and  ministered 
unto  him.  The  irap'a  of  this  verse  implies 
that,  in  the  courage  of  their  love  and  tender- 
ness, they  had  drawn  nearer  to  the  cross,  led 
on  as  it  would  seem  by  his  mother  herself, 
whom  John  with  fuller  knowledge  men- 
tions as  the  most  important  member  of  one 
group.  John  adds,  and  the  sister  of  his 
mother,  then  (it  must  be  admitted  without 
any  conjunctive  Koi)  he  adds,  Mary  the 
(wife)  of  Clopas,  and  Mary  Magdalene.  KAco- 
■nas  is  by  almost  all  admitted  to  be  identi- 
fiable with  'p^n,  Alphffius,  of  Matt.  x.  3. 
Consequently,  "  the  Mary  (of  Clopas)  "  is 
none  other  than  the  mother  of  James  the 
less-known  disciple,  as  well  as  of  others. 
And  this  second  Mary  is  identically  the 
same  as  the  Mary  spoken  of  in  Mattliew 
and  Mark  by  slightly  different  pliraseology. 
The  question  arises — Does  .Jolm  here  speak, 
then,  of  four  women  ?  or  does  he  say  that  this 
Mary  was  the  sister  of  the  Virgin  Mary  ? 
If  "  Mary  the  wife  of  Clopas  "  be  the  sister 
of  the  Virgin,  then  James  the  less,  Joses, 
and  others  are  cousins  of  our  Lord.  This 
hypothesis  has  been  used  by  those  who 
identify  tliese  men  with  the  "  brethren  of  the 
Lord  ;  "  but  it  is  rendered  improbable  by  the 
fact  referred  to  twice  over  in  the  synoptists 
and  John,  that  his  "  brctliren  did  not  believe 
in  him,"  and  the  growing  certainty  that 
"  James  the  brother  of  our  Lord  "  was  not 
"  James  the  less."  Moreover,  it  is  impro- 
bable that  two  sisters  should  have  the  same 
name.  The  other  supposition  is  that  the 
third  woman  mentioned  by  the  synoptists 
(namely,  Salome,  the  mother  of  Zebedee's 
sons)  was  the  sister  of  the  mother  of  Jesus. 
Against  this  is  the  non-appearance  of  the 
KOI  between  the  second  and  third  names. 
This  absence  may  be  simply  due  to  the  fact 
that  John  mentions  "two  and  two,"  singling 
them  out  from  "  the  many  women,"  accord- 
ing to  his  -wont.  Against  it,  Godet  and 
others  have  urged  that  we  have  no  other 
hint  of  the  relationship ;  but  of  many  similar 
facts  throughout  the  Gospel  we  have  only 
the  slenderest  indications — take,  for  instance, 
the  identification  of  Judas  (not  Iscariot) 
■with  Lebba3us  and  ThaddaBus;  Nathanael 
with  BiU'tholomew — and  there  is  much  which 
makes  ihe  identification  natural.  It  is  after 
the  manner  of  John  to  omit  the  name  of 
Salome,  as  he  always  does  his  own  tiirough- 
out  the  Gospel  and  Epistles.   But  the  entire 


narrative  from  beginning  to  end  is  illumined 
by  the  fact  that  John  was  the  near  relative  of 
Jesus.  The  ov  riydira  flashes  into  light  and 
justification  at  once.  Very  much,  both  in  the 
synoptic  and  Johannine  narratives,  receives  a 
deeper  meaning.  The  early  friendship,  the 
private  ministry  of  our  Lord,  with  John  as 
his  principal  companion,  the  request  of 
Salome,  and  the  exquisite  incident  which 
now  follows,  all  receive  a  richer  meaning 
when  it  becomes  clear  that  Salome  was 
so  nearly  related  to  Jesus.  In  this  conclu- 
sion Wieseler,  Luthardt,  Lange,  Westcott, 
Sears,  Moulton,  Schaff,  and  others  coincide, 
though  Meyer  and  Hengsteuberg  take  the 
other  view.  Hengstenberg  thinks  the  tra- 
dition of  three  Marys  is  enough  to  counter- 
balance what  he  calls  a  learned  device ! 
Assuming,  then,  that  John  was  so  dear  a 
friend,  so  near  a  relative,  we  understand 
better  what  follows. 

Ver.  26.— Jesus  then,  seeing  the  (his  ') 
mother,  and  the  disciple  whom  he  loved 
standing  near,  saith  to  the  (his)  mother, 
Woman,  behold  thy  son !  The  term  "  Wo- 
man "  was  on  his  lips  an  honorific  title  rather 
than  an  expression  of  coldness.  No  atom 
of  disrespect  or  failure  of  affection  is  evinced, 
nor  can  we  conceive  it  possible  that  our 
Lord  was  here  separating  himself  in  his 
mediatorial  character  from  all  relationship 
with  the  mother  who  bore  him !  This  view, 
adopted  by  Hengstenberg  in  part,  by 
Steinmeyer,  Luthardt,  Alford,  and  originally 
by  Professor  Hoffmann  of  Erlangen,  seems 
utterly  inconsistent  with  the  spirit  of  Christ. 
True,  he  had  warned  her  not  to  intrude  upon 
his  modes  of  activity  (ch.  ii.  4),  and  had 
said  that  his  disciples  were  his  brothers, 
sisters,  mother;  but  the  greatness  of  his 
heart  is  human  to  the  last.  No  Monophy- 
site  explanation  of  the  status  majestaticus, 
no  Nestorian  severance  of  the  Divine  and 
human  Christ,  is  needed.  Christ  yearned 
over  the  mother  whose  heart  was  being 
pierced  by  his  agony,  and  with  filial  anxiety 
entrusted  her,  not  to  those  brothers  of  his 
— whatever  was  the  degree  of  their  relation- 
ship to  him— who,  nevertheless,  did  not  be- 
lieve on  him,  but  to  the  disciple  whom  he 
loved. 

Ver.  27.— (b)  Filial  love—"Behohl  thy 
mother ! "  and  the  issue.  Then  he  saith  to 
the  disciple,  Behold  thy  mother !  The  very 
garments  that  covered  him  had  been  rudely 
divided  among  the  soldiers.  He  is  there- 
fore as  a  dead  man,  and  yet  he  made  the 
most  royal  gifts  and  precious  assignments 
of  that  which  was  nevertheless  inalienable. 

>  The  avTov  of  T.R.  is  omitted  bv  Ti- 
schendorf  (8th  edit.),  R.T.,Tregellcs  (Alford 
brackets  it),  on  the  authority  of  N,  B,  L,  X, 
1,  22. 


CH.  XIX.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


431 


He  gave  a  mother  to  his  dearest  friend.  He 
gave  a  eon  most  precious  to  the  bereaved 
and  desohxte  aud  .broken  heart  of  his 
widowed  motber.  Inconceivable  that  Weisso 
should  call  this  "  the  basest  self-adulation." 
The  animus  manifested  to  this  document  by 
a  certain  school  partakes  of  the  animosity 
of  political  partisanship.  From  that  hour, 
says  the  evangelist,  the  disciple  took  her 
(ti's  TO  fSia)  to  his  own  home.  This  may 
have  been  some  temiiomry  lodging  in  Jeru- 
salem, but  it  is  more  probable,  as  we  have 
seen,  that  Salome  and  John  had  homes  both 
in  Jerusalem  (see  Introduction,  p.  Ivi.)  and 
Capernaum.  The  mere  phrase  is  used  in 
ch.  xvi.  32  in  a  more  general  sense  of  all  the 
apostles.  It  is  not  necessary  to  believe  that 
John  at  once  removed  the  sacred  deposit  and 
bequest  of  his  dying  Lord  to  that  home, 
though  it  is  just  possible.  Bengel  and  many 
others  think  so,  but  it  is  not  necessary  to 
limit  the  meaning  of  "hour"  to  moment. 
The  departure  could  hardly  have  taken 
place  till  all  was  over.  In  tiiis  brief  refereaco 
a  key  is  given  to  what  John  became  to 
the  (jhurch.  We  must  think  of  Salome  aud 
John  ever  by  the  holy  mother  of  the  Lord, 
whether  at  Jerusalem,  Capernaum,  or  Ephe- 
sus.  The  few  words  speak  vclumes,  and 
his  reticence  here,  as  elsewhere,  gives  an 
unutterable  grandeur  to  his  words. 

Vers.  28,  2y. — (c)  "  I  thirst  " — the  last 
agony. 

Ver.  28.— ^It  does  not  come  within  the 
purpose  of  John  to  record  the  portents 
which  attended  the  final  scene — either  the 
supernatural  darkness  on  the  one  hand,  or  the 
rending  of  the  veil  of  the  temple  on  the  other. 
He  does  not  record  the  visions  of  the  saints, 
nor  the  testimony  of  the  centurion  (see  Matt. 
xxvii.  45—56;  Mark  xv.  33—39;  Luke 
xxiii.  44 — 49).  He  does  not  record  the 
further  quotation  of  Ps.  xxii. ;  the  cry, 
"Eloi,  Eloi,  lama  sabachthani  ?  "  nor  the 
misinterpretation  of  the  multitudes ;  nor  the 
jeer  at  his  dying  agonies.  But  he  does 
record  two  of  the  loords  of  the  Lord,  which 
they  had  omitted.  He,  moreover,  implies 
that  he  had  purposely  left  these  omissions 
to  be  tilled  up  from  the  syiioptists,  for  he 
adds.  After  this,  Jesus,  knowing  that  all 
things  had  been  {rertXtcnai)  now  finished, 
said,  I  thirst,  in  order  that  the  Scripture 
might  be  fulfilled.  John  heard  in  this  word 
the  comprehensive  cry  which  gathered  up 
all  the  yearnings  and  agonies  of  his  soul, 
which  fulfilled  its  travail,  which  expressed 
the  awful  significance  of  his  sufl'ering,  and 
strangely  filled  up  the  prophetic  picture 
(Ps.  Ixix.  til). 

Ver.  29. — There  was  set  there  '  a  vessel 

'  A,  13,  L,  etc.,  omit  oZv,  aud  N  substitute 
Sc ;  it  is  omitted  by  all  modern  editors. 


full  of  vinegar,  probably  for  the  use  of  the 

soldiers,  and  occasionally  oflercd  to  the 
sutlerers  to  soothe  a  part  of  their  torment. 
John  clearly  associates  this  fact  with  the  un- 
conscious fulfilment  of  prophecy.  Matthew 
gives  it,  with  strange  lack  of  connection,  as 
following  the  cry,  "  My  God,  my  God,  why 
hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?  "  So  they  (Matthew, 
"  one  ")  having  placed  '  a  sponge  full  of  the 
vinegar  upon  hyssop.  Tliis  hyssop  plant, 
if  identical  with  the  caper  plant,  does  pru- 
duce  stems  three  or  four  feet  long,  and  may 
tiiereforo  bo  identical  with  the  "  reed  "  men- 
tioned in  Matthew  and  Slark,  while  Luke 
(xxiii.  3(j)  refers  the  act  to  the  soldiers  offer- 
ing him  vinegar  to  drink,  saying,  "  Let  us 
see  whether  Elias  will  come  and  save  him." 
They  put  it,  brought  it,  presented  it  to  his 
mouth.  This  was  not  the  stupefying  draught 
which  he  refused,  but  an  exhilarating  one. 

Ver.  30. — ((i)  "7<  is  finuhed  !  " — the  great 
victory  of  completed  mcriji<e.  When  he  had 
received  the  vinegar,  he  said  (t€T€A6(ttoi), 
It  is  finished !  and  he  bowed  his  head  and 
delivered  up  his  spirit.  The  other  evaugelibts 
record  yet  another  word  of  Divine  and  sub- 
lime submission,  "Father,  into  thy  hands," 
etc.  John  simply  adds  the  climax,  and  leaves 
the  Divine,  inscrutable,  mysterious  fact  in 
its  awful  grandeur.  The  world's  debt  was 
paid.  The  types  and  symbolism  of  the  old 
covenant  had  been  adequately  fulfilled.  The 
mighty  work,  undertaken  by  him  who  would 
realize  tlie  expectations  of  the  oldest  pro- 
phets and  the  unconscious  prophecies  of 
heathendom,  was  done.  Every  iota  and 
tittle  of  the  Law  had  been  magnified.  The 
reality  of  which  tlie  temple  and  the  sab- 
bath were  shadows,  the  priesthood  aud  the 
ofl'erings  innumerable  were  figures,  had  all 
been  realized.  TereAeo-Tot !  Consummatunt 
est !  From  the  ground  of  human  nature,  from 
the  heart  of  the  IMan  in  whom  all  the  wants, 
perils,  sins,  my?teries  of  the  human  race 
were  gathered  up,  has  gone  the  adequate  ad- 
mission of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God 
against  that  nature  in  its  present  condition. 
Death  itself  become^,  not  his  shame,  but  his 
veritable  glory.  The  sin  of  humanity  is 
branded  with  an  eternal  curse,  more  deep 
than  any  previous  manifestation  of  the 
Divine  justice  could  have  produced;  and 
yet  it  loses  its  siing.  God  reconciles  the 
world  to  himself  by  the  death  of  his  Son, 
by  this  curse  thus  falling  ujmu  his  Oidy 
Begotten.  The  earthly  judges  are  con- 
demned by  their  Victim.    The  great  aud 

'  A,  D,  V,  r.  A,  n,  Vulgate  and  Syrian, 
read,  ol  Se  ir\i':(xai'Tes  (nroyyov  u^ovs  itol, 
"They  filled  a  sjKinge  with  vinegar."  So 
T.R. ;  but,  with  N^  B,  L,  1,  33,  Tregelles, 
Tisehendorf,  and  It.T.,  read,   <nr6yyof   oOy 


432 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xix.  1— 42. 


last  enemy  is  itself  wounded  xinto  death. 
The  Seed  of  the  woman  bruises  the  serpent's 
head  when  that  Seed  receives  the  bruise  in 
its  own  heel.  The  Paschal  Lamb  is  slain. 
The  Lamb  of  God  takes  away  the  sin  of  the 
world.  The  prince  of  this  world  is  cast  out. 
The  reader  must  turn  to  the  synoptic  nprra- 
tive  for  the  other  portents  of  the  Crucifixion 
— the  earthquake,  the  supernatural  darkness, 
the  rending  of  the  temple  veil,  and  the  testi- 
mony of  the  Roman  centurion.  The  silence 
of  the  Fourth  Gospel  concerning  these  events, 
on  the  supposition  of  its  late  origin,  or  on  the 
hypothesis  of  the  glorifying  myth,  or  upon 
the  suggestion  that  this  evangelist  was  a 
theologizing  mystic  of  the  second  century, 
who  was  merely  fashioning  the  narrative 
to  establish  the  doctrinal  thesis  of  the 
Divine  incarnation  of  the  Logos,  becomes 
entirely  unintelligible.  But  the  hypothesis 
that  this  eye-witness  was  supplementing 
other  well-known  narratives  with  particulars 
which  came  forcibly  under  his  own  observa- 
tion, and  made  a  deep  impression  upon  his 
own  mind,  is  suggested  by  every  line.  Dr. 
"Westcott  places  "the  seven  words  from  the 
cross  "  in  the  following  order  : — 

(a)  Before  the  darkness — 
(1)  "  Father,  forgive  them  ;  for  they  know 

not  what  they  do  "  (Luke  xxiii.  34). 
2)  "  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in 
Paradise  "  (Luke  xxiii.  43). 

(3)  "  Woman,  behold  thy  son  I  .  .  .  be- 
hold thy  mother !  "  (ch.  xix.  26). 

(6)  During  the  darkness — 

(4)  "  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou 
forsaken  me  ?  "  (Matt,  xxvii.  46 ;  Mark 
XV.  34> 

(c)  After  the  darkness — 

(5)  "I  thirst"  (ch.  xix.  28). 

(6)  "  It  is  finished  !  "  (ch.  xix.  30). 

(7)  "Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend 
my  spirit "  (Luke  xxiii.  46). 

It  is  a  question  whether  the  sixth  or  seventh 
word  is  the  more  triumphant. 

Vers.  31— 37.— (6)  The  piercing  of  the 
side,  rcith  its  significance — the  final  close  of 
the  life  of  earth. 

Vcr.  31. — The  Jews  therefore,  because  it 
was  the  preparation ;  that  is,  the  day  before 
the  sabbath  (Mark  xv.  42).  This  note  of 
time  certainly  blends  both  the  synoptists 
iind  John  in  tlie  assurance  that  the  cruci- 
fixion took  place  on  a  Friday.  It  was  also, 
nccordiug  to  the  previous  statement,  the 
preparation  of  the  Passover,  which,  we  have 
seen,  is  better  understood  in  that  literal 
semse  than  in  the  sense  of  "  the  Friday  of 
Passover  week. "  Consequently,  there  was  a 
twofold  sanctity  about  that  particular  sab- 
bath, seeing  that  the  sabbatic  rest  of  the 
day  following  the  Paschal  meal  coincided 


with  the  ordinary  wce'cly  sabbath  ;  (for  great, 
or  high,  was  the  day  of  that  sabbath)  (cf. 
Exod.  xii.  16 ;  Lev.  xxiii.  7 ;  and  notes  on 
ch.  xiii.  1;  xviii.  28:  xix.  14).  It  was  a 
"great"  and  "high"  day  in  a  sense  far 
more  profoundly  impressive  than  any  that 
could  be  derived  from  the  ceremonial  enact- 
ments of  the  Hebrew  code.  The  sabbath 
of  his  rest  came  at  length.  The  toil,  the 
agony,  are  over,  the  whole  world  is  trans- 
formed during  its  hours  into  his  resting- 
place.  There  has  been  no  such  sabbath 
since  the  creative  "Word  rested  from  all  his 
work.  In  order  that  the  bodies  should  not 
remain  on  the  cross  on  the  sabbath.  This 
statement,  with  the  events  which  followed, 
strongly  confirms  our  interpretation  of  the 
day  of  the  Crucifixion.  The  Jews  would 
scarcely  have  justified  a  crucifixion  on  the 
first  sabbatic  day  of  the  feast,  if  they  shrank 
from  the  proceeding  here  described  as  in 
danger  of  taking  place  on  the  ordinary  sab- 
bath. They  follow  the  law  (Dent.  xxi.  22, 
23)  so  far  as  it  would  apply,  and  hasten  the 
dissolution  of  the  crucified,  if  it  had  not 
already  occurred.  (They)  asked  Pilate  that 
their  legs  might  be  broken  (crusheil)  [«aT€- 
aywaiv,  the  same  as  aorist  passive,  Kardyvvfj-i 
(Winer,  Eng.  trans.,  p.  85),  apBticrip,  first 
aorist  passive],  and  that  they  might  be  taken 
away,  as  polluting  corpses.  The  (TKf\0KOTria, 
equivalent  to  crurifragium,  is  a  Roman  cus- 
tom, as  it  is  clearly  established  by  nume- 
rous authorities  (Suet.,  '  Ang.,'  67 ;  Seneca, 
'  De  Ira.,'  iii.  32 ;  see  Wetdstein) ; — a  brutal 
custom,  which  added  to  the  cruel  shame  and 
torment,  even  though  it  hastened  the  end. 

Vers.  32 — 34. — Then  came  the  soldiers, 
and  brake  the  legs  of  the  first— two  of  the 
quaternion  employed  on  the  one  deed,  and 
two  on  the  other — and  of  the  other  which 
was  crucified  with  him.  But  when  they 
came  to  Jesus,  and  saw  that  he  was  already 
dead,  they  brake  not  his  legs.  Their 
barbarous  mercy  was  unnecessary,  and  John 
saw  in  this  another  correspondence  with  the 
sacred  symbolism  and  prophetic  anticipa- 
tions of  the  Old  Testament.  But  one  of 
the  soldiers  pierced — gashed,  probably,  for 
the  word  tvvi,ev  is  used  in  both  senses — his 
side  with  a  spear  (AfJ'xx??'  ^  lance,  a  heavy 
formidable  weapon)  to  give  him  the  coup 
de  grace,  should  their  expectation  not  be 
actually  realized,  and  forthwith  came  there- 
out blood  and  water.  We  do  not  enter  into  the 
numerous  physiological  reasons  which  have 
been  advanced  by  Griiner,  Bartholinus,  and 
Dr.  Stroud  ('  Physical  Cause  of  the  Death 
of  Christ ')  for  t^is  event,  but  regard  it  as 
one  of  the  great  portents  of  the  Crucifixion, 
which  cannot  be  entirely  explained  as  some 
physiologists  have  done.  Dr.  Schaft'  appears 
willing  to  accept  the  hypothesis  that  the 
extra vasated  blood,  being  first  separated  into 


CH.  XIX.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


433 


its  two  constituents,  was  thus  liberated  from 
the  pericardium — a  phenomenon  that  might 
seem  to  justify  the  supposition  of  the 
evangelist,  that  it  was  blood  and  water. 
Dr.  Stroud  endeavoured,  with  much  medical 
learning,  to  show  that  this  might  follow  the 
side-piercing  if  the  Lord's  physical  death 
had  followed,  as  he  argued,  from  rupture  of 
the  heart  due  to  his  inteijise  agonies.  Sir 
R.  Bennett  has  accepted  this  solution.  Nor, 
further,  do  we  see  here  any  reference  to  the 
sacramental  system  of  which  John  else- 
where says  so  little ;  but  we  do  see  a  token 
miraculously  given  of  the  twofold  power  of 
his  redemptive  life  and  work  (1)  renovation, 
refreshment,  rivers  of  living  water  issuing 
from  the  KoiXta  of  Christ,  the  first  great 
rush  of  spiritual  power  which  was  to  re- 
generate humanity  ;  and  (2)  the  expression 
of  that  redemptive  process  which  was  effected 
in  the  positive  shedding  of  his  precious 
blood.  It  was,  moreover,  a  proof  and  sign 
given  to  Roman  soldiers  that  their  Victim 
was  actually  dead.  We  cannot  think,  with 
Westcott,  that  it  was  a  kind  of  sign  of 
the  commencement  of  the  resurrection-life, 
which  goes  perilously  near  to  the  assertion 
that  he  never  really  died.  Moulton  argues 
that  the  phenomena  were  physiologically 
possible  if  the  event  occurred  immediately 
after  death.  There  is  nothing  in  the  narra- 
tive to  prevent  such  juxtaposition.  That 
John  should  have  witnessed  it,  and  been 
unable  to  understand  it,  and  therefore  put 
it  down  among  the  marvels  of  the  Crucifixion, 
corroborates  the  veracity  of  the  eye-witness 
(Webster  and  Wilkinson).  The  interesting 
catena  of  patristic  interpretations  given  by 
Westcott  ('Additional  Note')  shows  that 
the  earliest  writer  who  refers  to  the  marvel, 
Claudius  ApoUinarfs,  regarded  it  as  expres- 
sive of  A(ryos  a,ndirvfvfia,  "  the  Word  and  tlie 
Spirit."  Origen  showed  that  from  a  corpse 
Buch  a  phenomenon  could  not  occur ;  and  so 
even  in  his  death  there  are  still  the  sigus 
of  the  living  one.  Cyril  of  Jerusalem  saw 
the  two  baptisms  of  blood  and  water ; 
Chrysostom,  the  two  sacraments,  or  the 
mysteries  of  baptism  and  of  the  flesh  and 
blood.  Macarius  Magnes  and  Apollinarius 
saw  an  allusion  to  the  »ide  of  Adam,  from 
which  Eve,  ther  source  of  evil,  was  taken ; 
that  now  the  side  of  the  second  Adam  should 
give  forth  the  means  of  salvation  and  deliver- 
ance. Tertullian  dwells  on  the  two  baptisms 
of  water  and  blood ;  so  Jerome ;  while 
Augustine  sees  in  it  the  laver  and  the  cup. 
That  there  was  some  special,  abnormal  phe- 
nomenon seems  specially  noticeable  from  the 
emphasis  which  the  eye-witness  lays  upon 
the  observation  and  record  of  tlie  fact. 

Ver.  35. — He  that  hath  seen  hath  borne, 
and    is   now   bearing,   herein   and    hereby, 
witness,   and    his    witness    is   veritable — 
JOUN. — u. 


the  highest  and  surest  kind  of  witoes?, 
that  of  direct  observation,  staggering,  con- 
founding the  ordinary  sense,  but  proving 
that  the  Son  of  God  died  in  his  h\iman 
body— and  he  knoweth,  by  his  own  inwnr  I 
experience,  that  he  saith  true  things,  that 
ye  also  '  may  believe.  A  vehement  effor 
has  been  made  to  sever  this  testimony  froiu 
the  evangelist,  and  refer  it  to  a  third  person 
iKilvos,  and  suppose  that  it  took  place  during 
John's  absence  from  the  cross  (so  WL■is^e, 
Schweizer,  Hilgenfeld,  and  others) ;  but,  as 
Meyer, Godet, etc.,  affirm  there  is  no  necessity 
whatever  for  such  an  interpretation.  'Ewff- 
vos  is  used  of  the  subject  of  the  sentence 
when  it  is  clear  from  tbe  context  that  the 
speaker  himself  is  that  subject  (see  ch.  ix. 
.S7).  Concerning  a  third  person,  the  writer 
could  not  have  written,  "  He  knoweth  that  he. 
saith  true  things,  that  ye  may  believe,"  but 
rather,  "  We  know  that  he  saith  true  things, 
that  we  may  believe."  But  John  here  speaks 
strongly  of  his  own  invincible  conviction, 
and,  as  in  ch.  xxi.  24,  it  is  here  given  to 
induce  a  stronger  faith  on  the  part  of  his 
readers — not  of  himself  and  his  readers — in 
the  supernatural  death,  in  the  sis^ns  that 
accompanied  it,  adapted  to  convince  the 
bystanders  of  its  marvel,  and  to  fill  up  the 
prophetic  picture.  Hilgenfeld,  witli  strange 
perversity,  urges  that  the  clever  forger  of 
the  narrative  "falls  out  of  his  part"  and 
forgets  himself  (see  Luthardt  on  'Author- 
ship of  the  Fourth  Gospel,'  p.  180).  The 
symbolical  and  allegorical  explanations  are 
numerous.  E.g.  TopJady's  well-known  hymn, 
"  Rock  of  Ages,"  contains  the  words — 

"  Let  the  water  and  the  blood. 
From  thy  riven  side  which  flowed. 
Be  of  sin  the  double  cure, 
Cleanse  me  from  its  guilt  and  power." 

Ver.  36. — For  these  things  came  to  pass, 
that  the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled.  Both 
the  omission  of  the  cruri/ragium,  and  the 
piercing  of  the  Redeemer's  side,  with  its 
solemn  and  strange  issues,  confirm  to  this 
great  eye-witness  the  spiritual  meaning  and 
INIessiaiiic  portraiture  involved  in  them.  A 
bone  of  him  shall  not  be  broken.  This  quo- 
tation from  the  ceremonial  of  the  Pas.sovt-r 
(Exod.  xii.  46;  Numb.  ix.  12),  where  the 
lamb  offered  to  God  was  to  be  shielded 
from  unnecej^sary  mutilation,  is  in  harmony 
with  the  words  of  the  Baptist,  "  Behold  the 
Lamb  of  God  !  "  and  with  Paul's  language 
(1  Cor.  V.  7),  "Christ  our  Passover  is 
sacrificed  for  us,"  and  shows  that  the  Fourth 

'  Kol,  on  the  strongest  authority  of 
N,  B,  A,  etc.,  twenty-five  manuscripts,  and 
Italic,  Vulgate,  Syriac,  R.T.,  Tischendorf 
(8th  edit.),  Meyer,  Godet,  etc.  It  is  omitted 
by  T.R. 

2f 


434 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xix.  1—42. 


Gospel  does  recognize  this  parallel,  which 
is  in  a  very  remarkable  way  thus  quietly 
reaffirmed.  This  passage  acquires  meaning 
from  the  supposition  that  the  Jews  were 
hurrying  away  to  cat  their  Paschal  lamb, 
not  a  bone  of  which  could  be  legally  broken. 
The  opponents  of  the  authenticity  think 
that  incidents  are  invented  to  establish  the 
supposed  relationship.  Those  who  seek  to 
reply  to  them  by  explaining  away  this 
reference  to  the  Passover  think  that  Ps. 
xxxiv.  20  is  referred  to,  "  He  keepeth  all 
his  bones :  not  one  of  them  is  broken ;  "  but 
the  force  of  that  passage  in  this  connection 
would  violently  clash  with  any  such  adup- 
tation  of  it  as  could  make  it  refer  to  the 
cruel  and  violent  death  of  the  Lord. 

Ver.  37. — And  again  another  Scripture 
saith.  The  second  of  the  Old  Testament 
quotations  is  in  several  ways  important 
and  noteworthy.  They  shall  look  on  him 
■whom  they  pierced  (e(s  ov  kleKevrijaap). 
The  original  passage  is  (Zech.  xii.  10),  'ita'ani 
npi  "ic;N-nN  'W,  "  They  shall  look  upon 
me  whom  they  pierced."  The  evangelist 
altered  the  me  into  hi3I,  which,  as  it  stands 
in  the  old  oracle,  and  regarded  as  the 
language  of  Jehovah,  is  sufficiently  sur- 
prismg.  The  LXX.  had  felt  the  difficulty, 
and  translated  it  'Eiri^Af^ovTai  -rrpus  /xe  av6' 
bjv  KaT(x^pxh(TavTo,  i.e.  "  Tliey  shall  look 
towards  me,  because  they  have  msulted  me." 
Tlicir  repentance  and  misgiving  shall  be 
aioused,  because  in  response  for  those  things 
whicli  they  have  done  contemptuously 
against  me.  It  is  interesting  to  see  that 
John  is  more  accurate  in  his  Greek  transla- 
tion of  this  prophetic  passage,  viz.  o^ovrai 
eh  hf,  "They  shall  look"  with  love  and 
grace  and  repentance  "  on  him  whom 
{i^eKefT-naav)  they  pierced."  This  Greek 
rendering  of  the  Hebrew  is  followed  by 
Aquila.  Theodotion,  and  Symmachus,  and 
is  quoted  by  Justin  Martyr;  it  is  also 
found  in  Re\.  i.  7,  forming  a  link  of 
connection  between  the  Gospel  and  the 
Apocalypse.  Moreover,  it  is  most  impressive 
to  find  that  the  awful  tragedy  does  not  close 
even  in  the  hands  of  this  writer  without  a 
word  of  promise  and  hope.  Zech.  xii.  8 — 14 
is  cltarly  in  the  mind  of  the  apostle.  The 
merciful  Lord  waits  for  the  repentance  of 
Israel,  of  those  who,  by  instigating  Roman 
power  for  his  destruction,  pierced  him  by 
their  trencliant  ingratitude  as  well  as  by  the 
Koman  spear.  It  will  be  fulfilled  more 
completely  when  every  eye  shall  see  him, 
and  the  full  revelation  of  his  majesty  shall 
smite  the  whole  world  with  penitence  or 
despair.  This  remarkable  event  and  its 
issue,  whatever  may  have  been  the  precise 
physiological  fact,  establishes :  (1)  The  au- 
toptic  tcbtimony  of  one  who  scarcely  expected 
tobe  credited  with  the  result  of  his  observa- 


tion. (2)  The  genuine  humanity  of  our 
Lord.  (3)  Tiie  more  than  humanity  of  liis 
manner  of  death.  (4)  The  fact  of  his  death, 
and  therefore  the  reality  of  the  Resurrection. 
(4)  Tlie  symbolic  and  twofold  aspect  of  his 
redemptive  act.  (6)  The  fulfilment  of 
proplutic  word.  (7)  The  establishment  of 
the  connection  between  the  Paesover  sacrifice 
and  the  Lamb  of  God  who  taketh  away  the 
sin  of  the  world.' 

Vers.  38— 42.— (7)  The  burial— the  two 
friends,  Joseph  and  Nicodemus. 

Ver.  38. — After  these  things — i.e.  after  all 
these  transactions  and  impressions,  after  the 
crurifragium  and  the  piercing  and  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  soldiers  with  Pilate's  per- 
mission ;  after,  that  is,  time  was  left  to  see 
the  full  issue  of  the  previous  act,  g.nd  the 
awful  fact  was  patent  to  all — Joseph,  who  is 
from  Arimathaea.  This  "  Joseph  "  is  intro- 
duced witli  the  article  (6 '),  and  a  second  & 
before  airh,  implying  to  the  reader  that  he 
is  now,  by  reason  of  the  synoptic  narrative, 
a  well-known  person.  This  Arimathsea  is 
probably  the  Ramathaim  of  1  Sam.  i.  1, 
the  birthplace  of  Samuel,  known  now  as  the 
^'ehi  Samw'd,  about  two  leagues  north-west 
of  Jeivisfilem  (Caspari,  §  49).  Hengstec- 
berg  thinks  the  site  is  Ramleh,  eight  hours 
from  Jerusalem.  The  maps  of  the  Palest. 
Explor.  Fund  place  it  about  a  league  to  the 
east  of  Bethlehem.  He  was  a  "  rich  man  " 
(Matt,  xxvii.  57) — a  fact  which  the  First 
Gospel  recalls  without  quoting  the  remark- 
able oracle  of  Isa.  liii.  9,  that  Messiah, 
Servant  of  Jehovah,  was  with  the  "  rich  in 
his  death."  We  may  judge  that  Joseph 
had  a  residence  in  Jerusalem,  even  though 
he  may  still  be  known  as  belonging  to  and 
"  from "  Arimathfea,  because  he  had  pre- 
pared, hard  by  the  metropolis,  a  sepulchre 
which  as  yet  had  never  been  used.  He 
was,  moreover,  a  ffovXevrrjs  (Luke  xxiii.  50 ; 
Mark  xv.  43),  a  member  of  the  Sanhedrin, 
of  high  chaiacter,  "good  and  just,"  "wait- 
ing for,  expecting  the  kingdom  of  God " 
(say  Mark  and  Luke),  "  and  by  no  means 
consentient  to  the  counsel  and  deed  of  his 
colleagues  "  (adds  Luke).  The  whole  posi- 
tion is  briefly  put  by  John  :  Being  a  disciple 
of  Jesus,  but  a  hidden  one  (KfKpvfj.fj.evos), 
who  had  been  concealed  a»such  up  to  this 
crowning  climax  of  his  Lord's  humiliation, 
not  daring  to  confess  Christ,  by  reason  of  Ms 
fear  of  the  Jews.  Strange  tliat  he  and  Nico- 
demus should  have  cast  away  their  fears  at 
such  a  moment !  Joseph  asked  of  Pilate 
{ripiinriffiv)  ;  a  word  that  implies  sornetiiing 
of  claim  and  confidence  on  his  part.  The  sy- 
noptists  all  three  use  t/ttjo-oto,  which  rather 
denotes   the  position  of  a  suppliant  for  a 

•  Westcott  and  Hort  omit  the  two  articles, 
and  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.)  the  first. 


CH.  XIX.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN, 


435 


favour.  That  he  might  take  away  the  body 
of  Jesus :  and  Pilate  gave  him  leave.  This  is 
BupjKiscd  by  some,  who  arc  auxious  to  make 
difficulties  where  none  exist,  that  (accord- 
ing to  Mark  xv.  43)  Pilate  had  already  given 
permission  for  the  cruri/tagium,  and  yet 
was  astonished  that  ho  was  dcatl  already. 
The  statement  of  JIark  is  perfectly  con- 
sistent witli  this  and  with  the  apdHmu  of 
ver.  31.  Joseph,  when  all  the  transactions 
were  over,  sought  for  himself  the  privilege 
of  a  friend  to  take  tlie  body  and  bury  it. 
Koman  law  permitted  this  privilege  to 
friends ;  as  Luthardt  says,  "  The  Chris- 
tian martyrs  of  Rome  were  often  buried 
in  the  catacombs."  Not  until  death  was 
obvious  was  it  lawful  to  remove  a  lx)dy  from 
the  cross.  The  death  had  taken  place  ;  the 
Jews  were  prepared  with  Pilate's  authori- 
zation to  remove  tiie  corpse  to  the  Valley  of 
the  Son  of  Hinnom.     Joseph  comes  with  a 

Eermission  to  take  the  corpse  fur  honourable 
urial.   He  came  therefore — by  reason  of  the 
permission — and  took  '  the  body  (of  Jesus). 

Ver.  39. — But  there  came  also  Nicodmius 
who  at  the  first  came  to  him  by  night  point- 
ing back  (as  the  evangelist  also  does  at  ch. 
vii.  50)  to  the  memorable  converse  with  our 
Lord  detailed  in  ch.  iii.  1 — 20,  when  Jesus 
made  clear  to  his  visitor  that  he  would  be 
"  lifted  up,  even  as  the  serpent  was  lifted  up 
in  the  wilderness."  There  is  no  proof  that 
this  "  ruler  of  the  Jews  "  and  "  master  in 
Israel "  had  been  encouraged  by  the  act  of 
Joseph ;  but  it  might  seem  that  these  two 
between  them  had  arranged  thp  costly  cere- 
ments. There  is  a  world  of  suggestion  lying 
in  this  quietly  mentioned  fact.  Doubtless 
there  were  many  others  of  timid  disposition, 
who  had  received  deeper  convictions  than 
the  narrative  of  the  Passion  seems  to  sug- 
gest. Nicodemus  had  said,  *'  We  know  that 
thou  art  a  Teacher  sent  from  God."  By 
reason  of  their  unacknowledged  faith,  the 
way  was  prepared  for  the  marvellous  con- 
versions of  Pentecost  and  later  days.  Nico- 
demus came  to  the  cross,  in  all  probability 
aided  by  the  loving  cares  of  the  women 
and  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved,  bringing 
a  mixture^  of  myrrh,  an  odoriferous  gum, 
and  aloes,  a  fragrant  wood,  prepared  for  the 
embalming  process,  about  an  hundred  pounds 

'  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.)  and  Bale  Re- 
visers read,  witli  N,  fiKOov  and  ^pav ;  but 
R.T.,  Tregelles,  Alford,  Westcott  and  Hort, 
Godet,  etc.,  abide  by  the  T.R.  Tlie  reading 
rod  'iTjrroC  rests  on  feeble  authority.  The 
omission  by  R.T.,  Lachmann,  and  others  rests 
on  X"^,  B,  L,  etc.     Tischendorf  reads  avrov. 

*  N*  and  B  read  e\iyna,  "  a  roll,"  rather 
than  ijilyixa;  but  it  is  only  placed  by  Ti- 
schendorf (8th  edit.),  Westcott  and  Hort,  and 
the  Revisers  in  the  margin. 


weight.  This  was  a  vast  quantity.  It  re- 
minds the  reader  of  "the  myrrh  and  aloes  " 
of  the  royal  Bridegroom  of  the  Church  (Ps. 
xlv.) ;  of  the  frankincense  and  myrrli  brouglit 
by  the  Wise  IMen  of  the  East ;  of  tho  lavish 
gift  of  IMiiry  the  sister  of  Lazarus ;  of  tho 
outburst  of  boundless  love  which,  spite  of 
all  tho  cruel  persecution  and  rejection  to 
which  the  Lord  was  exposed,  at  length  was 
lavished  upon  him.  The  myrrli  and  aloes 
were  pounded  and  mixed  for  the  purposes 
of  resisting  the  decomposition  of  death.  The 
method  was  entirely  to  cover  the  oOovlai 
with  its  pungent  and  purifying  powder,  and 
then  to  swathe  the  whole  body  with  the 
grave-clothes  thus  enriched. 

Ver.  40. — They  took  therefore — i.e.  Nico- 
demus and  Josepli — the  body  of  Jesns,  and 
bound  it  in  linen  clothes  with  the  spices,  as 
is  the  manner  of  the  Jews  to  bury.  Tlie 
synoptisls  specially  mention  a  linen  cloth 
{(Tiv^a>v\  which  they  wound  around  it.  It 
would  seem  probable,  from  what  is  after- 
wards said,  that  John  wished  to  discrimi- 
nate and  affirm  both  processes  (see  ch.  xx. 
7).  The  Jews'  method  diifered  from  the 
Egyptians'  embalming  process.  The  latter 
removed  all  the  viscera ;  and,  by  long  baking 
and  other  processes,  rendered  the  remaining 
shell  of  the  corpse  incorruptible  and  almost 
imperishable.  Tiie  Jews'  process  of  sepul- 
ture differed  from  the  Roman  cremation,  and 
is  emphasized.  Importance  was  attached  to 
a  splendid  funeral  (Luke  xvi.  22)  ;  and  this 
costly  interment  was  not  without  its  deep 
significance. 

Ver.  41. — Now  there  was  in  the  place 
where  he  was  crucified,  close  at  hand  to  the 
very  cross,  a  garden,  and  in  the  garden  a 
new  sepulchre,  wherein  as  yet  no  man  was 
laid  (on  site,  see  ver.  17,  notes).  John  alone 
tells  us  of  the  "  garden ; "  and  he  clearly  saw 
the  significance  of  the  resemblance  to  the 
"  garden  "  where  Christ  agonized  unto  death, 
and  was  betrayed  with  a  kiss,  and  also 
to  the  garden  where  the  first  Adam  fell 
from  the  high  estate  of  posse  noii  peccnre. 
We  are  not  told,  however,  by  him  tliat  this 
sepulchre  was  Joseph's  own  (Matthew  gives 
this  explanation),  nor  tliat  it  was  cut  out 
of  a  rock,  nor  the  nature  or  quality  of  it. 
Matthew,  Luke,  and  Jolm  remark  that  it 
was  Kaivov,  not  simply  i/fov,  recently  made, 
but  new  in  the  sense  of  being  as  yet  unused, 
thus  preventing  the  possibility  of  any 
confusion,  or  any  subordinate  miracle,  such 
as  happened  at  the  grave  of  Elisha  (2 
Kings  xiii.  21),  and  so  our  Lord's  sacred 
body  came  into  no  contact  with  corruption. 
Thus  from  the  hour  of  death,  in  which 
the  love  of  God  in  Christ  is  seen  at  its  most 
dazzling  moral  lustre,  and  the  glorification 
of  Christ  in  his  Passion  reaches  its  climax, 
death  itself  begins  to  put  on  new  uuex-  ■ 


43G 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [en.  xix.  1—42. 


pected  forms  and  charms:  (1)  the  symbolic 
effusion  of  water  and  blood ;  (2)  the  costly 
unguent  spices  and  honourable  burial 
lavished  on  One  who  had  been  put  under 
ban,  and  had  died  the  doom  of  the  slave ; 
(3)  the  garden  and  the  watchers. 

Ver.  42. — There,  therefore,  by  reason  of  the 
preparation  of  the  Jews,  for  the  sepulchre 
was  nigh  at  hand,  they  laid  Jesus.  John 
assigns  the  rapidity  with  which  the  process 
could  be  completed  as  a  reason  for  entomb- 
ment in  this  particular  garden  sepulchre, 
and  the  ground  of  the  urgency  was  the 
"  preparation  "  solemnities.  Once  more  the 
critics  divide  into  two  groups  as  to  the  sig- 
nificance of  this  reference  to  the  date  of  the 
Lord's  death.  It  is  obvious  that  both  the 
synoptists  and  John  imply  that  it  was  a 
"  Friday,"  and  that  the  next  day  was  the 
sabbath.  Why,  for  the  third  time  in  the 
space  of  a  few  lines,  should  this  circum- 
stance be  noticed  ?  On  the  first  occasion,  the 
morning  of  the  day  is  said  to  be  "  the  pre- 
paration of  the  Passover ;  "  on  the  second  it 
is  called  "  preparation  before  the  sabbath," 
and  John  adds  that  that  particular  sabbath 
was  a  "  high  day,"  which,  as  we  have  seen, 
is  explained  by  remembering  that  its  sanc- 
tity was  doubled,  seeing  that  on  that  par- 
ticular year  the  weekly  sabbath  would  coin- 
cide with  the  15th  of  Nisan,  which  had  a 
sabbatic  value  of  its  own.  Now  he  says 
for  the  third  time  it  was  the  "  preparation 
of  the  Jews  " — as  we  understand  it,  a  day  or 
a  time  when  special  preparations  were  being 
made  by  the  Jews,  and  that  before  sunset,  for 
the  slaying  of  the  Paschal  lamb.  Moreover, 
the  sabbatliwas  drawing  on  (tire'<^&)(r/ce>/,Ltke 
xxiii.  54).  This  threefold  statement  implies 
that  there  was  something  more  in  the  irapa- 
(TKivrt  than  the  Friday  of  the  Passover  week. 
It  is  curious  to  observe  the  precisely  contra- 
dictory conclusions  drawn  from  this  state- 
ment by  two  classes  of  interpreters.  Godet 
has  given  an  interesting  sketch  (vol.  iii.  pp. 
286,  287)  of  the  extraordinary  idea  of  M. 
Lutteroth,  that  the  Lord  was  crucified  on  the 
10th  of  Nisan!  that  he  rose  from  the  dead 
three  full  days  and  nights  afterwards,  on 
the  morning  of  the  14th.  But  why  should 
John  three  times  over  thus  designate  the 
day?  and  why  should  the  synoptists  lay 
such  emphasis  on  its  being  the  "  prepara- 
tion," if  the  day  were  really  the  first  great 
day  of  the  Passover  Feast?  It  is  remark- 
able that  St.  Paul,  referring  to  the  institu- 
tion of  the  Eucharist,  does  not  say  "on  the 
night  of  the  Passover  meal,"  but  on  "the 
uight  in  which  he  was  betrayed "  (1  Cor. 
xi.  23),  and  he  speaks  of  Jesus  as  the 
(oiropx'))  "Firstfruits  of  the  dead,"  as 
though  the  resurrection  morning  coincided 
with  the  presentation  of  the  firstfruits,  which, 
on  the  idea  that  Jesus  suffered  on  the  15th, 


would  have  been  presented  on  the  morning 
of  the  Jewish  sabbath,  while  the  reference 
in  1  Cor.  v.  7 — 9,  written  at  the  time  of  a 
Passover,  is  rather  in  favour  of  the  slaying 
of  the  Paschal  lamb  coinciding  with  the 
death  of  Jesus  than  the  institution  of  the 
Eucharist  doing  so.  The  most  extraordi- 
nary reference  to  the  TiapacrKevfi  is  that 
which  St.  Matthew  (xxviii.  62)  introduces, 
when  he  actually  refers  to  the  sabbath  when 
it  had  begun  (on  the  evening  of  tlie  14th 
or  15th,  whichever  it  was,  i.e.  after  6  p.m.) 
under  the  designation  of  "  the  day  after  the 
preparation."  Generally  the  more  important 
day  would  receive  its  own  proper  name,  and 
not  be  designated  by  the  less  signal  day, 
"Why  did  not  St.  Matthew  say,  "  On  the 
morrow,  which  was  the  sabbath  "  ?  The  one 
group  of  interpreters  answer  that  he  wished 
to  discriminate  the  veritable  sabbatii  as  dis- 
tinct from,  the  half-sabbath  of  the  previous 
day,  made  so  by  being  also  the  great  day 
of  the  feast !  But  it  is  more  natural  to 
suppose  that  "  the  day  of  preparation,"  the 
deaUi-day  of  the  Lord,  loomed  so  largely  in 
the  mind  of  the  evangelist,  that  its  morrow- 
derived  importance  in  this  particular  in- 
stance from  itself.  The  only  real  difficulty 
in  settling  this  wearisome  controversy  arises 
from  one  statement  in  the  synoptists,  which, 
if  resolved  in  the  rigid  sense  of  limiting  their 
expressions  to  the  evening  of  the  14th  and 
beginning  of  the  15th,  involves  us  in  grave 
difficulties  when  considering  five  or  six  dis- 
tinct and  independent  statements  of  John's 
Gospel.  We  have  shown  at  each  of  these 
places  the  double  method  of  exegetical 
treatment  that  has  been  attempted,  and  in 
each  case  honesty  compels  us  to  admit  that 
John  is  here  in  apparent  discord  with  the 
synoptists.  If,  however,  our  Lord  antici- 
pated by  a  few  hours  the  celebration  of  the 
Paschal  supper,  seeing  that  his  "  hour  was 
come,"  not  indeed  deviating  from  the  legal 
day  (though,  as  Lord  of  the  sabbath  and 
greater  than  the  temple,  he  was  amply 
justified  in  doing  so),  but  hurrying  on  the 
process  between  the  13tli  and  14th,  when 
the  water-bearers  would  be  seen  fetching 
their  pure  water  for  the  purpose ;  and  if  he 
celebrated  the  Passover  at  the  beginning 
rather  than  the  end  of  the  14th  of  Nisan,  then 
the  apparent  discord  between  John  and  the 
synoptists  vanishes,  and  the  terrible  events 
of  the  trials  and  crucifixion  of  Jesus  really 
took  place  at  the  time  when  the  Jews  (not 
Christ  himself)  were  preparing  for  tiie  Pass- 
over proper.  On  this  hypothesis  the  two 
narratives  would  be  no  longer  in  hopeless 
antagonism.  With  this  conclusion  we  are 
more  satisfied,  since,  as  we  have  seen  in  ch. 
xiii.  1  and  elsewhere,  the  synoptists  them- 
selves afford  numerous  corroboratory  evi- 
dences (Introduction,  pp.  xcii. — xcv.). 


CH.  XIX.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.   JOHN.  437 


IIOMILETICS. 

Vers.  17,  18. —  Tlie  Cnicijlxion.     Tlie  end  has  come  at  last. 

I.  Jesus  cakryino  his  cross.  "  And  he,  bearing  his  cross,  went  forth  to  the  place 
of  the  skull,  which  is  called  in  the  Hebrew,  Got<;otha."  1.  The  condemned,  accordimj 
to  liomaii  laiv,  had  to  carry  the  instrument  of  their  oivn  punishment.  2.  Jesus  bore 
his  cross  part  of  the  uay,  till  he  sank  with  exhaustion.  Accordingly,  Simon  of  Cyrene 
was  required  to  do  the  office.  The  exhaustion  of  Jesus  was  caused  (1)  by  his  long 
watching  and  his  deep  mental  anguish  in  Gethsemane ;  (2)  perhaps,  also,  by  the  pain 
or  smart  which  the  cross  would  inflict  upon  his  scourged  and  galled  shoulders. 

II.  The  scene  of  the  Ckucifixion.  1.  It  >oas  outside  the  gate  of  the  city,  according 
to  ancient  Jewish  law.  (Lev.  xxiv.  14.)  2.  TJie  exhortation,  "Let  us  go  forth  to  him 
without  the  camp,  bearing  his  reproach  "  (Heb.  xiii.  12, 13),  is  founded  upon  this  ancient 
custom.  3.  The  actual  spot  is  called  Golgotha,  or  Calvary ;  but  it  has  not  been  identi- 
fied in  modern  times. 

III.  The  CnuciFixiON.  "  Where  they  crucified  him,  and  two  others  with  him,  on 
either  side  one,  and  Jesus  in  the  midst."  1.  Who  were  they  luho  did  this  deed  f  (1) 
Not  some  savage  people  belonging  to  an  uncivilized  land,  who  had  never  heard  of 
Jesus.  (2)  Not  some  jirowling  banditti,  who  had  got  the  upper  hand  in  Jerusalem, 
and  rioted  in  murder.  (3)  It  was  the  Jews,  acting  through  the  Roman  soldiers,  (a) 
God's  ancient  people;  (6)  the  witnesses  of  his  marvellous  works;  (c)  in  the  land  where 
Jesus  was  best  known  ;  (d)  and  in  the  capital  of  its  solemnities.  2.  What  did  they  dof 
"They  crucified  him."  (1)  This  was  the  death  of  slaves  and  malefactors.  (2)  It  was, 
in  Cicero's  words,  "the  most  cruel  and  the  most  terrible  punishment."  («)  The 
victim  was  nailed  by  his  hands  and  his  feet  to  the  cross,  while  it  still  lay  on  the 
ground,  (b)  These  nails,  by  their  position,  added  to  the  victim's  torture,  (c)  It  was 
a  lingering  death,  for  the  victim  sometimes  survived  till  the  third  day.  3.  Whom  did 
they  crucify  f  (1)  The  Lord  of  glory,  the  Prince  of  life,  the  Son  of  David,  their  own 
Messiah.  (2)  Mark  the  indignity  of  his  position  at  Golgotha,  (^j)  He  is  crucified 
with  two  robbers,  as  if  he  were  the  fit  colleague  of  malefactors,  (b)  He  is  crucified 
between  them,  as  if  to  add  to  his  disgrace.  He  is  the  Prince  of  malefactors.  He  was 
indeed  "  numbered  with  the  transgressors  "  (Isa.  liii.  12).  (c)  His  central  place  in  that 
death-scene — "Jesus  in  the  midst" — -is,  after  all,  in  keeping  with  his  central  place  in 
heaven  and  in  earth,  and  in  the  hopes  of  dyin'jj  men.  (a)  He  is  central  in  heaven;  for 
"  the  Lamb  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne."  (fi)  He  is  central  on  earth,  (i.)  as  the  Lord 
who,  at  the  heart  of  the  universe,  upholds  all  things  by  the  Word  of  his  power ;  (ii.)  as 
Ihe  Centre  of  the  invisible  Church,  for  he  is  its  only  Head ;  (iii.)  as  the  Centre  of  the 
visible  Church,  for  all  Christendom  crystallizes  around  the  Person  of  Christ;  (iv.)  as 
the  infrangible  Centre  of  man's  dying  hopes. 

Vers.  19 — 22. —  Tlie  inscription  on  ihe  cross.  "And  Pilate  wrote  a  title,  and  put  it  on 
the  cross.     And  the  writing  was,  Jesus  of  Nazareth  the  King  of  the  Jews." 

I.  Pilate  took  advantage  of  a  Roman  custom  to  insult  the  Jews  by  repre- 
senting THIS  Malefactor  as  their  King.  It  was  an  act  of  revenge  for  all  the 
humiliation  the  Jews  had  inflicted  upon  him. 

II.  It  was  written  in  the  languages  of  the  three  principal  peoples  of  the 
WORLD.  "  Hebrew,  and  Greek,  and  Latin."  1.  Hebrew  luas  the  national  language  of 
the  Jews.  2.  Greek  was  the  language  of  common  life.  3.  Latin  was  the  langtiage  <f 
their  Roman  masters. 

HI.    How    DO    WE    RECONCILE    THE    VARIOUS    FORMS    OF    THE    INSCRIPTION    WITH    THE 

doctrine  of  verbal  INSPIRATION  ?  1.  It  is  extremely  probable  that  Pilate  employed 
represent'itivesof  each  lahguage  to  draw  up  the  <t<?e,  which  would  therefore  be  variously 
framed  according  to  a  threefold  idiom.  2  The  title  in  John's  Gospel,  "  Jesus  the 
Nazarenu,  the  King  of  the  Jews,"  would  be  the  Greek  form.  The  title  in  Mark,  "  The 
King  of  the  Jews,"  would  be  given  with  Roman  brevity,  "  Rex  Judfeorum."  The  title 
in  Luke,  "This  is  the  Kin;:  of  the  Jews,"  does  not  differ  from  that  in  Mark,  for  the 
introductory  pronoun  is  Luke's  own.  The  title  in  Matthew,  "  This  is  Jesus  the  King 
of  the  Jews,"  would  be  the  Hebrew  form. 


408  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xix.  1—42, 

IV.  The  dissatisfaction  of  the  Jews  at  the  form  of  the  inscription.  "  Then 
said  the  chief  priests  of  the  Jews  to  Pilate,  Write  not,  The  Kins  of  the  Jews  ;  but  that 
he  said,  I  am  King  of  the  Jews."  1.  The  title  here  given  to  the  remonstrants  suggests 
that  they  were  the  guardians  of  the  theocratic  honour  of  the  Jews.  2.  They  wished  to 
disconnect  the  name  of  Jesus  from  all  their  ideas  of  Messiahship,  and  represent  him  as 
a  usurper.  3.  Or,  perhaps,  they  were  anxious  to  adhere  to  the  fatal  admission,  "  We 
have  no  king  but  Csesar." 

V.  The  inflexibility  of  Pilate.  "What  I  have  written  I  have  written."  1.  Be 
is  very  resolute  in  his  purpose  now  that  all  danger  is  past.  Pliilo  calls  him  "  an 
inflexible  man."  Well  had  it  been  for  him  if  his  firmness  of  purpose  had  been  mani- 
fested in  the  earlier  hours  of  the  day.  2.  He  was,  after  all,  by  his  inscription,  only 
representing  the  true  fact  unconsciously.  Pilate  is  the  herald  to  proclaim  the  Kingship 
of  Jesus. 

Vers.  23,  24. —  The  parting  rf  the  raiment.  The  soldiers  regard  Jesus  as  already 
dead,  and  therefore  dispose  of  his  raiment  according  to  the  usage  of  Roman  law. 

I.  It  was  a  gbeat  humiliation  to  the  Victim  to  see  his  garments  parted.  1. 
It  implied  that  nothing  remained  for  him  henceforth  but  to  die.  He  had  done  with 
earth.     2  It  is  implied  that  his  body  was  exposed  naked  on  the  cross. 

II.  The  soldiers  were  only  fulfilling  the  Old  Testament  prophecy.  "That  the 
Scripture  might  be  fulfilled.  They  parted  my  raiment  among  them,  and  for  my  vesture 
did  they  cast  lots."  Little  did  the  rude  soldiers  think  that  they  were  unconsciously 
fulfilling  the  letter  of  ancient  prophecy. 

Vers.  25 — 27. — The  mother  of  Jesus  at  the  cross.  Here  is  the  record  of  the  filial 
legacy. 

I.  The  sympathizing  group  of  women.  "  Now  there  were  standing  beside  the  cross 
of  Jesus  his  mother,  and  his  mother's  sister,  Mary  the  wife  of  Cleophas,  and  Mary 
Magdalene."  1.  There  teas  a  company  of  Galilxan  women  standing  at  a  distance  from 
the  cress,  "beholding  afar  off"  (Matt,  xxvii.  55).  They  were  more  courageous  than 
Christ's  apostles,  who  had  all,  but  John,  fled  through  fear  of  arrest.  2.  There  was  an 
inner  circle  of  three  women  more  courageous  than  the  rest,  who  stood  under  the  very 
shadow  of  the  cross. 

II.  The  last  bequest  of  Jesus.  "  When  Jesus  therefore  saw  his  mother  and  the 
disciple  standing  by,  whom  he  loved,  he  said  to  his  mother.  Woman,  behold  thy  son !  " 
1.  Mary  was  noiu  experiencing  the  bitter  truth  of  Simeon's  prophecy,  "  A  sword  shall 
pierce  through  thine  own  heart,"  It  was  a  terrible  ordeal  for  a  mother  to  watch  the 
protracted  sufferings  of  her  beloved  Son.  2.  Jesus  is  not  so  absorbed  by  his  agonies  as 
to  forget  his  mother,  3.  He  calls  her  "  woman,"  not  "  mother,"  as  if  the  old  relation 
was  now  to  end,  and  a  new  one  to  be  formed  for  her  future  comfort.  Death  was  to 
close  all  the  earthly  relationships  of  the  Redeemer.  4.  While  he  gives  a  son  to  his 
mother,  he  gives  a  mother  to  his  beloved  disciple.  "  Then  saith  he  to  the  disciple, 
Behold  thy  mother ! "  (1)  It  was  a  mark  of  loving  confidence  in  John.  (2)  John  was 
to  comfort  Mary  in  her  widowhood,  for  Joseph  was  evidently  now  dead.  (3)  The 
charge  was  promptly  accepted,  and  faithfully  carried  out.  "  And  from  that  hour  that 
disciple  took  her  to  his  own  home."  Nothing  is  known  of  the  after-life  of  Mary. 
Tradition  says  she  died  eleven  years  after  the  Lord  at  Jerusalem,  in  the  fifty-ninth 
year  of  her  age. 

Vers.  28 — 30. — TTie  death  of  Jesus.  After  he  has  thus  ministered  to  others,  atten- 
tion is  turned  to  himself. 

I.  The  thirst  of  the  Sufferer.  "After  this,  Jesus  knowing  that  all  things  were 
now  accomplished,  that  the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  saith,  I  thirst."  1,  The  burn- 
ing fever  caused  by  the  inflammation  of  his  wounds  made  him  athirst.  The  cry  attests 
his  extreme  suffering,  2.  The  minute  fulfilment  of  prophecy  is  present  to  the  Sufferer's 
mind?  "  They  gave  me  vinegar  to  drink  "  (Ps,  Ixix.  21).  He  was  surely  "  made 
perfect  through  suffering." 

II.  The  thirst  assuIged.  "  Now  there  was  set  a  vessel  full  of  vinegar,  and  they 
filled  a  sponge  with  vinegar,  and  put  it  upon  hyssop,  and  put  it  to  his  mouth."    1.  This 


CH.  XIX.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST,  JOHN.  439 

drink  was  not  that  which  he  had  refused  at  the  herjinning  of  his  o'licifixion — a  drink 
given  in  mercy  to  stupefy  the  suflerer.  Jesus  would  die  in  tlie  perfect  clearness  of  his 
faculties.     2.   The  act  of  the  soldiers  ims  one  of  compassio)i,  not  of  mockery. 

III.  The  suurender  ok  life.  "  When  Jesus  therefore  had  received  the  vinegar, 
he  said,  It  is  finished !  and  he  bowed  his  head,  and  gave  up  the  ghost."  1.  The  cry, 
'^  It  is  finished!"  proclaimed  :  (1)  The  consunitnatiun  of  his  sufferings.  (2)  The  final 
.icconipli.>-hment  of  his  Father's  will  that  he  should  give  himself  a  sacrifice  for  sin.  (.'■() 
The  complete  fulfilment  of  all  tlie  Messianic  prophecies,  as  well  as  the  types  of  the  olil 
dispensation.  (4)  The  perfecting  by  one  olTering  "  them  that  are  sanctified."  2.  The 
death.  (1)  It  was  a  free,  spontaneous  act.  "  No  man  taketh  my  life  from  me;  I  have 
power  to  lay  it  down,  and  I  have  power  to  take  it  again  "  (ch.  x.  18).  (2)  The  apostles 
regarded  it  exactly  in  this  liirht.  "  He  gave  up  himself"  (Eph.  v.  2,  25;  Gal.  ii.  20; 
1  Pet.  ii.  23).  Though  therefore  his  death  was  violent  and  cruel,  it  was  a  voluntary 
sacrifice. 

Vers.  31 — 37. — The  breaking  of  the  legs.  It  was  usual  for  the  Romans  to  leave  the 
dead  on  the  cross  to  the  ravages  of  wild  beasts.  A  providential  event  changed  the 
usage  in  this  case. 

I.  The  anxiety  of  the  Jews  for  the  removal  of  the  bodies.  "  The  Jews 
therefore,  because  it  was  the  preparation,  that  the  bodies  should  not  remain  upon  the 
cross  on  the  sabbath  day  (for  that  sabbath  was  an  high  day),  besought  Pilate  that  their 
legs  might  be  broken,  and  that  they  might  be  taken  away."  1.  The  Jews  had  accom- 
plished their  j)urpose,  and  tvere  now  anxious  to  carry  out  the  letter  of  the  law.  The 
bodies  ought,  in  any  case,  to  be  removed  before  ni^ht ;  but  there  was  a  special  necessity 
on  account  of  the  day  of  the  Crucifixion  preceding  a  great  festival.  2.  Mark  their 
hypocrisy.  They  regarded  themselves  as  strictly  bound  to  observe  the  outward  cere- 
mony, but  they  had  no  scruple  in  crucifying  the  Son  of  God.  The  ceremonial  part  of 
religion  was  of  greater  moment  to  them  than  the  moral. 

II.  Pilate's  concession  to  their  demands.  "  Then  came  the  soldiers,  and  brake 
the  legs  of  the  first,  and  of  the  other  which  was  crucified  with  him."  1.  Though  a  cruel 
act,  it  was  designed  to  shorten  the  sufferings  of  the  crucified.  Gangrene  was  the  imme- 
diate result.  The  breaking  of  the  legs,  together  with  crucifixion  itself,  was  abolished  by 
Constantine,  the  first  Christian  emperor.  2.  The  soldiers  treated  Jesus  in  an  exceptional 
manner.  "  But  when  they  came  to  Jesus,  and  saw  that  he  was  dead  already,  they  brake 
not  his  legs."  (1)  The  quickness  of  Christ's  death  took  Pilate  by  surprise.  (2)  Scrip- 
ture was  fulfilled  in  the  exemption  of  Christ  from  the  crurifragiuni.  "  But  these  things 
were  done,  that  the  Scripture  should  be  fulfilled,  A  bone  of  him  shall  not  be  broken." 
(3)  The  act  of  the  soldier,  in  piercing  the  side  of  Jesus,  made  his  death  certain.  "  But 
one  of  the  soldiers  with  a  s|)car  pierced  his  side,  and  forthwith  came  there  out  blood 
and  water."  (a)  It  could  not  be  said  hereafter  that  he  had  merely  swooned,  and  that 
his  disciples  had  come  in  the  night  and  taken  him  away,  (h)  The  pierced  side  was  the 
subject  of  projihecy.  "  They  shall  look  on  bim  whom  they  pierced."  (c)  The  blood 
and  water  had  a  figurative  application.  "This  is  he  who  came  not  by  water  onlv,  but 
by  water  and  blood  "  (I  John  v.  6).  (a)  The  blood  indicated  life  sacrificed.  {&)  Water 
was  the  symbol  of  the  spiritual  life.  The  death  of  Christ  secured  at  once  the  cleausin^ 
away  of  sin,  and  the  quickening  of  dead  souls  by  the  Spirit. 

III.  The  testimony  of  the  Apostle  John  to  these  facts.  "And  he  that  s:nv 
it  bare  record,  and  his  record  is  true."  1.  It  was  the  testimony  of  an  eye-tvitness.  2  It 
was  designed  to  support  the  faith  of  the  luorld  in  the  facts  of  our  Lord's  death. 

Vers.  38 — 42.  —  The  burial  of  Jesus.     It  was  an  honourable  interment. 

I.  The  devoted  ministry  of  friends.  "  After  this  Joseph  of  Arimathaia,  being 
a  disciple  of  Jesus,  but  secretly  for  fear  of  the  Jews,  besought  Pilate  that  he  might 
take  away  the  body  of  Jesus  :  and  Pilate  gave  him  leave."  1.  TJie  character  and  posi- 
tion of  Joneph.  (1)  He  was  a  member  of  the  Sanhedrin;  (2)  a  just  and  honourable 
man  (Mark  xv.  43);  (3)  a  disciple  of  Jesus,  who  "waited  for  the  kingdom  of  God," 
and  did  not  consent  to  the  counsel  of  the  Sanhedrin  against  Jesus;  (4)  yet  a  timid 
disciple,  who  feared  to  compromise  himself  with  the  Jews.  2.  His  application  to 
Filate.     (1)  His  positior"  os'  a  membar  of  the  Sanhedrin  would  entitle  him  to  the  con- 


440  THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xix.  1—42. 

sideration  of  the  governor.  (2)  The  cross  brings  out  curious  contrasts  in  the  conduct 
and  circumstances  of  those  who  are  related  to  Christ,  (a)  The  disciples,  who  were 
openly  identified  with  him  in  life  forsake  him  in  his  last  extremity,  and  have  no  share 
in  the  honours  of  his  burial,  (b)  Two  disciples,  who  had  no  open  relations  with  him  in 
life,  step  forward  boldly  at  his  death,  and  give  him  the  last  offices  of  the  dead.  (3) 
Joseph  obtains  possession  of  the  body  of  Christ.  "  He  came  therefore,  and  took  the 
body  of  Jesus."     He  interred  it  in  his  own  new  sepulchre. 

li.  The  association  of  Nicodemus  with  Joseph  in  the  honour  done  to  the 
DEAD.  •'  And  there  came  also  Nicodemus,  which,  at  the  first,  came  to  Jesus  by  niiht, 
and  brought  a  mixture  of  myrrh  and  aloes,  about  an  hundred  pounds."  1.  The  cha- 
racter and  position  of  Nicodemus.  (1)  He  was  a  member  of  the  Sanhedrin,  who  first 
appears  in  Scripture  history  as  a  secret  inquirer  (ch.  iii.).  (2)  He  was,  like  Joseph, 
iifraid  of  the  Jews.  (3)  He  manifested  a  growing  faith  when  he  pleaded  for  justice  in 
the  council,  "  Doth  our  Law  judge  any  man  before  it  hear  him,  and  know  what  he 
doeth  ? "  (4)  The  last  stage  in  his  experience  is  reached  when  he  meets  Joseph  in 
])resence  of  the  dead  body  of  his  Redeemer.  2.  2'he  two  friends  wind  the  body  of  Jesus 
in  linen  with  spices,  and  then  place  it  in  the  sepulchre  of  Joseph.  (1)  It  was  done  in 
liaste,  "because  of  the  Jews'  preparation."  (2)  The  holy  women  intended  to  com- 
]ilete  their  provisional  embalming  after  the  sabbath  day.  3.  The  two  friends  then  dis- 
appear from  history.  (1)  They  are  never  again  mentioned  in  Scripture.  (2)  We  envy 
tnem  the  sacred  privilege  they  enjoyed.  (3)  Their  conduct  suggests  the  following 
lessons,  (a)  It  is  better  to  be  a  timid  disciple  than  none  at  all.  (b)  There  are  draw- 
backs to  secret  disciples'  life.  How  much  they  lost  by  missing  the  opportunity  of  con- 
stant association  with  Christ  in  life !  (c)  Timidity  does  not  save  men  from  annoyance. 
Joseph  and  Nicodemus  would  lose  the  confidence  of  those  with  whom  they  were  still 
visibly  identified,  while  they  would  be  exposed  to  the  first  just  reproach  of  Christ's  open 
friends,     (d)  Let  none  of  us  tread  the  solitary  way,  but  rather  openly  confess  the  Lord. 

HOMILIES  BY  VARIOUS  AUTHORS. 

Ver.  2. — The  crown  of  thorns.  How  deeply  the  incident  here  related  impressed  itself 
upon  the  mind  and  heart  of  Christendom  is  manifest  (1)  from  the  romantic  legends 
current  among  Christians  regarding  it,  from  the  time  of  Helena,  the  mother  of  Con- 
stantine,  downwards ;  and  (2)  from  the  frequent  representations  of  the  thorn-crowned 
Redeemer  produced  by  Christian  painters,  who  have  used  all  the  resources  of  their  ait  to 
give  to  the  "  Ecce  Homo !  "  the  interest  of  sorrow  and  of  spiritual  beauty. 

I.  The  obvious  and  original  significance  of  the  crown  of  thorns.  1.  It  was 
an  evidence  of  the  cruelty  and  brutality  of  Christ's  foes.  The  actual  plaiting  of  the 
crown,  antl  the  actual  placing  of  it  upon  the  holy  Sufferer's  head  was  the  deed  of  the 
Roman  b.oldiers.  Insensibility  to  the  pain  experienced  by  Jesus  may  have  been  natural 
to  such  men;  but  the  mockery  and  scorn  displayed  in  the  pretence  of  homage  must 
have  been  learned  from  the  Jews.  2.  It  was  an  opportunity  for  Jesus  to  exhibit  those 
moral  qualities  which  have  ever  since  been  peculiarly  associated  with  his  name.  His 
patience,  his  meekness,  his  disnity,  were  never  more  conspicuous  than  when  he  was 
insulted  and  ill  used  by  his  calumniators  and  foes.  Nor  can  we  see  that  such  dispo- 
sitions cor.ld  have  been  so  strikingly  exhibited  except  in  circumstances  such  as  those  m 
which  the  Man  of  sorrows  was  then  placed. 

II.  The  symbolic  and  prophetic  significance  of  the  crown  of  thorns.  1. 
This  affecting  coronation  is  an  emblem  of  our  Saviour's  earthly  ministry.  His  career 
brought  together  the  hate  and  the  loving  devotion  of  multitudes ;  it  was  marked  by 
poverty  and  lowliness,  and  yet  by  a  majesty  quite  unique;  he  was  despised  and  rejected 
of  men,  yet  his  teaching  constrained  the  exclamation,  "  Never  man  spake  like  this  Man  !  " 
and  his  miracles  constrained  the  cry,  "  What  manner  of  Man  is  this  ?  "  The  thorns  of 
hatred  and  contempt  were  thrust  into  his  head  ;  yet  love  and  loyalty  wrought  them  into 
a  victoi's  wreath,  a  monarch's  diadem.  2.  The  crowning  of  Jesus  with  thorns  sym- 
bolizfd  the  character  of  the  religion  which  he  founded.  The  cross  was  followed  by  the 
leurrection;  the  entombment  by  the  ascension.  Thus  God  brought  together,  in  the 
career  of  his  own  Son,  the  profoundest  humiliation  and  the  most  exalted  glory.     And 


CH.  XIX.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  441 

this  arrangement  represents  the  nature  of  Christianity.  It  is  a  religion  of  humility, 
contrition,  and  repentance,  and  also  of  peace,  victory,  and  power.  It  smites  the  siimer 
to  the  earth ;  it  raises  the  pardoned  peniteut  to  heaven.  3.  This  incivient  was  pro- 
phetic of  the  progress  and  the  victory  of  the  Christian  faith.  Our  religion  has  indeed 
triumphed,  but  it  has  triumphed  through  suffering.  Its  onward  course  has  been  mariceil 
by  the  blood  of  confessors,  martyrs,  and  missionaries,  and  by  the  toil  and  anguish  of 
thousands  of  faithful  promulgators.  The  thorns  of  suffering  are  the  means ;  the  crown 
of  glory  and  of  conquest  is  the  end.  Christ  was  made  jierfect  through  suftering,  and  his 
Church  shall  reach  a  universal  dominion  only  by  a  toilsome  path  of  strife,  watered  by 
tears  and  stained  with  blood.— T. 

Ver.  5. — "  Ecce  Homo  1 "  Observe  the  spirit  in  which  Pilate  uttered  these  words. 
We  discern  in  them  pity  for  Jesus,  whose  character  was  innocent,  whose  jiosition  was 
sad  and  grievous,  whose  attitude  was  one  of  calm  and  patient  endurance.  Contempt 
mingled  with  pity — contempt  for  a  fanatic  who  deemed  himself  possessor  of  the  truth, 
and  for  a  prisoner  who  held  himself  to  be  a  King.  In  the  governor's  mind  was  perplexity 
as  to  how  he  should  deal  with  the  accused,  in  whom  he  felt  was  something  mysterious 
and  unaccountable.  Towards  the  Jews  Pilate  felt  a  sentiment  of  disgust,  for  he  read 
their  motives  and  despised  their  malice,  even  though  he  knew  not  how,  without  danger 
to  himself,  to  protect  his  prisoner  from  his  foes.  Observe,  too,  the  si)irit  in  which  the 
Jewish  rulers  and  multitude  heard  these  words.  They  were  untouched  by  the  pathos  of 
his  position  and  demeanour,  by  the  Divine  dignity  of  his  character,  by  the  appeal  of 
Pilate  to  their  compassion,  by  any  concern  for  themselves  and  their  posterity  as  to  the 
consequences  of  their  injustice  and  malevolence.  The  same  Jesus  who  was  exhibited 
by  Pilate  to  the  people  of  Jerusalem  is  set  before  us  who  hear  his  gospel,  and  these 
words  which  the  Roman  governor  employed  before  the  Prastorium  are  addressed  to  all 
to  whom  the  Word  is  preached  :  "  Behold  the  Man  !  " 

I.  Whom  do  we  behold  ?  1.  The  Man  whom  God  sent  into  this  world — his  Repre- 
sentative and  Herald,  his  Anointed  One,  his  only  Son.  2.  The  Man  whom,  as  a  matter 
of  history,  the  Jews,  in  their  infatuation,  rejected.  3.  The  Man  whom  his  own  disciples 
forsook  in  the  hour  of  his  distress.  4.  The  Man  whom  the  Romans,  unconscious 
instruments  of  a  Divine  purpose,  crucified  and  slew.  5.  The  Man  who  was  destined,  as 
events  have  shown,  to  rule  and  bless  the  world  where  he  met  with  a  treatment  so 
undeserved.  Reading  the  Gospels  as  ordinary  narratives,  gazing  upon  the  figure  of  the 
Xazareue  as  a  great  figure  in  human  history,  we  see  thus  much.  But  as  Christians  we 
are  not  satisfied  to  behold  him  thus.  We  see  in  him  what  the  lessons  of  inspiraticin 
and  of  experience  have  taught  us  to  see,  and  what  we  wish  the  world  to  see  for  its  own 
enlightenment  and  salvation, 

II.  What  do  we  behold  in  him  ?  Tlie  Man :  more  than  meets  the  eye,  the  ear, 
far  more  than  Pilate  understood  by  the  words  he  used.  We  behold  :  1.  The  faultless 
Man.  He  alone  of  all  who  have  appeared  on  earth  claims  sinlessness,  and  is  admitted 
to  have  been  without  a  stain.  In  his  character  he  fulfilled  the  law  of  holiness.  2.  Tlie 
benevolent,  self-sacrificing  Man.  Not  only  was  he  without  sin ;  in  him  was  exempli- 
fied every  active,  self-denying  virtue.  He  lived  and  died  for  others — for  the  race  whose 
nature  he  assumed.  3.  The  Man,  the  Mediator,  bringing  about  reconciliation  between 
heaven  and  earth,  introducing  the  Divine  grace  and  the  Divine  life  into  human  heaits. 
4.  Thus  the  ideal  Man,  and  the  Head  and  Founder  of  the  new  humanity.  Wnnderfiil 
is  the  correspondence  between  Christ  and  man  as  he  first  proceeded  from  the  plastic 
hand  of  the  Eternal,  between  Christ  and  man  as  he  shall  be  presented  at  the  last  before 
the  Author  of  his  being  and  his  salvation. 

III.  How  8H0ULD  WE  BEHOLD  HIM?  1.  With  sinccrc  interest  and  concern.  Well 
may  the  world  be  asked  concerning  Christ,  "  Is  it  nothing  to  you,  all  ye  that  pass  by?" 
etc.  2.  With  admiration  and  reverence.  The  hero-worshippor  has  often  been  dis- 
appointed in  the  object  of  his  adoration,  in  whom  he  has  discovered  unsuspected  flaws. 
But  the  longer  we  gaze  at  Jesus,  the  brighter  grows  his  glory,  the  more  harmonious  his 
perfections.  3.  With  gratitude  and  love.  To  behold  him  is  to  remember  what  he  has 
done,  what  he  has  suffered  for  us,  is  to  cherish  towards  him  those  feelings  to  which  in 
the  same  measure  no  other  has  a  claim.  4.  With  faith  and  trust,  dispositions  of  the 
soul  which  find  in  him  their  supreme  Object.    5.  With  consecration  and  obedience.     He 


442  THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xix.  1—42. 

who  finds  it  hard  to  serve  God  is  bidden  to  behold  his  Saviour  as  he  stood  crowned  with 
thorns  before  his  murderers :  there  is  no  such  rebuke  to  selfishness  and  wilfulness,  no 
such  motive  to  devotion  and  self-denial.  6.  With  the  hope  of  beholding  him  more 
nearly  and  for  ever,  not  in  lowliness  and  shame,  but  in  beauty  transcendent,  in  glory 
eternal. — T. 

Ver.  9. — "  Wlience  art  thou  ?  "  This  question,  put  by  Pilate  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  was 
not  so  much  intended  to  guide  the  questioner  in  his  judicial  capacity,  as  to  satisfy  his 
own  curiosity.  It  is  clear  that  Pilate  was  satisfied  of  the  Accused's  innocence  of  any 
political  offence.  But  it  is  also  clear  that  he  was  perplexed  in  mind,  and  unable  to 
satisfy  himself  as  to  the  real  character  and  origin  of  the  mysterious  Being  who  stood 
before  him.  There  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the  Roman  procurator  felt  any  very 
deep  or  lasting  interest  in  the  Prophet  of  Nazareth.  Still  he  had  his  misgivings  as  to 
whether  Jesus  was  not  posses-sed  of  some  superhuman  claims.  Hence  the  question, 
"Whence  art  thou?" 

I.  The  inquiry.  1.  There  is  much  in  Christ  himself  which  prompts  the  question. 
His  character,  his  wonderful  works,  his  still  more  wonderful  language,  the  whole 
ministry  which  he  fulfilled  upon  earth,  and  especially  the  sacrifice  and  the  victory  in 
which  that  ministry  culminated, — all  are  fitted  to  suggest  and  urge  inquiry  into  his 
origin  and  nature.  2.  There  is  much  in  maw  which  induces  him  to  seek  the  truth  upon 
this  most  interesting  question.  It  concerns  every  one  to  whom  the  gospel  comes  to 
know  with  what  authority  Jesus  spoke,  and  what  value  attaches  to  his  redemption. 
And  in  order  to  this  it  is  necessary  to  know  whence  he  is,  from  whom  he  comes,  and 
in  whose  name  he  makes  his  claim  upon  men. 

II.  The  reply.  Why  Jesus  did  not  answer  Pilate  is  not  hard  to  understand.  He 
had  already,  both  by  his  language  and  by  his  demeanour,  given  abundant  evidence  for 
the  formation  of  a  judgment.  And  Jesus  intended  Pilate  to  understand  what  were 
their  relative  positions.  The  governor  deemed  himself  in  this  case  omnipotent;  Jesus 
save  him  to  understand  that  in  reality  his  power  was  very  limited,  whilst  the  power  of 
the  accused  and  apparently  helpless  One  was  in  reality  that  of  God  himself.  But  we 
should  make  a  mistake  if  we  supposed  that  the  Lord  Jesus  was  or  is  unwilling  to  give 
reason  for  men  to  acknowledge  his  claims  and  to  render  honour  to  the  Son.  1.  Christ's 
origin  is  Divine :  he  came  forth  from  God,  and  was  one  with  the  Father.  2. 
Christ's  authority  is  Divine:  he  spake,  wrought,  and  suffered  in  the  name  of  God. 
3.  Christ's  Divine  origin  and  authority  render  him  in  all  his  offices  fit  to  fulfil  his 
gracious  purposes  towards  mankind.  Is  he  our  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King  ?  It  makes 
all  the  difference  to  his  sufficiency  whether  or  not  he  fulfils  these  ofiices  with  Divine 
authority.  Men  are  right  in  asking  of  Jesus,  "  Whence  art  thou  ?  "  But  they  are 
•wrong  if,  receiving  his  own  answer,  they  refuse  him  the  faith  of  their  heart,  the 
allegiance  of  their  life. — T. 

Ver.  14. — '•  Behold  your  King  I  "  It  is  not  easy  to  decide  in  what  spirit  these  words 
were  spoken  by  Pilate.  Certainly  the  Roman  governor  was  not  deceived  into  believing 
that  Jesus  made  a  claim  to  a  temporal  sovereignty  which  might  conflict  with  the 
Roman  dominion.  Certainly  he  could  not  expect  to  move  the  Jews  to  pity  by  repre- 
senting Jesus  as  One  who  had  in  some  way  authority  among  them,  a  claim  to  their 
regard ;  for  they  had  delivered  him  up  on  the  charge  of  assuming  royalty.  It  would 
seem  as  if  Pilate  took  a  pleasure  in  angering  and  insulting  the  priests  and  Pharisees, 
whom  he  hated  and  despised  as  he  did  the  nation  whom  they  headed  and  guided.  He 
had  no  motive  for  ridiculing  Jesus ;  he  had  a  motive  for  scofiing  at  the  Jews.  He  could 
not  but  recognize  the  superiority  of  the  august  and  patient  Sufferer  before  him  over  the 
hypocritical  priests  and  the  fanatical  mob  who  demanded  that  Sufferer's  death.  And  even 
^vhen  yielding,  for  his  own  safety's  sake,  to  the  unjust  and  clamorous  request  of  Jesus' 
enemies,  he  gratified  his  own  scorn  of  the  Jewish  rulers  and  people,  first  by  summoning 
them  to  behold  their  King,  and  then  by  causing  the  inscription  to  be  placed  upon  his 
cross,  "  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jews."  The  language  which  Pilate  uttered 
in  derision,  and  which  the  Jews  rejected  in  their  wrath,  is  nevertheless  language  which 
contains  precious  and  glorious  truth. 

I.  The  geoukd  of  Christ's  Kikgship.    Earthly  .sovereigns  come  to  the  throne  some- 


cu.  xrx.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  443 

times  by  right  of  conquest,  sometimes  in  virtue  of  inheritance,  sometimes  by  means  of 
election.  Now,  Jesus  is  King:  1.  By  Divine  appointment  and  native  ri^ht.  "Yet," 
ran  the  propiiecy,  "  have  I  set  my  King  upon  my  holy  hill  of  Ziou."  He  is  Christ,  i.e. 
the  Anointed,  and  he  is  anointed  Monarch  of  mankind.  Men's  recognition  or  rejection 
of  him  makes  no  dilference  as  to  the  fact.  In  the  very  nature  of  things,  because  he  is 
Son  of  God,  he  is  the  rightful  Ruler.  2.  By  mediatorial  acquisition.  He  is  Prophet 
and  Priest,  and  therefore  King.  In  order  that  his  rightful  sovereignty  might  become 
an  actual  sovereignty,  the  Lord  Jesus  was  obedient  imto  death,. and  purchased  his  own 
inheritance.     The  cross  was  the  means  by  which  he  won  the  throne. 

II.  The  realm  ovkr  which  Christ  exercises  uis  sway.  1.  His  kingdom  is 
differenced  from  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  in  that  it  is  not  over  the  outward  actions, 
the  life  merely,  of  men.  He  does  not  reign  by  the  sceptre  and  the  sword.  He  has  no 
palace,  no  army,  none  of  the  paraphernalia  of  earthly  ro)'a]ty.  2.  Our  Lord's  kingdom 
is  spiritual ;  it  is  first  and  chiefly  a  dominion  over  the  hearts,  the  convictions,  and  the 
affections  of  men.  He  sets  up  his  throne  in  the  inner  being  and  nature  of  his  subjects  ; 
and  if  he  rules  over  their  speech  and  actions,  it  is  because  he  first  rules  over  their 
thoughts  and  desires.  All  his  true  subjects,  therefore,  are  such  willingly,  and  not  by 
constraint. 

III.  The  character  op  Christ's  royal  noMiNioN.  Our  Lord  Jesus  combines  in 
himself  the  two  supreme  attributes  of  government.  1.  He  is  the  Legislator  King.  He 
}iromulgates  the  laws  whicli  his  subjects  are  bound  to  study,  to  respect,  and  to  obey. 
The  laws  of  earthly  kingdoms  are  sometimes  unjust.  But  Christ's  laws  are  supremely 
righteous;  they  are  commandments  of  God  himself;  only  the  authority  which  properly 
telon:zs  to  them  is  penetrated  with  a  spirit  of  grace  and  kindness.  2.  He  is  the 
judicial  King.  He  enforces  his  own  edicts.  He  is  the  Judge  alike  of  the  Church  and 
of  the  world.  He  demands  submission  and  obedience.  And  from  the  sanctions  of  his 
rule  none  can  escape.  His  friends  shall  be  exalted,  and  foes  and  rebels  shall  be  placed 
beneath  his  feet. 

IV.  The  extent  and  duration  of  Christ's  Kingship.  1.  His  kingdom  is  universal. 
When  Jesus,  in  his  parables,  spoke  of  the  kingdom  of  God  as  destined  to  include  all 
nations,  nothing  could  have  seemed  to  ordinary  listeners  less  likely  of  fulfilment  than 
such  a  prediction.  And  when  he  himself  was  crucified,  what  prospect  there  was  of 
dominion  to  be  exercised  by  him  must,  in  the  view  of  most  men,  have  vanished  utterly. 
Yet  our  Saviour's  dominion  has  been  constantly  extending,  and  is  still  taking  in  pew 
provinces.  And  faith  realizes  the  approach  of  the  time  when  "  the  kingdoms  of  this 
■world  shall  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord,  and  of  his  Christ."  2.  His  kingdom  is 
immortal.  Of  states  and  empires  historians  have  written  the  decline  and  fall;  no 
earthly  kingdom  can  resist  the  law  of  decay  to  which  all  things  human  appear  subject. 
Of  Christ's  kingdom,  however,  "there  is  no  end;"  it  is  "from  everlasting  to  ever- 
lasting.'- 

Practical  conclusion.  1.  Let  attention  be  given  to  this  Divine  Monarch.  "Behold 
your  King  !  "  Of  all  beings  he  first  claims  the  regard  of  men.  2.  Let  his  dignity  and 
authority  be  recognized.  When  Pilate  jwinted  the  gaze  of  the  multitude  to  Jesus, 
his  was  a  disguised  royalty,  for  Jesus  was  "a  Man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with 
grief;"  and  his  was  a  derided,  insulted  royalty,  for  he  had  been  clothed  in  mockery 
with  a  purple  robe,  and  a  crown  of  thorns  had  pierced  his  head.  3.  Let  homage, 
reverence,  loyalty,  devotion,  be  rendered  to  him  to  whom  they  are  justly  due.  Truly 
to  behold  Christ  is  to  discern  his  just  claim  to  all  that  our  heart,  our  life,  can  ofifer. 
His  sovereignty  is  absolute,  and  our  obligation  to  him  is  unlimited. — T. 

Ver.  18. — TJtree  cresses.  What  a  picture  is  this  !  At  a  place  near  Jerusalem,  called 
Golgotha,  the  Koman  soldiery  have  reared  three  crosses.  And  on  these  crosses  banc; 
three  figures.  The  sufferers  have  been  doomed  to  die.  With  a  criminal  on  either  hand, 
the  Son  of  man  is  enduring,  not  only  anguish  of  body,  but  agony  of  mind  unparalleled. 
The  soldiers,  with  callous  indifference,  watch  the  tortured  victims.  The  multitude  gaze 
•with  vulgar  curiosity  ujwn  the  unwonted  sight.  The  Jewish  rulers  look  exultiagly 
upon  him  whose  diath  their  malignant  hate  has  compassed.  Friendly  disciples  and 
tender-hearted  women  gaze  with  sympathy  and  tears  upon  the  dying  woe  of  their 
beloved  One.     No  wonder  that  the  scene  should  have  riveted  the  imagination  and 


444  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xix.  1—42. 

liave  elicited  the  pathetic  and  pictorial  powers  of  unnumbered  painters.  No  wonder 
that  every  great  picture-gallery  in  every  Christian  land  contains  some  masterpiece  of 
some  famous  painter,  of  one  school  or  another,  depicting  the  crucifixion  of  the  Holy  One 
and  the  Just.  For  us  the  scene  has  not  only  an  artibllc  and  affecting,  but  also  and 
far  more  a  spiritual,  significance. 

I.  One  cross  is  the  symbol  of  Divine  love  and  of  human  salvation.  The 
central  figure  of  the  three  is  that  which  draws  to  it  every  eye.  1.  There  is  in  this 
cross  what  every  spectator  can  discern.  A  Being  undoubtedly  innocent,  holy,  benevolent, 
is  suffering  unjustly  the  recompense  of  the  evil-doer.  Yet  he  endures  all  with  patience 
and  meekness,  with  no  complaint,  but  with  sincere  words  of  forgiveness  for  his  foes.  We 
conceive  Jesus  saying,  "  All  ye  that  pass  by,  behold,  and  see  ;  was  there  ever  sorrow  like 
unto  my  sorrow?  "  2.  What  did  Christ's  enemies  see  in  his  cross  ?  The  fruit  of  their 
malice,  the  success  of  their  schemes,  the  fulfilment,  as  it  seemed  to  them,  of  their  selfish 
hopes.  3.  A  more  practical  and  interesting  question  for  us  is — What  do  we  behold  in 
the  cross  of  Christ  ?  To  all  Christ's  friends,  their  crucified  Lord  is  the  Revelation  of  the 
power  and  the  wisdom  of  God,  none  the  less  so  because  his  enemies  see  here  only  an 
exhibition  of  weakness,  of  folly,  and  of  failure.  The  voice  that  reaches  us  from  Calvary 
is  the  voice  that  speaks  Divine  love  to  all  mankind.  Here  Christians  recognize  the 
provision  of  full  and  everlasting  salvation ;  and  here  they  come  under  the  influence  of 
the  highest  motive  which  appeals  to  the  spiritual  nature,  and  calls  forth  an  affectionate 
and  grateful  devotion. 

•♦  From  the  cross  uplifted  high, 
Where  the  Saviour  deigns  to  die, 
What  melodious  sounds  I  hear. 
Bursting  on  my  ravished  ear  I 
Love's  redeeming  work  is  done ; 
Come  and  welcome,  sinner,  come." 

II.  A    SECOND    CB0S8    IS   THE    SYMBOL    OF   IMPENITENCE    AND   EEJECTION   OF    DiVlNl!! 

MERCY.  In  the  blaspheming  robber  who  hung  by  the  side  of  the  Lord  Jesus  we  have 
an  awful  example  of  human  sin  and  crime  ;  an  awful  witness  to  human  justice  and  to 
the  penalty  with  which  transgressors  are  visited  ;  and  an  awful  illustration  of  the  length 
to  which  sinners  may  carry  their  callous  indifference  to  sin.  An  impenitent  criminal 
reviles  the  one  Being  who  has  the  power  and  the  disposition  to  deliver  him  from  his 
sin  and  from  its  worst  results.  Selfishness  of  the  narrowest  and  meanest  kind  is  left : 
"  Save  us !  "  i.e.  from  torture  and  the  impending  fate.  A  degraded  life  is  followed  by  a 
hopeless  death.  Several  terrible  lessons  are  taught  by  this  felon's  character  and  fate. 
1.  How  impossible  it  is  for  those  to  be  saved  who  reject  the  means  of  salvation !  2. 
How  possible  it  is  to  be  close  to  Christ,  in  body,  in  communication,  in  privilege,  and 
yet,  because  destitute  of  faith  and  love,  to  be  without  any  benefit  from  such  proximity ! 
3.  How  foolish  it  is  to  rely  upon  a  late  repentance,  seeing  that  sinners  are  found  to  per- 
severe in  sin  and  unbelief  even  in  the  immediate  prospect  of  death ! 

III.  A   THIRD   CROSS  IS   THE   SYMBOL  OF   PENITENCE   AND   OF   PARDON.      The  Story   of 

the  repentant  malefactor  shows  us  that,  even  when  human  justice  does  its  work,  Divine 
mercy  may  have  its  way.  1.  The  process  of  seeking  God,  even  in  mortal  extremity. 
Conscience  works ;  conviction  of  sin  ensues,  and  creates  a  new  disposition  of  the  soul ; 
this  prompts  a  fearless  rebuke  of  a  neighbour's  sin ;  faith — in  the  circumstances  truly 
amazing — is  exercised ;  true,  simple,  fervent  prayer  is  oflered,  2.  The  manifestation 
of  compassion  and  mercy.  The  dying  Lord  imparts  to  the  dying  penitent  an  assurance 
of  favour ;  free  pardon  is  announced ;  bright  hope  is  inspired ;  immortal  happiness  is 
secured.  3.  Lessons  of  precious  encouragement  are  impressed  upon  the  spectators  of 
this  third  cross.  It  is  possible  for  the  vilest  to  repent.  It  is  certain  that  the  sincere 
penitent  will  be  regarded  with  favour.  Even  at  the  eleventh  hour  salvation  is  not  to  be 
despaired  of.  There  is  a  prospect  before  those  who  are  accepted  and  pardoned,  of 
immediate  joy  and  Divine  fellowship  after  this  life  is  over. — T. 

Vers.  26,  27. — The  third  word  from  the  cross.  Whoever  of  our  Lord's  friends, 
followers,  and  kindred  were  absent  during  the  awful  hours  of  the  Crucifixion,  we  know 
that  his  nearest  relative,  his  mother,  was  there,  and  that  his  most  intimate  and  con- 


t-H.  XIX.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  445 

genial  friend  and  disciple,  John,  was  a  witness  of  the  solemn  scene.  These,  with  some 
others,  lingered  by  the  cross.  Not  unseen  by  the  dying  Redeemer,  his  nearest  friends 
were  the  objects  of  his  affectionate  regard  ;  and,  as  these  verses  relate,  some  of  his  last 
thoughts  were  of  them,  and  his  last  provision  concerned  their  future  relations. 

I.  We  cankot  but  reverentially  admire  the  self-forqetfulness  of  the 
CRCCIFIED  Redeemer.  The  absorbing  nature  of  extreme  bodily  suifering  is  well 
known.  In  the  hour  of  agony  it  is  hard  for  the  sufferer  to  think  of  aught  but  his  own 
pains  and  torture.  We  know  that  the  Lord  Jesus  was  exquisitely  sensitive  to  suffering. 
Yet  even  amidst  the  anguish  of  body  and  of  mind  which  he  was  then  enduring,  the 
Saviour  was  able  to  turn  away  his  thoughts  from  himself  to  her  who  gave  him  birth, 
who  had  often  shared  the  honours  and  the  trials  of  his  ministry,  and  who  had  now, 
•with  noble  fortitude  and  sympathy,  come  to  witness  his  death. 

n.  We  are  instructed  by  the  revelation  of  the  high  place  which  human 
LOVE  held  in  our  Savioub's  heart.  Mary  was  now  advancing  in  life ;  her  husband 
Joseph  was  probably  dead.  Her  long-proved  affection  was  reciprocated  by  that  Son 
whose  filial  devotion  had  been  perfect,  and  who  had  not  now  to  remember  one  unfilial 
act,  or  word,  or  even  thought.  As  he  looked  upon  her  he  saw  that  the  prediction  was 
now  fulfilled,  "  A  sword  shall  pierce  through  thine  own  heart  also."  He  had  loved  her 
all  his  life,  and  his  love  was  never  more  grateful,  more  tender,  more  compassionate,  than 
now.  He  was  btaring  the  burden  of  a  world's  sin  and  sorrow ;  yet  there  was  room  in 
his  sacred  heart  for  affectionate  thoughts  of  his  beloved  mother.  John,  too,  who 
records  this  incident,  in  which  he  occupied  a  part  so  prominent,  took  pleasure  in  speak- 
ing of  himself  as  "the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved."  He  had  reclined  on  the  Master's 
breast  at  the  Supper:  right  and  meet  it  was  that  he  should  take  his  station  at  his 
Master's  cross.  Jesus,  who  had  loved  him  in  life,  cherished  the  same  affection  towards 
John  in  this  his  own  hour  of  anguish.  As  it  would  have  been  a  comfort  to  Jesus  had 
his  three  favoured  apostles  watched  with  him  in  the  garden,  so  no  doubt  it  was  a 
comfort  to  him  that  the  beloved  disciple  was  standing  hard  by  the  cross  of  ignominy 
and  woe.  Jesus  loved  his  friend  for  his  faithfulness,  and  rewarded  him  for  it  even  in 
the  hour  of  his  own  decease.  We  thus  recognize  with  gratitude  the  pert^istence  of 
Immanuel's  tender  affection :  "  Having  loved  his  own  ...  he  loved  them  even  to  the 
end." 

III.  We  are  astonished  at  the  forethought  and  wisdom  exercised  by  the 
DYING  Saviour.  He  had  already  prayed  for  his  murderers;  he  had  already  cheered 
his  fellow-sufferer  by  words  of  grace  and  promise.  He  now  turned  his  thoughtful 
regard  to  the  mother  who  stood  weeping  among  her  friends.  The  arrangement  which 
he  proposed  was  one  the  propriety  and  suitableness  of  which  are  most  apparent.  Who 
so  fit  to  take  his  place — as  far  as  that  place  could  be  taken — as  the  beloved  disciple? 
There  is  a  pathetic  grace  and  beauty  in  the  language  in  which  Jesus  commended  the 
two  to  each  other.  He  acknowledged  the  mother's  fidelity  and  devotion  to  himself; 
he  foresaw  the  desolation  which  must  come  to  her;  he  provided  for  her  not  only  a 
protector  and  a  home,  but  that  solace  which  would  come  with  common  memories  and 
mutual  sympathy.  There  were  those,  perhaps,  nearer  of  kin,  but  none  could  be  nearer 
in  heart,  to  Mary  than  Jesus'  most  intimate  and  trusted  friend.  Thus  it  was  secured 
that  Mary  should  be  removed  from  the  distressing  scene,  and  should  be  assured  of 
constant  and  affectionate  tendance.  Nor  can  we  doubt  that  this  arrangement  was 
a  permanent  one — that  Mary  enjoyed  the  friendship  and  ministrations  of  John  until 
she  went  to  see  her  Son  in  that  glory  which  followed  upon  his  bitter  humiliation. 
Thus  love  and  wisdom  went  together  in  this  as  in  preceding  acts  of  the  Son  of  man. 
And  what  Jesus  said  and  did  upon  this  occasion  was  an  earnest  of  his  work  for  humanity 
at  large.  None  are  so  happy,  so  safe,  fo  strong,  as  those  to  whom  the  Saviour  reveals 
his  heart,  and  for  whom  he  in  his  wisdom  takes  holy,  helpful  thought. — T. 

Ver.  28. — The  fifth  word  from  the  cross.  This  is  both  the  shortest  of  all  the  dying 
utterances  of  Jesus,  and  it  is  the  one  which  is  moit  closely  related  to  himself.  It  came 
from  the  parched  lips  of  the  Divine  Victim  towards  the  close  of  his  agony,  and  after 
the  darkness  which  endured  from  the  sixth  to  the  ninth  hour.  Most  touching  in  itself, 
it  has  its  spiritual  significance  for  us. 

L  This  cst  beuinds  us  that  our  Lobd  Jesus  shared  cub  human  nature  and 


446  THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xix.  1—42. 

ITS  INFIRMITIES.  The  need  and  desire  to  which  expression  was  thus  given  had  a 
physical  cause  and  was  accompanied  by  a  physical  pain.  Jesus  had  thirsted  upon  his 
journey  when  he  asked  from  the  Samaritan  woman  a  draught  of  water  from  Jacob's 
well.  Jesus  seems  to  have  taken  no  refreshment  from  the  time  when  he  supped  with 
the  apostles  in  the  upper  room ;  since  then  he  had  endured  the  agony  in  the  garden, 
had  passed  through  the  repeated  examinations  before  the  Jewish  council  and  the 
Roman  governor,  and  had  hung  for  hours  upon  the  cross.  The  bodily  anguish  and 
exhaustion  of  crucifixion,  aggravated  by  his  unspeakable  mental  distress,  account  for 
the  thirst  which  possessed  the  dying  Sufferer.  When  the  refreshment  was  offered, 
Jesus  moistened  his  lips  with  the  posca,  or  sour  wine,  offered  him  in  the  sponge  raised 
on  the  stem  of  hyssop.  This  seems  to  have  revived  him,  and  strengthened  him  for  the 
last  cries  which  he  uttered  in  his  humiliation. 

II.  This  cry  is  an  evidence  of  our  Lord's  extreme  humiliation.  When  we 
remember  that  Jesus  was  the  Lord  of  nature,  who  could  feed  multitudes  with  bread,  and 
could  supply  a  banquet  with  wine;  when  we  remember  that  this  acknowledgment  of 
thirst  was  made  in  the  presence  of  his  enemies  and  persecutors ;  when  we  remember 
from  whom  Jesus  deigned  to  accept  the  draught  by  which  his  thirst  was  relieved  ; — we 
cannot  but  be  impressed  by  the  depth  of  humiliation  to  which  he  stooped.  He  was 
"  obedient  unto  death  ; "  the  "  things  which  he  suffered  "  were  unexampled.  Christ 
not  only  condescended  to  die;  he  accepted  death  in  a  forna  and  with  accompanying 
circumstances  which  rendered  it  something  more  than  death.  His  death  was  sacrificial, 
and  he  shrank  from  nothing  that  could  contribute  to  make  him  "  perfect  through 
suffering." 

HI.  This  cry  instructs  us  as  to  the  price  by  which  our  redemption  was 
secured.  Our  Lord's  pain  of  body,  his  anguish  of  soul,  the  ignominious  circumstances 
attending  his  decease,  were  all  foreseen  and  accepted.  This  very  cry  was  a  fulfilment 
of  an  ancient  prophecy  ;  and  the  language  of  the  evangelist  forbids  us  to  regard  this  as 
a  mere  coincidence.  '*  By  his  stripes  we  are  healed ; "  and  we  may  look  upon  his  volun- 
tary endurance  of  thirst  as  a  means  of  satisfying  the  deep  thirst  of  our  immortal  spirit. 
At  all  events,  in  his  anguish  he  paid  the  price  by  which  his  people  are  redeemed. 

IV.  This  cry  suggests  to  us  a  method  by  which  we  may,  in  accordance  with 
Christ's  own  directions,  minister  unto  him.  Jesus  has  taught  us  to  identify  his 
people  with  himself.  If  love  to  him  would  find  an  opportunity  for  its  display,  an  outlet 
by  which  it  may  flow  forth,  this  is  to  be  found  in  those  ministrations  to  Christ's  "  little 
ones  "  which  he  enjoins  upon  those  who  recognize  his  authority  and  who  love  to  please 
him.  The  cup  of  cold  water  may  be  given  to  the  thirsty  one  in  the  name  of  a  disciple. 
Some  want  may  be  supplied,  some  suffering  alleviated,  some  wrong  redressed.  And 
they  who  for  Christ's  sake  thus  minister  to  the  thirsting,  the  needy,  the  friendless,  are 
justified  in  deeming  themselves,  so  far,  ministers  to  Christ  himself.  It  is  all  as  though, 
hearing  his  dying  cry,  they  raised  the  refreshing  draught  to  his  parched  lips.  He  will 
account  the  deed  of  charity  as  done  unto  himself. — T. 

Ver.  30. — The  sixth  word  from  the  cross.  To  this  solemn,  awful  moment  Jesus  ha.l 
been  looking  forward  during  the  whole  of  his  ministry.  As  the  ministry  drew  to  a 
close  he  felt  the  approach  of  its  consummation,  and  again  and  again  gave  utterance  to 
his  feelings.  He  knew  that  the  hour  had  come,  that  he  was  about  to  leave  the  world  ; 
he  had  looked  up  to  the  Father  and  had  said,  "  I  come  to  thee."  And  now  the  reason 
for  living  was  over,  and  nothing  remained  for  him  but  to  die.  The  end  was  marked 
by  the  brief,  momentous  exclamation,  "  It  is  finished !  " 

I.  The  predictions  referring  to  the  Messiah  were  now  all  fulfilled.  It 
had  been  written,  "The  Seed  of  the  woman  shall  bruise  the  serpent's  head;"  "Thou 
hast  brought  me  into  the  dust  of  death  ; "  "  It  pleased  the  Lord  to  bruise  him  ;  "  "  The 
Messiah  shall  be  cut  off;"  "I  will  smite  the  Shepherd."  These  predictions  of  the 
sufferings  of  the  Anointed  of  God  were  now  verified  in  the  experience  completed  by 
the  Son  of  man. 

II.  The  obedience  and  humiliation  of  the  Son  of  God  were  now  completed. 
His  humiliation  had  been  apparent  in  his  taking  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  enduring 
iwverty  and  privation,  anguish  and  contempt.  His  obedience  had  commenced  with 
his  childhood,  had  been  continued  during  his  ministry,  and  was  now  perfected  in  death, 


CH.  XIX.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  447 

even  the  death  of  the  cross.  His  active  service  was  one  long  act  of  obedience,  and  his 
patient  endurance  now  made  that  obedience  complete.  Ho  "  learned  obedience  by  the 
things  which  he  suffered."  Nothing  bad  been  left  undone  which  conld  prove  Christ's 
utihcsitatiug  submission  to  the  will  of  God  his  Father.  When  he  had  endured  the 
cross,  despising  the  shame,  his  offijring  of  filial  obedience,  subjection,  and  consecration 
was  ready  to  be  prestjnted  to  the  Father  by  whose  will  he  had  come,  and  had  endured 
all  the  consequences  of  coming,  into  this  world  of  sin  and  misery. 

III.  TUE   TERM   OF   ChHIST's    SUFFERING    AND    SORROW   WAS   AT    AN   END.       He     had 

shrunk  from  no  trial  ;  he  had  drained  the  cup  to  the  dregs.  Now  there  was  no  more 
humiliation,  subjection,  conflict.  He  was  about  to  exchange  the  mock  robes  of  royalty, 
the  reed-sceptre,  the  crown  of  thorns,  for  the  symbols  and  the  reality  of  universal 
empire.     The  period  of  agony  was  past ;  the  period  of  triumph  was  at  hand. 

IV.  The  sacrifice  of  the  Lamb  of  God  was  accomplished.  The  one  offering 
appointed  by  Divine  righteousness  and  love  was  now  to  fulfil  its  purpose,  to  supersede 
the  prophetic  and  anticipatory  sacrifices  of  the  dispensation  which  was  passing  away. 
The  economy  of  shadows  was  to  give  place  to  that  of  substance.  Reconciliation,  not 
merely  legal,  but  moral,  not  for  Israel  only,  but  for  mankind,  was  now  brought  about 
by  the  work  of  the  Divine  Mediator.  The  veil  of  the  temple  was  rent,  the  way  into 
the  holiest  was  opened.  Provision  was  made  for  the  inflowing  of  mercy  like  a  mighty 
stream.  The  means  were  now  introduced  to  secure  the  end  dear  to  the  Divine  heart — 
the  everlasting  salvation  of  sinful  men. 

Application.  1.  In  this  language  we  have  an  appeal  to  the  Father's  approval.  It 
is  to  us  a  matter  of  infinite  importance  to  know  that  the  will  of  God  was  fulfilled  to 
the  very  utmost  by  our  Substitute  and  Representative.  2.  We  have  also  in  this  cry 
an  exclamation  expn.'ssive  of  Christ's  own  satisfaction  and  joy.  To  him  it  could  not 
but  be  a  relief  to  feel  that  the  experience  of  pain  and  bitter  woe  to  which  he  had 
submitted  was  now  at  an  end.  It  is  our  privilege  to  suffer  with  him,  and  with  him 
to  die  unto  sin.  3.  The  hearer  of  the  gospel  may  in  these  words  welcome  an  assurance 
that  redemption  has  been  wrought,  that  the  ransom  ha3  been  paid,  that  salvation 
may  now  be  published  to  all  mankind  through  the  once  crucified  and  now  glorified 
Redeemer. — T. 

Ver.  38. — A  disciple,  hut  secretly.  Of  the  man  thus  described  by  John  we  know  but 
little.  His  birthplace,  or  family  seat,  was  Arimathjea ;  his  rank  among  the  Jews 
was  of  the  highest,  for  he  was  a  member  of  the  national  council,  or  Sanhedrin.  His 
wealth  is  mentioned,  and  accounts  for  his  possession  of  land,  and  for  the  provision  by 
him  of  costly  spices  to  be  used  in  our  Lord's  interment.  His  moral  character  is  summed 
up  in  the  description  of  him  as  "  good  and  just."  As  he  comes  before  us  in  connection 
with  the  closing  scene  of  our  Saviour's  humiliation,  he  combines  opposite  elements  of 
disposition  ;  for  he  is  represented  as  timid  and  standing  in  dread  of  the  Jews,  and  yet 
80  bold  as  to  go  to  Pilate  and  to  beg  of  the  governor  the  body  of  the  crucified  Jesus. 
The  office  of  committing  the  body  to  the  tomb  was  discharged  by  Nicodemus,  also  a 
ruler  of  the  Jews,  and  also  apparently  a  secret  disciple,  and  by  this  Joseph,  who  offered 
for  the  purpose  the  place  of  sepulture  which  he  owned,  and  evidently  designed  for  the 
use  of  himself  and  his  family.  Joseph  of  Arimathsea  may  be  taken  as  a  representative 
of  the  secret  disciple.  Circumstances  vary  with  times,  but  the  disposition  here  exem- 
plified still  exists. 

I.  There  are  various  causes  which  account  fok  secrecy  in  Christian  disciple- 
ship.  1.  It  is  natural  and  proper  that  the  beginnings  of  conscious  discipleship  should  be 
hidden.  When  the  seed  begins  to  germinate,  to  put  forth  the  signs  and  the  promise  of 
life,  it  remains  hidden  beneath  the  surface  of  the  soil  unseen  by  any  eye.  And  when  a 
young  heart  in  its  yearnings,  or  a  penitent  heart  in  its  mingled  regrets  and  hopes,  turns 
to  the  Lord  Jesus,  as  to  a  Divine  Friend  and  mighty  Saviour,  the  change  is  unknown, 
unheeded  by  the  observer.  The  time  comes  when  the  plant  appears  above  the  ground  ; 
and  the  time  comes  when  the  tokens  of  spiritual  life  in  a  changed  character,  disposi- 
tion, and  habits  are  unmistakable.  But  there  is  a  time  for  secrecy,  and  there  is  a  time 
for  publicity.  2.  There  are  those  who  keep  secret  their  interest  in  Christian  truth, 
their  affection  for  Christ  himself,  through  a  trembling  reverence  for  spiritual  and  Divine 
things.     Doubtless  many  are  sincere  in  the  public  shouts  and  songs,  by  which  their 


448  THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.    [cH.  xix.  1—42. 

boisterous  natures  boast  of  new-found  light  and  liberty.  But  many  gentle,  timid,  and 
refined  spirits  are  equally  sincere  and  devout  in  their  reserve.  Men  and  women  there 
are  like  her  who  "kept  and  treasured  these  things  in  her  heart."  A  time  there  is  in 
Christian  experience  when  feeling  is  too  sacred  to  be  professed.  3.  Distrust  of  self, 
and  an  awed  sense  of  responsibility,  account  for  the  backwardness  of  many  sincere  dis- 
ciples to  avow  their  faitli  and  love.  What  if  they  should  profess  to  be  Christ's,  and 
then  afterwards  should  prove  ashamed  of  him,  or  should  discredit  him  by  any  want  of 
loyalty  ?  The  very  fear  lest  this  should  be  so  leads  to  reticence  and  silence.  4.  An 
inferior  motive  has  to  be  consWered,  viz.  the  fear  of  man.  Some,  especially  among 
the  young,  fear  the  opposition  or  the  ridicule  or  the  reproach  of  their  fellow-men.  Such 
was  the  case  with  Joseph,  who  feared  the  Jews — dreaded  lest  he  should,  like  Jesus,  be 
persecuted,  or  lest  he  should  be  despised  and  hated.  A  member  of  a  distinguished  and 
privileged  class  is  peculiarly  sensitive  to  the  coldness,  the  contempt,  or  the  ridicule  of 
those  whose  opinion  makes  the  public  opinion  which  has  most  influence  over  him. 

II.  There  is  mischief  wrought  by  secrkt  discipleship.  When  those  who  love 
Christ,  and  make  it  their  aim  to  serve  him,  conceal  their  attachment  and  their  pious 
resolution,  whether  through  timidity  or  distrust,  harm  follows.  1.  The  disciple  who 
withholds  or  delays  his  open  confession  of  the  Saviour,  by  so  doing  thwarts  his  own 
religious  progress  and  happiness.  "  With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness, 
and  with  the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto  salvation."  The  very  attitude  of  bold  and 
public  acknowledgment  of  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  is  a  means  of  spiritual  confirmation 
and  improvement.  For  such  an  attitude  is  the  natural  expression  of  faith,  and  attracts 
the  countenance  and  sympathy  of  those  who  are  like-minded.  2.  The  withholding  of 
a  confession  of  Christ  is  disobedience  to  Christ  and  to  his  Spirit.  If  we  learn  of  him, 
we  are  bound  to  obey  him.  And  he  has  bidden  us  take  up  our  cross  and  follow  him. 
He  has  bidden  us  observe  the  Lord's  Supper  in  memory  of  his  death.  It  is  not  honour- 
incr  Christ  to  delay,  without  sufficient  reason,  such  an  avowal  of  our  faith  in  him  as  his 
own  Word  justifies,  and  indeed  requires.  3.  Secrecy  of  discipleship  is  discouraging  to 
the  Church  of  Christ.  That  Church  has  many  enemies;  it  has  need  of  all  its  friends. 
It  weakens  the  forces  of  the  spiritual  host  when  those  who  should  fall  into  the  ranks 
stand  aloof.  There  is  a  sense  in  which  those  who  are  not  with  Christ  are  against  him. 
4.  The  world  is  con6rmed  in  error  and  unbelief  when  there  is  a  disinclination  on  the 
part  of  Christians  openly  to  avow  themselves  what  they  really  are.  It  is  natural 
enouf^h  for  the  world  to  interpret  such  conduct  as  indicating  a  want  of  heartiness  and 
thoroughness  in  discipleship.  Men  ask  whether  those  who  stand  outside  are  not  in 
the  same  position  as  those  who  go  up  to  the  door,  but  do  not  enter  in. 

III.  There  are  considerations  which  may  protect  against  the  temptation  to 
CONCEAL  Christian  discipleship.  1.  The  greatness  of  the  Master  to  whom  we  owe 
allegiance.  Christ  is  so  great  that  none  need  feel  any  shame  in  belonging  to  him  ; 
such  a  relation  is  the  highest  honour  accessible  to  man.  Christ  is  so  great  that  none 
need  feel  any  fear  in  openly  avowing  loyalty  to  him.  None  is  so  well  able  as  the 
"  Lord  of  all "  to  protect  and  deliver  those  who  adhere  to  him.  2.  It  should  be 
remembered  by  those  who  are  in  doubt  whether  or  not  to  confess  Christ,  that  a  day 
is  coming  in  which  the  real  position  of  all  men  with  regard  to  the  Divine  Redeemer 
must  be  made  manifest.  Of  those  who  are  ashamed  of  him  before  men  the  Lord  Jesus 
will  be  ashamed  in  the  judgment  before  his  Father  and  the  holy  angels. — T. 

Vers.  38 i2. — The  last  stage  of  tlie  Saviour's  humiliation     John,  who  presents  to 

us  the  most  sublime  views  of  the  Divine  nature  and  glory  of  the  Christ,  does  not  shrink 
from  relating  in  this  passage  to  how  deep  humiliation  that  Christ  condescended. 

I.  The  historical  purpose  fulfilled  by  Christ's  burial.  It  is  observable  that 
all  four  evangelists  record,  and  with  many  details,  the  interment  of  the  Son  of  man. 
'1  his  is  accounted  for,  not  so  much  by  any  intrinsic  importance  belonging  to  burial,  as 
by  its  intermediate  position  between  the  crucifixion  and  the  resurrection  of  our  Lord. 
1.  The  burial  of  Jesus  is  of  moment,  as  establishing  the  fact  of  hi ;  actual  death.  It 
has  been  absurdly  contended  by  some  infidel  theorizers,  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to 
deal  with  the  evidence  for  our  Lord's  subsequent  appearances,  that  he  did  not  really 
die  upon  the  cross,  that  he  merely  fell  into  a  swoon,  from  which,  under  the  care  of  his 
friends  he  recovered.    If  such  had  been  the  case,  the  body  could  not  have  been  laid  in 


CH.  XIX.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  449 

the  tomb  and  left  there.  2.  The  narrative  is  also  conclusive  as  to  the  reality  of  our 
Lord's  resurrection.  He  could  not  have  risen  from  the  dead  unless  he  had  first  died. 
It  is  not  possible  to  disconnect  the  several  parts  of  the  narrative  from  one  another.  Aa 
it  stands,  the  record  is  consistent  and  credible. 

II.  The  applicant  and  the  application.  It  is  remarkable  that,  in  the  very  crisis 
when  the  professed  and  prominent  disciples  of  Jesus  were  timid  and  vanished  from  the 
scene,  two  secret  disciples  came  forward  and  discharf^cd  the  last  oflices  of  friendsliip  for 
the  Lord  in  his  humiliation.  Of  Joseph  we  know  that  he  was  fmm  Arimathwa,  that 
he  was  rich  and  an  honoured  member  of  the  Sanhedrin,  that  ho  did  not  apree  to  the 
condemnation  passed  upon  the  Prophet  of  Nazareth.  We  also  know  concerning;  his 
religious  position  that  he  was  one  of  those  who  were  looking  for  God's  kingdom  to  be 
set  up,  and  that  he  was  a  disciple  of  Jesus,  though  secretly,  for  fear  of  the  Jews. 
With  Joseph  was  associated  Nicodemus,  who  seems  to  have  l)een  emboldened  by  the 
example  of  Joseph  to  come  forward,  to  declare  his  affection  for  Jesus,  and  to  take  part 
in  the  interment  of  his  blaster.  An  illustration  of  the  contagion  of  a  courageous 
example,  which  may  be  commended  to  those  who  are  hesitating  between  secret  and 
open  discipleship.  With  respect  to  Pilate,  it  is  to  be  observed  that,  as  he  had  no  ])er- 
sonal  hostility  to  Jesus,  and  probably  took  a  pleasure  in  annoying  the  Jewish  leaders, 
he  was  naturally  willing  enough,  apparently  without  being  bribed,  to  agree  to  the 
request  of  Joseph.  He  satisfied  himself,  by  the  testimony  of  the  centurion,  that  Jesus 
was  dead,  and  then  suffered  the  applicant  to  take  the  body.  Thus  neither  was  the 
corpse  exposed  during  the  Paschal  solemnities,  nor  was  it  consigned  to  the  indignity  of 
a  criminal's  interment. 

III.  The  place  and  manner  of  the  burial.  Tender  care  is  manifested  in  every 
line  of  this  picture.  Affectionate  hands  wound  the  body  in  folds  of  costly  linen.  Con- 
secrated wealth  placed  myrrh  and  aloes  in  the  folds.  Generous  fellowship  offered  the 
tomb  which  was  designed  for  the  owner's  family,  but  which  was  deemed  to  be  honoured 
and  sanctified  by  becoming  the  temporary  abode  of  th^^aviour's  form.  Strong  and 
willing  hands  rolled  the  great  stone  against  the  opening^o  the  rock-hewn  sepulchre. 
Reverent  and  loving  women,  who  had  watched  the  Sufferer  when  on  the  cross,  now 
watched  the  lifeless  body  consigned  to  its  peaceful  resting-place.  These  are  homely 
incidents,  but  they  are  hallowed  and  glorified  by  the  human  love  which  they  reveal. 
Fancy  lingers  by  the  garden  which  was  the  scene  of  these  ministrations,  and  finds  it 
seemly  that,  as  a  garden  had  witnessed  the  Saviour's  agony,  a  garden  also  should 
witness  his  repose. 

IV.  The  wondrous  fact  of  Christ's  burial.  That  Jesus,  being  what  he  was,  the 
Son  of  God,  the  Lord  of  glory,  the  King  of  men,  should  consent  to  die  and  to  be  buried, 
is  amazing  indeed.  That  such  a  life — a  life  devoted  to  benevolent  purposes,  a  life 
evincing  the  possession  of  irresistible  power — should  end  in  the  grave,  this  appears 
altogether  anomalous.  That  men  should  slay  their  Saviour,  that  he  should  consent  to 
die,  that  the  Father  in  heaven  should  suffer  such  an  end  to  such  a  career, — this  must 
fill  a  thoughtful  and  sensitive  observer  with  wonder  akin  to  fear !  Earth  was  for  some 
hours  the  sepulchre  of  the  Son  of  God ! 

V.  The  religious  significance  of  the  burial  of  Christ.  1.  We  remark  Jesus 
sharing  the  whole  of  our  lot  in  its  utmost  humiliation.  He  who  stooped  to  the  manger 
at  his  birth  did  not  disdain  the  grave  after  his  death.  As  Son  of  man,  he  would  shrink 
from  no  human  experience.  It  behoved  him  in  all  things  to  be  made  like  his  brethren. 
Thus  he  qualified  himself  to  be  at  once  our  Representative  before  God,  and  our  eternal 
Brother — a  High  Priest  touched  with  a  feeling  of  our  infirmities.  2.  We  remark  that 
the  end  of  our  Lord's  humiliation  was  the  beginning  of  his  glory  and  reign.  He  was 
made  perfect  through  suffering.  Through  the  grave  he  passed  to  the  throne.  His 
"precious  death  and  burial"  were  the  means  and  the  introduction  to  the  majesty  and 
dominion  which  are  his  of  right,  and  his  for  ever. 

VI.  The  practical  lessons  of  Christ's  burial.  1.  Our  obligation  to  gratitude 
and  love  is  brought  strikingly  before  our  hearts  when  we  thus  learn  what  our  Saviour 
bore  for  us.  2.  Christians  are  spiritually  to  share  Christ's  death  and  sepulture.  They 
are  buried  with  Christ, — by  their  baptism  unto  his  death.  3.  The  grave  loses  its  terrors 
to  those  who  know  that  Jesus  shares  it  with  his  people.  As  the  tomb  could  not  hold 
him,  so  the  stone  which  seals  his  people's  sepulchre  shall  surely  be  rolled  away. — T, 

JOHN. — u.  2  o 


450  THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDTNG  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [en.  xix.  1—42. 

Vers.  23,  24. —  The  division  of  his  garments.     Notice  this  circumstance — 

I.   As  ILLUSTRATIVE  OF  CERTAIN  THINGS  WITH  KEGARD  TO   THE  CRUCIFIERS  AND  THE 

Crucikied.  1.  With  regard  to  the  crucifitrs.  (1)  '^hexi  utter  want  of  common  delicacy. 
The  first  thing  they  did  in  executing  the  sentence  was  to  strip  the  culprit  of  every  rag 
of  clothes,  and  hang  him  on  the  cross  in  a  state  of  nudity.  This  reveals  on  the  part  of 
the  patrons  of  this  custom  utter  lack  of  delicacy,  and  grossness  and  barbarity  of  taste. 
They  were  willing  to  gratify  the  most  morbid  tastes,  most  animal  passions,  and  lowest 
curiosit}'  of  an  excited  and  thoughtless  mob.  The  Komans  were  not  the  first  nor  the 
last  to  manifest  these  qualities  with  regard  to  the  execution  of  criminals.  Till  very 
recently  our  executions  were  much  of  the  same  style.  Thousands  went  to  see  the  last 
struggles  of  a  criminal  with  very  much  the  same  feelings  as  they  would  go  to  see  a 
bull-fight,  and  many  of  them  very  much  worse  in  the  sight  of  God  than  he  who  was 
hung.  But,  thanks  to  our  advanced  Christian  civilization,  this  has  passed  away.  Our 
executions  are  now  performed  in  private,  with  as  much  decency,  and  as  little  pain  to 
the  culprit  as  possible,  thus  recognizing  the  sacredness  of  life,  even  that  of  the  meanest, 
most  worthless  and  injurious.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  life  will  soon  become  more  sacred 
still  in  accordance  with  the  merciful  spirit  of  the  dispensation  under  which  we  live.  (2) 
Their  refined  cruelty.  It  was  not  enough  for  the  Crucified  to  bear  all  the  torture  of  the 
cross,  but  also  he  had  to  bear  all  the  shame  and  indignities  of  nakedness.  To  some, 
doubtless,  who  were  sunk  in  the  deepest  physical  and  spiritual  debauchery,  it  was  not 
so  painful,  but  by  the  pure  soul  of  Je?us  it  must  have  been  keenly  felt.  There  was  no 
consideration  shown  in  his  case.  He  was  not  exempted  from  a  single  item  in  the 
catalogue  of  indignities,  nor  from  a  single  ignominy  in  the  programme  of  shame ;  but 
rather  to  the  contrary,  these  were  lengthened  by  the  voluntary  contributions  of  a 
servile  crowd.  The  crucifiers  of  Jesus  were  as  refined  in  their  cruelty  as  they  were 
coarse  in  their  tastes,  and  as  minute  in  their  indignities  as  they  were  lax  in  their  sense 
of  common  delicacy.  2.  In  relation  to  the  crucified  One.  It  indicates  :  (1)  The 
simplicity  of  his  dress.  0^  the  common  costume  of  a  poor  Galilseau.  Jesus  did 
not  go  in  for  fashion  and  fiiflfy  in  dress  anymore  than  for  luxuries  in  diet;  but  in  all  he 
was  characterized  by  simplicity.  In  one  sense  this  was  strange,  too,  that  he  who  paints 
the  lily  and  rose  in  the  richest  hues,  and  the  bird's  wing  in  the  most  fantastic  colours, 
should  be  himself  clothed  in  the  simple  dress  of  a  poor  artisan  1  But,  in  another  sense, 
this  is  not  strange ;  it  is  generally  the  case  with  true  greatness.  He  was  sufficiently 
glorious  in  himself.  It  is  not  the  garment,  but  he  who  wears  it.  (2)  The  poverty  of 
his  circtimstances.  When  his  worldly  affairs  were  wound  up  they  consisted  in  a 
humble  dress.  When  this  was  divided,  all  was  divided  he  possessed  in  this  world.  He 
had  no  houses,  money,  nor  land  to  be  confiscated  by  the  government,  and  to  enrich  the 
imperial  treasury,  only  the  robe  and  the  tunic,  and  these  probably  the  gifts  of  some 
kind  friend,  the  latter,  perhaps,  woven  by  the  tender  hands  of  his  mother,  or  by  Magda- 
lene, as  the  original  device  and  gift  of  love  for  an  original  and  Divine  kindness.  This 
is  very  affecting  and  significant,  that  he  who  was  in  the  world,  and  the  world  was  made 
by  him,  should  leave  without  any  of  it.  He  who  made  the  world  could  alone  be  satis- 
fied to  leave  it  thus.  He  was.  (3)  His  more  than  human  submissiveness  in  suffering. 
When  deprived  of  his  garments  he  made  no  complaint,  no  request  to  be  spared  this 
indignity.  One  would  naturally  expect  that  he  would  ask  this  favour,  and  say,  "I  am 
willing  to  sufi'er  even  unto  death,  but  let  me  die  in  my  clothes."  But  not  a  word  or  a 
murmur.  "  As  a  lamb  he  was  brought  to  the  slaughter,"  and  all  for  us.  He  was 
stripped  that  we  may  be  clothed,  became  naked  that  we  may  be  robed  in  spotless 
white. 

II.  As  AN  ACT  OF  SELFISH  RAPACITY.  "The  soldiers,"  etc.  1.  They  were  inspired 
by  the  love  of  sordid  gain.  Every  base  principle  in  existence  was  represented  on  Gol- 
gotha that  day.  All  the  vultures  of  hell  hovered  over  the  cross  ready  to  descend  on 
their  respective  prey.  And  among  the  dark  groups  was  the  love  of  gain  ready  for  his 
garments.  It  cared  for  nothing  else.  2.  Hits  was  confirmed  by  habit  and  custom.  The 
clothes  of  the  victim  were  their  fee  for  the  execution.  It  was  not  such  a  profitable  job , 
then  as  it  is  now.  But  you  will  find  people  willing  to  do  anything  for  a  little  worldly 
advantage.  They  will  hang  you  for  your  clothes  ;  they  will  murder  you  physically  or 
morally,  which  is  worse  still,  for  the  attainment  of  a  little  selfish  end.  His  own 
disciple  sold  him  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver:  why,  then,  should  we  wonder  at  these 


CH.  XIX.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  451 


rough  and  ignorant  soldiers  crucifying  him  for  his  garments?  And  this  demon  of 
selfish  gain  was  sanctioned  by  law.  3.  It  tvas  done  with  great  haste.  As  soon  as  he 
was  crucified,  before  he  was  dead,  they  hastened  to  divide  his  garments  under  his  very 
eyes.  In  this  they  are  typical  of  a  good  many  more.  The  love  of  gain  is  ever  in  haste. 
The  votaries  of  selfishness  are  ever  in  a  hurry.  As  soon  as  the  victim  is  safe  in  the 
grip  of  afflicti6n,  they  begin  to  search  for  the  keys.  The  grave  is  opened  before  almost 
he  has  breathed  his  last.  4.  TJie  division  is  just  and  fair.  This  is  one  redeeming 
quality  in  the  affair.  Rather  than  spoil  the  vest,  the)'  cast  lots  for  it.  This  probably 
arose  from  selfishness,  each  one  hoping  it  would  be  his ;  but,  if  selfish,  it  was  wise,  and 
an  example  to  many  in  dividing  the  spoil.  It  is  better  to  cast  lots  or  leave  a  thing 
alone,  than  render  it  worthless.  There  is  some  honour  amongst  thieves,  yes,  more  than 
among  many  men  of  higher  standing.     "  The  children  of  this  world  are  wiser,"  etc. 

III.  As  THE  FULFILMENT  OF  ScRiPTORE.  "  That  the  Scripture,"  etc.  1.  Christ  was 
the  great  Subject  of  ancient  Scripture.  His  incarnation,  character,  and  many  incidents 
of  his  life  and  death  were  foretold  centuries  before  he  made  his  appearance.  Many  of 
the  prophets  described  him  as  if  he  were  really  present  to  them.  David,  the  great  anti- 
type of  the  ^Messiah,  was  often  so  inspired  that  he  personified  him,  and  related  facts  as 
if  they  had  actually  happened  in  his  own  experience,  whereas  they  related  entirely  to 
the  coming  King.  Such  was  his  reference  to  the  parting  of  his  garment.  2.  Li  the  life 
and  death  of  Christ  the  ancient  Scripture  ivas  literally  fulfilled.  Even  in  the  division 
of  his  garment.  (1)  In  this  the  soldiers  were  unconscious  agents.  Nothing  could  be 
remoter  from  their  knowledge  and  consciousness  than  that  they  fulfilled  any  Scripture. 
(2)  In  this  they  only  carried  out  their  oivn  contract,  and  fulfilled  their  own  designs. 
There  was  no  secret  and  supernatural  influence  brought  to  bear  upon  them,  so  that  their 
actions  may  fit  with  ancient  prophecy ;  but  ancient  prophecy  was  a  true  reading  of 
future  events,  and  was  proved  by  these  events  as  they  occurred.  (3)  Through  these 
unconscious  agents  the  Scripture  tvas  fulfilled.  3.  This  literal  fulfilment  of  ancient 
Scripture  was  a  remarkable  proof  of  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus — that  he  was  the  Divine 
One  promised  of  old,  and  with  whom  the  old  dispensation  was  in  travail.  Even  the 
division  of  his  garment  testified  to  his  identity  and  the  Divinity  of  his  mission ;  and 
these  soldiers  bore  unconscious  testimony  to  his  Messiahship. 

Lessons.  1.  Everything  connected  with  true  greatness  becomes  interesting.  The 
birthplace  of  a  great  man,  the  house  in  which  he  afterwards  lived,  the  chair  in  which 
he  sat,  and  the  staff  he  carried.  The  garments  of  Jesus  are  full  of  interest,  especially 
the  seamless  vest.  The  disposal  of  even  his  garments  is  not  passed  unnoticed.  2.  The 
garments  of  Jesus  fell  into  thowjhtless  hands.  One  is  almost  curious  as  to  who  had  the 
pieces  of  the  robe,  and  who  had  the  seamless  tunic.  What  an  exchange  !  The  vest  once 
worn  by  the  Son  of  God  was  afterwards  worn  by  a  thoughtless  soldier.  It  was  well 
that  none  of  his  garments  fell  to  his  friends ;  if  so,  there  would  be  a  danger  of  idolatry. 
3.  The  garments  of  Jesus  lost  their  virtue  when  he  ceased  to  luear  them.  The  outer  robe, 
the  hem  of  which  was  so  healing  to  faith,  was  so  no  more.  The  virtue  was  not  in  the 
garment,  but  in  the  wearer.  He  gave  greatness  and  virtue  to  everything  connected 
with  him.  4.  Let  us  arrange  our  affairs  as  far  as  we  can  ere  we  die,  and  leave  the 
rest  to  the  lottery  of  events,  which  is  ever  under  Divine  control.  It  matters  but  little  to 
us  what  will  become  of  our  garments  after  we  finish  with  them.  If  we  have  them  as 
long  as  we  require  them,  we  should  feel  thankful. — B.  T. 

Ver.  25. — Clinging  to  the  cross.  Earth,  hell,  and  heaven  were  represented  at 
the  cross  of  Jesus.  These  representatives  naturally  formed  themselves  into  groups. 
Notice — 

I.  This  interesting  group  at  the  cross.  "Who  composed  it?  1.  The  mother  of 
Jefus.  She  is  mentioned  first.  She  stands  prominent  among  the  rest,  as  well  she  may. 
Of  all  mothers,  she  is  the  most  popular  and  interesting.  She  stands  alone  in  the 
maternal  roll  of  the  world.  Never  a  mother  had  such  a  Son,  and  never  a  son  had  such 
a  mother.  She  has  been  made  too  much  of  on  the  one  hand,  and  too  little  on  the 
other.  From  her  the  Son  of  God  inherited  his  humanity  and  his  human  breeding. 
Humanly  speaking,  he  owed  much  to  his  mother  for  his  fine  human  nature  and 
sympathies.  That  Mary  was  his  mother  was  not  an  accident.  Never  a  mother  had 
such  joy  nor  such  sorrow  j  and  she  was  now  overwhelmed  with  the  latter.     She  was 


452  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xix.  1—42. 

there  :  and  what  could  keep  her  away  ?  2.  Her  sister.  AVho  was  she  ?  Not  the  wife 
of  Cleophas.  She  was  also  a  Mary;  and  two  sisters  of  the  same  name  was  not  a 
likely  thing.  She  was  doubtless  Salome,  the  wife  of  Zebedee,  and  the  mother  of  James 
and  John.  John  was  Christ's  first  cousin,  which  accounts  for  the  likeness,  the  attach- 
ment, and  the  trust.  Her  name  is  not  mentioned,  which  is  characteristic  of  John's 
modesty.  He  would  not  mention  his  own  name,  neither  that  of  his  mother.  3.  Mary 
the  wife  of  Cleophas.  The  mother  of  James  the  Less,  Joses,  and  Judas.  Whether  this 
Cleophas  was  the  same  as  that  who  met  Jesus  on  the  way  to  Emmaus,  it  is  difficult  to 
decide.  He  was,  doubtless,  a  good  man  and  a  disciple  of  Jesus ;  but  is  brought  into 
prominence  in  the  sacred  history  in  connection  with  his  more  heroic  wife,  who  out- 
stripped him  in  the  race,  left  him  on  the  outskirts  of  the  crowd,  and  pressed  on  with 
her  comrades  to  the  cross  of  the  Lord.  4.  3Iary  Magdalene.  A  well-known  character 
of  this  period.  Jesus  healed  her  of  many  infirmities,  at  least  from  her  seven  unclean 
spirits,  and  ever  afterwards  she  was  specially  attached  to  her  great  Benefactor,  and  was 
one  of  the  many  good  women  who  followed  Jesus  from  Galilee,  and  administered  to 
him  of  their  substance,  according  to  the  custom  cf  the  Jews ;  and  she  was  now  among 
that  little  group  of  sympathetic  souls  who  attended  his  last  moments. 

IL  Their  position.  "  By  the  cross  of  Jesus."  In  this  position  they  manifested  :  1. 
Great  fortitude.  To  realize  this :  (1)  Think  of  the  sufferings  they  had  to  witness,  and 
the  spectacle  they  had  to  see.  They  had  to  witness  the  agonizing  death,  the  shame, 
and  the  untold  indignities  of  their  best  Friend.  Many  a  stout  heart  has  failed  at  the 
death-bed  of  a  loved  one ;  but  they  stood  at  the  death-cross  of  their  Lord.  (2)  Think 
of  the  public  scorn  and  ridicule  to  which  they  were  exposed.  They  were,  doubtless, 
known  to  many  of  the  Saviour's  foes  as  his  adherents,  and  it  was  not  at  all  fashionable 
for  women  to  appear  at  such  a  scene  ;  but  what  cared  they  for  social  propriety  or  public 
scorn  ?  Their  courage  towered  far  above  this  in  the  performance  of  a  sacred  duty.  (3) 
Think  of  their  personal  danger.  As  the  friends  of  the  crucified  One,  in  the  very  teeth 
of  his  cruel  foes,  their  lives  were  in  jeopardy ;  but  they  counted  not  these  dear  unto 
them,  but  stood  there  face  to  face  with  death.  2.  Strong  affection.  This  accounts  for 
their  courage.  Their  heroism  was  that  of  love,  and  their  courage  that  of  affection. 
Their  affection  may  be  looked  at  as :  (1)  Maternal  affection.  What  love  so  faithful 
and  heroic  as  that  of  a  mother  ?  And  it  was  never  stronger  than  in  her  heart  who  was 
the  mother  of  our  Lord ;  and  it  drew  her  now  near  to  his  cross.  (2)  Social  affection. 
(3)  Pious  affection.  It  was  more  than  the  ordinary  affection  of  human  kindred  and 
friendship.  It  was  love  arising  from  pious  attachment,  from  Christian  hope,  and  faith 
in  him  as  the  Messiah  and  Saviour.  Mary  Magdalene  was  still  on  fire  with  gratitude 
and  faith,  which  blazed  all  the  more  near  the  cross.  3.  Strong  and  genuine  sympathy. 
They  were  ready  to  render  him  any  help,  and  would,  if  possible,  have  taken  some  of  his 
agonies  upon  themselves.  They  were  helpless,  but  did  what  they  could  and  went  as 
far  as  possible.  4.  Great  self-control.  We  have  read  of  mothers  becoming  frantic 
and  losing  their  lives  to  save  loved  ones  ;  but  here  there  was  a  wonderful  calm  main- 
tained, which  makes  the  mother's  love  more  heroic,  and  her  heroism  more  sublime. 
There  were  emotions  deep  and  stirring  in  their  breasts,  with  but  little  or  no  demonstra- 
tion ;  but  there  was  wonderful  self-control  manifested,  as  if  their  souls  had  caught  the 
calm  spirit  of  the  crucified  One. 

III.  Their  conduct  as  an  example  fob  the  imitation  of  all.  1.  They  stood  by 
him  in  his  hour  of  greatest  trial  and  sufferings.  It  was  one  thing  to  stand  by  him  in 
his  hour  of  joy  and  triumph,  in  the  day  of  his  power  and  the  exploits  of  his  loving 
strength,  when  the  heaven  opened  and  streamed  upon  him  its  glory ;  when  Divinity 
encircled  his  brow,  and  made  his  word  omnipotent  and  his  very  gaze  or  touch  almighty ; 
when  at  his  bidding  diseases  fled,  and  demons  quitted  their  dark  haunts ;  when  the 
storm  was  hushed,  and  the  waves  crouched  at  his  voice  ;  when  food  increased  under  his 
hands,  and  even  Death  gave  up  his  prey  when  he  spoke.  But  it  was  another  thing  to 
stand  by  him  on  a  cross,  when  hell  besieged  him  with  its  torments,  heaven  seemed  closed 
to  his  breathings,  and  Divinity  itself  seemed  to  have  deserted  him.  2.  They  stood  by 
him  when  others  had  left  him.  It  is  one  thing  to  stand  by  Jesus,  one  of  many  ;  but 
it  is  another  to  stand  by  him,  one  of  four.  It  is  one  thing  to  follow  him  with  faithful 
disciples  and  a  jubilant  crowd  ;  but  it  is  another  to  stand  alone  by  his  cross.  Where 
were  zealous  and  good-hearted  Peter,  James,  Andrew,  and  Philip,  and  others  ?    They  had 


I 


CH.  XIX,  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  453 

all  left,  with  the  exception  of  the  disciple  of  love  and  these  loving  women.  Others  may 
be  among  the  crowd,  or  on  the  outskirts,  beholding  from  afar;  but  they  stood  by  iiis 
cross  when  all  had  left  him.  As  others  leave  Christ,  l§t  us  stand  by  him  and  draw 
to  him  all  the  closer.  3.  They  did  all  they  could.  They  wore  'helpless,  and  could 
render  no  assistance.  They  could  make  no  progress ;  still  they  stood  their  ground,  and 
-manifested  their  undying  and  unconquerable  attachment.  They  clung  to  Jesus  for  his 
own  sake  apart  from  circumstances.  Like  them,  let  us  do  what  we  can,  and  advance 
as  far  as  possible,  and,  when  we  cannot  go  any  further,  let  us  stand  ;  and,  indeed,  in  the 
hour  of  direst  temptation  the  utmost  we  can  do  is  to  stand  our  ground. 

Lessons.  1.  Jesus  has  not  heen  at  any  time  wholly  deserted.  2.  It  is  worthy  of 
notice  that  the  faithful  ones  at  the  cross  were  women.  Surely  "  he  giveth  power  to  the 
faint."  In  the  weaker  vessels  was  the  greatest  strength.  3.  Those  who  stood  by  the 
cross  of  Jesus  unconsciously  stood  near  a  rich  treasury.  The  outward  scene  was  that 
of  shame,  poverty,  and  untold  agony  and  misery ;  but  the  inward  was  that  of  untold 
peace,  joy,  riches,  and  glory.  There  was  the  atonement  made,  the  fountain  opened, 
and  the  work  of  redemption  finished.  They  stumbled  on  a  rich  fortune.  This  did  not 
occur  to  them  then,  but  flashed  ujwn  them  afterwards.  The  cross  did  more  good  to 
them  than  they  to  him  who  hung  upon  it.  4.  Those  who  stand  by  Jesus  in  his  hour  of 
trial,  he  will  sfand  by.  We  all  have  our  crosses,  affliction,  and  death  in  our  turn.  Let 
us  stand  by  the  cross  of  Jesus,  and  he  will  stand  by  ours,  and  will  not  leave  us  in  the 
hour  of  our  greatest  trial. — B.  T. 

Vers.  26,  27. — Filial  love  strong  in  death.    Notice — 

I.  The  ixfebioritt  of  human  relationships.  Our  Lord  addresses  his  mother  as 
"  woman  " — a  term  of  tenderness  and  respect ;  still  suggesting  at  once  the  inferiority  of 
human  relationships  when  compared  with  spiritual  ones.  1.  Human  relationships 
belong  to  this  world.  They  belong  to  the  natural,  physical,  and  visible  order  of  things. 
They  are  the  outcome  of  our  existence,  the  arrangements  of  wise  Providence,  and 
important  for  the  government  of  the  human  race,  their  social  order,  progress,  and 
happiness,  and  capable  of  serving  our  highest  interests.  2.  Christ  spoke  of  and  treated 
them  as  inferior  to  spiritual  relationships.  Although  he  was  the  most  obedient,  affec- 
tionate, and  exemplary  of  sons,  yet  he  ever  spoke  of  his  spiritual  and  Divine  relation- 
ships as  being  superior  and  more  important — those  arising  from  a  Divine  and  spiritual 
birth,  from  the  will  of  God,  as  superior  to  those  arising  from  physical  birth,  or  the  will 
of  the  flesh.  The  former  had  ever  his  preference,  and  he  was  fonder  of  his  relations 
after  the  spirit  than  of  those  after  the  flesh.  Once,  when  told  that  his  mother  and 
his  brethren  were  outside,  seeking  him,  he  said,  "  He  thatdoeth  the  will  of  my  Father," 
etc.  3.  At  death  human  relationships  are  7nerged  into  those  of  a  higher  life.  Hesaith, 
"  woman,"  not  "  mother  ;  "  and,  pointing  to  John,  and  not  to  himself,  "  Behold  thy 
son! "  As  much  as  to  say,  in  the  old  sense  of  the  term,  "  Henceforth  I  cease  to  be  thy 
Son,  and  thou  ceasest  to  be  my  mother."  She  had  to  think  of  him,  not  as  her  Son,  but 
as  her  Lord  and  Saviour.  By  the  regenerative  influence  of  Christianity  and  the  tran- 
sition of  death,  the  material  is  lost  in  the  spiritual,  the  human  in  the  Divine,  and  the 
temporal  in  the  Eternal. 

II.  The  performance  of  filial  duty.  "When  he  saw  his  mother,"  etc.  This 
duty  involved  provisions  for  the  future  support  and  comfort  of  his  mother.  1.  This 
duty  is  felt  and  admitted  by  Christ.  This  implies  :  (1)  That  human  relationships 
involve  special  duties.  Brothers  have  special  duties  to  brothers,  ',iareots  to  children, 
and  children  to  parents.  Christ  felt  that  his  widowed  mother  was  dependent  upon  him 
for  support  and  comfort,  and  he  feels  it  his  sacred  duty  to  provide  for  her,  (2)  These 
duties  are  incumbent,  although  the  relationships  whence  they  arise  are  about  to  cease. 
Jesus  was  about  to  cease  to  be  Mary's  Son,  in  the  old  sense ;  he  was  about  to  enter 
into  a  higher  life.  Still  he  felt  it  is  duty  to  provide  for  her.  The  spiritual  does  not 
atone  for  the  material.  The  obligations  of  every  state  of  existence  should  be  performed 
in  that  stage.  Our  obligations  survive  the  relationships  which  gave  rise  to  them.  (3) 
Christianity  makes  all  under  its  influence  more  alive  to  the  duties  of  hunmn  relation- 
ships. It  is  not  Christ-like  to  leave  the  world  as  thieves  and  those  who  loved  and  were 
deiwndent  upon  us  as  absconders.  The  higher  life  of  Christ  inspired  him  to  perform 
the  duties  of  this,  Christianity  ennobles  every  relationship,  and  consecrates  every  duty 


454-  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xix.  1— 42. 

of  life.  The  Christian  son  will  be  the  most  affectionate  and  careful  of  his  surviving 
mother.  2.  This  duty  was  performed  by  Christ  under  the  most  trying  circumstances. 
This  duty  was  done  amidst  the  most  excruciating  sufferings,  physical,  mental,  and 
sjiiritual.  It  was  done  in  the  very  act  of  dying.  When  uttering  these  words  of 
tenderness,  he  was  in  the  grip  of  the  most  painful  death.  It  was  dooe  when  per- 
forming the  most  important  work  of  his  life.  When  providing  for  the  spiritual  wants 
of  the  world,  he  provided  for  the  temporal  wants  of  his  mother.     These  facts  prove : 

(1)  His  utter  self-obliviousness.  "  He  made  himself  of  no  reputation."  Not  himself,  but 
others.     Not  his  own  agonies,  but  the  comfort  of  his  surviving  and  stricken  mother. 

(2)  His  wonderful  sovereignty  over  the  most  adverse  circnmstances  of  life.  In  the 
midst  of  sufferings  and  indignities  he  was  perfectly  calm  and  self-possessed.  He  had 
full  control  over  his  feelings,  actions,  sufferings,  and  even  death.  He  kept  death  at  bay 
till  he  performed  the  last  duty  of  love  pertaining  to  this  life.  (3)  The  strength  of  his 
filial  affection.  (4)  His  continued  inherent  interest  in  those  he  loved.  In  his  beloved 
mother  and  disciple.  And  this  interest,  which  blazed  so  brightly  in  the  gloom  of  death, 
was  not  likely  to  be  extinguished  in  the  happiness  anrl  effulgence  of  the  life  beyond. 
(5)  The  minuteness  and  tenderness  of  his  loving  care.  While  we  contemjalate  thip,  his 
last  act  of  filial  love,  under  the  circumstances  in  which  it  was  performed,  we  are  reaay  to 
exclaim,  "  How  human !  how  Divine  !  how  comprehensive !  how  minute !  how  God-like  ! 
How  like  the  Father  of  all !  "  While  he  governs  and  sustains  the  vast  universe,  he 
forgets  not  a  single  object — not  even  the  smallest.  He  lights  the  sun  and  guides  the 
stars,  but  forgets  not  the  glow-worm — nor  to  smile  on  the  rose  and  the  lily.  And  so 
the  Divine  Son  now  on  the  cross,  while  he  made  an  atonement  for  sin,  satisfied 
justice,  and  honoured  the  Law  ;  still,  at  the  very  time,  his  mother  is  not  forgotten.  3. 
This  duty  xvas  Reformed  in  the  best  way.  (1)  In  the  most  efficient  way.  He  entrusted 
her  to  the  care  of  his  best  earthly  friend,  one  with  the  means  and  the  heart,  the  will 
and  the  way.  He  could  do  nothing  else.  He  had  no  means  to  bequeath  to  her  ;  but 
he  had  a  loving  heart  at  his  command,  which  would  ever  be  kind  to  her.  (2)  In  the 
most  natziral  way.  What  could  comfort  the  bereaved  mother  as  much  as  another  son, 
and  so  loved  by  and  so  like  the  lost  one  ?  John  would  remind  her  of  Jesus,  and  their 
society  would  be  congenial,  and  their  conversation  sweet  as  to  the  past  and  the  future. 

(3)  In  the  most  suitable  time.  Up  to  this  time  he  was  with  her  ;  there  was  no  need 
of  any  one  else.  But  now  his  life  is  past  hope ;  his  mother  was  in  the  suppressed 
agonies  of  grief  and  sorrow — the  sword  was  through  her  heart.  Then  another  son  was 
introduced  who  would  never  cease  to  care  for  her — a  very  present  help. 

III.  The  exercise  of  loving  obedience.  This  is  illustrated  in  the  mother  and  in 
the  disciple.  1.  The  new  relationship  is  most  naturally  felt  and  realized.  It  jars  not 
on  the  feelings  of  either ;  but  a  flush  of  a  new  kinship  passes  over  their  countenance. 
2.  The  sacred  charge  was  most  cheerfully  accepted.  There  was  no  need  of  a  long  lecture  ; 
only  the  brief  introduction,  "  Behold,"  etc. !  By  his  Spirit  and  providence  he  had  pre- 
pared  both  for  the  new  relationship.  3.  Jt  was  practically  accepted.  He  took  her  to  his 
own  home.  Loving  obedience  is  ever  practical  and  full.  To  his  own  home,  which  was 
the  home  of  love.  4.  It  was  immediately  practical.  There  was  no  delay.  "  From 
that  hour."  The  obedience  of  love  is  hearty  and  prompt.  Probably  that  very  minute 
he  took  her  away.  (1)  For  her  own  sake.  She  could  scarcely  stand  the  heart-rending 
scene  any  longer.  Her  motherly  instincts  would  cling  to  the  cross  till  the  last ;  but 
the  tender  instincts  of  her  newly  adopted  son  would  considerately  lead  her  away.  It 
was  enough.  -  (2)  For  Christ's  sake.  His  human  eyes  should  see  the  obedience  of  love. 
The  sacred  charge  would  be  taken  at  once,  and  his  will  immediately  executed.  This 
should  not  press  a  moment  on  him.  A  weeping  mother  should  not  hold  him  back 
from  death.   Would  not  even  Christ  die  more  happily  after  seeing  his  mother  cared  for? 

Lessons.  1.  There  are  some  whom  Jesus  loves  more  than  others.  John  was  such.  He 
specially  loved  him  on  account  of  his  specially  loving  qualities  and  his  likeness  to  him. 
2.  Those  whom  Jesus  specially  loves  he  specially  honours — honours  with  his  confidence, 
friendship,  mind,  and  treasures.  3.  The  greatest  honour  which  Christ  can  confer  upon 
us  is  to  employ  us  in  Ms  special  service.  4.  Jesus  has  many  poor  relations  still  in  need 
of  care.  Those  who  befriend  the  orphan  and  the  widow  are  doing  Jesus  special 
service.  We  hear  still  from  the  cross  the  words,  "  Son,  behold  thy  mother !  "  etc. 
— B.  T. 


CH.  XIX.  1^2.]     THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  455 

Vers.  38 — 42. — Secret  discipleship.     Notice— 

I.  That  Jesus  in  every  age  has  some  secret  disciples.  There  are  two  mentioncil 
here — Joseph  and  Nicodemus.  Why  were  they  secret?  1.  Because  of  the  damjer  with 
which  they  were  surrounded.  "  For  fear  of  the  Jews."  What  were  the  iatlaences  which 
excited  their  fear?  (1)  The  influence  of  position.  They  were  in  a  high  wurldly 
position,  members  of  the  chief  council  of  the  nation,  and  to  confess  Jesus  meaiit  tho 
loss  of  this.  (2)  Tho  influence  of  caste.  Caste  feelings  were  very  strong  amou'^  tho 
Jews;  as  they  are,  indeed,  specially  .strong  among  all  nations.  Christian  as  well  as 
heathen.  These  councihnen  would  be  outcasts  from  society  if  they  accepted  Jesus  as 
their  Teacher.  (3)  The  influence  of  wealth.  They  were  wealthy  men,  and  their  public 
confession  of  Jesus  would  mean  the  loss  of  this.  2.  2'heir  natural  timidity  of  disposi- 
tion. We  may  wt-U  assume  that  the  natural  disposition  of  Joseph  and  Nicodemus  was 
modest,  thoughtful,  cautious,  timid,  and  retiring ;  and  this  naturally  influenced  their 
public  conduct.  Their  disposition  was  the  very  reverse  to  Peter's,  and  their  temptation 
would  lie  in  an  opposite  direction.  On  account  of  natural  disposition  it  is  no  effort, 
and  consequently  no  virtue,  in  one  to  be  brave  and  heroic ;  while  in  the  other  it  is  the 
difficult  task  of  life.  3.  The  essential  incompleteness  of  their  faith.  Faith  in  Christ  at 
this  time,  in  the  best,  was  weak  and  imperfect.  It  was  so  in  the  disciples,  who  had  all 
the  advantages  of  Clirist's  ministry  and  miracles.  What  must  it  have  been  in  these 
more  distant  and  secret  disciples?  They  had  not  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  religious 
education,  and  therefore  their  faith  was  naturally  incomplete.  4.  Nevertheless,  they 
were  genuine  disciples.  The  fear  of  the  Jews,  although  it  had  some  influence  with  them, 
was  not  really  predominant.  Publicity  of  profession  is  not  a  guarantee  for  sincerity ; 
neither  is  secrecy  a  barrier  to  it.  Every  true  discipleship  commences  in  secret,  and 
has  much  that  is  secret  throughout  its  career.  The  true  moral  force  of  man  is  in  the 
secrecy  of  his  heart. 

II.  That  genuine  disciples,  although  secret,  only  require  suitable  circum- 
stances TO  DRAW  them  OUT.  These  were  drawn  out ;  and  what  drew  them  ?  1. 
Additional  evidence  to  faith.  (1)  The  evidence  of  Christ's  conduct.  His  meek,  patient, 
submissive,  and  dignified  conduct  in  the  most  tried  circumstances,  and  the  most  excru- 
ciating sufferings  and  provocation,  was  highly  calculated  to  inspire  faith  in  him.  (2)  The 
fahe  and  mad  conduct  of  his  enemies.  Their  perjury,  their  extreme  and  mad  cruelty 
in  relation  to  such  a  character,  would  naturally  tell  in  his  favour,  and  would  recoil  upon 
themselves.  (3)  The  evidence  of  Pilate.  Whatever  the  character  of  that  remarkable 
governor,  he  most  decidedly  pronounced  judgment  against  the  Jews  and  for  Jesus.  He 
only  delivered  him  up  to  them  at  last  under  a  protest.  This,  to  any  reflective  and 
well-disposed  person,  must  have  been  very  significant  and  even  convincing.  (4)  The 
evidence  of  nature.  The  rending  of  the  veil  and  rocks,  the  quakings  of  the  earth,  the 
opening  of  graves,  and  the  darkening  of  the  sun  at  noontide  when  Jesus  hung  on 
the  cross,  spoke  mightily  to  faith  in  his  favour.  There  was  such  a  concurrence  of 
evidence  from  beginning  to  end  which  would  naturally  bring  faith  out  wherever  it 
was,  and  even  produce  it  where  it  was  not.  2.  The  death  of  Christ,  in  itself,  was  cal- 
culated to  draw  out  latent  love  and  courage.  Death  is  a  circumstance  which  has  a 
tendency  to  lessen  man's  faults  and  magnify  his  virtues.  Of  the  former  Jesus  had  none, 
and  through  the  gloom  of  death  the  latter  shone  with  Divine  brilliancy.  In  the  timid 
breast  they  would  naturally  inspire  conscience  with  regret,  and  with  a  desire  to  make 
amends,  and  would  fan  the  smoking  flax  of  love  into  flame.  Only  at  the  death  of  a 
dear  one  we  and  others  come  to  know  how  much  we  loved  him  in  life.  Joseph  and 
Nicodemus  never  knew  that  they  loved  Jesus  so  much  till  he  was  crucified  and  had 
passed  away.  3.  Latent  love  and  courage  were  brought  out  by  example.  Joseph  came 
out  first,  and  his  example  was  inspiring.  Nicodemus  caught  the  contagion,  being  the 
most  timid  of  the  two,  and  he  came  also ;  probably  he  watched  the  movements  of 
Joseph.  He  was  almost  dying  to  show  his  respect  and  love  to  the  cmcified  One,  but 
felt  too  weak  till  he  saw  the. decided  action  of  his  stronger  brother.  Tliis  at  onco 
decided  his  course,  and  he  came  also.  Joseph  and  Nicodemus  doubtless  held  many  a 
secret  converse  on  the  object  of  their  common  love,  and  one  encouraged  and  inspired 
the  other. 

HI.  That  secret  but  genuine  disciples,  drawn  out  by  suitable  circumstances, 
ABE  often  very  HEROIC  AND  BENEVOLENT.     These  quaUties  are  manifested  here  in:  1. 


456  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.   JOHN.     [ch.  xix.  1—42. 

A  courageous  request.  Joseph  came  to  Pilate  to  ask  permission  to  take  away  the  body 
of  Jesus  to  be  buried.  This  was  a  bold  venture,  as  expressed  by  Mark,  involving  con- 
siderable personal  risk,  and  so  contrary  to  his  natural  temper  and  past  conduct.  But 
he  is  now  his  new  self  and  not  his  old,  or  his  old  and  real  self  in  its  true  garb.  2.  A 
courageous  and  loving  deed.  Permission  was  given.  His  inspired  venture  proved 
successful.  His  eloquent  request  was  granted,  and  he  took  away  the  body.  This  was 
a  public  act,  in  which  he  shared  and  for  which  he  was  responsible.  His  fear  of  losing 
position,  caste,  and  wealth  is  now  gone.  He  is  under  the  sway  of  the  opposite  principle 
of  love.  It  is  not  tbe  fear  of  the  Jews,  but  the  love  of  Jesus,  sways  him  now,  and  he 
is  soon  joined  by  a  timid  brother.  3.  Benevolent  gifts.  (I)  The  gift  of  Nicodemus. 
A  hundred  pounds  of  costly  spices.  He  came  to  the  funeral  neither  empty-hearted  nor 
empty-handed,  but  with  a  princely  gift — abundance  of  spices  to  embalm  the  dead  but 
sacred  corpse.  (2)  The  gift  of  Jos^j)h.  The  linen  and  the  grave.  He  was  determined 
that  the  body  of  Jesus  should  not  share  the  fate  of  ordinary  criminals,  but  that  it 
should  have  a  grave — a  new  grave  in  his  garden,  probablj'  intended  for  himself,  Jesus 
should  sleep  in  his  bed.  But  there  would  be  no  inconvenience,  as  Jesus  would  leave  it 
early  enough  ;  so  there  was  no  danger  of  its  being  needed  by  Joseph  before  it  would  be 
left  by  Jesus.  And  he  left  it  much  improved,  A  garden  was  never  the  depository  of 
such  a  seed ;  and  a  grave  was  never  the  resting-place  of  such  a  tenant.  (3)  These 
were  gifts  and  acts  of  devotional  love.  Theirs  was  the  heroism  of  unconquerable 
affection,  which  could  no  longer  be  repressed.  The  river  overflowed  its  banks  and 
swept  all  before  it.  The  living  Christ  was  in  Joseph's  heart,  and  his  dead  body  was 
now  in  his  sacred  grave.  The  hundred  pounds  of  costly  spices  were  the  devotions  of 
Nicodemus's  love  to  the  Saviour.  4.  All  this  ivas  manifested  at  the  darkest  hour.  (1) 
When  his  enemies  had  completed  their  work.  They  had  accomplished  their  purposes, 
and  realized  their  fondest  hopes  in  the  crucifixion  and  death  of  Jesus.  But  while  the 
council  had  crucified  him,  two  of  its  members  buried  his  body.  When  hatred  had 
reached  its  highest  mark  of  triumph,  latent  and  secret  love  reached  a  higher  mark  of 
public  courage.  (2)  When  his  friends  had  deserted  him.  Only  the  women  and  the 
beloved  dit-ciple  were  in  attendance  at  his  last  hour.  None  of  his  public  followers  came 
to  bury  him,  nor  follow  his  body  to  the  tomb.  Then  these  secret  disciples  came  forward 
as  the  reserve  force  of  the  King,  and  courageously  and  lovingly  performed  his  sacred 
obsequies.  (3)  When  his  cause  was  aj)i-)arently  at  an  end.  Nicodemus  never  came 
to  him  on  such  a  dark  night  as  this.  The  common  faith  was  eclipsed,  and  hope  all  but 
extinguished ;  but  then  the  faith,  hope,  and  love  of  these  private  disciples  glowed  and 
shone  in  the  gloom  of  death. 

Lessons.  1.  That  general  sincerity  of  character  is  advantageous  to  the  reception  of 
Jtsus.  Joseph  was  a  just  and  honourable  man.  This  was  his  general  character,  and 
to  such  Jesus  must  recommend  himself.  2.  In  the  most  wicked  councils  generally  there 
are  some  good  men.  In  the  very  nest  of  his  murderers  Jesus  had  at  least  two  genuine 
friends.  3.  Genuine  principle,  hovuever  weak,  ivill  triumph  in  the  end.  Life  ultimately 
will  make  itself  seen  and  felt.  Those  who  sincerely  come  to  Jesus  by  night  will  come 
to  him  at  last  by  da}'',  and  in  the  day  of  greatest  need.  4.  Jesus  has  ever  some  secret 
disciples,  who  will  do  for  him  what  others  will  or  can  not.  It  was  intended  that  he 
should  have  a  princely  burial.  If  in  life  he  was  with  the  poor,  he  was  with  the  rich  in 
his  death.  No  one  could  foresee  how  this  could  come  to  pass ;  but  Jesus  had  secret 
friends  among  the  rich,  and  they  buried  his  body  in  a  rich  fashion,  very  befitting. 
Others  buried  him  ;  he  rose  himself,  5.  Christ  was  more  influential  in  death  than  in 
life.  In  life  he  had  failed  to  draw  Joseph  and  Nicodemus  out  publicly  ;  but  in  death 
they  could  not  resist  the  attraction.  He  said,  "  If  1  die,  I  will  draw;  "  and  here  is  a 
striking  illustration,  but  not  the  only  one. — B.  T. 

Ver.  5. — "  Ecce  Homo  I "  I.  Pilate's  meaning.  He  meant  that  a  very  little  thing 
frightened  the  priests  and  elders  and  their  sympathizers.  He  invited  them  to  look  at 
Jesus,  with  the  thorny  crowu  encircling  his  brows,  and  the  purple  robe — doubtless  some 
tattered  and  outworn  piece  of  costume  thrown  over  his  shoulders.  Surely  if  Jesus  were 
indeed  a  King,  if  his  royalty  was  in  power  as  well  as  in  word,  all  this  mockery  would 
have  brought  the  reality  out. 

II.  The  actual  result  of  this  treatment.      Pilate  meant  that  Jesus  should 


CH.  xix.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN".  457 

appear  utterly  contemptible.  Little  did  he  dream  how  in  course  of  time  a  vast  multi- 
tude of  all  nations,  and  kindred,  and  people,  and  tongues,  would  respond  to  this  summons, 
and  count  Jesus  King  all  the  more,  just  because  of  the  crown  of  thorns  and  the  purple 
robe.  It  was  Pilate,  not  Jesus,  who  was  to  become  ultimately  contemptible.  The  very 
Jews  themselves  could  not  look  on  things  with  Pilate's  eyes,  and  Pilate  even  could  not 
keep  straight  on  in  the  tone  of  scorn  and  contempt.  A  few  verses  later  we  read  of  him 
being  afraid.  And  we,  as  we  look  back  on  this  scene,  with  all  its  manifestation  of 
beautiful  character,  may  almost  feel  as  if  we  owed  Pilate's  memory  a  debt  of  gratitude. 
The  soldiers  did  something  which  no  disciple  of  Jesus  would  wish  to  have  been  done ; 
but,  being  done,  every  disciple  of  Jesus  is  glad  for  what  it  showed.  The  work  of 
coronation,  if  looked  at  in  the  proper  light,  was  a  most  real  one. 

III.  We  must  behold,  not  Jesus  onlt,  but  the  men  who  treated  him  so.  The 
men  into  whose  hands  Jesus  was  delivered  up  were  to  have  their  own  way  without 
let  or  hindrance.  Men  had  full  opiwrtunity  to  show  how  bad  tliey  could  be.  Pilate 
points  to  Jesus  and  says,  "Behold  the  Man!"  God  points  to  Pilate  and  the  priests,  and 
says,  "  Behold  mankind !  "  These  men  were  not  specially  bad  specimens  of  humanity, 
but  just  average  expressions  of  the  spirit  of  the  world.  But  in  the  very  contrast 
between  Jesus  aod  his  tormentors  there  is  hope  and  joy.  For  if  the  tormentors  are  of 
the  same  flesh  and  blood  as  we  are,  so  also  is  Jesus.  Jesus,  the  thorn-crowned,  always 
gentle,  always  harmless,  always  beneficent,  always  far  above  everything  that  is  selfish 
and  resentful,  is  of  our  race.  We  should  never  look  at  any  of  the  degrading  specimens 
of  humanity  without  looking  also  at  Jesus.  For  then  we  keep  the  just  mean  between 
saying  too  much  and  too  little.  We  shall  both  remember  how  much  better  Jesus  is 
than  the  best,  and  how  patient  and  pitiful  he  is  with  the  worst. 

IV.  We  must  behold  the  Man  in  all  his  manifestations.  On  the  cross.  After 
his  resurrection.  To  Paul  on  his  way  to  Damascus.  To  John  in  Patmos.  In  glory, 
as  in  humiliation,  the  man  is  still  evident.  With  whatever  brightness  the  Divinity 
may  shine,  it  cannot  conceal  the  humanity.  Here  is  the  man  we  ought  to  be ;  here  is 
the  man  we  shall  be.  There  can  be  no  true  knowledge  of  human  nature  without  the 
knowledge  of  Jesus ;  and  the  more  we  know  of  him,  the  more  shall  we  know  of 
ourselves. — Y. 

Vers.  10,  11. — Human  power  ffeaven-hestowea.  Human  judges  see  all  sorts  of  people 
brought  before  them  to  be  dealt  with.  Some  prisoners,  in  the  most  critical  situations, 
betray  the  utmost  coolness  and  indifterence  ;  others  are  beside  themselves  in  the  agonies 
of  despair.  And  Pilate  doubtless  had  had  a  large  experience  of  all  sorts  of  prisoners. 
But  now  at  last  Jesus  makes  his  appearance,  and  Pilate  is  profoundly  perplexed  how  to 
deal  with  him.  If  Pilate  had  been  a  perfectly  just  man,  and  dealing  with  Jesus  under 
a  perfectly  definite  code  of  laws,  he  would  have  had  no  difficulty.  But  because  the 
man  thought  of  his  own  interests  first,  and  was  left  to  perfectly  arbitrary  methods, 
he  found  himself  in  the  utmost  difiiculties.  Every  additional  question  he  asks  only 
lands  him  in  greater  puzzlement.  "Whence  art  thou?"  he  says  to  Jesus  ;  and  what 
use  was  it  for  Jesus  to  reply  ?  Pilate  would  have  understood  no  explanation ;  he 
was  too  far  from  the  kini:;dom  of  heaven  for  that.  Canaan  cannot  be  seen  from 
Egypt ;  one  must  reach  Mount  Pisgah  first.  And  so  Jesus  stood  in  gentle,  patient 
silence. 

I.  Pilate's  assertion  of  authority.  It  was  very  natural  for  Pilate  to  speak  so. 
He  mistook  the  spirit  of  Jesus ;  but  he  made  no  vain  boast  in  speaking  of  his  power 
to  crucify  and  to  release.  He  had  troops  of  obedient  soldiers  at  his  disposal,  to  effect 
whatever  he  decided.  This  exhibition  of  Pilate's  power  had  its  good  side.  Bad  as 
Pilate  may  have  been,  he  held  a  necessary  and  a  beneficial  office.  Brutal  as  the  soldiers 
were,  they  made  the  Last  barrier  against  anarchy  and  lawlessness.  Tiie  office  of  Pilate 
is  ever  honoured  in  all  true  Christian  teaching.  A  strong  executive  is  a  thing  to  be 
thankful  for.  Judges  and  magistrates  have  to  be  watched,  for  the  mere  wrapping  of 
a  man  in  scarlet  and  ermine  cannot  take  away  his  frailties,  prejudices,  and  antipathies. 
But  the  office  is  good,  and  the  man  that  fills  it  is  often  good.  We  are  not  wild  beasts. 
There  must  be  something  to  restrain  the  violent  and  predatory  hand.  If  the  lion  m 
the  desert  sees  the  antelope,  he  springs  on  him  at  once  ;  no  after-power  will  come  in  to 
demand  of  the  lion  wherefore  he  slew  the  helpless  beast.     But  if  a  man  in  a  civilized 


458  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDINa  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xix.  1—42. 

community  ponders  an  evil  deed,  he  has  to  ponder  also  all  the  possible  results.     He 
cannot  o;t't  past  the  risk  of  punishment. 

II.  Jesus  and  the  origin  op  authority.  Pilate  was  not  a  man  caring  to  seek  and 
think  under  the  surface  of  things,  or  he  would  have  asked  himself  the  question,  "  Why 
are  these  soldiers  so  ready  to  obey  me  ?  Why  is  it  that  I,  one  man,  have  all  these 
dwellers  in  Jerusalem  under  my  control?"  Man  recognizes  the  need  of  authority. 
Jesus  did  not  mean  to  dispute  the  right  of  Pilate  to  do  what  he  liked  with  him.  Pilate 
would  have  traced  the  origin  of  his  authority  to  Fiome,  but  that  only  threw  the  question 
a  little  liuther  back.  When  we  get  to  the  very  highest  seen  thing,  we  feel  that,  as  it 
were,  an  invisible  hand  is  stretching  down  and  making  it  what  it  is.  Jesus  wanted  to 
make  Pilate  feel  that,  whatever  power  he  had,  he  would  be  called  to  account  for  the  use 
of  it.     Judas  had  the  greater  blame,  but  Pilate  could  not  escape. — Y. 

Ver.  15. — The  king  achnoivleiged  by  the  high  priests.  I.  The  stooping  of  men 
WHEN  THEY  HAVE  AN  END  TO  GAIN.  "  We  have  no  king  but  Cffsar."  Assuredly  the 
high  priests  would  never  have  said  anything  like  this  except  in  the  way  they  actually 
said  it.  They  had  no  love  to  Pome  and  Home's  ruler,  and  Pilate  knew  it,  and  must 
have  despised  them  as  they  professed  to  be  influenced  by  loyalty  to  C»sar  in  all  their 
enmity  to  Jesus.  They  were  ready  to  say  anything  and  do  anything,  however  incon- 
sistent, however  mendacious,  if  only  it  helped  them  to  their  end.  Thus  we  have  clear 
evidence  from  their  own  conduct  of  what  bad  men  they  were.  We  cannot  give  them 
the  credit  of  being  mistaken  patriots.  Real  lovers  of  their  country,  however  exaspe- 
rated, however  driven  into  a  corner,  would  never  have  made  a  lying  confession  of 
allegiance  to  the  hated  foreigner. 

II.  Even  if  the  statement  had  been  true,  the  action  belied  the  wohd. 
Suppose  there  had  been  a  real  fidelity  to  Csesar,  rejection  of  Jesus  was  the  very  way  to 
injure  Csesar's  government.  The  more  subjects  of  Jesus  there  are  in  any  kingdom,  the 
better  for  that  kingdom.  Christians  can  struggle  bravely  against  all  that  is  tyrannous 
and  overbearing  without  forgetting  that  human  authority  of  some  sort  is  an  ordinance 
of  Heaven,  and  must  be  maintained  and  honoured.  All  opposition  to  Christianity  tends 
toward  anarchy,  and  none  the  less  so  because  the  tendency  may  be  denied. — Y. 

Ver.  18. — "  Jesus  in  the  midst.'"  It  can  hardly  have  been  by  chance  that  Jesus  was 
placed  in  the  midst.  If  three  men  were  crucified  together,  surely  he  who  was  reckoned 
the  chief  offender  would  be  put  in  the  central  position.  The  details  of  punishment 
would  be  left  to  the  subordinates  charged  with  carrying  it  out,  and  perhaps  the  feeling 
on  the  part  of  the  soldiers  was  that  one  who  claimed  to  be  a  King  should  have  some 
sort  of  honour  on  the  cross.  But  whoever  ordered  the  position,  and  from  whatever 
motive,  we  cannot  but  feel  that  the  position  was  the  right  one.  If  intended  as  an  insult, 
it  has  turned  into  an  honour.  The  soldiers  put  Jesus  just  in  the  proper  place.  It  was 
his  place  before,  and  has  been  his  place  since.  It  was  right  that,  if  others  were  to  suffer 
with  Jesus,  he  who  suffered  for  all  mankind  should  be  able  to  look  on  a  sufferer  on  either 
liand. 

I.  Something  in  harmony  with  the  position  Jesus  naturally  takes.  Jesus 
never  put  himself  officiously  in  a  position  of  eminence.  He  never  needed  to  say, 
"  Leave  the  central  place  for  me."  Wherever  he  sat  naturally  became  the  central  place. 
We  cannot  help  putting  Jesus  in  the  midst.  He  acted  in  such  a  way  that  he  could  not 
help  being  the  central  character  in  every  assembly.  And  this  is  the  glorious  thing  about 
Jesus  that,  being  the  first,  he  has  never  lost  his  position  in  the  midst.  He  is  not  so 
much  above  men  as  among  them.  Wheresoever  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  he 
desires  to  be  in  their  midst.  Jesus,  we  may  be  sure,  is  iuteiested  in  everything  that 
ought  to  interest  mankind.  And  in  the  same  way  we  ought  not  to  be  interested  in 
anything  unless  we  can  have  Jesus  in  the  enterprise. 

II.  An  example  for  us.  There  is  not  anything  else  in  which  we  should  follow  the 
example  of  these  soldiers,  but  we  may  well  do  it  by  always  putting  Jesus  in  the  midst. 
And  especially  wb»en  we  have  to  deal  with  sufferers  of  any  sort,  we  should  try  to  make 
them  feel,  by  a  remembrance  of  his  position  on  the  cross,  that  Jesus  himself  as  a  Sufft-rer 
was  in  the  very  midst  of  sufferers.  And  may  it  not  be  hoped  that  all  evil-doers,  all 
law-breakers,  all  suffering  punishment  for  crime,  will  be  particularly  susceptible  to  the 


CH.  XIX.  1—42.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  459 

claims  of  Jesus,  when  it  is  made  clear  to  them  that  in  this  emphatic  way  Jesua  was 
"  numbered  with  the  transgreseors  "  ? — Y. 

Vers.  26,  27. —  The  great  Modtl  of  filial  duty.  The  last  hours  of  Jesus,  as  mis;ht  bo 
expected,  were  marked  by  a  very  deep  feeling  of  the  tie  that  bound  him  to  his  Father 
in  heaven.  The  ruling  motive  was  strong  in  death.  But  the  human  mother  was 
equally  remembered  according  to  her  claims  and  needs.  Even  in  the  midst  of  intense 
jiain,  and  on  the  verge  of  death,  Jesus  thinks  of  everybody  who  ought  to  be  thought  of. 
The  pain,  intense  as  it  is,  will  soon  be  over,  but  the  Father  in  heaven  will  remain,  with 
whom  Jesus  has  to  dwell  in  ])ower  and  glory,  and  the  mother  on  earth  will  remain, 
provided  for  through  the  ministry  of  a  trusted  friend.  Jesus  seems  to  have  had  a  trying 
time  with  his  relatives;  well  is  it  that  this  last  glimpse  is  so  beautiful. 

I.  Contrast  with  the  way  in  which  the  relatives  of  Jesus  treated  him. 
This  is  the  only  transaction  of  Jesus  with  his  kinsfolk  in  which  he  takes  the  initiative. 
Jesus  had  to  guard  himself  from  the  plausible  suggestions  of  those  who  felt  they  had 
a  claim  to  shape  or  at  least  to  modify  his  course.  His  difficulties  in  this  way  would 
begin  long  before  he  emerged  into  public  life.  We  may  be  sure  Jesus  did  not  love 
opposition  or  contradiction  for  opposition's  or  contradiction's  sake.  But  when  his  natural 
kinsfolk  pointed  one  way,  and  his  heavenly  Father  another,  there  could  be  no  doubt  in 
his  own  mind  which  way  to  take.  And  we  must  learn,  as  Jesus  did,  to  make  httle  of 
kindred  as  advisers,  and  yet  remain  loving  and  helpful  to  them  as  kindred.  That  a 
man  is  your  father  does  not  make  him  more  competent  to  advise  you;  it  may  only 
make  him  more  powerful  to  mislead  and  ruin  you,  if  his  advice  is  bad. 

II.  KixsFOLK  must  ever  BE  TREATED  AS  KINSFOLK.  The  time  comcs  when  the 
claim  of  nature  is  recognized,  and  met  all  the  better  because  other  claims  had  to  be 
refused  before.  If  Jesus  had  listened  to  the  expostulations  of  his  kindred,  he  himself 
might  have  supported  the  old  age  of  his  mother,  and  soothed  her  dying  pillow.  But 
he  did  something  far  better.  Whatever  Mary  may  have  lost  in  the  natural,  she  had 
the  chance  of  gaining  far  more  in  the  spiritual.  Mary  was  among  the  praying  band  in 
the  upper  room,  waiting  for  Pentecost,  and  doubtless,  when  the  Spirit  of  power  came 
down,  she  would  rejoice  with  exceeding  gladness  that  her  Son  had  gone  on  in  single- 
hearted  devotion  to  his  Father's  will.  Jesus,  therefore,  is  a  great  Example  and  Guide 
to  us  in  all  dealings  with  kinsfolk.  In  such  dealings  we  peculiarly  need  an  example 
and  guide.  He  would  not  let  his  kinsfolk  go  beyond  their  rights,  but  all  the  time  he 
was  keenly  observant  of  their  claims.  As  we  read  of  him  providing  a  protector  and  son 
for  his  mother,  we  cannot  but  remember  his  indignant  exposure  of  those  who  kept  back 
helpful  gifts  from  father  and  mother  under  pretence  that  they  were  dedicated  to  God. 
To  please  Christ  we  must  both  attend  to  the  legitimate  claim  of  natural  kinship,  and 
also  we  must  be  ready  for  the  claim  that  comes  upon  the  human  friend. — Y. 

Ver.  28. — Suffering,  yet  not  ascetic.  Each  of  the  seven  words  from  the  cross,  if  they 
are  to  be  appreciated  at  their  full  value,  must  be  looked  at  in  the  light  of  the  other  six. 
Esjiecially  is  this  the  case  here.  This  word  comes  the  fifth  in  order.  The  first  three 
words  show  Jesus  thinking  of  the  needs  and  sufferings  of  others  rather  than  of  his 
own.  The  fourth  word  shows  him  feeling  mental  suffering  far  more  than  bodily. 
While  Jesus  felt  forsaken  of  the  Father,  the  needs  of  the  body  would  almost  lie 
dormant.  But  when  the  gladdening  sense  of  the  Father's  presence  returned,  then  for 
the  first  time  would  Jesus  feel  fully  conscious  of  physical  pain.  Paiu  of  body  is 
forgotten  in  pain  of  mind.  But,  after  all,  bodily  thirst  is  a  reality,  rising  to  one  of  the 
inteusest,  most  intf)lerable  pains  that  the  physical  frame  can  suffer ;  and  thus,  when 
Jesus  became  lully  free  to  feel  that  he  had  a  body,  he  naturally  gave  expression  to  the 
keen  want.  What  a  curious  correspondence  there  is  with  the  experience  of  Jesus  in 
the  wilderness  at  the  beginning  !  Then  he  hungered  ;  now  he  thirsts.  There  he  was 
in  solitude,  and  needed  to  say  nothing ;  now  there  are  people  round  him,  able  to  allay 
his  thirst,  if  they  are  so  disiwsed. 

I.  The  FEELING  ITSELF.  To  know  that  Jesus  thirsted  in  this  way  is  to  know  that 
he  must  have  sutTered  a  great  deal  of  physical  pain.  The  pain  is  suggested  rather  than 
described,  which  is  a  great  deal  better;  for  who  w^ants  minute  descriptions  of  physical 
paiu?    And  yet  there  must  be  some  particular  hint  to  produce  on  our  minds  a  most 


460  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN,      [ch.  xix.  1—42. 

distinct  impression  as  to  the  reality  and  intensity  of  the  suffering  through  which  Jesus 
passed.  Jesus,  while  a  calm  Sufferer,  must  be  also  a  great  Sufferer,  otherwise  it  cannot 
be  fully  true  that  "he  tasted  death  for  every  man."  Painless  death — euthanasia,  an  easy 
exit  from  the  world — such  is  the  portion  of  some ;  they  seem  to  dissolve  out  of  natural 
existence  with  hardly  an  ache.  But  what  a  scene  of  suffering  other  deaths  present ! 
what  groanings !  what  clenched  hands !  what  unendurable  misery  revealed  in  the  face  ! 
And  because  of  this,  Jesus  also  had  to  know  the  greatest  intensity  of  physical  pain. 
His  comforts  in  pain  are  the  comforts  of  one  who  has  been  through  pain.  The  very 
fact  that  he  suffered  so  much  physically  shows  that  physical  suffering  is  far  from  the 
worst  of  evils.  It  is  a  thing  to  be  escaped,  if  possible,  and  relieved  as  much  as  possible  ; 
but  there  are  things  far  worse.  A  suffering  Jesus  with  no  feeling  of  forgiveness  for 
those  who  had  so  treated  him,  with  no  sympathy  for  his  fellow-sufferer,  with  no 
solicitude  for  his  mother  about  to  be  bereft,  absorbed  in  his  own  suffering, — a  Jesus 
such  as  that  would  have  suggested  experiences  more  deplorable  than  any  physical  pain, 
II.  The  utterance  of  the  feeling.  The  thirst  might  have  been  felt,  yet  the 
feeling  not  expressed.  Why,  then,  was  it  expressed?  The  mere  fulfilment  of  a 
prophecy  does  not  explain,  for  then  the  prophecy  itself  has  to  be  explained.  Surely 
the  great  lesson  of  the  utterance  is  that,  when  suffering  has  done  its  work,  it  may  cease. 
In  suffering  merely  as  suffering  there  is  no  merit.  The  merit  of  suffering  is  measured 
bj'  the  remedial  and  purifying  agencies  it  brings  into  play.  Jesus  was  no  ascetic,  even 
on  the  cross.  He  never  went  an  inch  out  of  his  way  to  seek  privation  and  pain.  What 
came  in  the  way  of  duty  he  faced  and  accepted ;  but  to  the  notion  that  God  can  be 
pleased  with  suffering  as  suffering,  with  austerity  as  austerity,  he  never  lent  the 
slightest  sanction.  And  so,  when  the  mental  pain  was  over,  he  took  the  first  oppor- 
tunity to  relieve  the  physical  pain.  But  we  must  not  stop  with  the  mere  literal 
interpretation  of  the  cry.  It  was  not  enough  for  Jesus  to  escape  from  suffering.  Bodily 
thirst  was  soon  allayed,  but  there  remained  a  thirst  of  the  heart  to  be  satisfied.  We 
have  to  think  of  the  aims,  desires,  and  achievements  that  lay  beyond  all  this  suffering. 
There  is  the  intense  desire  in  the  heart  of  Jesus  to  win  the  world  to  himself.  The 
longings  of  prophets  and  apostles  for  a  better  world  are  but  faint  types  of  the  longing 
that  abides  in  the  heart  of  the  Saviour.  He  knew  from  experience  the  delight  of  a 
draught  of  cold  spring  water  in  a  dry  and  thirsty  land.  Pleasant  to  him  such  a  draught 
must  often  have  been.  But  pleasanter  far  is  it,  because  refreshment  to  his  loving  heart, 
when  each  latest  one  among  the  children  of  men  comes  to  him  in  fulness  of  trust  and 
obedience. — Y. 

Ver.  30. — The  finished  work.  From  the  nature  of  the  case  this  could  not  be  more 
than  a  mere  ejaculation ;  but  the  meaning  is  plain  enough  to  those  who  will  put  their 
minds  into  a  state  to  perceive  it.  Suppose  you  have  a  friend  who  is  building  a  house. 
You  had  been  present  when  the  foundation  was  laid,  and  from  time  to  time  you  had 
watched  the  progress  of  the  building.  At  last  your  friend  breaks  in  on  you  some 
morning  with  the  cry,  "  It  is  finished !  "  You  would  know  at  once  what  he  meant — that 
the  house  was  finished.  And  your  friend  would  presume  on  your  part  a  real  and  lively 
interest  in  hearing  the  news.  So  too  we  must  know  a  good  deal  of  what  Jesus  said 
and  did  during  life,  or  we  shall  fail  in  understanding  what  he  said  and  did  in  the  hour 
of  death.  He  who  said,  "  It  is  finished  !  "  must  also  have  had  seasons  in  which  he  could 
Bay,  "  It  is  begun,"  "  It  is  going  on." 

I.  We  must  illustrate  how  Jesus  looked  fobwabd  to  a  time  for  uttering  this 
WORD.  Recollect  what  he  said  to  the  disciples  by  the  well :  "  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will 
of  him  that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  his  work."  ReCoUect  also  his  word  to  the  Jews  after 
he  had  healed  the  impotent  man  on  the  sabbath  day.  He  speaks  there  concerning  the 
works  which  the  Father  had  given  him  to  finish.  Here  are  specimens  of  the  peculiar 
and  testifying  works  of  Jesus.  Here  are  declarations  by  Jesus  himself  of  the  uniting 
and  definite  purpose  with  which  his  life  was  bound  up.  What  he  talked  of  now  and 
then  he  must  have  thought  of  continually.  To  the  superficial  eye,  indeed,  the  life  of 
Jesus  did  not  look  as  if  it  had  any  definite  purpose.  How  would  he  have  been  put 
down  in  the  "  occupation  "  columu  in  a  census  record?  Yet  the  life  of  Jesus  was  full 
of  purpose — purpose  never  absent,  never  forgotten.  The  parable  of  the  man  who  weuv 
away  from  home,  leaving  his  money  as  a  trust  in  the  hands  of  his  servants,  is  surely 


CH.  XX.  1—31.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


461 


a  parable  out  of  the  very  depths  of  the  Saviour's  own  experience.  To  him  there  was 
given  a  stewardship  of  inestimable  value.  How  the  servant  with  the  five  talents  would 
look  forward  to  the  surrender  and  accomplishment  of  his  trust !  And  just  in  this  spirit 
Jesus  must  have  looked  forward  to  the  hour  when  he  should  be  able  to  say,  "  It  is 
finished ! " 

II.   Thus   IN   THE    IN'CARXATE    LIFE   OF    JeSUS   WE    HAVE    SOMETITINO    COMPLETE    FOR 

US  TO  PROFIT  BY.  Something  Complete  !  The  life  of  Jesus  was  complete,  just  as  the 
life  of  a  seed  becomes  complete  when  it  has  gone  through  all  the  cycle  of  its  changes — 
germination,  budding,  blossoming,  formation  of  fruit,  ripening  of  fruit.  Tlie  very  life 
of  Jesus  was  a  finished  work.  It  was  like  a  book  on  the  last  page  of  which  "  Finis  " 
could  be  truly  written.  Here  is  the  book  of  a  really  complete  human  life.  What  a 
difi"erence  between  Jesus  and  many  authors  and  makers  of  finished  things !  Many 
complete  things,  things  that  the  world  is  agreed  in  calling  complete  and  precious  in 
their  own  order,  were  achieved  by  very  incomplete  men.  Read  the  words  of  Gibbon 
the  historian,  in  which  he  records  his  emotions  on  completing  his  monumental  work. 
He  has  succeeded,  and  yet  in  the  bottom  of  his  heart  he  has  somehow  failed.  Thousands 
are  finishing  many  things,  but  never  touching  the  one  thing  needful.  We,  from  our 
life's  incompleteness,  should  look  on  the  completeness  of  the  life  of  Jesus,  and,  while 
we  look,  rise  into  that  hope  and  confidence  which  his  manifested  completeness  is  meant 
to  give.  Here  is  One  who  lived  out  the  life  of  humanity  according  to  the  ideal  of  him 
who  made  humanity.  He  never  needed  to  pray, "  Forgive  me  my  debts;  "  for  he  never 
owed  a  debt  he  did  not  pay,  never  closed  a  day  of  life  whicli  was  not  as  full  of  service 
as  of  opportunities  of  service.  And  he  finished  that  we  might  begin  and  also  finish 
something  which,  but  for  the  finishing  of  his  own  work,  we  never  should  have  had  the 
disposition  to  touch. — Y. 


EXPOSITION. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Vers.  1 — 31. — 2.  The  complete  glorifica- 
tion of  Jesus  in  his  resurrection.  The  record 
pauses  for  the  awful  day  of  that  great  sab- 
bath, and  resumes  the  marvellous  recital 
when  the  greatest  event  in  the  history  of 
the  world  is  assumed  and  asserted  to  have 
taken  place.  Heathen  and  foes  admit  the 
fact  of  the  death  of  Jesus ;  the  evidence  is 
overwhelming,  multiform,  sufficient  to  es- 
tablish itself  to  the  ordinary  reason  of  man- 
kind.  It  is  a  matter  of  indubitable  history. 
The  proof  was  given  to  all  the  world ;  but 
it  is  otherwise  with  the  fact  of  the  anastasis 
of  Jesxis.  That  stupendous  event  was  re- 
vealed to  the  eye  and  mind  of  faith  by  a 
series  of  communications,  which  afford  to 
different  classes,  groups,  kinds,  and  states  of 
mind  specimens  of  the  manner  and  quality 
of  the  resurrection-life.  "  Many  infallible 
proofs  "  wrought  (as  St.  Luke  says,  Acts 
i.)  irresistible  conviction  as  to  the  reality  of 
the  Resurrection.  The  Church  of  Christ 
was  originated  by  a  faith  in  this  new  and 
transcendental  mode  of  existence.  A  gcne- 
ratioQ  of  men  passed,  scores  of  communities 


were  called  into  being  throughout  Palestine, 
Phoenicia,  Syria,  Lybia,  Asia  Jlinor,  Achaia, 
Macedonia,  Cyprus,  Crete,  and  even  in  Italy 
and  the  capital  of  the  Roman  empire,  all  of 
them  held  together  by  the  life-giving  con- 
viction of  the  reality  of  a  world  of  spiritual 
body,  into  which  the  redeemed  enter.  Of 
this  reality  the  resurrection-life  of  Christ 
was  the  type,  the  proof,  the  firstfruit,  and 
the  earnest.  This  most  astounding  fact  was 
preached  in  Galatia  and  Maceilouia,  in 
Corinth  and  Rome,  in  Babylon  and  Alex- 
andria, before  one  word  of  the  Gospels  had 
been  put  on  parchment.  When  the  preach- 
ing of  the  apostles  was  reduced  to  written 
form,  it  was  not  with  the  idea  of  recording  a 
fully  detailed  or  easily  harmonizable  account 
of  the  Easter  Day,  or  of  providing  rationul, 
or  juridical,  or  historic  evidence  of  the  method 
or  order  of  the  great  events,  but  rather  to 
provide  five  independent  series  of  evidences 
to  the  revelations  which  the  apostles  and 
apostolic  company  received  of  the  nature 
and  quality  of  the  new  life  for  humanity 
which  had  now  begun.  Several  detjiils  of 
profound  interest  occur  in  the  synoptic  nar- 
rative, concerning  which  John  is  silent — 
such  e.g.  as  the   rolling  of    a  stone  to  the 


462 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xx.  1—31. 


door  of  the  sepulchre,  the  sealing  of  the 
atone  by  the  Roman  guard,  the  resurrection- 
appearances  of  the  saints,  the  special  pre- 
paration made  by  the  women  for  further 
embalmment  on  the  following  day,  the  great 
earthquake,  the  two  companies  of  women 
that  resorted  to  the  sepulchre  at  successive 
intervals  of  time,  and  the  different  signs 
and  even  appearances  by  which  their  timor- 
ous hope  was  quickened  into  an  adoring 
homage  and  world-compelling  faith.  Though 
John  does  not  recite  these  well-known 
narratives,  he  presupposes  some  of  them. 
Thus  (1)  although,  unlike  the  synoptists, 
he  says  nothing  of  the  stone  that  was  rolled 
to  the  door  of  the  sepulchre,  yet  (ver.  1) 
he  refers  to  the  fact  that  (rhv  xWov)  the 
stone  was  taken  up  or  away.  (2)  Although 
he  says  nothing  of  the  two  groups  of  women, 
yet  he  implies  that  Mary  Magdalene  was 
not  alone  at  the  sepulchre  (ouk  olfSa/uei') : 
"  We  know  not  where  they  have  laid  him." 
With  far  greater  particularity  than  St.  Luke 
(xxiv.  12),  he  describes  Peter's  visit  to  the 
sepulchre,  and  gives  further  details  of  facts 
which  occurred  at  more  than  one  interview 
between  our  Lord  and  his  apostles,  of  which 
Luke  and  Mark  had  given  a  more  shadowy 
outline  (cf.  here  vers.  19 — 25  with  Luke 
xxiv.  36,  etc. ;  Mark  xvi.  14).  But  we  are 
not  intending  here  to  produce  a  history  or 
harmony  of  these  records,  but  to  follow 
throughout  the  impressions  produced  by  the 
Lord's  self-manifestation  upon  the  mind  of 
the  beloved  disciple;  not  passing  over  the 
difiSculties  which  his  peculiar  experiences 
have  occasioned,  when  brought  side  by  side 
with  the  synoptic  and  Pauline  narratives. 
John  first  of  all  (vers.  1 — 10)  describes  how 
he  came  to  believe  personally  in  the  resur- 
rection of  Jesus  ;  then  (vers.  11 — 18)  the  way 
in  which  the  first  manifestation  was  made 
to  Mary  of  Magdala  (vers.  19 — 23) ;  how  ten 
of  the  apostles,  including  himself,  received 
a  full  and  satisfying  assurance  of  the  stu- 
pendous fact  (vers.  24 — 29)  ;  how  once  more, 
after  an  interval  of  eight  days,  not  only 
Thomas,  the  most  anxious,  doubting,  and 
incredulous  of  the  eleven,  but  the  entire 
group,  came  into  full  persuasion,  not  only  of 
Chr'st's  resurrection,  but  of  his  Divinenature 
and  claims,  his  Messiahship  and  Sonship, 
and  of  their  own  personal  possession  of  li/e 
in  him  and  through  him. 


Vers.  1 — 10. — (1)  The  process  of  John's 
own  personal  conviction,  by  the  discovery  that 
the  sepulchre  was  deserted. 

Ver.  1. — Now  on  the  first  day  of  the  week 
(tuv  ffaPfiaToof ;  craB^&Ta,  in  the  plural,  is 
used  for  the  whole  of  the  week,  sahbaton  in- 
cluding in  itself  the  various  days  that  inter- 
vened between  sabbath  and  sabbath,  the  first, 
second,  third,  etc.  Mio  here  and  in  Luke 
xxiv.  1  and  Matt,  xxviii.  1  corresponds 
with  the  ^pwrri  of  Mark  xvi.  9).  All  tlie 
evangelists  agree  about  the  day  of  the  week, 
which  thenceforward  became  the  new  be- 
ginning of  weeks,  "the  Lord's  day."  Cometh 
Mary '  the  Magdalene.  Here  all  the  evan- 
gelists are  at  one,  although,  judging  from 
the  synoptists,  she  must  have  been  accom- 
panied by  other  women.  This  is  implied 
in  the  otSafitv  of  ver.  2,  though  Meyer  re- 
pudiates such  a  hint  by  the  remark  that,  in 
addressing  the  angels,  she  uses  the  singular, 
oXSa;  but  this  difference  rather  confirms, 
than  otherwise,  the  significance  of  the 
plural,  when  she  first  breaks  on  the  ear  of 
the  astonished  disciples  the  wondrous  news. 
But  when  she  is  confronted  by  the  angels 
she  is  manifestly  alone,  and  speaks  for  her- 
self. It  is  probable  that  Mary  Magdalene 
had  preceded  the  other  women,  driven  by  the 
intensity  of  her  adoring  love  and  abounding 
grief,  and  hence  some  slight  divergency 
appears  as  to  the  time  at  which  she  started 
on  her  pilgrimage.  While  it  was  yet  dark, 
early,  in  the  depth  of  the  dawn  (Luke  xxiv. 
1) ;  before  the  breaking  of  full  day,  and 
\iav  TTpuit,  "  exceeding  early  "  of  Mark,  al- 
though, as  he  adds,  after  sunrise  {avaTtiXav- 
Tos  Toi)  T)\iov).  This  latter  expression  is 
difficult  to  reconcile  as  a  statement  of  iden- 
tical time.  But  many  simple  suppositions 
would  explain  the  discrepancy.  The  Mag- 
dalene's home  may  have  been  at  a  greater 
distance  from  the  sepulchre,  down  in  the 
shadows  of  the  eastern  hills,  while  the  home 
of  the  other  Marys  may  have  been  readily 
accessible  to  the  sepulchre.  After  the  great 
earthquake  described  by  Matthew  (xxviii. 
2),  and  the  supernatural  darkness  of  the 
day  but  one  before,  there  is  no  incom- 
patibility in  the  twofold  statement  that  it 
was  yet  dark  (not  night),  although  the  sun 
had  risen.  A  deep  pall  may  yet  be  hang- 
ing over  the  world  and  place  which  had  held 
in  its  bosom  the  body  of  the  murdered  Loi  d 
of  glory.  (Site)  cometh  to  the  sepulchre,  ob- 
viously with  the  purpose  stated  by  all  the 
synoptics.  She  was  bringing  the  spices 
which  she,  with  others,  had  bought  on  the 
Friday  evening.  They  would  not  be  behind 
Nicodemus  and  Joseph  in  the   expression 

>  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.).  Bale  Revisers, 
with  N,  A,  L,  1,  33,  spell  Mary's  name 
Mapid/j 


CH.  XX.  1-31.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


463 


of  their  boundless  love.  The  critics  make 
merry  over  the  supcrfluousness  of  these 
women  purchasing  fresh  spices  when  they 
must  have  known  the  lavish  expenditure  of 
tlio  two  rich  men  upon  the  same  design. 
But  the  combination  of  the  two  statements 
is  aV)solutely  true  to  nature ;  it  is  exactly 
what  women  would  do  all  tl>e  world  over, 
and  an  evidence  of  the  authenticity  of  both 
narratives.  And  seeth  the  stone  taken  away 
out  of  the  sepulchre.  This  is  all  the  infor- 
mation that  St.  John  gives  us,  as  antecedent 
to  Mary's  flight  to  Simon  Peter  and  himself. 
We  have  to  decide  between  three  hypo- 
theses: either  (a)  John's  narrative  entirely 
diSers  from  the  synoptic  account  of  what 
Mary  saw  and  heard,  and  what  she  brought 
as  her  contribution  to  the  apostles'  ears,  and 
therefore  discredits  one  or  the  other  or  both 
narratives ;  or  (6)  Mary  of  Magdala,  having 
preceded  the  other  women,  found  the  empty 
sepulchre,  and,  without  waiting  for  them, 
rushed  to  the  home  of  Peter  and  John  with 
this  preliminary  intelligence  and  nothing 
else,  then,  returning  with  them  to  the  tomb, 
joined  the  other  women  who  had  arrived 
after  John  and  Peter  had  withdrawn;  or 
(c)  that  (Hengstenberg)  Mary  said  more 
than  she  is  reiwrted  by  John  to  have  ut- 
tered,— that  she  told  them  not  merely  that 
they  (the  Jews)  had  taken  away  the  body, 
but  that  she  had  seen  a  vision  of  angels, 
who  affirmed  that  the  Lord  had  risen,  and 
gave  certain  commissions.  From  Luke's 
account  of  the  first  effect  of  the  news  from 
the  tomb,  the  apostles  thought  them  idle 
tales,  but  they  went  to  the  sepulchre,  and 
found  it  even  as  the  women  had  said,  but 
him  they  saw  not.  What  were  the  "  idle 
tales  "  ?  Not  that  the  tomb  was  empty,  for 
that  was  a  simple  matter  of  fact,  which 
the  two  chief  apostles  verified,  but  the  story 
of  angels  who  affirmed  tliat  Jesus  was 
alive.  Still,  such  a  report  is  very  likely  to 
have  roused  the  apostles  to  the  eagerness  of 
their  first  visit  to  the  tomb,  and  the  effect 
of  it  to  reappear  in  the  conversation  of 
the  disciples  on  their  way  to  Emmaus.  If 
the  third  of  these  hypotheses  be  followed, 
then  tiie  narrative  of  John  simply  records 
with  brevity  what  the  other  evangelists  had 
reported  at  greater  length,  distinctly  omit- 
ting the  story  of  the  angelic  visitors,  given 
in  all  three  synoptists.  Tliis  seems  to  mo 
the  fairest  and  best  interpretation  of  the 
four  narratives.  On  this  hypothesis  the 
account  which  Slary  Magdalene  brought  to 
Peter  and  John  corresponds  with  Matthew 
(xxviii.  6 — 8),  where  the  women  generally 
ran  with  the  news,  blending  fear  with  great 
joy,  excited  beyond  all  parallel  with  the 
strange  wonderful  assurance  which  they  had 
received,  that  they  should  meet  tlieir  risen 
Lord  in  Galilee.     According  to  Mark  (xvi. 


1 — 8),  we  hear  of  angels,  the  sight  of  the 
vacated  tomb,  and  the  angelic  message  to  the 
apostles,  specifying  Peter  as  one  especially 
singled  out  to  hear  the  commission.  Trem- 
bling, ecstasy,  fear,  shut  their  mouths  as 
they  hurried  to  the  abode  of  the  eleven ; 
they  spake  nothing  to  any  man,  but  the  in- 
telligence was  convoyed  "  to  the  eleven  and 
all  the  rest "  (Luke  xxiv.  9).  St.  Luke  after- 
wards sums  nj)  in  one  statement  all  the 
various  messages  that  were  brought,  and 
mentions  by  name,  not  only  the  Magdalene, 
but  Joanna,  Mary  the  mptiier  of  James,  and 
says,  "  tho  remaining  ones  with  them  "  {al 
\oinai  ahv  avTa7s).  The  cftect  was  so  far  fruit- 
less ;  the  apostles  did  not  believe  tlie  words 
(Luke  xxiv.  10).  The  fact  btands  in  the 
synoptics  that  the  first  communication  which 
was  carried  by  women  to  the  apostles,  and 
was  not  confined  to  them,  consisted  not  only 
of  tho  fact  of  the  empty  tomb,  but  of  the 
language  of  angels.  The  first  thing  might 
easily  have  been  set  to  rest  by  direct  in- 
spection :  the  other  part  of  the  narrative 
might  easily  be  disregarded  as  the  voice  of 
wild  enthusiasm  and  excited  imagination. 
It  should  be  distinctly  perceived  that  the 
women  must  have  scattered  in  diffusing 
their  intelligence,  and  John  positively 
asserts  that  the  main  strain  of  Mary's  report 
was  as  to  the  opening  of  the  tomb  and  dis- 
appearance of  the  body,  and  that  it  was 
delivered  personally  to  himself  and  Peter. 
This  solution  of  the  first  difficulty  was 
thrown  into  confusion  by  the  T.K.  form  of 
Matthew's  account,  which  says  (xxviii.  9), 
"  As  they  went  to  bring  his  disciples  word, 
behold  Jesus  met  them."  If  that  were  the 
true  text  of  Matthew,  it  is  in  irreconcilable 
antagonism  with  John's  Gospel,  i.e.  if  Mary 
Magdalene  must  be  regarded  as  one  of  the 
party  who  were  advised  to  tell  the  apostles 
that  the  tomb  was  opened  and  rifleil,  and 
that  the  Lord  was  risen.  It  would  also  be 
opposed  to  the  statements  of  both  Luke 
and  Mark  concerning  the  first  message  they 
brought  to  the  apostles  and  to  the  rest,  as 
well  as  the  manner  of  their  depnrture  from 
the  sepulchre.  If,  however,  jMatthew  is 
here  referring  to  a  second  party  (called  by 
harmonists  the  Joanna  group),  then  they 
must,  in  their  passage  to  the  apostles,  have 
missed  Peter  and  John  on  their  way  to 
and  from  the  sepulchre,  and  it  would  con- 
tradict the  assertion  of  all  four  evangelists, 
that  Manj  Magdalene  was  tlio  fint  to  see 
the  Lord.  This  most  difficult  clause  in 
Matthew's  account  has,  however,  been  re- 
jected by  modern  critics,'  and  consequently 

»  By  Griesbach,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.), 
Tregelles,  Westcott  and  Hort,  R.T.,  on  the 
authority  of  N,  A,  B,  D,  33,  C9, 435,  numerous 
versions,  and  special  quotations  from  Origen 


46i 


THE  GOSl'EL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xx.  1—31. 


the  narrative  of  Matthew  i8  delivered  from 
its  greatest  perplexity.  The  fact  that  Jesus 
met  them  must  be  identical  with  the  ap- 
pearance described  with  far  greater  detail 
in  John's  own  statement  (vers.  11 — 18). 
Matthew's  Gospel  throughout  is  singularly 
devoid  of  notices  of  time,  and  we  find 
grouped  here,  as  elsewhere,  events  or  teach- 
ings without  chronological  perspective. 

Ver.  2. — Then  she  runneth  in  advance  of 
the  other  women,  who  are  each  intent  on 
communicating  what  she  had  seen  and 
heard,  and  cometh  to  Simon  Peter — why 
not,  if,  as  Mark  says,  Peter  had  been  spe- 
cially mentioned  by  the  angel  ? — and  to  the 
other  disciple,  whom  Jesus  loved.  The  form 
of  the  expression  suggests  Ihat  they  were 
living  in  different  houses.  [There  were  two 
disciples  on  whom  Jesus  poured  out  the 
abundance  of  his  love.  The  word  here  used 
is  not  Ttyina,  that  which  is  used  in  ch.  xiii. 
23  and  xxi.  7 — 20,  and  which  denotes 
the  love  of  high  regard,  but  tcplxet,  the 
love  of  personal  affection,  the  kind  of  love 
showered  on  Lazarus  and  his  sisters  (ch. 
xi.  5).  So  far,  then,  from  John  especially 
exalting  himself  at  the  expense  of  Peter, 
he  gives  to  Peter  the  first  place  in  the  affec- 
tion of  his  Master.]  And  she  saith  to  them, 
They  have  taken  away  the  Lord — even  the 
corpse  of  Jesus  was  the  Lord  to  this  urgent 
and  impassioned  disciple — out  of  the  se- 
pulchre, and  we  know  not  where  they — 
Joseph  and  Nicodemus,  or  the  chief  priests, 
or  Roman  soldiers,  or  Jews — have  laid  him. 
We  know  not  what  other  burying-place 
"  they  "  have  chosen !  The  anti-harmonistic 
commentators,  with  ponderous  literalism, 
insist  that  Mary  could  have  said  nothing 
more.  A  gushing  woman  like  Mary  of 
Magdala  uttered  one  sentence,  and  that  was 
all!  It  is,  however,  entirely  evident  that 
she  must  have  said  enough  to  excite  great 
wonderment,  haste,  and  activity  in  the 
breasts  of  these  two  disciples  (see  above  on 
the  three  hypotheses). 

Vers.  3,  4. — Peter  therefore  went  forth 
(elijA.eej',  aorist).  This  is  a  fact  affirmed  also 
by  Luke  (xxiv.  12),  "  But  Peter  arose  and  ran 
to  the  sepulchre."  John  adds,  and  the  other 
disciple  joined  Peter,  filled  with  a  common 
amazement,  and  (ijpxovro,  imperfect)  they 
went  on  their  way  toward  the  sepulchre. 
Now  they  were  running  (trpexo",  imperfect) 
both  of  them  together :  and  the  other  disciple 
did  outrun — or,  literally,  ran  in  advance, 
more  quickly  than — Peter,  and  came  first  to 
the  sepulchre.  The  opponents  of  this  Gospel 
supply  numerous  suggestions,  with  the  view 
of  obliterating  this  natural  and  lifelike 
touch.     (Els  is  used  instead  of  the  irphs  of 

and  Cyprian,  who  commenced  the  verse  with 
Kol  XSov. 


vor.  2  or  the  iir\  of  Luke  xxiv.  1 ;  but  it  is 
clear  from  the  form  of  the  following  sen- 
tence, that  ^\6(v  tls  is  different  in  mean- 
ing from  flarjxdtv  eh,  and  does  not  mean 
"right  into,"  but  "  towards.")  John,  as  the 
younger  roan,  would  soon  outstrip  the  elderly 
disciple;  and  he  simply  records  what  in  one 
sense  is  an  insignificant  detail,  but  one  that 
could  never  be  forgotten  by  him.  There  is 
no  disposition  to  magnify  himself,  as  Peter's 
part  is  obviously  the  more  conspicuous.  John 
runs  more  rapidly  from  his  youth,  the  fervour 
of  his  nature,  and  the  warmth  of  his  affec- 
tion ;  the  reflection  that  he  might  have 
directly  to  convey  the  strange  news  to  the 
mother  of  his  Lord  assisted  to  hurry  him. 

Ver.  5. — And  having  stooped  down.  ITapo- 
KvwTw  is  the  verb  used  in  Luke  xxiv.  12  to 
describe  Peter's  conduct  and  gesture.  It 
was  a  necessary  preliminary  of  the  subse- 
quent act  of  Peter,  though  Luke  does  not 
refer  to  it.  Peter  himself  uses  the  same 
word  (1  Pet.  i.  12).  It  means  literally 
"  bending  on  one  side,"  with  a  desire  to 
gaze  intently  on  an  object  (Ecclus.  xiv.  23 ; 
xxi.  23  ;  Jas.  i.  25).  He  seeth  the  linen 
clothes  lying  (see  ch.  xix.  40),  untenanted 
and  unused,  those  very  cerecloths  which 
he  had  helped  to  wind  round  the  sacred, 
wounded  body,  with  their  affluence  of  sweet 
spices.  Yet  entered  he  not  within.  Awe, 
reverence,  mystery,  fear,  nascent  hope,  the 
thought  most  possibly,  "  Not  here,  but 
risen,"  began  to  dawn  faintly  on  his  mind. 
There  was  ringing  in  his  ears,"  Your  sorrow 
shall  be  turned  into  joy."  The  touch  of  the 
eye-witness,  and  the  personal  part  of  one 
who  is  describing  his  own  activity.  Wett- 
stein,  on  ov  ixevroi  el(Tri\9ev,  adds,  "  ne  pol- 
lueretur,"  and  quotes  numerous  Talmudical 
authorities  to  show  how  the  corpse  and  the 
grave  and  gravestone  would  pollute  the 
living  (cf.  Numb.  xix.  16).  If  so,  then 
Peter,  before  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
there  was  no  death  in  the  sepulchre,  broke  a 
ritual  law  which  John  respected.  There 
seems  also  rabbinical  authority  for  the  fact 
that  disciples  might  carry  "the  just"  to 
their  grave  without  such  fear  of  pollution. 
But  at  this  moment  they  were  both  lifted 
above  the  region  of  ritual  altogether. 

Vers.  6,  7. — John  stood  gazing,  waiting, 
wondering,  and,  while  doing  this,  then 
cometh  Simon  Peter  following  him  across 
the  very  garden  which  must  have  borne 
many  marks  of  the  dreadful  tragedy  that 
had  been  hurriedly  terminated  before  the 
commencement  of  the  sabbath.  The  ex- 
pression, "  following  him,"  may  refer  to 
what  Luke  (xxiv.  12)  says  that  Peter  did, 
viz.  that  he  too  stooped  down  and  looked  as 
John  had  done.*    Westcott  says,  "  without  a 

'  Westcott  and  Hort  bracket  the  verse. 


CH.  XX.  1—31.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


465 


look  or  pause."  But  why  need  we  suppose 
a  jioint-blauk  contradiction  of  Luke  ?  Such 
a  mode  of  entrance  is  almost  unthinkable. 
But  he  did  more:  And  entered  into  the 
sepulchre.  How  sfrungely  impulsive  this 
man !  how  characteristic  of  every  other  re- 
corded action  of  Peter  I  There  must  l)ave 
becu  a  Peter  who  corresponded  to  tlie  four-  or 
tive-fold  portraiture  of  the  evangelistic  his- 
tory. The  last  time  that  Peter  saw  liis  I-ord 
was  when  a  "look"  of  his  cruelly  insulted 
Friend  and  Master  had  broken  his  own  heart; 
yet  now  he  was  rushing  impulsively  to  gaze 
again  upon  that  face  with,  so  far  as  he  knew, 
all  the  marks  of  infernal  insult  yet  upon  it. 
The  contrast  of  character  between  Jolin  and 
Peter  is  everywhere  maintained.  John,  in 
ch.  xxi.  7,  lirst  recognizes  the  Lord  ;  I'etcr 
hurries  through  the  waters  to  fall  once  more 
at  liis  feet.  John  is  lost  in  silent  medita- 
tions ;  Peter  exclaims,  and  wonders.  And 
he  beholdeth  (fleoipe?,  with  a  closer  and  more 
careful,  vivid,  and  instructive  gaze,  not 
merely  fiXfiret,  the  word  used  by  John  of  his 
own  conduct)  the  linen  cloths  lying,  and  the 
napkin  (sudarium,  schtctis»tHch)  which  was 
{htid  been)  upon  his  head.  He  does  not  say 
whose  head.  How  full  the  writer's  mind 
was  of  Christ!  Not  lying  with  the  linen 
cloths,  but  separately  in  one  place,  rolled  up, 
as  if  it  had  been  folded  up  or  wrapped  to- 
gether (see  for  tiiis  use  of  xc^pt'j.  .3!]sfliylus, 
'  Agam.,'  623 ;  Homer,  '  Iliad,'  77.  470 — this 
is  tlie  only  time  that  x'wp^s  is  thus  adver- 
bially used  in  the  New  Teslameut — and 
see  for  ivrervXiyfifvov,  present  participle, 
Luke  xxiii.  53).  It  was  clear,  then,  that 
the  body  had  not  been  carried  away  for 
another  burial,  nor  had  it  been  hastily 
removed,  seeing  that  there  were  signs 
of  deliberation,  choice,  and  care.  All  that 
was  suggested  by  this  wonderful  appear- 
ance of  the  grave,  all  that  it  means  to  us, 
we  cannot  fathom.  The  new  life  has 
raiment  cf  its  own,  belonging  to  a  higher 
region  of  existence,  woven  in  spiritual 
looms;  yet  the  hands  that  unwound  these 
bandages  and  head-cloth,  and  laid  them  as 
Ptter  and  John  saw  them,  were  capable  of 
physical  exertions  and  activity.  What  dog- 
matic hints  are  involved  in  tiiis  recital! 
He  is  a  living  Person,  not  an  abstract  prin- 
ciple or  vague  force.  There  are  evident 
proofs  that,  however  great  the  change  which 
had  passed  over  him,  the  Living  One  was 
the  same  man  that  he  had  ever  been. 

Ver.  8. — Then,  emboldened  by  the  obser- 
vation of  Peter,  with  a  courage  reviving 
from  his  awe-struck  stupefaction,  entered  in, 

The  authorities  for  it  are  very  numerous, 
but  ditl'er  in  details.  Some  authorities  omit 
Luke  xxiv.  12 :  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  but 
not  R.T. 

JOHN.— II.  • 


therefore,  the  other  disciple  also,  he  who 
oame  first  to  the  sepulchre.  Surely  the 
charge  that  this  writer,  under  the  teachiu"- 
of  second-century  tendencies,  was  systemuti- 
cally  endeavouring  to  lower  tlio  comiuon 
estimate  of  Peter  in  favour  of  John,  breaks 
to  pieces  on  the  self-condemnation  which  is 
here  recorded.  The  writer,  whoever  he  was, 
emphasizes  his  own  smaller  courage,  his 
tardy  recognition  of  the  fact;  but  he  adds. 
And  he  saw,  and  believed.  According  to 
Augustine,  Erasmus, and  Luther,  he  believed 
what  Mary  had  said.  He  saw  now  that  tlie 
tomb  was  empty,  and  believed  her  report, 
whether  it  went  on  to  describe  the  lirat 
angelic  message  or  not ;  but  Liiekc,  Lange, 
Meyer,  and  Moulton,  following  Chrysostom, 
etc.,  rightly  interpret  "  he  believed  "  that 
Jesus  had  not  been  taken  by  others  from 
the  grave.  He  saw  there  were  no  signs  of 
haste  or  confusion,  or  of  a  rilled  tomb.  Ho 
believed  that  he  had  risen,  that  this  death 
of  his  had  been  done  away,  that  he  was 
living,  as  he  said.  This  is  one  of  the  most 
vivid  indications  that  the  writer  assumes 
acqu:iintaneo  with  the  most  inward  expe- 
rience of  that  disciple  whom  Jesus  love.l. 
Luke  says  that  "  Peter  wondered  in  himself 
at  that  which  had  happened."  John  tells 
us  that,  from  that  moment,  the  whole  thing 
Hashed  upon  himself.  There  was  something 
for  him  to  see  which  shed  a  burning  light 
upon  Holy  Scripture,  upon  the  j)romises  and 
acts  of  Jesus;  and  he  "believed"  in  tho 
triumph  which  had  been  achieved.  Godet 
thinks  more— he  believed  in  the  Messiah- 
ship  and  Sonship  in  a  sense  which  had  not 
dawned  upon  him  before.  The  apostle 
seems  to  link  himself  with  those  who  had 
the  smaller  and  less  i)erfect  benedict  ion 
subsequently  pronounced  upon  Thomas. 

Ver.  9. — JFor  not  as  yet  did  they  know 
(jjSeto-ai'  has  an  impe'rt\ct,  not  plupcrloct 
tense)  the  Scripture,  which,  if  rightly  inter- 
preted, ought  to  have  made  them  ti  iumphaut 
in  the  hour  of  the  Lord's  deepest  humilia- 
tion, and  ought  to  have  convinced  them  that 
the  ideal  Sufferer  of  Ps.  xxii.  would  prove  to 
be  Lord  of  all ;  and  that  the  Lamb  of  God  of 
Isa.  liii.  must  see  his  seed,  and  prolong  his 
days ;  that  God's  "  Holy  One  "  of  Ps.  xvi. 
could  not  see  corruption ;  that  the  Messiah 
of  a  hundred  prophetic  hopes  must  conquer 
all  his  foes.  The  words  of  Jesus  himself,  in 
the  memory  of  John  and  that  of  the  synop- 
tists,  had  been  dark  and  confused,  and  they 
had  not  put  all  together  into  one  glorious 
conviction  that  he  must  (5*7,  by  a  Divine 
necessity)  rise  from  among  the  dead;  nor 
had  they  grasped  the  fact  that  it  was  not 
possible  that  ho  should  be  holdcu  in  the 
travail-pangs  of  death.  The  signs  which 
John  saw  now  brought  all  his  hf>pes  together. 

Ver.  10. — The  disciples  then  again  departed 
2  u 


466 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCOUDTNG  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xx.  1—31. 


to  their  own  homes.  Uphs  avrovs^  corre- 
spoids  witli  Luke  xxiv.  12,  to  tlie  irphs  eauTdf 
to  whicli  reterreturned.  Here,  again,  there 
is  a  vivid  touch  of  individuality.'  John's 
own  liome  contained  the  mother  of  the  Lord. 
Around  Peter  were  gathered  the  other 
apostles,  and  tliey  were  shortly  to  be  joined 
by  John  himself.  To  them  the  more  detailed 
report  of  the  language  of  the  angel  would 
be  repeated  a  hundred  times.  The  "other 
Mary,"  Salome,  Joanna,  all  press  the 
wondrous  assurance  upon  the  eleven,  as  they 
mourned  and  wept,  and  for  the  most  part 
were  either  bewildered  or  unbelieving.  The 
two  disciples  start  for  Emmaus,  and  all  that 
these  knew  as  yet  was  that  "  certain  women 
affirmed  the  tomb  to  be  empty,  that  they 
had  seen  a  vision  of  angels,  which  declared 
him  to  be  alive,"  and  "that  certain  of  our 
company  had  visited  the  tepulchre,  and 
found  it  even  as  the  women  had  said,  but 
him  they  saw  not "  (Luke  xxiv.  22 — 24). 

Vers.  11 — 18. — (2)  The  revelation  made  to 
adoring  love,  answerinfj  to  the  first  portion  of 
the  high-prieatly  prayer. 

Vers.  1 1, 12.— But  Mary,  who  had  followed 
Peter  and  John  to  the  grave,  and  witnessed 
their  amazement,  and  the  gleam  of  hope  in 
the  face  of  John,  was  standing  at  the  se- 
pulchre without — not  within  it — weeping. 
She  had  not  overcome  her  fears.  She  had  not 
grasped  the  idea  of  resun-ection  or  life.  One 
crushing  overmastering  grief  was  still  weigh- 
ing heavily  upon  her,  obscuring  her  vision, 
and  breaking  her  heart.  While  she  was 
continuously  weeping,  she,  as  Peter  and  John 
bad  done  before  her,  stooped  down  (see  ver. 
5,  note)  to  look  into  the  sepulchre,  and  be- 
holdeth  two  angels  in  white  (Xeu/coTs)  or 
glittering  garments — the  adjective  so  often 
used  for  the  precious  heavenly  things,  for 
the  garments  of  the  glorified  (Rev.  iii.  4,  5, 
IS ;  Acts  i.  10 ;  Rev.  vii.  9, 13,  etc.) — sitting, 
the  one  at  the  head,  and  the  (other)  one  at 
the  feet,  where  the  body  of  Jesus  had  lain. 
Here  rationnlism  has  come  with  various  ex- 
planations. Some  have  said  two  white-robed 
Essenes  like  those  who  are  also  supposed  to 
have  appeared  to  our  Lord  on  the  Mount  of 
Transfiguration,  his  secret  friends,  who  had 
jeally  spirited  tlie  body  of  Jesus  away,  lin- 
gered ytt  in  the  tomb,  and  duped  Mary  by 
a  lying  story.  Scorning  this  hypothesis, 
legendarists   have   said — Here  we  see   the 

'  Alford,  T.R.,  and  R.T.  give  kavrois; 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Tregelles,  and  Bale 
Revisers  read  avTovs;  Westcott  and  Hort, 
avrovs. 

'  This  usage  of  nphs  occurs  in  Josephus 
f*  Ant.,'  viii.  4.  6),  in  the  classics  (Plat., 
'  Phc-ed.,'  iv.  21 ;  Polybius,  v.  93) ;  but  these 
are  the  only  places  where  it  occurs  in  the 
New  Testament. 


subjective  creation  of  the  terrified  and  weep- 
ing women,  who  took  white  clothes  for  men 
or  angels,  and  whose  fancies  were  readily 
believed ;  while  mythical  hypotheses  have 
suggested  that  a  glamour  of  love,  many 
years  after  the  event,  created  a  pathetic  and 
beautiful  fiction  of  what  may  have  happened 
on  that  memorable  dawn.  Every  one  of 
these  interpretations  vanishes  before  the 
authenticity  of  John's  Gospel.  The  discijile 
whom  Jesus  loved,  the  author  of  the 
Apocalypse,  was  personally  acquainted  with 
Mary  of  Magdala,  and  had  much  communion 
with  her,  and  could  heartily  believe  her 
story.  If  there  be  no  spiritual  world,  no 
kind  nor  modes  of  existence  beyond  what  we 
call  the  seen  and  temporal,  and  no  thought 
higher  than  man's  thought;  if  every  testi- 
mony to  this  spiritual  world  right  through 
the  ages  is  a  delusion,  and  can  be  explained 
away ;  if  it  be  an  irrational  or  impossible 
supposition ; — why,  then  this  vision  must  pass 
away  with  the  rest.  But  the  entire  teaching 
of  the  Bible  from  end  to  end  reveals  and 
bears  witness  to  a  world  ordinarily  unseen  by 
human  eyes,  but  none  the  less  real.  To  some 
the  door  thus  opened  into  heaven  is  closed 
and  sealed  by  the  seven  seals  of  materialism, 
agnosticism,  dogmatism,  scientism,  worldli- 
ness,  indifference,  and  unspirituality.  How 
much  do  men  forget  that  all  human  life  is 
but  a  very  temporary,  ever-vanishing  robe 
around  a  permanent  and  abiding  spirit !  that 
it  is  entirely  conceivable  that  even  pure  spirit 
can  come  for  our  advantage  into  still  more 
evanescent  forms  than  those  we  now  possess, 
which  yet  make  appeal  to  what  we  call  our 
senses  of  sight  and  hearing !  Objective  as 
such  manifestations  are,  they  are  no  more 
visible  to  all  eyes  or  ears  than  the  mysteries 
of  art  are  open  to  all  human  sensibility.  The 
harmonies  of  heaven  are  not  heard  by  those 
who  are  muffled  up  with  vesture  of  decay, 
and  there  is  nothing  lying  beyond  or  behind 
the  veil  of  sense  to  the  unspiritual.  The 
whole  critical  school  might  have  rambled 
about  the  garden,  with  hammer  and  spec- 
tacles, and  would  never  have  seen  an  angel 
or  the  risen  Christ ;  but,  thank  God,  all  eyes 
were  not  so  dim.  Some  were  there  who  saw 
and  believed ;  and  they  have  revolutionized 
the  world's  thought.  Their  vision  is  the 
key  of  time ;  their  voice,  the  word  that 
wakes  the  dead.  This  manifestation  of  the 
unseen  world  does  not  contradict  the  state- 
ment of  Matthew  that  an  angel  of  the  Lord 
had  been  seen  sitting  on  the  displaced  stone, 
and  terrified  the  Roman  guard ;  nor  Mark's 
assurance  that  the  women  had  seen  a  young 
man  clothed  in  a  white  robe,  who  gave  the 
Divine  assurance  which  perplexed  the  eleven; 
nor  Luke's  description  of  two  men  clothed 
in  glittering  apparel,  who  told  them  that 
the  Lord  was  living.    Surely  it  is  impossible 


en.  XX.  1—31.]      THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN. 


467 


to  represent  Mary  of  Magdala's  present 
vision  as  identical  with  that  whiclx  had 
occurred  at  an  earlier  hour ;  but  it  is  clear 
that,  if  she  shared  in  the  earlier  vision  at  all. 
she  had  not  been  convinced  by  it,  for  still 
she  wept  in  utter  despair.  The  fact  that 
these  angelic  appearances  should  take  dif- 
ferent forms  to  diflerent  witnesses  belongs 
to  their  very  nature.  Such  visions,  trans- 
lated into  words,  would  naturally  differ.  If 
there  had  been  rigid  uniformity  in  the 
statements  of  the  three  evangelists,  and  of 
the  fourth  with  them,  grave  susi>icion  would 
have  been  attached  to  the  entire  recital. 
The  experiences  of  several  different  women 
would  be  repeated  a  thousand  times.  They 
would  be  questioned  separately  and  together 
in  every  possible  way ;  and  it  appears  from 
all  four  narratives  that  three  forms  of  the 
ultimate  traditions  alike  declare  that  hope 
and  fear  arising  from  the  empty  grave  were 
quickened  and  stimulated  by  angelic  ambas- 
sadors, who  variously  prepared  their  mind 
to  receive  the  grand  objective  fact. 

Ver.  13. — And  they  say  unto  her,  Woman, 
why  weepest  thou  1  "  'EKfTvoi  liere,"  says 
Wcstcott,  "  like  the  name  inserted  in  ver. 
15,  marks  the  pause  during  which  Mary 
regarded  those  before  her  without  speak- 
ing." Here  we  witness  angelic  wonder  at 
human  incredulity.  Angelic  ministry  to 
human  sorrow ;  for  the  mystery  of  our  tears 
does  not  arrest  the  sympathy  of  these  trium- 
phant spirits.  Often,  if  we  are  compelled  to 
put  into  words  the  supposed  cause  of  our 
bitterest  agony,  we  deliver  ourselves  from  our 
fears.  She  saith  unto  them,  as  if  she  were 
speaking  simply  and  naturally  to  human 
beings.  However,  Mary  of  Magdala  alone 
of  the  women  knows  them  to  be  "  angels," 
but  is  80  overpowered  with  the  loss  of  her 
Lord  that  she  does  not  quail  or  flee,  but 
wails  forth  anew  the  language  she  had 
already  uttered  to  the  disciples.  1  weep 
because  they  have  taken  away  my  Lord. 
That  "771!/"  makes  a  characteristic  difference 
from  "  the  Lord  "  of  whom  she  had  spoken 
to  Peter  and  John.  She  did  not  at  the 
instant  know  tiiat  her  Lord  was  the  Lord  of 
angels.  The  "/know,"  rather  than  "roe 
know,"  shows  unquestionably  that  now  she 
is  alone,  and  the  other  women  have  left 
her  and  are  electrifying  the  city  with  their 
strange  titles.  I  know  not  where  they  (who 
have  taken  his  sacred  body)  have  laid  him. 

Ver.  14. — Then  follows  the  simple  record 
of  the  most  wonderful  event  in  the  history  of 
the  world.  There  and  tlien  a  flash  of  light 
broke  on  one  human  soul,  and  on  human  life 
at  large,  which  has  been  brigliteuing  and 
broadening  in  its  lustre  till  tliis  very  hour. 
"With  wliat  awful  and  tender  simplicity  is  it 
relatcil !  When  she  had  said  this,  she  tamed 
herself  back  (cis  ra  ottiVoi)  to  what  was  belaud 


her,  away  from  the  angels,  and  from  their 
apparent  but  fruitless  offer  of  sympathy, 
still  weeping  passionately  in  the  utter  deso- 
lation of  a  broken  heart.  But  why  did  she 
turn?  Was  she  not  conscious  of  a  presence 
near  her  which  she  had  not  seen?  The 
blind  are  often  aware  of  the  presence  of  un- 
seen persons,  when  no  footfall  is  heard  and 
no  word  spoken.  And  beholdeth  (flteops?) 
Jesus  standing  {ia-TUTa,  perfect  participle), 
as  though  for  some  time  he  had  been  stand- 
ing there,  watching  her  (cf.  that  which  ho 
had  said  to  the  eleven  (eh.  xvi.  22),  "  I  will 
see  you  ").  But  strange,  mysterious,  unutter- 
ably wonderful,  entirely  and  absolutely  in- 
consistent with  the  hypotliesis,  to  which  we 
have  often  referred,  that  this  lx)ok  is  a 
theological  romance,  John,  on  Mary's  own 
authority,  adds,  She  knew  not  that  it  was 
Jesus.  This  is  one  of  those  remarkably  vivid 
and  autoptic  touches  that  carry  conviction 
of  truth,  whatever  may  be  the  explanation 
or  the  conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  it.  How 
far  was  this  lack  of  recognition  due  to  her,  and 
how  far  to  this  the  first  manifestation  made 
of  "spiritual  body"  to  human  ken?  Some 
have  frigidly  taken  a  commou))Iace  explana- 
tion. Her  eyes  were  blinded  with  continuous 
weeping ;  or  the  darkness  of  tiie  morning ;  or 
Jesus  may  have  stood  in  the  shadows  of  the 
city  wall,  as  the  glare  of  the  first  beam  of  sun- 
rise broke  out  of  the  purple  mists  on  the  Moab 
hills ;  or  Christ's  apptarance  was  so  changed 
by  the  agony  through  which  he  had  passed, 
and  by  the  recovery  and  reconstitution  of  his 
humanity,  that  the  signs  of  his  identity  were 
obscured.  He  could  not  have  clothed  him- 
self with  the  glittering  garments  of  the 
Transfiguration,  or  with  the  dazzling  robes 
of  angels ;  for  she  mistook  him  for  the  keeper 
of  the  garden,  either  for  Joseph  of  Arimathrea 
himself  or  his  steward.  "  She  knew  not  that 
it  was  Jesus."  Human  eyes  are  often  holden 
so  that  they  do  not  see  the  Lord,  even  when 
by  some  objective  manifestation  he  makes  it 
possible  to  do  this  thing.  Thus  (Judg.  xiii. 
16),  "Manoah  knew  not  that  it  was  the 
angel  of  the  Lord."  And  several  other  of 
the  theophanies  of  the  Old  Testament,  en- 
countering the  blindness  of  human  vision, 
slowiydawnnponevcn  prophetic  intelligence. 
Abraham,  Jacob,  Moses,  Joshua,  Gideon, 
Samuel,  are  all  instances.  And  we  find  that 
in  Matt,  xxviii.  16,  17,  "some  doubted"  the 
Resurrection, even  when  the  vision  led  others 
to  adore  (Luke  xxiv.  16).  The  eyes  of 
Cleoplias  and  his  friend  were  holden,  even 
though  their  hearts  were  burning.  Those 
who  travelled  with  Paul  to  Damascus  saw 
a  light  and  hoard  a  sound,  but  they  did  not 
see  nor  did  tlicy  hear  what  the  apostle  saw 
and  heard.  The  fiop<pri  of  the  riscju  Jesus 
was  not,  according  to  Mark  (xvi.  12),  always 
the  same.     Fur  the  vision  and  perception  of 


468 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN",     [ch.  xx.  1— 31. 


this  mode  of  being,  the  eye  needs  special 
training  and  preparation.  Though  the  eyes 
of  love  are  the  quickest  to  discern  these 
wondrous  realities,  yet  the  vision  tarries,  and 
is  for  au  appointed  time,  and  even  they  who 
ultimately  see  have  to  wait  for  it. 

Ver.  15. — Jesus  saith  to  her,  in  the  words 
of  the  angels.  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ? 
These  are  the  first  words  of  the  risen  Jesus, 
for  Mark  tells  us,  "  He  appeared  first  of  all 
to  Mary  of  Magdala."  And  Matthew's 
summation  of  the  entire  narrative  makes 
it  clear  that  she  was  at  least  one  of  the  first 
group  who  saw  the  risen  Lord.  He  recalls 
her  to  herself.  He  seeks  to  assuage  the 
grief  of  desolation,  the  bitterness  of  de- 
spairing love.  As  hisfii-st  great  Beatitudes 
had  been  "  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit," 
"  Blessed  are  those  who  mourn  and  weep," 
and  "Blessed  are  the  meek,"  so  the  first 
words  he  uttered  after  he  rose  from  the 
dea^d  were  intended  to  console  human  weep- 
ing over  the  most  irremediable  of  human 
3orrows.  They  are  the  beginning  of  a 
fulfilment  of  the  Divine  promise  "to  wipe 
away  tears  from  off  all  faces."  But  the 
Lord  adds,  'Whom  eeekest  thou  ?  She  has 
lost  some  one,  not  some  thing.  Questions 
these  which  he  has  been  asking  the  souls  of 
men  and  women  ever  since,  when  their  grief 
and  tears,  their  unconscious  and  unsatisfied 
yearnings  after  himself,  have  confused  their 
perceptions  and  riven  their  hearts.  She, 
supposing  him  to  be  the  gardener,  a  friend, 
not  a  stranger,  a  disciple,  not  a  Koman 
soldier  or  a  hostile  priest,  perhaps  some 
man  who  had  been  with  Joseph  of  Arimathsea 
on  the  Friday  evening,  or  even  the  senator 
himself,  said  to  him,  Lord,  (Sir,)  if  thou  hast 
borne  him  hence,  tell  me  where  thou  hast 
laid  Mm,  and  I  will  take  him  away.  This 
passionate  burst  reveals  the  blinding  domi- 
nance of  a  fixed  idea.  She  had  no  notion 
of  the  Resurrection.  She  was  utterly  over- 
whelmed with  one  bitter,  cruel  thought. 
The  sacred  body  was  to  be  embalmed  with 
the  precious  spices  which  she  had  spent 
her  all  to  buy.  Others  have  forestalled  her. 
Perhaps  unsympathizing  hands  have  been 
doing  their  worst.  She  does  not  know,  in 
her  terrified  grief,  if  some  wicked  hands 
have  not  cast  out  his  body  into  the  Valley 
of  Hiunom.  She  seems  to  imply  that  the 
KTitrovpSs  has  heard  the  words  of  the  angels, 
and  her  previous  reply  to  them.  She  is  so 
filled  with  one  thought,  that  the  him,  not  it, 
explains  itself.  She  is  reckless  of  herself, 
and  does  not  stay  to  count  the  cost.  Had 
she  not  poured  the  precious  ointment  on 
his  feet,  in  happier  days,  and  washed  them 
with  her  tears  ?  Of  whom  can  she  speak 
but  of  him  who  said,  "  Thy  sins,  which  are 
many,  are  forgiven ;  "  "  She  loved  much  ; " 
" Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee"  ?    So  far  all 


is  preparation  for  the  great  revelation. 
"  The  Lord  has  risen  indeed ;  "  but,  unlike 
what  poetry  or  theology  might  have  pictured, 
or  the  mythopooic  faculty  have  woven  out 
of  its  strong  persuasion  of  the  Lord's  in- 
dissoluble life,  he  has  chosen  first  of  all 
to  present  this  signal  manifestation  of  spi- 
ritual corporeity  to  a  loving  heart  crushed 
with  grief,  to  one  groaning  over  irreparable 
wrong,  without  a  spark  of  hope,  that  death  was 
indeed  vanquished.  But  she  who  received 
the  objective  presentation  was  too  much 
preoccupied  to  feel  her  footing  and  her  home 
in  two  worlds.  It  was  not  "  an  enthusiast 
(une  haUucin€i,  Renan)  who  gave  the  world 
(m/i  Dieu  ressuscife)  a  resuscitated  God," 
but  a  doubter,  a  despairing,  broken-hearted 
sufferer,  who  did  not  know  him  when  she 
saw  him. 

Ver.  16. — Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Mary.  The 
more  general  expression,  "woman"  (ver.  15), 
makes  her  seem  to  us  the  representative  of  the 
whole  of  suffering  humanity,  weeping  over 
the  inability  to  find  any  link  of  fellowship 
between  itself  and  the  invisible  God,  feeling 
unconsciously  after  the  Christ  and  haply 
not  finding  him,  weeping  because  hostility 
had  obliterated  him  or  superstition  had 
concealed  him,  while  all  the  while  he  is 
near  at  hand.  But  now  Jesus  stirred  the 
affection  of  the  living,  weeping  person  at 
his  side  by  uttering  her  own  name  in  tones 
that  thrilled  her  to  the  heart,  and  created 
the  new  sublime  conviction  that  he  had 
risen,  as  he  said.  She  turned  herself,  as 
though  the  previous  glance  had  been 
momentary  and  partial,  and  now  the  vision 
and  voice  blended,  and  she  knew  him.  And 
saith  unto  him  in  Hebrew,  Eabbouni  {'EBpa- 
icTTi  is  here  introduced  by  modem  editors. 
This  word  only  occurs  in  this  Gospel  and  the 
Apocalypse),  a  word  (the  evangelist  adds) 
which  is  to  say.  Master.  The  Hebrew  term 
— probably  preserved  in  its  Galilsean  form, 
'3i2n,  rabbouni,  rather  than  in  the  ordinary 
form  (see  Authorized  Version)  'Jia"],  rab- 
boni — if  strictly  translated,  would  be  "  my 
Teacher,"  or  "  my  Master,"  yet  the  personal 
pronoun  must  not  be  pressed.  It  doubtless 
had  lost  its  specialty  as  we  find  in  many 
other  languages  (^monsieur,  mein  herr,  "  my 
Lord,"  are  familiar  instances).  Even  if  the 
full  force  of  the  pronoun  were  urged,  M  ary'a 
faith  had  not  gone  beyond  the  ideal  of  her 
devotedly  loved  Teacher,  Friend,  Master, 
and  fell  far  short  of  the  insight  which  even 
the  incredulous  Thomas  would  soon  exhibit, 
that  the  Lord  had  put  on  Divine  glory,  and 
.filled  all  thing.-i.  She  apparently  fell  ia 
speechless,  passionate  affection  at  his  fee  t, 
as  the  other  women  did  shortly  afterwaros 
(see  Matt,  xxviii.  9);  but  with  the  idea 
that  now  the  old  relations  between  Teache  r 
and  loving   disciples    would    be  resumed 


CH.  XX.  1-31.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


469 


Shewaa  in  no  mood  answering  to  the  doubt- 
fulness of  the  disciples  who  dosired  froof 
of  his  identity,  of  the  fact  of  his  corporeity, 
before  they  could  understand  his  claim  to 
be  their  perpetual  Guide,  and  his  promise 
to  be  with  them  "  unto  the  end  of  the  world ; " 
but  she  thought  at  once  of  the  old  life  in 
Galilee.  Her  joy  knew  no  bounds,  but  her 
conception  of  the  reality  of  that  which  was 
revealed  to  her  was  most  imperfect.  It  was 
the  realization  of  love  rather  than  the  per- 
ception of  intellect.  She  rushed  hastily 
to  a  very  limited  conclusion ;  and  she  suf- 
fered an  obvious  correction,  if  not  repulse, 
which  has  been  interpreted  in  many  ways. 

Ver.  17. — Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Touch  me 
not;  for,  etc.  (I)  Some,  Bengel  and  others, 
make  the  yap  govern  the  whole  clause  that 
follows,  and  so  give  the  meaning, "Stay  not  to 
touch  me,  but  haste  to  my  disciples,  and  say," 
etc. ;  but  this  would  render  the  first  clause 
very  obscure,  uidess  the  further  supposition 
be  made,  as  by  Baur,  Bush,  Sears,  and  many 
others,  that  our  I^ord  was  just  on  the  point 
of  ascending  to  heaven,  i.e.  of  one  (nay,  the 
first)  of  his  many  ascensions  to  the  Father, 
after  which  the  touching,  in  the  sense  either 
of  worship  or  of  verification,  would  be  pos- 
sible and  rightful,  and  also  the  supposition 
that  an  "  ascension  "  intervened  between 
the  appearance  to  the  Magdalene  and  the 
other  women,  or  at  all  events  before  the 
revelation  to  the  disciples  at  Emmaus,  to 
Simon  Peter,  or  to  the  eleven,  at  all  of 
which  both  verification  of  his  personality,  if 
not  worship  at  his  feet,  was  permitted  or 
encouraged.  This  hypothesis  is  perilously 
near  to  an  assumption  of  a  succession  of 
illusive  visions  of  tbat  which  had  nothing 
but  subjective  reality.  (2)  Olshausc-n  and 
Scldeiermacher  give  the  utterly  naturalistic 
view,  that  the  Lord's  spiritual  body  was  so 
tender  that  he  could  not  bear  a  vigorous 
grasp  or  physical  touch.  Still  worse,  (3) 
Paulus  supposed  that  he  was  still  suflering 
from  his  cruel  wounds,  which,  of  course, 
would  only  imply  an  apparent  death  on  the 
cross,  and  is  a  denial  of  the  Resurrection 
altogether.  (4)  Meyer's  view  seems  to  imply 
that  Jliiry  wondered  whether  he  had  only 
a  glorified  spirit  without  bodily  form,  and 
she  wished  to  verify  the  latter  by  handling 
his  Person,  and  "  Jesus  gives  her  by  his 
verbal  assurance  the  certuinty  she  seeks, 
adding,  For  I  am  not  yet  ascended  to  the 
(my)  '  Father ;  therefore  as  yet  I  am  not  a 
glorified  s|ririt  who  has  again  come  down 
from   heaven,   whither  he  had  ascended." 

'  This  iJLov  is  wanting  in  B,  D,  X,  and  is 
rejected  by  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Meyer, 
Westcott  and  Hort,  and  R.T.,  as  the  correc- 
tion from  the  omission  to  the  insertion  is 
more  probable  than  the  reverse  process. 


This  is  very  subtle,  and  is  equivalent  to 
our  Lord's  saying,  "  Do  not  you,  Mary,  seek 
that  kind  of  bodily  tangible  proof ; "  "I  am 
not  yet  a  glorifictl  spirit,  and  have  not  yet 
the  glorified  body  which  you  imagined." 
The  difficulty  of  this  interpratation  is  not 
what  Godet  says,  "  Jesus  glorified  does  not 
become  pure  spirit,"  but  that  Mary  is 
credited  with  a  breadth  and  depth  of  appre- 
hension so  far  in  advance  of  her  apparent 
despondency  and  her  small  amount  of  faith 
in  the  dignity  of  hor  Lord.  (5)  Many  take 
the  n.h  /xov  aiTTou,  "  Hold  me  not  fast,"  as 
though  dirTOfiai  were  equal  to  Kparuv,  "  to 
hold  fast,"  or  to  hold  for  pvirposes  of  en- 
joyment, and  imply  that  Mary  rushed  to 
"embrace"  our  Lord  (Hengstenberg  and 
Bruckner),  to  clasp  him  by  the  knees  or 
feet ;  that  Jesus  warned  and  repulsed  the 
effort,  implying  that  ho  repressed  the 
exuberance  of  the  joy  whicii  she  manifested, 
pointing  to  a  much  higher  and  holier  con- 
tact that  would  be  possible  when  his  glorifica- 
tion would  be  complete.  Augustine  ('  Tract, 
in  lo.,'  cxxi.  3),  " '  Touch  mo  not,'  that  is,  Be- 
lieve not  thus  on  me  according  to  thy  pre- 
sent notions.  For  how  could  it  be  otherwise 
thau  carnally  that  she  still  believed  on 
him  whom  she  was  weeping  over  as  a  man  ? 
'  For  I  am  not  yet  ascended  to  my  Father. ' 
There  shalt  thou  touch  me  when  tliou  be- 
lievcst  me  to  be  God  in  no  wise  unequal  to 
the  Father."  Leo  the  Great  ('  Sermo,'  74. 
c.  4,  quoted  by  P.  Schafi")  :  "  I  am  unwilling 
that  you  should  approach  me  (carnaliter)  by 
any  mere  physical  touch,  that  you  should  re- 
cognize me  by  the  physical  senses  (gensu  car- 
nia).  I  am  drawing  you  to  sublimcr  things ; 
I  am  preparing  greater  things  for  you. 
When  I  shall  have  ascended  to  the  Father, 
then  you  will  handle  me  mure  perfectly  and 
truly,  being  ready,  as  you  then  will  be,  to 
apprehend  what  you  do  not  touch,  and  to 
believe  that  which  you  do  not  perceive." 
Slany  of  the  most  able  of  modern  expositors 
adopt  this  view  or  some  modification  of  it 
(Calvin,  Melancthon,  Lampe,  De  Wettc,  and 
Tholuck)  ;  Luthardt  now  sees  a  difficulty  in 
this  interpretation,  from  the  twofold  sense 
thus  attributed  to  the  word  inTeaQai,  and 
falls  back  on  the  earlier  view,  "  Cling  not 
to  me,  hut  go  and  tell  my  disciples,"  etc. 
Godet,  however,  puts  it  thus  :  "  I  have  not 
yet  reached  the  state  by  means  of  which  I 
shall  bo  able  to  live  with  you  in  the  com- 
munion which  I  promised  you  ;  "  and  many 
of  the  ecclesiastical  divines  discover  in  the 
words  an  allusion  to  sacramental  commu- 
nion whicii  will  be  possible  in  the  future, 
when  the  dispensation  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
shall  have  been  inaugurated.  The  ascension 
of  which  he  speaks  is  not  of  one  definitive 
act,  but  of  a  continual  state  (^a.va&t^T)Ka,  not 
dvi^riv),  and  so  the  idea   of  the   repeated 


470 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [en.  xx.  1—31. 


ascensions  is  precluded.  The  difficulty 
arises  from  the  permission  the  Lord  gave  to 
the  eleven  to  prove  by  tangible  evidence, 
by  visible  signs,  the  reality  of  his  resurrec- 
tion, sliowiiig  tliem  by  way  of  identification 
the  marks  upon  his  person  of  the  great 
agony.  But  there  is  no  need  to  suppose 
tliiit  Mary  was  refused  one  touch  when  slie 
seemed  wishful  to  cling  to  his  feet,  and 
thus  redouble  the  conviction  already  wrought 
ill  her  by  sight  and  hearing  of  his  new 
mode  of  being.  "hirTeaQai  has  this  double 
meaning,  "  to  handle  "  and  "  to  hold  fast." 
The  key  of  tlie  passage  is  in  the  ovirai, 
'■'•not  yet  have  I  ascended  to  the  leather;" 
and  the  reasonable,  nay,  the  imperative,  in- 
ference is  that  when  he  shall  have  ascended 
to  the  Father,  there  will  be  ample  oppor- 
tunity for  that  spiritual  communion  with 
him  which  will  make  him  for  ever  present 
with  his  Church.  The  goal  of  all  Christ's 
teaching  (as  recorded  by  John)  is  his  retura 
to  the  Father,  and  the  consequent  fulness 
of  his  disciples'  joy.  Because  he  will  be 
glorified  straightway  in  God  himself,  he 
will  henceforth  be  as  near  to  them,  as 
competent  to  teach  and  guide  and  protect 
them,  as  in  the  days  of  his  flesh  ;  nay,  more 
80,  for  they  will  do  greater  works  than  lie 
wrought  before  them,  because  he  goes  to 
the  Father,  ascending  up  to  where  he  was 
before  (ch.  xiv.  18—21,  23,  28 ;  xvi.  14,  17). 
He  will  be  ''seated  at  the  right  hand  of 
the  majesty  in  the  heavens,"  be  will  pass 
"through  these  heavens,  that  he  may  fill 
all  things."  Because  he  is  "  the  Lamb  in 
the  midst  of  the  throne,"  he  will  lead  them 
to  the  living  fountains  of  water.  Because 
be  is  on  the  eternal  throne,  he  can  dwell  in 
them  and  manifest  himself  to  them.  But 
go  to  my  brethren.  The  new  name,  dearer 
than  "slaves,"  than  "servants,"  than  "dis- 
ciples," than  "  ministers,"  than  "  apostles," 
than  "friends;  "  one  that  involves  in  itself 
an  eternal  inheritance.  Observe  that, 
though  our  Lord  (Matt.  xii.  48,  etc.)  had 
prepared  the  way  for  this  unspeakable 
privilege,  it  is  not  until  he  has  put  on  the 
life  eternal,  the  life  of  victory  over  death, 
that  he  freely  confers  this  lofty  designation 
upon  that  timid  and  dispirited  band  of 
special  followers  who  had  forsaken  him 
and  fled  in  his  great  humiliation.  Peter 
especially  (Mark  xvi.  7)  receives  this  sig- 
nificant assurance  and  (Luke  xxiv.  34) 
confirms  its  realization  together  with  Paul 
(1  Cor.  XV.  5).  These  eleven  men  are  hence- 
forth )jis  brethren.  And  say  to  them,  I  am 
ascending;  the  process  of  ascension  has 
begun ;  1  am  beginning  to  assume  all  the 
prerogatives  of  spiritual  corporeity ;  I  am 
clothing  myself  with  my  eternal  form ;  I 
have  laid  down  my  life,  that  I  might  take 
it  again,  and  use  it  for  the  highest  blessed- 


ness of  my  brethren.  I  am  ascending  to  my 
Father,  and  to  your  Father.  Let  it  be  ob- 
served tiiat  hf  does  not  say,  "to  our  Father." 
"  He  who  is  Father  of  Christ  and  Father  of 
men,  is  so  in  different  ways.  He  is  Father 
of  Clirist  by  nature  and  of  men  by  grace" 
(Westcott).  "  He  saith  not  '  our  Father ; ' 
in  one  sense,  therefore,  is  he  mine,  in 
another  sense  yours ;  by  nature  mine,  by 
grace  yours  "  (Augustine).  To  my  God,  and 
your  God.  The  same  remark  may  be  made 
liere.  Christ  does  speak  of  "  my  God  "  from 
the  throne  of  glory  (Rev.  iii.  2,  12).  His 
human  consciousness  of  God  has  through- 
out been  unique ;  his  eternal  consciousness 
of  the  Fathers  love  dignified  all  his  human 
relations  with  the  Father,  and  became  the 
true  inspiration  of  all  consciousness  of  God 
possessed  by  his  disciples.  "  He  appears  in 
the  presence  [before  the  face]  of  God  for  us," 
and  so  we  have  access  unto  one  Father 
and  draw  near  to  God.  Nevertheless,  he 
did  not  say  to  "  our  God,"  any  more  than 
to  "  our  Father." 

Ver.  18. — Mary  the  Magdalene  cometh  and 
telleth  the  disciples.  She  rushes  at  once 
with  speed  and  zeal,  and  the  word  is  on  her 
tongue,  I  have  seen  (she  does  not  say,  I 
have  prasped  him  by  the  hand,  or  kis>ed  his 
feet)  the  Lord,'  and  hoiv  that  he  said  these 
things  to  her.  This  special  message,  not 
recorded  in  Matt,  xxviii.  10,  was  clearly  not 
given  to  the  women  who  held  his  feet.  Some 
harmonists  endeavour  to  identify  the  narra- 
tive in  Matthew  with  this  passage  and  others 
to  make  Matthew's  narrative  identical  with 
the  account  of  the  revelations  made  to 
Joanna's  party  at  a  later  hour,  and  therefore 
entirely  distinct  from  this  (see  Commen- 
taries on  Slatthew,  Luke,  and  Mark).  John's 
account  is  free  from  ambiguity  in  itself, 
whereas  the  rapid  summary  given  in  Luke 
and  the  general  impression  produced  by 
the  whole  group  of  events,  as  recorded  by 
Matthew,  suggest  the  need  of  supplementary 
intelligence.  The  narratives  of  the  synoptists, 
then,  record  that  in  the  course  of  this  Easter 
Day  a  company  of  women,who  may  reasonably 
be  supposed  to  be  those  who  bore  the  names 
of  Joanna,  Susanna,  and  others,  and  who 
had  gone  to  the  tomb  with  their  spices,  had 
been  met  by  the  Lord  himself,  either  going 

*  'Ecipo/ca  islhe  reading  of  N,  B,  X,  and  four 
ancient  versions  ;  33  reads  koipd.Kafj.iv,  point- 
ing to  the  harmony  between  this  and  Matt, 
xxviii.  9, 10,  and  the  other  synoptists,  who  do 
not  clearly  discriminate  the  special  message 
brought  by  Magdalene.  'EaJpa/ce  is  the  read- 
ing of  the  great  majority  of  uncials,  of  Lach- 
mann,  Tregelles  ( margin ) ;  but  the  first 
person  is  the  reading  preferred  by  Alford, 
Tregelles,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  and  West- 
cott and  Hort,  and  R.T. 


en.  XX.  1—31.]     THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


471 


or  returninp,  and  bad  received  the  summons 
to  tell  the  disciples  tliat  ho  would  see  them 
in  (lalilee.  The  two  disciples  on  their  way 
to  Emmaus  had  at  length  discovered  that  the 
mysterious  8traii<:;er  who  accosted  them  and 
discoursed  so  fully  was  the  Lord  himself. 
They  returned  to  Jerusalem  to  aftirm  the 
fact,  and  found  the  eleven  rejoicin.;;;  that  the 
Lord  had  risen  indeed,  ami  that  "  he  had  ap- 
peared to  Simon  Peter."  It  would  certainly 
seem,  and  is  at  length  admilted  by  all,  that 
the  nurmtive  given  in  the  following  verses 
of  events  occurring  on  the  late  evening  of 
the  Easter  Day  could  bo  none  other  tlian 
that  which  Luke  describes  (.xxiv.  oG).  This 
is  rendered  somewhat  peri)loxiug  by  tiio 
record  of  Mark  xvi.  12,  that  the  language 
of  the  two  disciples  was  not  accepted  by 
Tots  Aoiirois,  "the  rest."  But  it  is  obvious 
from  every  one  of  the  narratives  how  slow  of 
heart  even  the  apostles  themselves  were  to 
accept  the  assurance  of  such  unexpected  and 
wonderful  phenomena.  The  extreme  dejec- 
tion of  the  disciples,  followetl  by  their  vigor- 
ous and  invincible  faith,  is  testified  by  each 
evangelist;  but  from  the  nature  of  the  case 
the  resurrection  of  Jesus  was,  during  the 
course  of  the  entire  day,  doubted  by  some. 
The  nature  of  the  doubt,  and  the  method  in 
which  it  was  put  to  rest,  is  portrayed  in  some 
detail  by  John  (see  note  on  ver.  1). 

Vers.  19,  20.— (3)  The  manifei<tation  to  the 
ten  disciplei',  corresponding  tcith  the  second 
portion  of  the  prayer,  and  followed  by  special 
conference  of  privilecie. 

Ver.  19. — When  therefore  it  was  evening, 
^  on  that  day,  being  the  first  day  of  the  week ; 
i.e.  the  close  of  the  day  on  which  the  Lord 
had  risen ;  on  '•  that  day  "  which  became 
80  memorable  in  the  history  of  the  Church. 
Consequently,  after  most  astounding  and 
independent  revelations  had  been  made  to 
several  individuals,  about  8  p.m.  there 
occurred  that  which  John  now  proceeds  to 
describe.  The  note  of  time  identifies  it 
with  the  scene  and  event  descriljed  by  Luke 
(xxiv.  36 — 43)  ;  consequently  Jolin  had  the 
former  account  before  him  in  the  record  of 
bis  own  reminiscences.  To  understand  the 
full  force  of  the  passage  we  must  bring  to  it 
the  statements  of  Luke,  ilark,  and  Paul. 
'J  he  disciples  had  been  prepared,  (1)  by  the 
reports  of  the  women,  that  the  grave  had 
been  ojjened  and  was  empty,  and  that  angelic 
appearances  had  asserted  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus.  (2)  By  the  impress-ion  mude  on  Peter 
and  John  when  they  found  it  as  Mary  and  the 
other  women  had  said.  The  disappearance 
of  tlie  body  of  Jesus,  confirmed  by  the  tour 
independent  lines  of  testimony,  is  strangely 
ditticult  to  account  for  on  any  hvputhesis 
except  that  of  the  Resurrection.  The  dis- 
ciples were  evidently  confounded  by  the 
fact.    The  Pharisees  and  priestly  party  were 


quite  aware  that  such  an  event  would  check- 
mate their  supjwsed  victory  over  a  hated 
rival.  Tie  Roman  soldiers  were  ])ledgcd  iu 
honour  and  by  pride  and  passion  not  ti>  allow 
tiiemselvcs  thus  to  be  reduced  to  impotence. 
Hence  there  is  no  cxplanatioTi  of  the  rise  or 
beginning  of  sucii  a  legend  (see  K.  Weis-*, 
'  Life  of  Je.-'us,'  iii.  pp.  3y0 — 39.5),  except  tl  e 
historical  fact.  (3)  By  an  assertion  of  the 
Magdalene  that  she  had  seen  the  Lord,  and 
that  ho  had  sent  a  special  message  to  his 
brethren  as  to  the  completion  of  his  glorifi- 
cation in  his  ascent  to  the  Fatlier.  (4)  By 
the  announcement,  the  details  of  which  are 
not  recited,  concerning  an  appear.iuce  to 
Peter  :  this  fact  stamls  on  remarkably  strong 
evidence  of  Mark.  Luke,  and  I'aul.  (.5)  By 
the  immense  excitement  of  the  aiijxarance 
and  disappearance  of  the  Lord  at  Kmraaus. 
This  was  evinced  by  the  return  of  the  two 
disciples  to  Jerusalem,  charged  with  new 
ideas  of  the  meaning  of  the  Scriptures  and 
of  the  will  and  power  of  God,  and  with  fun- 
damentally new  notions  of  the  very  nature 
of  spiritual  body — body  entirely  and  abso- 
lutely under  the  power  of  the  spirit.  The 
apostles  were  prepared  for  the  wonderful 
nianifesuitiou  of  a  now  mode  of  being ;  but 
they  needed  something  more  convincing  than 
they  had  yet  received.  They  were  still  suf- 
fering from  intellectnul  blindness  and  slow- 
ness of  spirit,  and  were  apparently  incapable 
of  accepting  mere  tchtiniony.  Mark's  state- 
njent  (xvi.  14)  embraces  the  special  scene 
which  John  describes  in  much  more  vivid 
and  in»tructive  manner  (vers.  26 — 29).  But 
Luke  expressly  implies  that  far  more  than 
the  eleven  had  gathered  together,  either  in 
the  room  where  the  Paschal  supper  had  been 
celebrated,  or  where  the  election  of  Matthias 
subsequently  took  place.  Joseph  and  Nico- 
demus,  the  women,  and  some  of  the  seventy 
disciples  were  there ;  nor  can  we  conceive 
excluded  from  their  fellowship  Mary  of 
Bethany,  or  Lazarus,  or  Simon  the  Cyreuian, 
or  the  "  brothers  of  the  Lord "  so  de^ig- 
nated.  We  are  told  that  after  the  arrival 
of  the  Emmaus  disciples,  the  doors  having 
been  locked  (shut)  where  the  disciples  were 
[assembled  '  ]  because  of  the  ( thi  ir)  fear  of  the 
Jews.  This  expres^-iou  is  once  again  re[)eated 
(ver.  26),  showing  that,  after  the  lapse  of 
seven  days,  fear  and  precautions  against  sur- 
prise still  prevailed.  They  were  on  both 
occasions  in  ignorance  of  the  purpose  or 
meaning  of  the  Sanhedrin,  nor  could  they 
tell  whether  the  malice  of  the  world  would 


'  SuvTry/ueVos  is  not  found  in  N,  B,  I,  A,  D, 
44, 95 ;  and  several  versions  and  most  modern 
e<litors  omit,  with  R.T.  The  T.K.  and  Balo 
Revisers  (margin)  give  it,  with  a  largo 
number  of  later  uncials,  including  K,  L,  n, 
and  versions. 


472 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xx.  1—31. 


at  once  compel  them  to  follow  their  Lord's 
example,  drink  of  his  cup,  and  be  baptized 
with  liis  baptism.  The  doors  were  closed, 
when  Jesus  came,  and  stood  in  the  midst — a 
phrase  which  is  here  identical  with  that  in 
Luke's  narrative.  Now,  John,  who,  con- 
sonantly with  Luke,  has  recorded  his  evi- 
dence that  the  body  of  Christ  was  not  a 
phantasmal  imagination,  but  a  veritable, 
visible,  and  tangible  reality  (see  Luke  xxiv. 
37—43),  identifiable  with  the  very  body 
which  had  been  so  cruelly  wounded  and 
bruised  for  them,  takes  special  pains  to  hint, 
by  a  single  clause,  that  the  body  of  Christ 
was  a  new  creation,  and  was  submitted  to 
laws  profoundly  different  from  those  which 
we  have  generalized  from  the  intimations  of 
the  five  senses  only.  John  does  not  say 
that  the  doors  were  opened  by  some  magic 
process,  nor  that  Christ  simply  passed 
through  the  closed  doors,  nor  that  they 
were  miraculously  removed ;  but  that  he 
had  taken  up  his  position  before  them  by  a 
process  which,  to  the  body  made  of  the  dust 
of  the  earth,  would  be  supremely  miraculous. 
Here  we  have  a  revelation  made  to  prepared 
minds  of  a  new  order  of  existence  (see  West- 
cott's  '  Revelations  of  the  Risen  Lord,'  and 
Milligan's  'Resurrection  of  Christ,'  on  the 
likeness  and  on  the  unlikeness  of  the  risen 
body  with  that  which  had  died).  It  is  more 
than  possible — nay,  it  is  entirely  presumable 
- — that  the  spiritual  body  becomes  possessed 
of  additional  senses,  of  which  we  have  no 
conception  or  experience ;  and,  therefore,  the 
spirit  clothed  with  such  body  is  alive  to 
properties  of  matter  and  dimensions  of  space 
and  active  forces  all  of  which  would  be 
supernatural  to  us,  "  cribbed,  cabined,  and 
confined "  as  we  are  now  and  here.  Our 
liOrd,  before  his  Passion,  gave  numerous 
proofs  of  the  dominance  of  his  spirit  over 
the  body  :  his  repeated  escapes  from  his 
enemies,  the  power  of  his  voice  and  glance, 
his  transfiguration-glory,  his  superiority  to 
gravitation  in  walking  upon  the  sea  and 
hushing  its  storms.  So  that  he,  on  this 
occasion,  is  revealing  to  the  world  some  of 
tlie  functions  of  spiritual  corporeity.'  He 
is  manifesting  tiie  kind  of  lite  which  will 
eventually  be  the  condition  of  all  the  re- 
deemed— visible  and  tangible  at  will  to  those 
who  are  limited  to  our  present  condition 
and  stage  of  being,  but  also  in  its  normal 
state  invisible,  impalpable,  to  eye  and  touch 
of  mortal  sense.  There  can  be  little  doubt 
that  John  deeply  recognized  what  Paul 
di-fccribed  as  "  tljc  spiritual  body."  Jesus 
stood  suddenly  in  their  midst,  not  a  phan- 

'  See  R.  I.  Wilberforce,  '  The  Doctrine  of 
the  Incarnation  ; '  Isaac  Taylor,  '  Physical 
Theory  of  Another  Life;'  Sears,  'The  Heart 
of  Christ.' 


tasm,as  the  disciples  (or  some  of  them)  were 
ready  to  suggest.  His  first  word,  though 
consisting  in  form  of  the  common  salutation 
of  the  East,  must  have  meant  immeasurably 
more  to  them  than  it  does  in  ordinary  par- 
lance. And  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Peace 
be  to  you !  which,  uttered  in  well-remem- 
bered tones,  reminded  them  of  how  he  had 
discriminated  his  "  peace,"  and  his  manner 
of  giving  it  from  the  world's  "  peace,"  and 
the  world's  manner  of  giving  (ch.  xiv.  27). 
It  meant  the  hushing  of  their  fear,  the 
expulsion  of  terrible  alarm  (see  Luke  xxiv. 
37,  38).  This  is  John's  summary  of  all 
that  he  said.  Luke,  with  much  detail, 
records  how  the  Lord  proved  that  he  was, 
not  a  mere  subjective  vision,  but  a  veritable 
man,  with  flesh,  and  bones,  and  voice,  and 
power  to  take  food.  Consequently  the  evan- 
gelists labour  to  make  evident  the  fact  that 
the  spiritual  resurrection-body,  though  a 
continuation  of  the  old  life,  with  signs  of  its 
identity,  is,  nevertheless,  emancipated  from 
the  ordinary  conditions  of  our  material  cor- 
poreity. This  is  one  of  the  places  where 
the  narrative  transcends  experience  and 
imagination,  and  appeals  to  faith  in  a 
hightr  order  of  being  than  crosses  the  field 
oi'-scientific  vision. 

^  Ver.  20. — When  he  had  said  this — i.e. 
when  he  had  uttered  all  that  was  involved 
in  his  Divine  salutation — he  showed  them 
his  hands  and  his  side.  Luke  says  "  his 
hands  and  his  feet ;"  John  calls  attention  to 
the  special  wound  in  his  sacred  side,  the 
making  of  which  he  had  so  closely  described 
and  verified  (ch.  xix.  38 — 35).  Nor  was  this 
vision  of  the  Lord  restricted  to  the  ocular 
testimony,  to  the  bare  fact  of  the  Resurrec- 
tion, but  it  was  a  solemn  assurance  that  he, 
though  risen,  bad  died  for  them.  He  is  the 
Living  One  that  was  dgad,  and  is  alive  for 
evermore.  He  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne, 
a  Lamb  as  it  iiad  been  slain.  In  his  greatest 
glory  neither  does  he  nor  can  his  people 
forget  his  sacrificial  death.  "He  showed 
them  his  hands  and  his  side."  Some  liave 
argued,  from  John's  silence  about  his  "  feet," 
that  he  intended  to  correct  a  general  im- 
pression which  the  synoptic  narrative  had 
produced,  viz.  tliat  our  Ijord's  feet  had 
been  nailed  to  the  cross.  There  is  no  reason 
whatever  for  any  such  hypothesis.  The 
evangelist  simply  emphasizes  the  ghastly 
proof  of  his  Lord's  actual  death,  with  its 
supernatural  accompaniments,  as  a  more 
vivid  evidence  of  identity  than  the  piercing 
of  the  feet :  moreover,  it  was  a  fact  to  which 
he  had  borne  special  testimony.  Some  con- 
ception is  given  in  both  the  Gospels  of  the 
marks  and  vestiges  of  the  earthly  pilgrimage 
which  will  survive  death  and  p:ifes  on  into  the 
eternal  world.  The  disciples,  therefore,  were 
glad  when  they  saw  the  Lord.    In  Luke  xxiv. 


CH.  XX.  1—31.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


473 


41  we  read  that  they  were  incredulous  from 
the  excess  of  their  joy,  and  surcharged  with 
wonder.  In  the  bewihlerment  of  their  rap- 
ture he  added  to  tlieir  assurance,  and  trans- 
formed their  joy  into  faith  by  publicly  and 
before  thcni  all  participating  in  food.  Ex- 
treme dejection  is  transformed  into  trium- 
phant conviction  of  the  truth.  A  new 
revelation  had  been  made  to  them  of  the 
very  nature  of  life,  wliile  the  veil  that  had 
from  the  beginning  of  time  concealed  the 
abode  of  the  blessed  dead,  had  at  length 
been  rent  in  twain.  They  heard,  they  saw, 
they  handled,  the  Word  of  life.  They  felt 
that  in  their  Lord  they  too  were  now  at 
home  in  both  worlds.  Their  fellowship  was 
with  the  Father  and  his  Son  Jesus  Christ. 

Vers.  21 — 23. — (4)  Peace,  spiration  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  conference  of  poioer  to  remit 
or  retain  sin. 

Ver.  21. — Therefore  [Jesus ']  said  unto 
them  again,  Peace  be  unto  you.  With  added 
emphasis,  and  in  obvious  reference  to  his 
valedictory  discourse,  he  gave  to  them  the 
essence  of  his  own  sublime  repose,  the 
blending  of  an  infinite  joy  with  a  measure- 
less sorrow;  the  equilibrium  that  springs 
from  the  spirit  mastering  the  flesh.  Not  an 
ecstatic  rapture,  nor  a  joy  that  would  make 
their  life  on  earth  insupportable  by  its  con- 
trast with  their  abiding  frame  of  mind ;  but 
peace — "  the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth 
understanding."  The  first  "  peace  "  gave 
to  all  who  were  assembled  a  new  revelation ; 
the  seco7id  "  peace,"  a  summons  to  service. 
The  Lord  added  the  memorable  words,  As 
the  FatBer  hath  sent  me  ^  (arreVraAKe,  hath 
sent  me  on  a  special  commission),  I  also  send 
you  (wefiTro},  charge  you  to  go  forth  and 
accomplish  this  commission  of  mine);  s6e 
Westcott's  excursus  on  the  New  Testament 
usage  of  the  two  verbs,  which  does  much 
to  justify  these  shades  of  meaning.  Both 
verbs  are  used  of  both  the  mission  of  the 
Sou  and  the  mission  of  believers,  but  in  the 
two  senses,  (1)  tliat  sometimes  the  special 
service  on  which  he  or  they  are  sent  is 
emphasized  by  the  use  of  aiTO(niXKa> ;  and 
(2)  that  at  other  times  the  simple  mission 
or  sending  forth  is  the  dominant  idea  when 
vfixTTu  is  employed.  Thus  in  ch.  iv.  38  the 
Lord  says,  "  I  sent  (  direareiXa)  you  to  reap 
that  on  which  ye  bestowed  no  labour ; "  and 
ch.  xvii.  18  (see   note)  the   same  word  is 

'  N,  D,  L,  and  numerous  versions  omit  6 
*l7)(ToDj;  so  Tiochendorf  (8th  edit.),  Tregelles, 
Bale  Revisers.  T.R.,  R.T.,  and  Lachmann 
retain  it.  Alford,  Westcott  and  Ilort,  and 
Tregelles  put  it  in  the  margin.  Wey- 
mouth brackets,  with  A,  B,  I,  r,  A,  and 
numerous  cursives. 

*  See  notes,  ch.  xvii.  18,  where  the  word 
for  "  sent "  is  the  same  in  both  clauses. 


appropriately  used  twice — for  the  Lord's  own 
commission,  and  also  for  the  commission  of 
the  disciples.  Then  it  seems  to  point  back 
to  an  event  in  their  history  and  the  work 
done  already  and  before  Christ's  death  for 
the  world.  Now  the  disciples  have  a  new 
conception  of  Christ  and  of  his  work,  and 
they  must  go  forth  to  fulfil  it.  This  usaj:e 
of  diroffTeAAo)  is  more  or  less  conspicuous  in 
ch.  i.  6;  iii.  28;  v.  33;  xviii.  24.  ne'/nrco 
is  used  often  to  describe  the  Father's  mission 
of  the  Son,  the  mission  of  the  Comforter, 
and  the  mission  of  the  disciples  (ch.  xiii. 
20  ;  xiv.  2(5 ;  xvi.  7).  Moulton  says,  "  'Atto- 
(TTfWu  means  '  commission  *  and  TrfyuTO) 
'  mission.'  With  the  first  word  our  thouglits 
turn  to  the  '  special  embassy  ; '  with  the 
second,  to  the  authority  of  the  'ambassador* 
and  the  obedience  of  the  sent."  Another 
peculiarity  of  this  passage  is  that  the  Lord 
uses  the  perfect  tense,  aTreVraAKe,  rather  than 
the  aorist  used  elsewhere,  suggesting  a 
complete  commission  on  his  own  side,  whose 
meaning  and  eflects  are  still  in  operation. 
Those  who  have  received  this  revelation  are 
to  become  at  once  witnesses  to  tlie  fact  of 
his  resurrection,  agents  and  organs  of  his 
Spirit.  Moulton  suggests  that  irffiiru)  is 
used  in  order  to  enforce  the  pliysical  separa- 
tion between  the  Lord  and  his  disciples ; 
and  that  we  cannot  overlook  in  the  similarity 
of  the  ideas  the  difference  in  the  manner  of 
the  sending,  by  the  Saviour  of  the  disciples, 
from  the  manner  in  which  the  Son  liad  been 
sent  by  the  Father.  Christ  came  forth  from 
the  eternal  companionship  of  the  Father,  in 
the  fact  of  his  incarnation,  taking  humanity 
up  into  his  eternal  substance.  The  disciples 
were  sent  forth  by  the  risen  Lord,  who 
had  called  them  by  grace  into  fellowship 
with  himself,  and  who  equipped  them  for 
his  service.  The  difference  in  these  two 
methods  of  sending  is  as  conspicuous  as  the 
resemblance. 

Vers.  22,  23. — And  when  he  had  said  this, 
he  breathed  upon  them,  and  saith  to  them, 
Eeceive  ye  (the)  Holy  Spirit.  The  word 
i^vfcpva-naeu  is  not  elsewhere  used  in  the 
New  Testament,  but  is  used  by  the  LXX.  in 
Gen.  ii.  7  to  describe  the  essential  distinction 
between  the  living  soul  of  Adam  and  the 
living  soul  of  all  other  animals.  Man's  life 
was  no  evolution  of  the  life  in  other  creatures, 
or  consequence  of  pre-oxistent  properties  in 
the  dust  of  the  ground.  A  direct  volition 
of  the  Almighty  conferred  upon  humanity 
the  life  of  the  flesh.  So  here  the  second 
Adam,  the  life'^giving  Spirit  (1  Cor.  xv.  45), 
was  represented  as  visibly  and  sensibly 
conferring  on  those  whom  ho  now  sends 
forth  to  complete  the  mission  of  iiis  grace 
the  Divine  life  wliich  would  make  tliem  new 
creatures,  and  bestow  on  them  power  to 
generate  the  same  spirit  in  otliors.    They 


474 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xx.  1—31. 


will  have  power  to  do  this  by  bearing 
testimony  to  that  which  they  see  and  know 
to  be  tliC  fact  o(  the  case.  The  celebrated 
passage  (ch.  vii.  39)  which  asserts  the 
"glorification"  of  Jesus  to  be  the  condition 
of  the  mifsion  of  the  Comforter  (cf.  ch.  xvi. 
7)  makes  the  bestowment  of  the  Spirit  on 
this  occasion  a  proof  that  the  glorification 
liad  already  begun.  Has  lie  not  already 
said  to  Mary, "  I  am  ascending  to  my  Father"  ? 
So  now  ho  implies  that  the  time  will  come 
when,  though  he  is  sending  his  disciples 
forth  from  his  immediate  corporeal  pre- 
sence, they  will  touch  him  by  other  faculties 
than  eye,  or  ear,  or  hand.  He  is  about  to 
leave  them  for  seven  days ;  they  are  to  learn 
the  reality  of  his  spiritual  presence  by  an 
earnest  of  Pentecost,  by  such  a  gift  of  the 
Spirit  that  they  will  recognize,  in  the  rush- 
ing mighty  wind,  the  presence  of  the  same 
uplifting,  revealing,  supernatural  Energy. 
It  is  urged  by  Holmann,  Luthardt,  Gess, 
Moulton,  and  to  some  extent  Westcott  and 
Godet,  that  the  absence  of  the  article  must 
be  represented  in  the  translation,  that  we 
have  here  either  "a  holy  spirit,"  or  an 
energy,  an  impersonal  force  of  Spirit,  or  "  a 
gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,"  an  effusion  of  Holy 
Spirit,  and  not  "  the  Spirit  of  the  Father  and 
Son,"  not  the  fulness  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
not  the  realization  of  the  Divine  indwelling, 
only  an  earnest  of  the  sublime  reality,  a 
symbolic  expression  of  the  promise  of  the 
Father.  Godet  says,  "  This  communication 
is  to  the  Resurrection  what  Pentecost  will  be 
to  the  Ascension.  As  by  Pentecost  he  will 
initiate  them  into  his  ascension,  so  now  he 
associates  them  with  the  life  of  the  Resur- 
rection." This  last  may  be  perfectly  true  ; 
yet  Tlpevfia  "Ayiov,  with  or  without  article, 
is  "  the  Holy  Spirit "  (cf.  Rom.  viii.  4 ;  Gal. 
V.  16).  Meyer  says,  "  The  idea  of  an  inter- 
mediate Holy  Spirit,  distinct  from  the  Holy 
Spirit,  lies  outside  of  Scripture."  Nor  can 
we  minimize  the  full  force  of  Adhere,  which 
emphasizes  the  special  action  of  Christ,  by 
which  he  communicated  to  this  first  gather- 
ing of  the  Church  the  sense  of  his  Divine 
presence,  the  gilt  of  spiritual  insight,  the 
God -consciousness,  the  experience'  of  two 
worlds,  the  unity  and  community  of  life 
with  himself,  which  has  been  augmenting 
in  positive  realization,  in  vivid  proofs,  in 
mighty  powers,  from  that  hour  to  this. 
Whosoever  enters  into  the  sphere  of  that 
Divine  breath  becomes  "  alive  unto  God ; " 
his  faith  is  invincible ;  he  comes  to  know  that 
which  jmsscs  current  experience.  This  was 
the  beginning  of  the  supernatural  life  which 
makes  Christian  consciousness  unique  among 
religious  experiences.  From  that  hour  the 
holy  world  and  kingdom  in  which  Christ 
rules  has  been  an  objective  fact.  It  lies 
far  beyond  the  ken  of  science,  and  cannot 


find  any  place  in  a  sensational  philosophy, 
because  it  is  not  a  universal  experience.  It 
will  become  so.  The  further  revelations  of 
the  Lord  all  contributed  to  create  the  con- 
viction, and  Pentecost  sealed  it  to  the  world. 
It  is  desirable  to  remember  (cf.  Luke  xxiv. 
33,  etc.)  that  not  merely  tiie  eleven  apo-stles 
received  this  Divine  gift,  but  all  the  others 
who  had  gathered  together  with  them. 
This  circumstance  must  be  held  to  govern 
to  some  extent  the  solemn  and  mysterious 
privilege  which  appears  to  follow  the  Divine 
bestowment  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  We  cannot 
divide  the  company  into  two  parts,  one  of 
which  received  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the 
other  which  did  not  receive  him ;  one  of 
which  became  conscious  of  the  Divine  reality, 
and  the  other  not.  The  women  who  had 
been  the  first  witnesses  and  proclaimers  of 
the  resurrection-life  of  tlie  Lord  could  not 
have  been  deprived  of  this  sublime  privilege. 
To  the  little  society  of  believers,  before  long 
to  swell  to  a  company  of  a  hundred  and 
twenty,  was  this  great  grace  given,  and  to 
the  new  fellowship  of  faith  was  the  high 
privilege  vouclisafed ;  for  he  continued, 
Whosesoever  sins  ye  (remit)  forgive,  they 
are  forgiven '  unto  them — absolutely  forgiven 
by  God ;  for  who  can  forgive  sins  but  God 
only,  and  the  Son  of  man  who  had  and 
exercised  the  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins  ? 
— and  whosesoever  sins  ye  retain,  they  are 
retained.  The  history  of  the  interpretation 
of  this  remarkable  passage  is  given  at 
length  in  Herzog's  '  Real  Encycl.,'  art. 
"  Schliisselgewelt,"  by  Stein.  The  patristic, 
scholastic,  Tridentine,  Reformation  doctrines 
are  very  carefully  treated.  The  decrees  of 
the  Council  of  Trent,  session  xvi.  cc.  i. — vi., 
show  that  every  form  in  which  apostolic 
custom,  reformed  theology,  and  modern 
exegesis  have  solved  the  problem  of  their 
meaning,  was  repudiated  and  anathematized 
by  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  that  the  func- 
tion of  forgiving  or  retaining  sin  was  re- 
served for  the  priesthood  alone,  whether 
in  respect  of  venial  or  mortal  sin  (see 
'Ecclesia:  Church  Problems  considered  in 
a  Series  of  Essays,'  article  by  the  present 
writer  "  On  Forgiveness  and  Absolution  of 
Sins  ").  It  is  impossible  to  sever  this  passage 
from  those  passages  in  Matt.  xvi.  19  where 
Peter's  confession  of  the  Messiahship  draws 
forth  from  the  Lord  the  extraordinary  bene- 


'  'Atptccvrai  is  read  by  N%  A,  D,  L,  1,  13, 
124,  and  Fathers ;  aiid  is  preferred  by  Tre- 
gelles,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  and  Westcott 
and  Hort.  'AcpifVTai  is  read  bv  T.R.,  R.T., 
with  B^  E,  G,  I,  K,  and  many  Fathers.  N* 
reads  cupeBriaerai,  with  versions.  'AtpiovTat  is 
placed  by  Westcott  and  Hort  in  the  margin. 
Moulton  translates,  "They  have  been  re- 
mitted." 


CH.  XX.  1—31.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN. 


475 


diction   and    privilefre,   "  Whatsoevor  thou 
shiilt  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven, 
and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth 
shall  be  loosed  in  heaven."     Lightfoot  and 
Sclioltgeu  have  shown,  by  numerous  quota- 
tions from   the  Talmud,  that   the   plirases 
"  bind  "  and  "  loose  "  aro  repeatedly  used 
by  the  rabbis  to  denote  the  declaialion  of 
what  is  binding  and  what  is  immaterial  in 
ethic   and  religious   life.     Thus  say  they, 
'■  Tlie  school  of  Hillel  binds,  the  school  of 
Scharamai  looses  or  dtclares  iudifTorent,  this 
or  that  regulation."     We  know  that  it  was 
given  to  Peter,  by  the  conference  upon  liim 
of  the  powers  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  declare 
the  terms  of  admission  and  exclusion  from 
the  kingdom  of  God.    Thus  Acts  ii.  37 — 89 ; 
iii.  19;  v.  1—11;  viii.  20—24;  x.  34—48; 
xi.  17 ;  XV.  8,  etc.     Now,  we  tind  James  in 
the  same  assembly  proceeding  still  further 
than  Simon  Peter  (Jame.s,  who  was  not  even 
one  of  tlie  twelve  disciples) ;  and  Paul  re- 
peatedly, in  tiio  Acts  and  in  his  Epistles, 
declaring  by  Divine  inspiration  the  duties, 
the   privileges,  the    ideas,  the    redeeming 
principles,  of  the  kingdom  of  God, "  binding 
and  loosing,"  in  tlie  full  confidence  that  he 
was  the  minister  and  mouthpiece  of  Jesus 
Christ.    This  is  not  remarkable,  because  we 
find  that  the  identical  privilege  which  was 
in  Matt.   xvi.    described  as   a   privilege  of 
Peter  is  in  Matt,  xviii.  15 — 19  conferred,  not 
merely  on  Peter,  but  on  the  whole  Church, 
and  still  more  explicitly  upon  any  two  who 
should  agree  as  touching  the  forgiveness  of 
a  brother,  to  ask  the  Father  in  heaven  for 
this  great  boon.     This  privilege  is  based  on 
the  ground  that  "  where  two  or  three  are 
gathered  together  "  in  Christ's  Name,  there, 
says  he,  "  am  I  in  the  midst  of  tliem."     If 
the  offending  brother  had  refused  all  re- 
pentance, and  neglected  to  hear  the  judgment 
of  the  Church,  this  prayer  cannot  be  urged. 
Peter  then   seeks  for   further  information, 
"  How  oft  shall  my  brother  sin  against  me, 
and   I  forgive   him  ?   until   seven   times  ? " 
In  answer  to  this  question  Christ  reminded 
Peter  of  the  Father's  boundless  love,  and 
made  it  the  pattern  of  human  forgiveness ; 
and  tlie  whole  question  of  the  forgiveness 
of  injuries  is  shown  to  be  closely  associated 
with  this  binding  and  loosing  power,  this 
anticipation,  this  discovery  of  the  will  of  the 
Father,   this   acquisition   of   the    truth    in 
answer  to  earnest  prayer.     Prayer  is,  as  wo 
have  seen  in  numberless  places,  the  rising 
up  of  human  desires  into  the  very  purposes 
and  grace  of  God.  not  a  change  wrought 
by  us  in  the  mind  and  will  of  God — God 
forbid  that  we  should  ever,  to  our  confusion, 
secure  such  a  nsult  as  that ! — but  it  is  in 
essence  a  change  wrought  by  (iod  in  us, 
helping  us  to   say,  "Thy  will  be   done!" 
Let  it  be  borue  in  mind  that  this  privilege 


of  learning  and  uttering  in  our  prayers  the 
forgiving  love  of  God,  upon  the  conditions 
of  repentance  and  faith  and  a  forgiving 
spirit,  is  not  confined  to  Peter,  but  con- 
ferred on  all  the  digciples,  nay,  upon  any  two 
of  them  who  should  agree  to  pray  with  the 
sinning  brother  for  forgiveness.  Tliis  great 
law  of  love,  prayer,  and  forgiveness  was  doubt- 
less given  for  all  time.  Our  Lord,  in  this 
repetition  of  a  promise  made  on  an  earlier 
occasion,  omits  all  reference  to  the  binding 
in  heaven  of  what  is  bound  on  earth.  Yet 
he  does  not  repeal  the  promise,  but  rather 
specifies  the  occasions  on  which  the  disciples 
would  find  that  most  frequently  they  would 
have  to  exercise  it.  Whosesoever  sins  ye,  etc. 
It  is  as  much  as  to  say — Announce  boldly 
remission  of  sins  on  conditions  of  faith  and 
repentance  (Luke  xxiv.  47)  "to  all  nations, 
beginning  at  Jerusalem."  Your  forgiveness 
even  of  my  murderers,  your  forgiveness  of 
Samaritans  and  publicans,  of  chief  priests 
and  Pharisets,  of  Greeks  and  Jews,  of  those 
that  stone  you  and  persecute  you ;  as  well 
as  your  announcement  of  the  infinite  com- 
passion of  God,  shall  be  justified  and  rati- 
fied in  heaven.  This  has  been  the  divinest 
function  of  the  Church  and  of  the  dis- 
ciples of  Christ  ever  since.  There  is  no 
case  that  we  can  find  in  the  New  Testament 
in  which  the  apostles  as  an  order  of  men,  or 
the  ministers  of  the  Church  as  such,  assumed 
in  any  other  way  the  power  of  personally 
forgiving,  in  the  stead  of  God,  the  specific 
sins  of  any  individuals.  AVe  cannot  here 
trace  the  matter  into  the  controversies  that 
have  arisen  as  to  the  power  of  a  specially 
ordered  ministry  to  absolve  personally  in- 
dividual sinners  from  the  consequences  of 
their  sin  against  God.  Spiritual  communion 
with  Christ,  personal  reception  fiom  Christ 
himself  of  his  own  Spirit,  is  tiie  highest 
guarantee  of  power  to  proclaim  with  emanci- 
pating effect  tlie  anuusty  of  love,  or  to  utter 
with  subduing  might  the  terrors  of  the 
Lord. 

Vers.  24— 29.— (5)  The  manifestation  made 
to  anxious  scepticism,  with  the  blessing  on 
those  icho  have  not  seen  and  yet  have  believed. 

Ver.  24. — This  revelation  was  of  supreme 
importance,  and  is  the  climax  of  the  entire 
Gospel  It  is  peculiar  to  John's  narrative, 
and  throws  light  upon  the  very  construc- 
tion of  the  Gospel.  It  i-evenls  the  charac- 
teristics of  honest  doubt,  and  indicates  the 
abundance  of  the  evidence  which  was  otfered 
to  specific  classes  and  conditions  of  mind 
to  help  them  believe  that  the  Lord  had 
risen.  The  ronfession  drawn  from  the  heart 
of  this  apostle  is  not  only  valuable  in 
itself,  but  it  reflects  a  new  hustro  on  tho 
previous  manifestation.  Jloreover,  it  is 
cumulative  in  its  Jirgnmeutntive  Ibrce.  The 
must  sceptical  is  the  most  euthuaiaslicof  the 


\ 


476 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST,  JOHN.     [cH.  xx.  1— 31. 


twelve.    But  Thomas,  one  of  the  twelve  (a 

term  of  designation  for  the  first  group  of  the 
apostles,  and  one  which  was  not  renounced, 
although  two  of  them  were  absent.  The 
number  "twelve"  had  a  symbolic  and 
historic  value  from  its  relation  to  the  twelve 
I  tribes,  and  we  find  (Acts  i.)  tha"  the  eleven 
were  anxious  to  till  up  the  vacant  place  left 
by  Judas),  called  Didymus  (Greek  for  "twin," 
repeated  here  from  ch.  xi.  16,  not  simply  to 
imply  that  Thomas  was  best  known  by  his 
Greek  name,  but  that  there  was  a  blending 
in  him  of  intense  love  and  a  fear  which  had 
torment,  a  great  ambition  and  yet  exposure 
to  moods  of  despondency,  a  desire  to  treat 
tiie  whole  manilestation  of  Christ  as  com- 
plete, to  believe  that  the  words  of  the  Lord 
were  all  sublimely  true, — coupled  with  a 
gliastly  doubt  that  all  was  a  delusion,  a 
faculty  of  constructive  faith  and  speculation, 
of  transcendental  intuition  side  by  side 
with  an  intense  desire  for  sensible  manifes- 
tation, a  greater  belief  ia  the  Master  than  in 
the  disciples,  but  no  unwillingness  to  accept 
that  which  was  sufficiently  established). 
Thomas  was  not  with  them  when  Jesus  came. 
We  can  never  know  why  he  was  absent.  He 
was  given  to  moody  fear,  and  shrank  into 
solitude  ;  and  doubtless  in  many  ways  and 
words,  as  well  as  those  recorded,  had  implied 
the  wreck  of  his  hopes.  Separated  from  the 
fellowship  of  kindred  spirits,  he  augmented 
his  gloom ;  he  was  fast  tending  to  unbelief. 
The  state  of  his  mind  throughout  the  Pass- 
over week  may  have  been  one  reason  why 
the  apostles  delayed  their  return  to  Galilee. 
They  may  have  come  frequently  to  him  with 
their  sublime  announcement,  not  once  nor 
twice  (mly. 

Ver.  25. — The  other  disciples  therefore  said 
unto  him,  We  have  seen  the  Lord.  Mary, 
Cleopas,  Peter,  John,  had  all  tried  to  animate 
his  drooping  spirit.  But  he  said  unto  them, 
Except  I  shall  see  in  his  hands  (as  I  presume 
you  have)  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  (yet 
moie  than  you  have  done — touch  as  well  as 
see)  put  my  fingec  into  the  print'  of  the 
nails,  and  put  my  hand  into  his  side,  I  will 
by  no  means  believe — not  merely  in  the 
llesurrection,  which  you  attest,  but  in  the 
gi  and  reality  I  was  faiu  to  admit  so  recently, 
the  supposed  fact  that  he  came  from  the 
Father,  that  he  is  the  Way  to  the  Father, 
tiiat  he  is  in  the  Father,  that  he  is  all  he 
said  he  was.     If  Thomas  could  grasp  the 

'  Lachmann,  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.), 
Tiegelles  (in  margin),  on  the  authority  of 
A,  I,  Italic,  Vulgate,  ISyriac,  and  Origen,  read 
roTTou  instead  of  Tvirov.  N  actually  reads 
eis  TT]v  xei/"^"  auTov.  Tregelles,  Westcott 
and  Hort,  Alford,  and  the  Revisers  read 
TVTTov,  with  T.R.,  Godet  etc.  The  alteration 
tither  way  is  equally  probable. 


new  life,  the  new  and  hitherto  unrevealed 
order  of  being,  if  he  could  spiritually  see  the 
realization  of  all  the  mystery  of  love  in  the 
Resurrection,  then  all  that  he  was  doubting 
would  flash  forth  at  once  from  its  hiding- 
place.  Perhaps,  if  he  had  been  present 
with  the  rest,  he  would  have  accepted  it ; 
but  how  can  he  "  believe  through  their 
word  "  ?  The  extent  of  his  doubt  is  further 
seen  in  this :  he  did  not  say,  "  If  I  see  the 
print  of  the  nails,  ...  I  will  believe;" 
but,  "  Except  I  see,  ...  I  will  by  no 
means  believe."  The  first  manifestation  of 
our  Lord  seemed  to  correspond  with  the  first 
portion  of  the  Saviour's  high-priestly  prayer, 
viz.  that  he  might  himself  be  glorified;  the 
second  manifestation  of  the  day  corre- 
sponded with  the  prayer  for  the  disciples ; 
and  now  the  third  manifestation  is  to  meet 
the  difficulties  of  the  third  and  more 
numerous  class,  who  must  gather  all  their 
conviction  from  the  evidence  of  others.  This 
subtle  relation  between  parts  of  the  Gospel 
shows  how  profound  is  the  principle  of  its 
construction. 

Ver.  26. — And  after  eight  days — i.e.  after 
the  Passover  week  was  over,  during  which 
the  disciples  were  pondering  the  new  revela- 
tions of  the  Easter  Day,  and  becoming  more 
able  to  understand  the  meaning  of  a  spiritual 
presence  —  to  understand  what  the  real 
"  touching"  of  the  risen  Lord  meant — again 
his  disciples  were  within  the  same  or  a 
similar  abode  referred  to  in  ver.  19.  Some 
have  urged  that  this  manifestation  occurred 
in  Galilee,  whither  the  disciples  had  been 
directed  to  journey  to  receive  the  most  con- 
vincing proofs  of  his  power  and  presence. 
There  is  no  evidence  of  this  at  all,  and  the 
form  of  expression  corresponds  so  closely 
with  the  description  of  the  conditions  of  the 
first  meeting,  that  we  cannot  accept  the  sug- 
gestion of  Olshausen  and  others.  Some 
have  urgetl  that  this  is  the  beginning  of 
the  celebration  of  the  Resurrection-day — 
the  sanctification  of  the  first  day  of  the 
week.  Such  a  conclusion  cannot  be  posi- 
tively asserted.  "  Eight  days  "  having  fully 
elapsed  might  bring  them  to  the  even- 
ing of  the  second  day  of  the  second 
week.  The  expression,  "seven  days,"  is 
unquestionably  used  for  a  week  in  the  Old 
Testament,  though  Luke  (ix.  28)  seems  to 
use  the  expresbion,  "  about  eight  days,"  for 
a  well-known  division  of  time,  probably 
"  from  sabbath  to  sabbath  ;  "  and  from  the 
Jewish  way  of  reckoning  the  beginuiug  of 
a  day  on  the  sunset  of  the  preceding  day,  we 
might  reckon  that,  from  the  middle  of  the 
first  Sunday  to  the  evening  of  the  second, 
the  period  would  include  parts  of  eight 
days.  There  is  nothing,  therefore,  to  prevent 
the  calculation  of  parts  of  eight  days  from 
the  great  events  of  Easter  Day  as  a  whole 


CH.  XX.  1—31.]     THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


477 


to  the  eveninp:  of  the  second  Sunday.  And 
though,  as  Meyer  says,  there  is  nothing 
indicative  of  any  consecration  of  tlie  first 
day  of  the  week,  it  is  obviously  calculated 
to  explain  the  custom  which  so  rapidly 
sprang  up  in  the  Christian  community.  Nor 
is  it  without  interest  that  John,  in  the 
Apocalypse,  described  himself  as  receiving 
his  iirst  great  vision  on  "  the  Lord's  day." 
And  Thomas  was  with  them.  He  had  not 
broken  with  the  disciples,  even  if  ho  could 
not  accept  their  unanimous  testimony.  He 
was  now,  at  least,  sharing  their  excitement, 
and  perhaps  their  hope,  and  many  in  addi- 
tion to  the  eleven  disciples  were  striving  to 
realize  with  them  the  neweondition  of  things, 
even  their  common  relation  to  an  invisible 
and  triumphant  Lord.  The  Gospel  of 
Matthew  and  the  undisputed  portion  of 
Mark  xvi.  describe  no  appearance  to  the 
ajMiitlen  in  Jerumlem,  and  consequently  the 
opponents  of  the  Fourth  Gosptl  have  com- 
mented on  the  apostles'  cowardly  flight  from 
Jerusalem,  ard  on  the  unhistoric  character 
of  the  two  appearances  to  them  in  the  metro- 
polis. The  fact  is  that  there  is  no  indication 
of  flight  in  the  synoptists,  and  the  Fourth 
Gospel  throws  light  on  the  return  to  Galilee 
in  ch.  xxi.  (see  Weiss,  '  Life  of  Jesus,'  vol.  iii. 
40.3. 404).  JIatthew  gives  rather  a  summary 
of  the  appearances  of  forty  days  (Acts  i.  3), 
in  an  event  to  which  probably  St.  Paul  refers 
(I  Cor.  XV.  6).  When  the  doors  had  been  shut 
(observe  here  and  in  ver.  I'J  the  perfect  pas- 
sive participle),  Jesus  cometh,  and  stood  in 
the  midst,  and  said  (once  more,  as  he  saw 
their  natural  perturbation  ;  for  do  not  men 
always  shrink  from  manifestation  of  pure 
spirit  or  spiritual  body  ?),  Peace  be  unto  you 
(see  notes  on  vers.  19,  20).  The  repetition 
of  the  appearance  at  a  similar  hour  and 
place  continued  and  intensitied  their  pre- 
vious experience.  If  doubts  had  crept  into 
any  minds,  the  rectification  of  the  first 
impression  would  be  secured,  and  a  Divine 
joy  once  more  surcharge  their  minds. 

Ver.  27.— Then  (fTra,  not  oHv,  dcinrfe,  Vul- 
gate; darnach,  Luther)  aaith  he  to  Thomas, 
as  though  he  had  read  hia  heart  and  sounded 
the  depth  of  his  complicated  conflict  between 
hope  and  fear,  df-spair  and  love,  and  more- 
over intimating  the  fact  that  he  had  heard 
his  disciple's  protestations,  as  well  as  mer- 
cifully appreciated  his  genuine  difiiculiies, 
and  not  unnatural  hesitation,  Beach  hither 
thy  finger,  that  organ  with  which  thou 
wouldest  test  the  reality  of  my  Vjeing.  Do 
what  thou  wilt.  See!  my  hands;  and  as  the 
word  was  spoken  he  spread  before  his  doubt- 
ing, loving  disciple  those  hands  which  were 
nailed  to  the  cursed  tree,  with  all  the  signs 
of  his  great  agony  upor  them  still.  Thomas 
had  said  that  he  npj'st  'iv.oe,"  and  that  he 
must  touch— "1^  and   see  tilo  the  print  of 


the  nails."  Here  was  the  Divine  opportunity 
for  him,  with  more  than  one  sensi-,  to  assure 
hill  self  of  the  reality.  And  reach  hither  thy 
hand  (again  the  Loril  qtioted  the  very  words 
in  which  the  incredulousncss  of  Thonnis  Imd 
been  expressed),  and  put  it  into  my  side. 
He  says  nothing  of  the  print  of  the  nails, 
but  otfers  the  sacred  privilege  to  the  doubt- 
ful disciple.  Thomas  shall  liave  the  pnciso 
evidence  he  craved.  Tlie  most  besitaliiig 
of  the  entire  group  shall  have  the  aid  to  liis 
faith  which  he  fancied  indi8])cnsablc  in  his 
particular  case.  How  often  has  the  un- 
believer said,  "  If  such  or  such  evidence  bo 
not  granted  to  me,  I  c;iunot,  I  will  not,  I  by 
no  means  will  believe"!  ThusGiJeon  proveil 
the  Lord's  willingness  to  utilize  his  feeble 
strength  in  delivering  Israel  from  the 
Midianites;  and  even  Ahaz  was  summoned 
by  Isaiah  to  choose  any  sign  whatsoever  in 
lieaven  above  or  iu  the  earth  to  prove  the 
indestructible  vitality  of  the  true  seed  of 
Israel  and  real  house  of  David.  Conse- 
quently, we  cannot  say  with  Bengel,  "Si 
Pharisaeus  ita  dixisset,  'nisi  vi>lero,  etc.,'  nil 
impetrasset  sed  discipulo  pridem  probate  nil 
Kon  datur."  The  Lord  does  sometimes  offer 
exactly  what  we  ask  by  way  of  proof;  but  we 
cannot  know  the  precise  eft'c  ct  it  will  pro- 
duce, even  when  it  is  bestowed  or  when 
something  still  more  exjilicit  is  actually 
provided  for  our  weakni  ss.  Just  as  tlie 
cruel  taunts  which  malice  heaped  or  hurled 
on  the  name  and  work  of  our  Divine  Lord 
became  wreaths  of  glory  for  his  brow,  so  the 
cruel  wounds  which  unbelief  and  bigoted 
hatred  of  goodness  had  inflicted  on  Imnianuel 
became  from  that  very  hour  the  high,  main, 
indelible  evidence  of  his  supreme  victory. 
And  become  not  (nhyifov)  what  thou  art  in 
danger  of  becoming— the  Lord  does  not  say 
that  Thomas  is — faithless,  but  that  he  runs 
the  risk  of  ultimately  becoming  so  through 
the  dependence  of  his  spirit  upon  the  out- 
ward (so  Meyer,  Lange,  Wostcott,  etc.) ;  but 
be  believing,  faithful.  It  is  impossible  fully 
to  express  the  play  upon  these  two  words. 
"Airio-Toj  is  not  so  much  a  worthless,  untrust- 
worthy person,  as  one  who  has  settled  down 
into  an  abiding  condition  of  unbelief:  and 
tiVtos  is  not  simply  "  believing,"  but "  trust- 
woithy,"  "trusty,"  and  "trustlul." 

Ver.  28. —  '  Thomas  answered  and  said  to 
him.  Before,  so  far  as  we  know,  any  ges- 
ture or  effort  was  made  on  his  part  to  ac<'(pt 
the  tests  which  had  been  so  rashly  demanded, 
but  so  graciously  ofl'ered.     He  already  found 

'  The  Kol  is  omitted,  on  the  authority  of 
N,  B,  C,  D,  and  other  manuscripts,  Vulgate, 
and  numerous  patristic  authorities,  by  Ti- 
schendorf  (8th  edit.),  Westcott  and  Hort, 
R.T.,  etc.,  greatly  to  the  vividness  and  dra- 
matic force  of  the  passage. 


473 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [cH.  xx.  1— 31. 


eviden''e  which  was  far  more  efficacious 
than  tliat  which  he  in  gross  and  sensuous 
fashion  had  thoug^ht  indispensable  for  his 
peculiHrly  constituted  mind.  Before  doing 
more  than  fill  his  hungry  eyes  with  these 
identifying  signs  of  the  Lord's  actual  ob- 
jective presence,  he  did  in  reality  touch  his 
Lord  by  other  powers  than  finger  or  hand. 
He  bounded  from  the  depths  of  despondency 
to  the  very  top  of  faith,  and  he  "  answered  " 
— he  responded  to  the  proof  he  had  already 
r-ceived  of  the  Lord's  triumph  over  death, 
find  to  the  seal  that  had  now  been  set  upon 
the  Lord's  own  supreme  and  majestic  claims, 
by  an  adoring  cry.  Thomas  "  said  to  him." 
ObsfTve  it  is  not  hinted  that  he  uttered  a 
vague  and  ejaculatory  cry  to  the  eternal 
Father  (as  Theodore  of  Mopsuestia,  modern 
lationalists  and  Unitarians  have  repeatedly 
urged — a  speculation  which  is  wrecked  on 
the  ehev  aiiTtS).  Thomas  said  to  Mm,  My 
Lord  and  my  God.  This  is  the  first  time 
that  any  of  the  disciples  had  ever  drawn 
this  lofty  conclusion  of  love  and  reason. 
They  had  called  him  "  the  Son  of  God," 
"  the  Lord,"  as  a  Being  of  quite  immeasur- 
able claims ;  and  John,  in  the  prologue,  after 
years  of  meditation,  declared  that  "  the 
Logos  which  was  God  "  and  "  with  God," 
and  the  Creator  of  all  things,  and  "  the 
Light  and  Life,"  had  "  become  flesh,"  and 
flashed  forth  "  the  glory  of  the  only  begotten 
Son,"  even  in  his  earthly  life  ;  but  it  was  re- 
served for  the  most  depressed  and  sceptical 
mind  of  tliem  all,  tlie  honest  doubter,  the 
man  who  needed  immediate  and  irresistible 
evidence,  infallible  proofs,  triumphant,  in- 
vincible demonstrations — it  was  reserved  for 
Thomas  to  say  to  him,  and  to  say  unrebuked, 
uncondemned,  by  the  risen  Lord,  "  My  Lord 
AND  MY  God  ! "  Herein  is  condensed  into 
one  burning  utterance  from  the  worried 
heart  of  humanity  the  slowly  gathering  con- 
clusion which  had  been  steadily  inwrought 
in  the  mind  of  his  disciples  by  all  the 
teachings  of  the  Saviour.  It  was  at  last 
spontaneous  and  exultant.  These  words 
are  the  climax  of  the  entire  Gospel.  Every 
narrative  points  on  to  this  unchallenged 
utterance.  From  the  wedding  at  Cana  to 
the  raising  of  Lazarus,  from  the  testimony 
of  the  Baptist  to  the  awful  tones  of  inter- 
cessory prayer,  every  discourse,  every  miracle, 
points  on  lo  this  superlative  conclusion,  not 
breathed  in  loving  accents  by  the  enthusi- 
astic Mary,  not  sounded  forth  by  the  rock- 
like apostle,  not  whispered  in  awestruck 
affection  by  the  beloved  disciple,  but  wrung 
from  the  broken  heart  of  the  man  who  had 
said,  "  Let  us  go,  that  we  may  die  with  | 
him  ;  "  of  him  who  cried,  "  We  know  not 
whither  thou  goest :  how  can  we  know  the 
way  ?  "  of  him  who  had  said,  "  Unless  I  see 
the  print  of  tJie  nails,  I  will  not  believe." 


It  is  not  long  before  it  is  notorious  that  St. 
Paul  spoke  of  him  as  "  God  blessed  for  ever," 
called  him  the  "  Image  of  the  invisible  God," 
as  endowed  with  "  the  Name  that  is  above 
every  name,"  as  "  set  down  on  the  right  hand 
of  the  majesty  on  liigh  ;  "  that  tlie  author  of 
the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  called  him  the 
"  express  Image  of  the  Father's  substance," 
and  "  the  Effulgence  of  the  Father's  glory." 
The  earliest  testimonies  of  heathendom  con- 
fess that  Christians  sang  hymns  to  Christ 
as  to  God  (Pliny, '  Letter  to  Trajan  ')  !  but 
this  was  the  hour  of  the  great  confession ; 
this  was  the  birth-cry  of  Christendom; 
this  was  the  epoch-making  scene,  which 
guided  the  pen  of  John  from  the  prologue 
to  the  close  of  the  Gospel.  Thus  Thomas 
doubted  that  the  Church  might  believe. 
Thomas  did  indeed  die  with  his  Master, 
that  he  might  lead  a  multitude  of  the  dead 
from  their  hopelessness  and  unrest  to  the 
resurrection-life.  He  received  a  full  and 
all-sufficing  evidence  of  the  supernatural 
and  Divine  life,  and  eighteen  hundred  years 
of  faith  have  blessed  God  for  the  victory 
which  Thomas  gained  over  his  despond- 
ency, and  for  the  climacteric  force  with 
which  St.  John  tells  us  of  it. 

Ver.  29. — Jesus  saith  to  Mm,  Because  thou 
hast  seen  me  thou  hast  believed.'  Our  Lord 
does  not  bid  him  rise,  nor  say,  as  the  angel 
did  to  John  in  the  Apocalypse,  "  Worship 
God  ;  "  nor  did  he  reject  the  homage  which 
is  here  so  grandly  paid  ;  but  he  describes 
this  very  state  of  mind  which  induced  the 
disciple  to  say,  "  My  Lord  and  my  God  !  "  as 
that  high,  holy  acquisition  which  through- 
out his  ministry  he  had  treated  as  the  main, 
prime  condition  of  all  spiritual  blessings. 
"  Thou  hast  believed,"  said  he,  "  and  be- 
cause thou  hast  seen  me ;  thou  hast  become 
a  believer  in  all  that  I  am,  because  thou 
hast  received  this  crowning  proof  of  the 
reality  of  my  victory  over  death."  There 
are  critics  or  scholars  (Laclimann,  Meyer, 
Ewald,  etc.),  who  treat  the  expression  as  an 
interrogative :  Because  thou  hast  seen  me, 
hast  thou  believed  (art  thoxi  now  a  believinr) 
man  ?) ;  and  the  Revisers  have  placed  this 
punctuation  in  their  margin.  A  iew  cur- 
sives thus  point  the  words,  but  it  is  impro- 
bable, for  it  would  seem,  even  still,  to  have 
suggested  a  doubt  or  question  in  the  mind 
of  the  Lord  touching  the  reality  of  tlie 
apostle's  faith.  Moreover,  the  obvious  con- 
trast between  those  who  have  seen  and  those 
who  saw  not  would  be  obsf^ured  by  ,thc 
punctuation.     Observe  that  (Jhrist  did  not 

'  All  the  uncials  and  a  hundred  and  fifty 
cursive  manuscripts  omit  the  flco^a  of  T.K. 
and  numerous  versigiis  and  quotations.  It 
is  rejected  by  nj^rtiof  the  modern  editors 
since  Griesb?tg  ^^  ^jScholz. 


CH.  XX.  1—31.]      THE  GOSrEL  ACCOEDING  TO  ST.  JOHN: 


479 


say,  "  Because  thou  haat  touched  me,  thou 
hast  believed."  The  vision  alone  brought 
the  apostle  back  to  that  high  ten.'iion  of 
faith  wliich  he,  witli  others,  had  readied  on 
the  night  of  the  Passion  (see  ch.  xvi.  30 — 
32,  ami  notes).  All  the  tide  of  overmaster- 
ing love  surged  up  within  him.  But  the 
condition  of  multitudes  was  even  then  less 
priviliged  than  that  of  Thomas.  It  could 
not  be  a  part  of  the  conduct  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  that  each  separate  soul  shouUl  have 
all  the  tlements  of  conviction  which  the 
ajwstlea  had  enjoyed,  all  the  vision  and  all 
the  inspiration  of  the  cliosen  prophets  of  the 
Lord.  There  may  and  tcill  .come  a  time 
when  "  every  eye  shall  see  him"  as  Thomas 
Baw  him,  when  all  shall  have  the  function 
and  p!)wer3,  equal  faculties  and  opportunity, 
of  seeing  him.  In  the  Apocalypse  the 
evangelist,  at  the  very  commencement  of 
his  visions,  saw  for  himself  all  the  mystery 
and  the  certainty  of  this  crowning  victory. 
Meanwhile  faith  upon  testimony,  faith  in 
reality  tiirough  thepower  of  trutli,  is  declared 
to  be  the  law  of  the  kingdom,  and  the 
great  beatitude  which  Christ  left  as  his  latest 
legacy  is.  Blessed  (are)  they  who  saw  not, 
and  believed.  Of  whom  is  he  speaking  ? 
Clearly  not  of  those  who  had  already  re- 
ceived the  same  advantage  which  Thomas 
liad  now  enjoyed  so  tardily !  The  apostles, 
at  first,  did  not  accept  the  testimony  of  the 
women,  nor  the  voices  and  messages  of 
angels,  nor  the  objective  fact  of  the  deserted 
grave.  John  rebuked  himself  for  not  know- 
ing that  the  Christ  mmt  rise  from  the  dead, 
whether  he  should  have  personal  ocular 
evidence  of  it  or  not ;  and  he  blamed  him- 
self for  not  believing  throughout  the  earthly 
ministry  of  Christ  that  "the  Holy  Que  could 
not  see  corruption."  Still,  the  fact  was 
patent,  that  not  until  the  disciples  saw  the 
Lord  were  they  glad.  Even  in  their  glad- 
jies.s  there  was  the  mingling  of  surprise  and 
iucredulousness.  To  whom,  then,  flid  the 
blessedness  npj)ly?  Surely,  first  of  all  to 
the  multitudes  of  loving,  waiting  souls,  who 
were  prepared  by  their  reverence  and  the 
new  life  given  to  them,  and  by  the  bewilder- 
ing rumours  of  the  Easter  week,  to  believe 
in  tlie  Divine  necessity  of  the  Resurrection. 
Christ  told  tlie  disciples,  on  their  way  to 
Emmaus,  that  they  were  foolish  and  dull  of 
heart  in  not  accepting  all  that  the  prophets 
had  spoken.  Before  the  final  assurance 
given  by  their  identification  of  his  Person, 
he  jiersuailed  tliem  to  accept  his  statements, 
and  bel/feTe  in  all  that  he  tea*,  including 
the  fact  of  his  resurrection.  Whether  they 
fchould  ever  have  more  convincing  evidence 
or  not,  they  were  bound  to  believe  that  the 
suffering  Messiah  was,  in  the  very  nature 
of  things,  and  by  Divine  necessity,  Victor 
of  death,  and   must  see  tii-i  travail  of  his 


soul.  This  does  but  repeat  tlie  same  idea, 
"  Blessed  are  they  who  saw  not  as  Thomas 
and  the  otiier  disciples  were  at  this  moment 
doing,  and  yet  believed."  But  the  beati- 
tude includes  the  whole  future  of  the 
Church.  "  Whom  having  not  seen,  ye  love ; 
in  whom,  though  now  ye  see  him  not,  yet  be- 
lieving, ye  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable  and 
full  of  glory."  So  said  St.  Peter  to  the 
widely  scattered  Cliurch.  Tiie  Lord  does  not 
sever  the  link  between  external  facts  and 
spiritual  principles,  and  thus  propound  a 
group  of  subjective  conceptions  for  a  series  of 
objective  realities  (as  Baur  and  others  have 
urged) ;  but  he  does  pronounce  a  great  be- 
neiliction  on  those  who  can  rise  to  faith  in 
himself  through  the  word  which  he  has 
spoken,  and  wliich  his  apostles  would  con- 
tinue to  procl.iim  without  intervention  of 
physical  contact  or  visible  manifestation. 
*'  If  Christ  be  not  risen,  then  is  your  faith 
vain ;  ye  are  yet  in  your  sins."  These 
words  are  charged  with  the  grounds  of 
conviction  for  others.  Instead  of  the  first 
disciples  being  disposed  to  transform  hallu- 
cinations of  spiritual  manifestation  into 
tangible  and  visible  objective  facts,  they 
appear  to  have  been  more  prone  and  tempted 
to  transform  some  utterly  indisputable  facts 
into  spiritual  phenomena.  There  were  objec- 
tive facts,  but  every  attempt  which  has  been 
made  to  discredit  the  Resurrection  while 
admitting  these  facts  has  utterly  broken 
down.  Even  if  the  narratives  of  the  four 
Gospels,  with  their  divergent  representation, 
be  left  out  of  sight,  nothing  can  be  more  cer- 
tain than  that,  in  the  space  of  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  the  Churches  of  Christ  in  Antioch, 
Corinth,  Philippi,  Rome,  Ephesus,  and  An- 
cyra  were  existing,  and  held,  without  doubt 
or  question,  the  objective  fact.  Paul  (1  Cor. 
XV.  1 — II)  simply  recounts,  not  for  the 
first  time,  but  as  a  resume  of  long-since- 
delivered  instruction,  the  indubitable  fact 
of  the  Resurrection.  It  was  not  an  incredi- 
ble thing,  even  to  Agrippa,  that  God  should 
raise  the  dead ;  nor  need  it  be  so  now  to 
any  one  who  accepts  as  true  Christ's  account 
of  the  Father.  The  creation  of  the  Church 
unquestionably  turns  on  the  settled  convic- 
tion of  the  first  ilisciples  that  Jesus  rose 
from  the  dead.  That  conviction  cannot  be 
accounted  for  independently  of  the  fact. 
Every  attempt  to  explain  it  apart  from  the 
fact  itself  has  hitherto  been  wrecked. 

Vers.  30,  31. — (G)  The  conclusion  of  the 
argument  of  the  Gospel.  Controversy  has 
prevailed  from  the  days  of  Chrysostom  to 
our  own,  as  to  whether  these  verses  are  the 
summary  and  conclusion  of  the  Gospel  as  a 
whole,  or  have  special  reference  to  the  record 
only  of  the  appearances  of  Jesus  after  his 


480 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xx.  1—31. 


resurrection.  It  cannot  be  doubted  that  as 
St.  Jolin  sums  up  in  ch.  xii.  the  general 
teaching  of  Christ  and  its  effect  upon  the 
people,  to  the  termination  of  his  public 
ministry,  so  at  the  close  of  this  chapter, 
before  recording  the  special  bearing  of  the 
resurrection-life  and  spiritual  power  of  Christ 
on  the  subsequent  condition  of  the  Church 
— a  narrative  of  peculiar  interest  in  itself, 
corresponding  with  the  prologue  of  the 
entire  narrative — he  gathers  up  the  general 
significance  of  his  Gospel  and  its  relation 
to  other  books. 

Ver.  30.— Many  other  signs  therefore  did 
Jesus  also  in  the  presence  of  the '  disciples, 
which  are  not  written  in  this  book.  The 
"many"  and  "other"  refer  to  those  signs 
•with  which  his  readers  may  be  familiar 
from  other  sources,  and,  as  it  seems  to  us, 
in  other  ($i0\ia)  books.  We  have  seen 
throughout  how  thoroughly  alive  the 
evangelist  is  to  the  minutest  details  of  the 
synoptic  narrative.  The  word  "  many " 
seems  most  accurately  to  include  more  than 
the  few  appearances  after  his  resurrection 
wliich  are  not  mentioned  by  John,  but 
whicli  are  recorded  by  the  synoptists,  and 
the  "  other  "  refers  most  probably  to  signs  of 
a  different  class  from  those  which  be  has 
selected.  The  "signs"  written  in  this 
book  are  those  central  facts  which  formed 
the  theme  and  starting-points  of  his  dis- 
courses. "  Signs  "  do  not  necessarily  mean 
miraculous  works  (ipya),  but  all  "indica- 
tions "  or  "  tokens "  of  his  higher  nature 
and  Divine  commission,  such  as  his  appear- 
ance in  the  synagogue  of  Nazareth;  the 
cleansing  of  the  temple,  which  had  so 
powerfully  affected  the  mind  of  Nicodemus  ; 
tlie  repeated  assertion  of  his  pre-existence 
and  eternal  glory;  the  feeling  of  the 
ofBcers  of  the  Sanhedrin,  that  "  never  man 
spake  like  this  Man ; "  the  effect  produced 
by  his  lofty  claims  to  be  "Lord  of  the 
sabbath  "  and  "  greater  than  the  temple ;  " 
the   arrogation    of  power  to   forgive   sins; 

'  The  ai/Tov  of  the  T.R.  is  rejected  here 
by  Tisciiendorf  (8th  edit.)  and  K.T.,  on  the 
authority  of  ^<,  B,  E,  K,  S,  A,  8yriac,  etc., 
though  very  formidable  authorities  are 
quoted  on  the  side  of  its  retention — N*,  C, 
1>,  G,  H,  etc.,  Vulgate,  Coptic,  Armenian, 
.(Ethiopic,  and  numerous  quotations.  West- 
cott  and  Hort  place  it  in  the  margin. 


the  discomfiture  of  the  deputation  from 
chief  priests  and  elders ;  tlie  collapse  of  the 
Roman  soldiers ;  and  all  other  proofs  of 
his  supreme  authority.  All  these  ffTtfj.ua 
were  not  indispensably  connected  with 
corresponding  repdra.  "  Before  the  dis- 
ciples" suggests  a  special  limitation  and 
condition  which  took  powerful  hold  upon 
the  mind  of  the  evangelist.  We  hear  in 
one  passage  that  "  he  could  do  no  mighty 
works,  because  of  their  unbelief."  To  pre- 
pared minds  he  came  with  his  spiritual 
revelations  and  special  suggestions  of 
heavenly  origin.  John  sees  the  memories 
passing  before  him,  which  have  already 
foimed  the  heritage  of  the  Church,  and  is 
reminded  of  "  many  others "  which  have 
never  found  a  chronicler. 

Ver.  31. — But,  says  he,  these  are  written 
with  a  special  purpose.  The  author  did 
not  intend  to  write  a  full  history  or  a 
detailed  biography;  he  avowed  having  made 
a  unique  and  well-considered  selection  of 
"signs,"  whicli  formed  the  theme  of  great 
discourse,  of  "words"  which  revealed  the 
inner  depths  of  that  wondrous  nature,  and 
which,  far  from  exhausting  the  theme,  only 
touched  its  fringes  ;  and  he  did  this  with  a 
distinct  aim,  in  order  that  ye  (he  here 
addresses  the  Churches  already  founded 
and  waiting  for  his  legacy)  might  believe. 
Believe  what?  simply  in  the  fact  of  the 
Resurrection  ?  Certainly  not ;  but  that  Jesus, 
the  Man  whose  life  has  been  enacted  on 
this  human  stage,  is  the  Christ,  has  fulfilled 
the  entire  idea  of  the  Messiah  and  is  now  the 
realization  of  the  grandest  theocratic  hope ; 
and  further,  that  he  is  the  "  Christ,"  because 
lie  is  none  other  than  the  Son  of  God,  the 
Revelation  of  the  Divine  nature,  the  Image 
of  the  Father's  substance,  the  Effluence  of 
his  glory,  seeing  that  his  is  the  glory  of  the 
Only  Begotten  of  the  Father.  Nor  is  this  all. 
He  adds,  And  that  believing  in  this  glory, 
in  this  reality,  in  this  Christhood,  in  this 
Sonship,  ye  might  have  life,  tlie  blessedness 
of  true  being,  the  sacred  fellowship  with  the 
Eternal,  the  hold  upon  for  ever,  the  sanctity 
of  "  the  life "  that  is  "  light,"  the  eveilasting 
life  of  the  sons  of  God.  The  prologue  here 
finds  its  true  and  efficient  complement. 
The  purpose  now  betrayed  .expounds  the 
structure  of  the  Gospel  as  a  whole.  The 
apostle  claims  kinship  with  the  central 
apostolate.  The  Hebrew  prophet  does  not 
disdain  his  true  kindred.  The  evangelist 
does  not  disclaim  his  predecessors.  The 
lover  of  souls  discloses  his  lofty  passiou. 


HOMILETICS. 

Vers.  1 — 10. — The  Besurrection :  Peter  and  John  at  the  sepulchre. 
event  which  bespeaks  a  new  life  for  Christ  and  a  new  life  for  man. 


We  approach  an 


CH.  XX.  1—31.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  481 

I.  It   is  a  woman  who  is   first   at  the  tomb  on   the    IlESURnECTION  MOUN.      "  Tho 

first  day  of  the  week  cometh  Mary  Ma>:dalene  early,  when  it  was  yet  dark,  unto  tho 
sepnlclire,  and  seeth  the  stone  taken  away  from  the  sepulchre."  1.  <SVie  evidently  wan 
not  alone  during  the  whole  scc7ie,  but  she  seems  to  have  reached  the  sepulchre  before 
the  other  women  of  her  company  (Matt,  xxviii.  1).  "  Certain  women  of  our  comtiany 
were  early  at  the  sepulchre"  (Luke  xxiv.  22,  23).  2.  Mary's  purpose  was  to  embalm 
the  body  of  Jesus.  This  implied  that  she  had  no  more  expectation  than  the  apostles  of 
his  approaching  resurrection.  3.  It  vias  an  act  of  great  courage  to  go  in  the  darkness 
aitd  to  confront,  if  necessary,  the  rude  watchmen.  4.  It  is  suggestive  of  the  loyalty  of 
women  to  Jesus  that  "  woman  was  last  at  the  cross,  and  first  at  the  tomb."  5.  Her 
discovery  of  the  empty  tomb  was  the  first  indication  of  a  fact  which  is  the  most  funda- 
mental t>i  Christianity. 

II.  The  visit  of  Peter  and  John  to  the  sepulchbe.  1.  Mary  ran  in  breathless 
haste  to  acgtiaitit  tlietivo  disciples  with  her  discovery.  "So  they  both  ran  together;  and 
the  other  disciple  did  outrun  Peter,  and  came  first  to  the  sepulchre.  And  he  stooping 
down,  and  looking  in,  saw  the  linen  clothes  lying ;  yet  went  he  not  in."  2.  Jolvn,  as  the 
younger  man,  outran  Peter,  but  the  eager  haste  of  both  disciples  indicated  tlieir  amaze- 
ment, their  curiosity,  their  expectation.  3.  The  hesitating  look  of  John,  as  he  stooped 
down  but  did  not  enter  the  tomb,  bespeaks  the  awe  of  his  deeply  contemplative  spirit. 
4.  The  alacrity  with  tvhich  Peter  entered  the  tomb  without  a  pause,  and  descried  the 
empty  clothes,  is  characteristic  of  the  impulsive  and  eager  son  of  Jouas.  5.  Both  disciples 
believed,  as  the  effect  of  their  visit  to  the  sepulchre.  Yet  there  was  an  evident  unreadiness 
on  their  part  to  believe  in  Christ's  resurrection.  "  For  as  yet  they  knew  not  the 
Scripture,  that  he  must  rise  again  from  the  dead."  The  condition  in  which  they  found 
the  clothes  would  suggest  that  the  body  had  not  been  taken  away  by  enemies.  It  was 
still  less  probable  that  friends  had  carried  it  away.  6.  The  two  apostles  left  the  tomb 
convinced  that  the  Lord  had  risen,  but  still,  no  doubt,  unable  to  fathom  the  mystery  that 
underlay  the  transaction.  "Then  the  disciples  went  away  again  unto  their  own  home" 
— one  at  least  believing,  the  other  meditating  deeply,  but  awaiting  the  first  personal 
interview  with  Jesus  which  dissipates  all  his  doubts. 

Vers.  11 — 18. — Mary  Magdalene  thfi  first  herald  of  the  risen  Lord.  The  two  apostles 
withdrew,  but  Mary  remained  at  the  tomb.  "A  stronger  afiection  riveted  to  the  spot 
one  of  a  weaker  nature  "  (Augustine). 

I.  Mary's  love  to  her  Lord.  It  was  manifested :  1.  By  her  persistent  watching 
of  the  tomb.  2.  By  her  passionate  iveeping.  3.  By  her  anxiety  to  discover  some  tract 
of  her  Loi'd.  "  She  stoo|)ed  down,  and  looked  into  the  sepulchre."  Her  love  is  as 
strong  as  death. 

II.  The  successful  result  of  her  love.  1.  She  first  comes  into  communication 
with  the  two  angels  in  the  sepulchre.  They  may  have  suggested  by  the  direction  of 
their  looks  that  Jesus  was  near  at  hand.  2.  She  next  sees  Jesus,  but  does  not  know  him. 
(1)  Death  had  wrought  a  change  upon  him  :  he  appeared  4v  irtpa  /xopipTJ,  "  in  a  diiTerent 
shape  "  (Mark  xvi.  12).  Yet  the  voice  was  altogether  unchanged,  as  we  infer  from  her 
instant  recognition  of  her  Lord  after  he  had  addressed  h6r  by  name.  "  Woman,  why 
weepest  thou  ?  whom  seekest  thou?"  (2)  Iler  persistent  love  through  all  her  uncer- 
tainties. She  asks  "the  gardener"  to  say  where  he  has  laid  him,  that  she  may  take 
him  away.  3.  IJer  glad  recognition  of  her  loving  Lord,  i"  She  turned  herself,  and  saith 
to  him,  Kabboni ;  which  is  to  say.  Master."  The  sound  of  her  name  repeated  by  those 
loving  lips  ended  all  doubt  better  than  the  words  of  a  more  common  interest,  "  Woman." 

III.  Our  Lord's  check  to  her  passionate  ardour.  "  Touch  me  not ;  for  I  am 
not  yet  ascended  to  my  Father."  1.  Perhaps  she  had  thrown  herself  down  at  his  feet, 
and  had  attempted  to  clasp  them  in  her  enthusiastic  devotion.  2.  His  words  imply  that 
the  old  forms  of  familiar  intercourse  were  past.  He  had  entered  upon  a  new  mode  of 
existence.  3.  They  imply  that  he  could  not  renew  the  tie  that  death  had  severed  till  he 
had  ascended  on  high.  His  ascension  would  be  the  condition  of  a  new  union  frau^iht 
with  all  blessing  and  conRolation,  4.  It  is  better  to  know  Jesus  in  his  glorified  humanity 
than  to  "know  him  after  the  flesh."  The  Pioman  theology  sees  him  as  a  babe  in  his 
mother's  arms  or  as  the  Crucified  One ;  but  true  theology  must  behold  him  in  the  light 
of  his  resurrection  as  well  as  his  death.  # 

JOHN. — II.  2  I 


482  THE  GOSPEL  ACCOKDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xi.  1—31. 

IV.  Our  Lord's  message  to  the  apostles.  "  Go  to  my  brethren,  and  say  to 
them,  I  ascend  to  my  Father,  and  your  Father ;  to  my  God,  and  your  God."  1.  A 
woman  is  honoured  as  making  the  first  communication  between  Jesus  and  his  apostles. 
2.  TJie  name  by  irhich  our  Lord  describes  them.  "  My  brethren "  marks  the  new 
relationship  into  which  they  are  introduced  by  his  resurrection.  (1)  They  were  his 
servants,  his  friends,  his  children,  before  his  death ;  they  are  now  his  brethren,  according 
to  ancient  prophecy :  "  I  will  declare  thy  Name  unto  my  brethren."  (2)  His  exaltation 
has  wrousjht  no  change  in  his  affection  to  them.  They  are  still  the  objects  of  his 
unchangeable  love.  3.  His  ascension  to  heaven  was  just  at  hand.  (1)  The  apostles 
were  to  understand  that  his  resurrection  was  the  beginning  of  his  ascension.  (2)  The 
Ascension  was  to  place  the  apostles  before  God  exactly  in  the  .same  position  as  he  was 
liimself.  (a)  Jesus  marks  the  distinction  that  existed  between  himself  and  his  apostles 
in  their  relation  to  God.-^  God  is  Father  of  Christ  by  nature,  of  men  by  grace.  His 
Sonship  is  not  their  sonship.  (b)  Jesus,  in  calling  God  "his  God,"  does  not  disclaim 
Deity,  for  it  is  in  his  perfect  humanity  that  he  sees  the  Father  as  his  God. 

V.  Mary  fdlfils  her  glad  errand.  "  Mary  Magdalene  came  and  told  the 
disciples  that  she  had  seen  the  Lord,  and  that  he  had  spoken  these  things  unto  her." 
Her  ^tory  would  cause  (1)  surprise^  (2)  gladness,  and  (3)  hope  in  the  minds  of  the 
disciples. 

Vers.  19 — 23. — The  first  appearance  of  Jesus  to  his  disciples.  He  meets  with  them 
on  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  he  rose  from  the  dead. 

L  The  disciples  were  gathered  together  for  the  memorable  interview. 
1.  Mary's  message  had  evidently  brought  them  together.  2.  TJieir  new  hopefulness  must 
have  inclined  them  to  resume  their  old  collective  life.  3.  The  meeting-place  may  have 
been  in  "  the  upper  room."  (Acts  i.  13.)  4.  It  luas  a  secret  assembly,  for  the  doors  were 
shut  "  for  fear  of  the  Jews."  The  rumours  of  our  Lord's  resurrection,  going  abroad 
among  the  Jews  on  that  eventful  day,  suggested  the  possibility  or  the  fear  of  an  attack 
upon  the  disciples. 

XL  The  appearance  of  Jesus  to  his  disciples.  "  Jesus  came  and  stood  in  the 
midst,  and  saith  to  them.  Peace  be  unto  you!"  1.  His  appearance,  while  the  doors  were 
ffJiut,  shoiced  that  he  was  not  now  subject  to  the^old  conditions  of  material  existence. 
:r.  His  first  words  are  the  blessedly  familiar  words  of  his  last  address  on  the  night  pre- 
ceding his  death.  They  suggest  (1)  more  than  the  usual  mode  of  Jewish  salutation ; 
(2)  that  he  had  by  his  death  secured  peace  for  them ;  and  (3)  was  now  come  to  breathe 
it  into  their  souls.  "  He  came  and  preached  peace."  3.  He  gave  them  visible  evidence  of 
his  identity.  "And  when  he  had  so  said,  he  showed  unto  them  his  hands  and  his  side." 
(1)  He  satisfies  their  senses.  It  was  essentially  necessary  that  the  first  disciples  should 
be  convinced  of  the  fact  of  his  resurrection.  (2)  His  act  implies  that  we  are  not 
entitled  to  disregard  the  evidence  of  our  senses.  Therefore  we  are  justified  in  rejecting 
the  Romish  doctrine  of  transubstantiation  :  it  is  quite  opposed  to  the  evidence  of  the 
senses.  4.  The  effect  of  this  evidence.  "Then  were  the  disciples  glad,  when  they  saw 
the  Lord."  (1)  Their  terror  is  changed  into  joy.  (^)  At  first  "  they  believed  not  for  joy  " 
(Luke  xxiv.  41).  But  now  It  is  the  joy  ot  settled  conviction.  (3)  There  was  in  their 
joy  all  the  latitude  of  the  largest  hopes  that  could  gather  round  the  Person  of  their  Lord, 
HI.  Our  Lord's  renewal  to  his  disciples  of  his  original  commission.  *'  Peace 
be  unto  you  :  as  my  Father  hath  sent  me,  even  so  send  I  you."  1.  He  assures  them  of 
peace  in  connection  with  their  future  ajostolic  labours.  1  he  peace  of  reconciliation  which 
they  are  to  carry  to  the  world  must  have  its  reflex  in  their  own  hearts.  2.  He  cmftrs 
on  them  the  office  of  ministry  as  the  effect  of  his  death.  3.  After  conferring  the  office,  he 
conveys  the  gift.  "  And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  breathed  on  them,  and  saith  to  them, 
Receive  ye  the  Holy  Spirit.  Whosesoever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted  unto  them  ; 
and  whosesoever  sins  ye  retain,  they  are  retained."  (1)  This  bestowal  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
was  an  earnest  of  the  fuller  Pentecostal  effusion.  (2)  The  gifts  of  the  Spirit  emanate 
from  the  Son  as  well  as  the  Father.  (3)  The  powers  of  remission  and  retaining  sin  do 
not  warrant  the  Roman  claim  of  absolution  in  the  hands  of  a  priesthood,  for  the  follow- 
ing reasons,  (a)  The  powers  here  given  are  not  given  to  the  apostles  only,  but  to  the 
whole  body  of  the  disciples  (Luke  xxiv.  33).  (b)  The  Old  Testament  priests  had  no 
power  of  absolution.     They  made  atonement  for  sin  through  sacrifice,  but  they  never 


CH.  XX.  1—31.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  483 

absolved,  (c)  The  powers  here  given  are  similar  to  those  given  to  Peter  (Matt.  xvi.  18)) 
which  refer  to  absolution  from  Church  censures. 

Vers.  24 — 29. — The  second  appearance  to  the  disciples.  There  was  one  member  of 
the  apostolic  band  still  in  doubt  and  darkness.  , 

I.  The  absence  of  Thomas  from  the  first  interview  with  the  Lord.  "But 
Thomas,  one  of  the  twelve,  called  Didymus,  was  not  with  them  when  Jesus  canif." 

1.  The  character  of  this  disciple,  as  alrea<iy  made  known,  left  him  open  to  profound  dis- 
couragement at  the  death  of  Christ.  "  Let  us  also  go,  that  we  may  die  with  him  "  (ch. 
xi.  IG).  2.  His  tempei-ament  luould  incline  him  to  await  in  solitude  the  solution  of  the 
mystery  of  the  Passion  of  Christ.  3.  His  absence  from  the  first  meeting  might  have  cost 
him  dear,  even  the  loss  of  his  faith,  but  for  Christ's  mercy.  We  know  not  what  we  Iosj 
by  absenting  ourselves  from  the  fellowship  of  Christ's  friends, 

IL  Thomas's  obstinate  unbelief.  "  When  therefore  the  other  disciples  said  to 
him,  We  have  seen  the  Lord,  he  said  unto  them,  Except  1  shall  see  in  his  hands  the  print 
of  the  nails,  and  thrust  my  hand  into  his  side,  I  will  not  believe."  1.  Mark  the  deep 
interest  of  the  disciples  in  their  sceptical  colleague.  They  were  eager  to  impart  to  him 
the  gladness  of  their  own  satisfied  faith.  2.  Thomas  carries  his  faith  at  his  finger>' 
ends,  as  if  he  could  not  believe  in  a  fact  amply  established  by  the  testimony  of  wurthy 
brethren.  The  death  of  Chiist  in  all  its  details  had  midc  an  impression  upon  his  mind 
so  deep  that  he  could  not  entertain  the  possibility  of  life  returning  to  his  Lord's  body. 

IIL  Our  Lord's  condescension  to  Thomas's  unbelief.  "Then  saith  he  to 
Thomas,  Reach  hither  thy  fingers,  and  behold  my  hands;  and  reach  hither  thy  han^l, 
and  thrust  it  into  my  side :  and  be  not  faithless,  but  believing."  1.  This  interview 
occurred  a  week  after  the  first.  The  disciples  did  not  leave  Jerusnlem  for  G.iHlee  till 
Thomas's  scruples  were  overcome.  They  could  not  think  of  abandoning  him  to  his 
unreasonable  unbelief.  2.  Jt  luas  the  urgency  of  the  disciples  ivhich,  no  doubt,  secured 
the  presence  of  Thomas  on  this  occasion.  3.  Our  Lo7-d  offered  to  Thoixas  all  the  evidence 
he  has  been  demanding  for  eight  days.  (1)  How  wonderfully  Jesus  bears  with  our 
■weakness  !     (2)  How  ready  he  is  to  minister  to  our  strength  ! 

IV,  The  conviction  of  Thomas.  "  Thomas  answered  and  said  unto  him,  My  Lord 
and  my  God  !  "     This  exclamation  implied  :  1.  The  instant  dispersion  of  all  his  doubts. 

2.  The  rapture  of  a  holy  admiration,  3.  An  act  of  i^inccre  adoration.  Thomas  saw  in 
Jesus  supreme  Deity.  It  cannot  be  maintained  that  it  was  a  mere  exclamation  adilressed 
to  God  rather  than  Christ.  (1)  Because  it  was  spoken  to  Jesus.  "  He  said  to  him." 
(2)  The  words,  "  my  Lord,"  undoubtedly  restrict  the  cry  to  Jesus.  (5)  Our  Lord  does 
not  censure  or  repress  the  exclamation,  like  the  apocalyptic  angel,  who  says  to  John, 
"  Worship  God."     He  answers,  on  the  contrary,  "  Thmi  hast  believed." 

V.  Our  Lord's  proclamation  of  the  higher  blessedness.  "  Jesus  saith  to  him, 
Because  thou  hast  seen  me,  thou  hast  believed  ;  blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen, 
and  yet  have  believed,"  1.  It  is  natural  for  us  to  suppose  that  it  trould  have  been  an 
advantage  to  us  to  have  seen  Christ  in  the  flesh.  It  was  not  so,  however,  to  the  Jews, 
who  saw  him  in  the  circumstances  of  his  earthly  humiliation.  2.  Even  those  believers 
who  saw  him  in  the  flesh  had  to  get  beyond  the  evidence  of  the  senses  to  see  his  Godhead 
and  authority.  It  was  not  this  evidence  that  convinced  Thomas.  Eyesight  showed 
him  only  a  wounded  man,  but  something  more  was  needed  to  enable  him  ti)  see  Christ 
as  Lord  and  God.  3.  Our  Lord's  rebuke  of  I'homas  marks  his  consideration  for  the 
Church  of  all  ages.  He  seems  to  say  to  him,  '*  You  think  j^ou  were  doing  a  right  thing 
in  remaining  unconvinced  till  you  could  receive  the  fullest  evidence  of  the  senses ;  but 
what  is  to  become  of  future  generations  if  the  same  evidence  is  to  be  demanded  by 
them  ?  All  future  believers  must  accept  the  fact  of  my  resurrection  upon  your  testi- 
mony." 4.  The  higher  blessedness  is  ours ;  for  we  can  act  in  the  terms  of  that  faith 
which  "  is  the  substance  of  things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen  "  (Heb. 
xi.  1).     We  are  to  "  walk  by  faith,  not  by  sight  "  (2  Cor.  v.  7). 

Vers.  30,  31. — The  close  of  the  evangelist's  narrative.  It  has  an  abrupt  termination. 
The  Gospel  be^an  with  an  assertion  of  Christ's  Deity;  it  ends  with  a  confefsion  of  the 
same  blessed  doctrine. 

I.  The  evangelist's  method  of  writing   his  narrative,     "And   many  other 


484  THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xx.  1— 31. 


signs  truly  did  Jesus  in  the  presence  of  his  disciples,  which  are  not  written  in  this 
book."  1.  These  words  imply  the  existence  of  the  other  Oospels,  with  their  fuller  nar- 
ratives of  miracle.  He  thus  ratifies  the  contents  of  those  Gospels.  2.  The  miracles 
were  wrought  in  presence  of  the  disciples,  because  they  were  to  be  our  Lord's  witnesses 
to  the  world. 

IL  The  aim  of  the  evangelist.  "  But  these  are  written,  that  ye  might  believe 
that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God ;  and  that  believing  ye  might  have  life  through 
his  Name."  1.  It  is  a  blessed  security  for  the  faith  of  the  Church  of  all  ages  that  the 
gospel  was  written,  and  not  left  to  the  uncertainties  of  traditional  recollection.  2.  The 
object  of  Scripture  is  to  minister  to  faith.  "  Faith  cometh  by  hearing,  and  hearing  by 
the  Word  of  God."  This  faith  has  :  (1)  As  its  immediate  object  the  proposition  that 
"  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God."  (2)  As  its  ultimate  design  salvation  :  "  That 
believing  ye  might  have  life  through  his  Name."  (a)  Faith  is  a  fundamental  necessity 
in  Christianity,  (b)  It  brings  life  to  the  soul.  "  The  life  I  now  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live 
by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God  "  (Gal.  ii.  20).  This  life  is  "  through  his  Name."  He 
is  our  Life,  and  he  gives  life. 

HOMILIES  BY  VAKIOUS  AUTHORS. 

Ver.  9. — The  ignorance  which  evidence  dispelled.  I.  It  was  the  Divine  pukpose 
THAT  Jesus  should  rise  from  the  dead.  Nothing  in  the  ministry  of  our  Lord  was 
unforeseen  and  accidental.  The  closing  scenes  of  that  ministry  were  evidently  fore- 
appointed.  The  expressions  "  must "  and  "  must  needs  "  occur  frequently  in  connection 
with  these  marvellous  and  memorable  events.  They  are  parts  of  the  plan  arranged  by 
Infinite  Wisdom. 

II.  The  Divine  purpose  that  the  Christ  should  rise  from  the  dead  had  been 
hinted  in  Old  Testament  Scripture.  The  text  seems  to  refer  to  one  passage  of 
Holy  Writ  especially.  This  may  be  Ps.  xvi.  10 — a  passage  quoted  by  St.  PeteV  (Acts  ii. 
21)  and  by  St.  Paul  (Acts  xiii.  35)  as  finding  fulfilment  in  the  raising  of  the  Redeemer 
from  the  grave.  There  are  other  passages  in  the  Old  Testament  which  have  their  full 
meaning  brought  out  in  the  light  of  the  same  glorious  event.  But  the  light  of  fulfil- 
ment is  in  these  cases  needed,  in  order  that  we  may  read  the  predictive  meaning  in  the 
words  of  psalmist  and  of  prophet.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  disciples  of  Christ 
failed  to  understand  the  reference  of  some  Old  Testament  passages  to  the  Messiah.  But 
the  reference  was  there — after  the  event  itself  to  be  brought  out  in  clearness  and  beauty. 

III.  Jesus  had  on  several  occasions  foretold  his  resurrection  in  the  hearing 
OF  HIS  disciples.  Early  in  his  ministry  he  had  spoken  of  the  temple  of  his  body,  as 
to  be  taken  down  and  to  be  reared  again  in  three  days.  He  had  predicted  his  resur- 
rection by  representing  Jonah's  history  as  a  type  of  what  should  happen  to  himself. 
Towards  the  close  of  his  ministry,  before  and  after  his  transfiguration,  Jesus  had,  on 
three  several  occasions,  declared  beforehand  to  his  apostles  what  was  about  to  occur — 
how  he  was  to  be  betrayed,  condemned,  and  crucified,  and  on  the  third  day  to  rise 
again  from  the  dead.  It  is  surprising  that  so  faint  an  impression  should  have  been 
made  upon  their  minds  by  these  communications.  They  seem  to  have  been  so  absorbed 
by  their  own  expectations  that  they  did  not  really  receive  his  express  teaching. 

IV.  Our  Lord's  resurrection  was  not  expected  by  his  own  disciples.  We  can- 
not but  admire  the  candour  with  which  the  apostles  acknowledged  their  own  failings. 
There  is  in  this  language  a  confession  of  ignorance  and  of  a  lack  of  sympathy  with  the 
purposes  of  their  Lord.  John,  the  most  likely  of  all  to  seize  the  spiritual  meaning  of 
Christ's  words,  admits  that  he  had  not  until  this  time  had  any  expectation  that  his 
Master  would  die  and  then  rise  again.  Mary  wept  because  she  regarded  her  Lord  as 
for  ever  lost  to  her.  The  two  who  walked  to  Emmaus  were  distressed  and  downcast 
because  of  Jesus'  death.  Thomas  would  not  believe  that  Jesus  had  risen.  It  is 
remarkable  that,  whilst  the  disciples  forgot,  or  failed  to  believe,  what  their  Lord  had 
said,  the  priests  and  rulers  who  had  put  him  to  death  remembered  the  words  attributed 
to  him,  and  guarded,  as  they  thought,  against  any  attempt  on  the  part  of  his  followers 
to  remove  his  body,  and  so  to  give  colour  to  a  report  of  his  resurrection.  They  looked 
coolly  at  the  facts  ;  the  friends  of  Jesus  were  blinded  by  overwhelming  emotion ! 

Y.  The  belief  which  the  disciples  came  to  cherish  in  the  Lord's  resurrection 


CH.  XX.  1—31.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  485 

WAS   THEREFORE   ALL  THE    MORE   AN  EVIDENCE  OF  ITS  REALITY.      It  18  Certain  that  the 

twelve  were  not  predisposed  to  believe  in  the  rising  from  the  dead ;  tiiey  could  not 
have  invented  such  a  story  as  some  attribute  to  them  because  it  was  in  harmony  with 
their  exjiectations,  for  they  expected  nothing  of  the  kind.  Yet  they  did  believe  ;  they 
became  heralds  of  the  Resurrection.  Every  reader  of  the  Book  of  the  Acts  knows  that 
it  was  upon  this  that  they  based  all  their  teaching,  all  their  appeals  and  admonitions. 
They  preached  a  risen  Saviour.  What  plain  and  powerful  evidence  there  must  have 
been  to  overcome  their  doubts,  to  reverse  the  current  of  their  thoughts  and  feelings ! 
John  began  to  believe,  even  on  the  morning  of  the  Resurrection,  when  he  saw  the  grave 
empty ;  and  all  he  heard  that  day,  and  the  api^arance  he  witnessed  in  the  evening, 
confirmed  his  faith.  If  the  doubts  of  the  disciples  were  gloomy  and  depressing,  those 
doubts  were  certainly  dispelled.  Their  faith  was  all  the  stronger  because  of  the  unbelief 
it  contended  with  and  vanquished.  Hence  the  life  they  led,  the  labours  they  under- 
took, the  persecution  they  braved,  the  martyrdom  they  accepted.  To  account  for  these 
facts — among  the  most  wonderful  in  the  world's  history — we  must  receive  the  teaching 
of  our  Gospels,  that  Jesus  rose  from  the  dead,  turned  his  disciples'  sorrow  into  joy,  and 
gave  a  new  impulse  to  their  life. 

VI.  This  change  of  belief,  on  the  part  of  the  disciples,  is  full  of  spiritual 

INSTRUCTION    AND   HELPFULNESS   TO    ALL    WHO    HEAR    THE    GOSPEL.      1.    It   Confirms  OUr 

faith  in  the  veracity  of  Scripture.  2.  And  in  the  Deity  of  our  Lord.  3.  And  in  his 
mediation.  4.  It  j'ields  us  a  ground  of  acceptance  with  God,  who  gave  his  Son  to  die 
for  us,  and  who  raised  him  from  the  dead  that  our  faith  and  hope  might  be  in  God. 
5.  It  encourages  us  to  trust  that  it  is  well  with  our  departed  friends;  for  their  life  on 
high  is  part  of  the  harvest  of  which  the  risen  Redeemer  was  the  Firstfruits.  6.  It 
justifies  the  bright  hope  of  personal  immortality. — T. 

Vers.  11—18. — Sorroio  and  despondency  exchanged  for  joy  and  service.  Among  the 
wonderful  events  of  the  first  Lord's  day  morning,  the  incident  here  recorded  is  remark- 
able for  pathos  and  beauty,  and  also  for  spiritual  instruction  and  encouragement. 

I.  It   was   a   DEAD   AND   LOST   ChRIST     THAT    CAUSED     MaRY's   GRIEF   AND     DISMAY. 

The  woman's  attachment  and  devotion  to  the  Saviour  were  unquestionable.  She  and 
her  companions  seem  to  have  been  more  faithful  to  Jesus  even  than  the  twelve. 

"  Who,  while  apostles  shrank,  could  dangers  brave  ; 
Last  at  his  cross,  and  earliest  at  Lis  grave." 

To  Mary  Jesus  was  as  a  dead  Friend.  She  shared  the  common  grief  of  the  disciples, 
and  their  common  anxiety  during  the  interval  between  the  Crucifixion  and  the  Lord's 
first  appearance  to  his  own.  Love  induced  her  to  linger  nearrthe  tomb,  and  thus 
occasioned  her  interview  with  the  angels  and  with  the  Master  himself.  No  wonder 
that  she  loved  much  ;  she  was  indebted,  she  may  well  have  thought,  more  than  others 
to  the  compassion  of  Christ,  for  she  had  been  delivered  from  the  power  of  demons,  and 
received  into  the  favour  and  friendship  of  her  Deliverer.  And  now  to  lose  the  Lord  she 
loved  and  on  whom  she  leaned  was  a  trial  to  her  faith,  a  grief  to  her  heart ;  and  she 
would  fain  care  for  the  lifeless  body  of  the  slain  One.  Emblem  of  those  who  have  not 
found  Christ;  of  those  who,  having  found,  have  then  lost  him ;  of  those  to  whom  Christ, 
alas!  is  as  if  dead,  to  whom  he  is  no  living  reality,  no  near  presence,  no  Divine  power. 
Yet  it  is  better  that  sensitive  and  yearning  souls  should  grieve  over  the  distance  between 
the  holy  Saviour  and  themselves  than  that  they  should  acquiesce — contented  and  indif- 
ferent— in  their  privation. 

II.  It  was  a  living  Christ  that  turned  Mary's  sorrow  into  joy.  Observe 
that  Jesus  knew  Mary  before  she  lecognized  him.  The  language  he  used  was  intended 
to  draw  out  her  best  feelings.  Very  beautiful  and  touching  was  the  way  in  which 
Christ  revealed  himself  to  her  heart,  uttering  simply  the  familiar  name,  dear  from  the 
liallowed  intercourse  of  friendship.  It  was,  perhaps,  the  name  he  had  used  in  dispossess- 
ing the  (lemons,  and  its  utterance  must  have  awakene<l  many  a  tender  memory  in  her 
heart.  The  living  Christ  thus,  in  a  way  truly  human,  revealed  himself  to  his  friend  in 
one  moment  to  banish  her  forelxidings  and  assuage  her  grief.  Her  cry,  "  My  Master!" 
was  enough  to  reveal  her  gratitude  and  joy — her  joy  again  to  see  him,  her  gratitude 
that  the  appearance  and  revelation  were  to  her.     Emblem  of  those  souls  to  whom — ia 


486  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [en.  xx.  1—31. 

tlieir  darkness  and  sadness,  their  scepticism  and  despondency — Christ  appears  in  his 
uwii  Divine  dignity  and  human  sympathy,  addressing  them  in  language  of  compassion, 
and  gladdening  them  by  the  vision  of  his  risen  form  and  his  glorified  and  gracious 
countenance. — T. 

Ver.  17. — A  message  full  of  meaning.  The  risen  Christ  was  the  link  between  Deity 
and  mankind.  Standing  beyond  the  tomb,  yet  below  the  clouds,  he  sent  a  message  to 
the  disciples  whom  he  was  about  to  leave,  concerning  the  Divine  Father  whom  he  was 
about  to  join.  How  fitly,  wisely,  and  tenderly  did  he  communicate  with  them  in  these 
words  1 

I.  Doctrine  concerning  Christ  himself.  1.  His  humanity.  He  still  calls  the 
apostles  "my  brethren."  Although  he  has  risen  in  glory,  and  is  about  to  ascend  in 
majesty,  "  he  is  not  ashamed  to  call  them  brethren."  Having  for  men's  sake  passed 
through  sorrow  and  death,  so  far  from  forgetting  what  he  has  endured,  he  regards  his 
humiliation  and  sorrow  as  a  bond  of  attachment  uniting  him  to  those  whose  experience 
he  has  partaken.  2.  His  Sonship.  He  says,  "  My  Father."  Though  he  has  been  suffered 
to  drink  the  cup  of  bitterness,  though  he  has  uttered  the  cry  of  desolation,  though  his 
body  has  lain  in  the  earth,  still  his  relation  to  God  is  the  same  as  before  his  Passion. 
In  all  he  has  freely  done  what  was  pleasing  to  God.  Still  and  ever  is  he  the  beloved 
Sou,  in  whom  the  Father  is  well  pleased.  He  is  mighty  as  man's  Representative.  The 
Mediator  and  the  Brother  of  mankind  is  the  Son  of  God.  3.  His  subordination.  He 
says,  "  My  God."  Oa  three  occasions  our  Lord  made  use  of  this  appellation — on  the 
cross,  in  this  connection,  and  in  Rev.  iii.  12  from  the  throne  of  glory.  Similar  language 
•is  often  used  of  him  by  th6  apostles,  who  call  the  Eternal  "  the  God  and  Father  of  our 
Lord."  It  is  not  for  us  to  understand  all  that  our  Saviour  means  when,  in  his  humili- 
ation and  obedience  and  subjection,  he  declared,  "  My  Father  is  greater  than  I." 

II.  Doctrine  concerning  Christians.  1.  They  are  brethren  of  the  risen  Saviour. 
So  he  here  expressly  calls  them,  sending  them  at  the  same  time  a  fraternal  message.  It 
is  a  gracious  word  of  cheer  and  encouragement  to  those  who  have  been  enduring  sus- 
pense, sorrow,  and  depression.  2.  They  have  with  Christ  a  community  of  relation  with 
God.  What  the  infinite  Father  is  to  Christ,  that — such  is  the  unity  between  the  Master 
and  the  disciples — that  is  he  also  to  the  lowliest  and  the  feeblest  of  Christ's  friends 
and  followers.  3.  In  this  community,  however,  there  is  a  marked  distinction.  Jesus 
does  not  say,  "  Our  Father  and  God,"  as  if  there  were  equality  between  Jesus  and  his 
disciples.  In  fact,  God  is  Father  of  Christ  accordins  to  the  nature  of  the  Godhead,  of 
Christians  according  to  grace  and  adoption ;  he  is  God  of  Christ  so  far  as  our  Lord's 
humanity  is  regarded,  of  Chri>tians  by  the  covenant  relation  he  has  instituted.  4.  In 
this  community  thera  is  a  mediatorial  superiority  on  the  one  side,  and  a  corresponding 
dependence  on  the  other.  It  is  through  Christ  Jesus  that  the  character,  the  disposition, 
the  gracious  purposes  of  the  Father  are  maiie  known  to  us,  and  it  is  especially  through 
him  that  the  Divine  Fatherhood  is  declared  ;  and  it  is  through  Christ  Jesus  that  the 
relations  in  question  are  actually  established  and  are  constantly  maintained. 

Application.  This  message,  in  the  first  instance  addressed  to  the  apostles,  is  left  with 
the  whole  Church  of  the  Redeemer,  that  all  Christ's  people  may  not  only  know  where 
he  has  gone,  but  may  realize  the  purpose  of  his  going  as  far  as  they  are  concerned, 
and  may  enjoy  the  assurance  that  his  Father  is  their  Father,  and  his  God  their  God. — T. 

Vers.  19 — 23. — The  first  Lord's  day  evening.  The  most  wonderful  and  memorable 
day  in  the  world's  history  was  drawing  to  a  close.  The  sun,  whose  rising  beams  had 
shone  upon  the  empty  tomb,  the  affrighted  guards,  the  anxious  sorrowing  women,  had 
now  set. 

].  'J'he  narrative  introduces  us  to  an  anxious  company.  Ten  apostles  and 
some  of  their  intimate  friends  and  fellow-believers  were  gathered  together,  drawn  by 
a  community  of  interest  in  their  unseen  Saviour.  They  had  a  common  memorj'-,  a 
common  love,  a  common  sorrow.  They  betook  them  to  seclusion,  both  from  fear  lest 
the  wrath  of  their  enemies  might  assail  them,  and  from  lack  of  sympathy  outside. 
They  were  disappointed  and  perplexed.  Yet  there  was  inquiry,  excitement,  wonder, 
speculation,  among  them;  for  the  news  brought  by  Simon,  by  the  women,  by  the  two 
from  Emmaus,  awakened  eager  interest  and  most  conflicting  emotionsw 


cH.  XX.  1—31.]      THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.  487 

II.  The  nakrative  relates  the  entrance  of  a  Divine  Visitor.  Unexpected, 
amazing,  was  the  approach  of  the  Master.  Gracious  was  his  greeting,  welcome  his 
familiar  tones.  He  convincod  them  of  his  identity  by  exliibitin.;  liis  wounds,  and 
proved  his  humanity  by  partaking  of  food.  And  though  his  coming  was  friendly,  yet 
he  upbraided  his  disciples  for  their  unbelief. 

III.  The  narrative  depicts  tiik  common  and  sudden  joy  which  possessed  the 
BROTHERHOOD.     (On  this,  see  homily  on  ver.  20.) 

IV.  The  narrative  records  the  sacred  commission  with  which  Jesus  now 
ENTRUSTED  HIS  DISCIPLES.  It  must  be  bornc  in  mind  that  these  servants  of  Clirist  hati 
been  for  a  long  time  closely  associated  with  him,  and  had  thus  been  prepared  for  their 
life-work.  So  tremendous  a  trust  as  this  would  otherwise  be  unaccountable.  1.  They 
were  to  go  among  men  as  Christ's  representatives,  as  those  entrusted  with  Divine 
authority,  and  they  were  to  act  as  ambassadors  for  God.  2.  Their  special  mission  was 
to  declare  to  men  who  should  receive  their  messase  and  should  truly  repent,  the  abso- 
lution and  remission  of  sin.  The  purpose  of  Christ's  corning  was  to  secure  ]vird'in  and 
acceptance  for  sinful  men  ;  and  this  purpose  was  to  be  fultilled  by  means  of  the  ministry 
of  the  apostles  and  their  successors. 

V.  The   NARRATIVE    MENTIONS   THE   SPECIAL   QUALIFICATION   BESTOWED    UPON   THOSE 

ENTRUSTED  WITH  THIS  HIGH  COMMISSION.  The  words  of  Christ,  "  Receive  ye  the  Holy 
Spirit,"  were  accompanied  with  the  symbolic  act  of  breathing  upon  them ;  and  both 
denoted  the  reality  of  the  Divine  gift  by  which  unlearned  and  feeble  men  were  fitted 
to  fulfil  a  ministry  of  blessing  to  mankind. — T. 

Ver.  20. — Tlie  glad  vision.  The  record  of  the  apostles'  emotion  serves  a  purpose  of 
value.  They  saw  his  form,  his  hands,  his  feet,  his  side.  They  heard  an(i  recognized 
his  voice  when  he  gave  them  his  salutation  of  peace.  Thus  they  were  convinced  of  the 
reality,  the  identity,  of  the  risen  Saviour.  And  their  conviction  led  to  their  witness, 
and  thus  to  our  faith. 

I.  The  reasons  for  the  gladness  which  the  disciples  experienced  when  they 
SAW  THE  Christ.  1.  The  gloomy  feelings  of  doubt  and  foreboding  experienced  by 
them  during  many  hours  past  now  gave  way  to  the  contrasting  emotions  of  relief, 
satisfaction,  and  joy.  The  disciples  had  been  disappointed  and  cast  down  by  the  blow 
which  fell  upon  them  when  their  Lord  was  slain.  Their  hopes  had  been  all  but  extin- 
guished. They  had  been  bewildered  and  sad.  Now  their  suspense  was  at  an  end, 
their  fears  were  dispelled,  their  doubts  were  removed.  The  reaction  was  great.  The 
cloud  which  had  overshadowed  them  had  been  black  ;  the  more  welcome  was  the  burst 
of  sunshine  which  now  illumined  their  hearts.  2,  Their  gladness  was  increased  by  the 
resumption  of  Christ's  fellowship  and  friendship.  When  they  saw  the  Lord,  and  heard 
his  well-known  and  well-loved  voice,  they  appreciated  his  forwardness  to  show  his 
interest  and  affection.  He  was  still  their  Friend,  and  they  could  not  tell  for  what 
period  they  might  be  permitted  to  enjoy  his  companionship  and  counsel.  3.  The  dis- 
ciples must  have  been  growingly  glad,  as  they  gained  through  the  Resurrection  a  fuller 
view  of  the  Lord's  nature,  character,  and  office.  They  experienced  the  fulfilment  of 
Christ's  words,  "  A  little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me;  "  "On  tlie  third  day  I  shall  rise 
attain,"  etc.  Their  hope  that  he  would  prove  to  be  the  Messiah  revived.  Who  must 
this  be  whom  death  itself  is  powerless  to  hold? 

II.  The  broader  reasons  for  our  gladness  because  of  the  resurrection  op 
Christ.  1.  Our  faith  is  thus  confirmed  in  the  Divinity  and  authority  of  our  Saviour 
himself.  2.  As  a  consequence  of  this,  our  natural  and  distressing  doubts  concerning 
the  interest  and  benevolence  of  God  are  eflectually  removed.  3.  A  glbiious  aim  in  life 
is  thus  presented  before  us ;  the  Church  becomes  the  living  witness  to  the  Resurrection 
and  to  the  gospel,  which  is  based  upon  this  stupendous  fact.  4.  A  welcome  and  sacred 
light  is  thus  cast  upon  the  immortal  prospects  of  Christ's  people.  They  who  saw  him 
after  the  Resurrection,  and  who  had  heard  him  say,  "  Where  I  am,  ye  shall  be  also," 
could  not  but  cherish  the  hope  of  a  deathless  fellowship  with  the  Lord  of  life,  who  has 
the  keys  of  death  and  of  the  unseen  world. — T. 

Ver.  21. —  Hie  mission  of  the  Son  and  of  the  servants.  A  mission  involves  a  sender, 
the  party  to  whom  he  sends,  the  sent  oncj  and  a  comniissioa  to  be  fulfilled  by  the  sent 


488  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xx.  1— 31. 

on  behalf  of  the  sender  and  for  the  benefit  of  those  whom  he  visits.  A  religious  mission 
originates  in  God,  is  designed  for  the  welfare  of  men,  and  is  accomplished  ia  the  first 
instance  by  the  Son  of  God,  and  thea  by  his  ministers. 

I.  The  mission  on  which  Christ  was  sent  by  the  Father.  1.  The  origin  of 
thiS  mission  must  be  sought  in  the  love  and  pity  of  the  Father  towards  sinful  men, 
and  in  the  condition  of  humanity  which  rendered  a  Divine  interposition  desirable.  2. 
The  condition  of  this  mission  was  the  incarnation  and  advent  of  the  Son  of  God.  3. 
The  evidence  and  authentication  of  this  mission  are  found  in  Christ's  mighty  works  and 
benevolent  ministry  on  earth.  4.  The  completion  of  this  mission  was  effected  when 
the  Lord  Jesus  laid  down  his  life  for  the  sheep. 

IL  The  mission  on  which  Christian  apostles' and  evangelists  were  sent  by 
their  Lord.  The  twelve  were,  because  thus  sent,  designated  "  apostles."  There  is  no 
reason  to  limit  the  mission  to  these  ;  it  was  shared  by  the  evangelists  who  were  asso- 
ciated with  them,  and  indeed  by  the  whole  Church  of  the  Eedeemer.  1.  Apostolic 
conditions.  These  ae  (1)  sympathy  with  the  mind  of  Christ;  (2)  compassion  for  the 
world;  (3)  renunciation  of  selfish  ends  in  life.  2.  The  apostolic  spirit.  This  is  pre- 
eminently a  spirit  of  dependence  upon  the  gospel  and  upon  the  Spirit  of  Christ.  3. 
Apostolic  methods.  (1)  The  proclamation  of  distinctively  Christian  truth ;  (2)  the 
institution  of  Christian  societies;  (3)  the  continuous  employment  of  the  Christian 
example,  and  the  witness  of  the  Christian  life. 

IlL  The  relation  between  the  mission  of  Christ  and  that  of  his  Church.  1. 
A  relation  of  dependence.  The  mission  of  apostles  and  preachers  would  be  impossible, 
had  it  not  been  preceded  by  that  of  the  Divine  Lord  himself.  The  mission  of  the  Son 
made  possible  that  of  the  servants.  2.  A  relation  of  similarity.  Notwithstanding 
the  difference  between  Divinity  and  humanity,  between  the  work  of  mediation  and 
that  of  publication,  the  mission  of  the  followers  is  as  that  of  the  Leader.  In  both 
cases  the  work  is  God's,  the  authority  is  God's,  the  favour  and  assistance  is  God's,  and 
the  end  sought  is  God's.  The  recompense  and  the  joy  ensuing  in  both  cases  upon 
success  is  one  and  the  same.  How  honourable  is  the  Christian  calling  !  how  noble  the 
Christian  aim!  howsacrtd  the  Christian  fellowship!  how  bright  the  Christian  hope!— T. 

Ver.  28, —  The  cry  of  faith  and  joy.  If  St.  John  begins  his  Gospel  with  a  clear  and 
full  declaration  of  our  Lord's  Deity,  he  here  towards  its  close  gives  his  readers  to  under- 
stand that  his  conviction  was  shared  by  others  who,  like  himself,  had  the  advantage  of 
prolonged  and  continuous  fellowship  with  Jesus. 

I.  The  witness  of  this  cry  to  the  nature  and  authority  of  Christ.  1.  This 
witness  is  all  the  more  important,  because  (1)  given  after  our  Lord's  resurrection  from 
the  dead,  when  his  ministry  was  completed,  and  when  its  impression  was  single  and 
perfect ;  and  (2)  given  by  an  incredulous  apostle,  whose  unbelief  was  overcome  by  the 
force  of  evidence,  and  whose  conviction  was  accordingly  the  more  valuable.  2.  This 
witness  was  full  and  explicit.  When  Thomas  cried,  "My  Lord  and  my  God!"  the 
two  ajipellations  were  unquestionably  addressed  to  one  and  the  same  Person,  who  stood 
before  him.  The  language  constitutes  a  confession  of  our  Lord's  Divinity.  This  must 
be  ad  nnwledged,  even  by  those  who  regard  the  nature  of  the  union  of  the  human  and 
Divin  in  Christ  as  matter  of  speculation,  because  unrevealed.  3.  This  witness  was 
accepted  by  the  Saviour,  who  would  certainly  have  rejected  it  had  it  been  the  utterance 
of  mistaken  enthusiasm.  Jesus,  however,  in  reply  to  Thomas,  said,  "Thou  hast 
believed,"  meaning  by  this  language,  "believed  the  truth  concerning  me." 

II.  The  witness  of  this  cky  to  the  appropriating  power  of  faith.  1.  When 
we  CI  y,  "  My  Lord  and  my  God !  "  we  imply  that,  to  our  apprehension,  Christ  has  not 
only  given  himself/o-  us,  but  has  given  himself  to  us.  He  could  not  otherwise  be  ours. 
The  only  claim  we  can  have  upon  him  is  founded  upon  his  own  generosity  and  sacrifice. 
2.  If  we  have  property  in  Christ,  it  follows  that  we  feel  towards  him  a  spiritual  and 
affectionate  attachment, 

"  Jesus,  thou  art  my  Lord  and  God, 
I  joy  to  call  tliee  mine ; 
For  ou  thy  head,  though  pierced  with  thorns, 
I  see  a  crown  Divine ! " 


CH.  XX.  1—31.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  489 

3.  The  appropriation  by  the  soul  of  Christ  himself  is  the  appropriation  of  him  in  all  his 
offices.  lu  approaching  the  Saviour,  the  soul  addresses  him  thus  :  *'  My  Prophet !  my 
Priest!  my  King!"  4.  When  this  exclamation  is  sincere,  it  is  a  confession  that  Christ 
is  an  all-sufficient  and  an  everlasting  Portion.  "  Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  thee  ? 
and  there  is  none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  beside  thee  I " — T. 

Ver.  29. —  The  blessedness  of  faith.  This  saying  of  Christ  was  not  so  much  a  reproach 
directed  against  Thomas,  as  it  was  a  comfort  and  benediction  for  the  Church  of  the 
future.  The  apostles  had  their  advantages,  in  that  they  had  personal  intercourse  with 
Jesus.  Yet  we  are  not  without  our  counterbalancing  advantages,  in  that  we  can  believe 
in  him  whom  we  have  not  seen.  Let  Christ's  faithful  disciples  and  friends  take  to 
themselves  this  consolation,  and  let  them  be  assured  that  wise  and  benevolent  pur- 
poses are  secured  by  the  provision  that  they  must  walk,  not  by  sight,  but  by  faith. 

I.  It  is  impossible  for  all  to  see  ;  it  is  possible  for  all  to  believe.  It  seems 
as  if  our  Lord's  ministry  were  itself  an  evidence  of  the  difficulty  of  establishing  a 
universal  religion  by  a  living  Lord  in  the  body  and  accessible  to  all  men's  sight  and 
knowledge.  It  would  have  been,  as  far  as  we  can  see,  physically  impossible  for  men  of 
all  lands  and  through  all  ages  to  have  seen  Jesus.  His  ministry  was  confined  to  the 
lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel ;  and  even  in  Palestine  there  must  have  been  multi- 
tudes who  were  never  brought  into  contact  with  him,  who  never  knew  him.  Whereas  the 
spiritual  dispensation  permits  of  disciples  being  gathered  to  Christ  from  every  country, 
and  through  all  the  centuries,  all  of  whom  can  fulfil  the  required  conditions  oi faith. 

II.  It  is  unnecessary  for  all  to  see  ;  it  is  necessary  for  all  to  believe.  It 
was  indeed  needful  that  some  should  see.  Our  Lord's  personal  friends  and  attendants 
saw  and  heard  him,  and  had  the  opportunity  of  knowing  him  as  he  was  in  his  humilia- 
tion and  ministry.  But  when  their  ears  had  heard,  their  eyes  seen,  their  hands  handled, 
the  Word  of  life,  they  were  competent  to  testify  of  him  whom  they  had  come  to 
know  so  well.  Then  the  testimony  of  the  few  was  sufficient  to  convince  many.  The 
slight  of  some  was  the  means,  the  preparation,  for  an  end,  and  that  end  was  the  faith  of 
all.  In  order  that  men  may  enjoy  the  favour  of  God  and  may  participate  in  the  Divine 
nature  and  life,  it  is  indispensably  necessary  that  they  believe  the  gospel,  and  exercise 
faith  in  Christ.     Sight  may  be  dispensed  with,  but  not  faith. 

III.  It  is  inexpedient  and  undesirable  for  all  to  see  ;  it  is  expedient  and 
desirable  for  all  to  believe.  We  know  that  it  is  possible  for  men  to  see  Jesus,  and 
not  to  believe.  Tlie  Jews  saw  our  Lord  and  his  miracles,  yet  many  of  them  were  none 
the  better  for  the  sight.  There  is  danger  lest  sight  should  end  in  itself,  lest  men  should 
be  satisfied  when  their  curiosity  is  gratified.  But  the  ends  of  the  Christian  religion 
are  secured  through  faith.     The  higher  life  of  the  spirit  is  by  this  means  secured. 

IV.  It  is  well  to  see  and  to  believe  ;  it  is  better  to  believe  without  seeing. 
Those  who  see  and  believe  may  indeed  be  happy ;  but  they  are  happier  still  who  accept 
testimony,  who  exercise  spiritual  intuition,  who  gain  experience  which  itself  confirms 
their  faith.  This  happiness  is  not — as  is  sometimes  supposed — the  happiness  of  ignor- 
ance. It  consists  in  submission  to  the  Divine  plan  and  appointment,  in  the  pure 
spirituality  of  the  process  of  religious  experience,  in  the  harmony  which  exists  between 
the  foundation  and  the  superstructure  of  the  new  life,  and  in  the  prospect  which 
animates  the  heart  of  those  who  look  forward  to  that  bright  vision  of  the  future — the 
seeing  the  Saviour  as  he  is. — T. 

Ver.  31. — Scripture,  faith,  and  life.  To  judge  aright  of  any  book,  it  is  necessary  to 
take  into  consideration  the  purpose  of  the  writer. 

"  In  every  work  regard  the  author's  end, 
For  none  can  compass  more  than  they  intend." 

If  we  wish  to  understand  this  treatise,  the  so-called  Gospel  of  John,  we  shall  act  wisely 
to  consult  the  treatise  itself,  and  learn  what  its  author  had  in  view  as  his  jjurpose  in 
preparing  and  publishing  it.  It  has  often  been  treated  as  if  it  were  something  very 
different  from  what  it  actually  professes  to  be.  Happily,  in  this  verse  we  have  clear 
information  as  to  the  design  which  the  writer  set  belore  him  in  composing  his  narrative 
and  record. 


490  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xx.  1-31. 

I.  The  writer's  record.  Many  of  the  works  of  Jesus  were  not  written  in  this  short 
treatise  ;  *'  but  these,"  says  John,  "  are  written."  1.  This  is  a  record  oi facts,  and  not 
of  "  cunningly  devised  fables ; "  of  events  which  actually  took  place,  and  of  words  which 
were  really  spoken.  This  Gospel  contains  neither  falsehoods  nor  fictions;  nor  is  it  a 
dramatic  or  poetical  composition  wrought  by  the  force  and  delicacy  of  imagination.  2. 
This  is  a  record  of  facts  in  themselves  so  important  as  to  be  worthy  of  being  held  in 
memory.  They  are  the  events  which  occurred  in  no  ordinary  life,  but  in  a  life  distin- 
guished from  all  other  lives  by  its  commencement,  by  its  close,  and  by  very  many 
circumstances  in  its  course.  In  this  passage  the  writer  speaks  of  some  of  the  chief 
events  which  he  records  as  "signs."  This  is  a  designation  of  miracles,  and  it  is 
observable  that  John  relates  at  length  about  ten  miracles  performed  by  the  Lord  Jesus. 
But  the  word  especially  refers  to  the  signification,  the  moral  meaning,  of  Christ's  mighty 
works  ;  to  the  revelation  they  afford  of  his  character,  his  Divine  mission,  his  intentions 
of  grace  towards  mankind.  The  reference  is  not  only  to  our  Lord's  appearances  after 
his  resurrection,  but  to  the  whole  manifestation  of  himself  throughout  his  earthly 
career.  3.  This  is  a  record  of  facts  to  which  the  writer  bears  his  own  personal  witness. 
What  is  set  down  is  not  so  set  down  upon  "  hearsay  evidence."  John  himself  saw  Jesus 
do  some  of  the  works  attributed  to  him  ;  John  himself  heard  Jesus  deliver  some  of  the 
discourses  which  none  else  has  recorded.  In  other  cases,  where  he  was  not  present, 
John  had  every  opportunity  of  knowing  what  Jesus  had  said,  from  the  very  persons  to 
whom  he  had  spoken.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  John  heard  Jesus  deliver  the  dis- 
course recorded  in  the  fourteenth,  fifteenth,  and  sixteenth  chapters,  that  he  heard 
Jesus  offer  the  prayer  which  occupies  the  seventeenth  chapter.  That  those  who  first 
read  and  accepted  this  document,  and  who  commended  it  to  the  attention  of  Christian 
people  generally,  were  convinced  of  its  authenticity,  app-ars  from  the  imprimatur 
which  they  added,  "  This  is  the  disciple  which  beareth  witness  of  these  things,  and 
wrote  these  things :  and  we  know  that  his  witness  is  true." 

II.  The  readers'  faith.  We  read  some  books  for  the  charm  of  their  style,  for  the 
insight  they  afford  into  the  author's  mental  peculiarities.  We  read  other  books  for 
their  sparkling  wit,  their  delightful  humour.  Others,  again,  we  read  that  our  tenderer 
feelings  may  be  awakened,  or  that  we  may  be  lifted  out  of  the  sordid  cares  and  anxieties 
of  life  into  a  fresher,  more  inspiring  atmosphere.  There  are  works  which  are  read  for 
the  sake  of  acquiring  knowledge  of  a  scientific,  or  technical,  or  historical  character. 
Now,  this  treatise  was  written  for  one  definite  purpose,  which  is  here  exactly  stated  by 
the  writer.  If  it  fails  of  this  purpose,  it  so  far  fails  to  effect  that  for  which  its  author 
wrote  it.  In  a  word,  John's  aim  was  that  his  readers  might  believe  aright  about  Jesus. 
1.  That  they  might  believe  him  to  be  the  Christ ;  i.e.  the  Messiah  expected  by  the  Jews, 
because  foretold  in  their  prophetic  books ;  One  anointed,  commissioned  by  the  Eternal  to 
do  great  things  for  Israel  and  for  aankind.  In  the  course  of  his  ministry,  such  inquiries 
were  started  as, "  Is  not  this  the  Christ  ?  "  "  Do  the  rulers  know  indeed  tliat  this  is  the 
very  Christ?"  It  is  to  enable  all  fair-minded  men  to  come  to  a  satisfactory  conclusion 
upon  this  point  that  John  wrote.  He  does  not  conceal  his  own  conviction ;  but,  on  the 
whole,  he  keeps  himself  in  the  background;  he  sets  his  glorious  subject  in  the  full  light 
of  day,  and  he  leaves  his  readers  to  form  their  conclusion.  2.  That  they  might  believe 
him  to  be  the  Son  of  God.  If  the  Hebrew  people  were  most  likely  to  shape  their 
inquiry  as  above,  to  the  world  at  large  the  problem  was  less  special.  Has  the  Sovereign 
Ruler  of  the  universe  any  interest  in  this  human  race?  Is  it  possible  that,  to  teach  and 
guide  and  save  mankind,  he  has  sent  his  own  Son  into  the  world — a  man,  yet  Divine  in 
authority,  in  righteousness,  in  love  ?  Before  any  one  decides  for  himself  upon  this 
question,  he  must  read  the  record  of  the  son  of  Zebedee,  and  acquire  the  means  for 
forming  a  satisfactory  judgment.  John's  conviction  was  that  the  proper  result  of  con- 
sidering his  record  is  faith.  And  in  this  all  Christians  are  agreed.  Their's  is  a  reason- 
able faith,  based  upon  sufficient  evidence — historical,  moral,  miraculous  evidence — 
evidence  which  will  bear  all  scrutiny,  which  has  convinced  the  wisest  and  the  best  of 
men.  At  the  same  time,  it  is  religious  faith;  for  it  is  fixed  upon  a  Divine  Being,  has 
respect  to  Divine  government,  and  issues  in  spiritual  and  eternal  results.  This  explains 
the  memorable  words  of  Jesus  himself :  "  Blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and  yet 
have  oelieved." 

HI,  The  believers'  life.     Precious  as  it  is,  faith  is  but  the  means  to  an  end. 


en.  XX.  1—31.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  491 

Faith  is  a  posture  of  the  soul ;  life  is  a  state  of  the  soul.  1.  Life  is  the  natural  result  of 
faith.  Every  man's  life  is  afifected  by  what  he  believes  ;  in  fact,  a  man's  beliefs  bec9me 
the  principles  of  his  conduct.  It  is  so  in  politics,  in  literature,  in  art.  2.  Faith  in 
Christ  is  the  means  towards  a  spiritual  life.  If  belief  in  fictitious,  vicious  deities  makes 
men  superstitious  and  immoral ;  if  faith  in  corrupt  representations  of  Christianity  has  a 
debasing  influence ;  surely  faith  in  a  Beina;  so  true,  so  holy,  so  affectionate  as  Jesus, 
must  have  power  to  assimihvte  the  believing  soul  to  the  Object  of  its  attachment.  The 
human  nature  cannot  be  said  to  live  that  is  dead  to  all  that  is  pure,  unscliish,  and 
morally  beautiful.  Christ  came  that  we  might  have  life,  and  tliat  more  abundantly. 
3.  This  spiritual  life  is  eternal.  By  this  it  is  not  intended  to  say  that  the  men;  con- 
tinuance of  conscious  existence  is  linked  with  faith  with  Jesus;  but  rather  that  upon 
such  faith  depends  all  that  makes  life  worth  livinz  in  this  and  in  all  worlds.  "  More 
life  and  fuller  'tis  we  want."  The  life  which  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God  is  independent 
of  the  accidents  of  earth  and  of  time.     It  is  immortal  as  is  he  who  gives  it. 

Application.  Let  the  reader  of  this  Gospel  ask  himself— Have  I  been  led  by  its 
perusal  to  receive  Jesus  as  the  true  God  and  the  Eternal  Life  ? 

"  For  bettor  tliey  had  ne'er  been  born, 
Who  road  to  doubt,  or  read  to  scorn." 

T. 

Vers.  11 — 18. — The  powers  of  holy  love. — The  women  rose  early  on  the  third  day, 
but  there  was  One  who  rose  earlier.  They  were  last  at  the  cross,  and  first  at  the  grave. 
Mary  Magdalene  was  the  first  of  the  group.  She  ran  back  to  Peter  and  John  with  the 
tidings.  There  was  a  race  between  the  two  to  the  tomb.  John  outran  Peter.  Love 
is  swifter  of  foot  than  faith,  but  faith  is  more  courageous  and  was  in  the  sepulchre  first. 
Love  followed.  Mary  is  for  a  moment  lost  in  the  narrative,  but  appears  again  as  the 
chief  figure.     We  have  an  illustration  of  passionate  love  to  Jesus.     Notice — • 

I.  The  devotion  of  love.  This  is  seen  :  1.  In  her  persistent  and  patient  lingering 
on  the  spot.  "Mary  stood  without)"  etc.  She  did  not  enter  with  the  two  disciples  ; 
she  was  too  weak  for  that.  But  weaker  in  nature,  she  was  stronger  in  affection.  If  she 
did  not  enter,  she  stood  longer  at  the  grave.  They  were  gone,  but  she  was  tied  to  the 
spot  by  the  words  of  love,  watching  for  some  clue  to  the  mysterious  disappearance. 
Love  lingers  with  patience  and  devotion  at  the  sacred  graves  which  hold  the  dust  of  dear 
ones.  2.  In  her  increased  courage.  She  does  now  what  she  could  not  do  before — stoops 
down  and  looks  into  the  sepulchre,  as  did  John  before  her.  His  example  encouraged 
her.  It  was  more  for  her  to  look  than  for  them  to  enter.  She  looked,  not  that  she 
expected  to  find  him  more  than  the  others,  but  to  see  for  herself,  and  see  even  where 
he  had  lain.  Love  acts  often  from  instinct  rather  than  from  reason.  We  look  to  the 
grave.  3.  In  htr  intense  feelings.  She  stood  without,  weeping.  As  she  stood  she 
wept,  and  she  stooped.  She  wept  and  looked  through  her  tears.  And  as  she  wept  she 
stooped  down.  Intense  feelings  brought  her  to  her  knees.  These  were  not  the  wailings 
of  ostentation  and  selfishness:  there  was  no  one  to  see  her  tears  or  to  pay  heed  to 
them;  but  they  were  the  tears  of  genuine  affection,  the  sighs  of  devoted  love,  and  the 
moans  of  intense  sorrow.  She  stood  and  stooped  and  looked,  weeping.  This  is  the 
only  thing  which  even  devoted  love  could  do  under  the  circumstances. 

II.  The  visions  of  love.  1.  Tlie  vision  of  angels.  Notice :  (1)  Their  number. 
Two.  Angels  are  social ;  seldom  if  ever  one  appeared  in  this  world  alone,  'ihey  were 
sent  two  and  two.  At  the  birth  a  host  sang  over  the  fields  of  Bethlehem.  Two 
appeared  at  the  Resurrection.  ^lore  may  be  there ;  only  two  were  seen,  and  only  one 
was  seen  by  the  others — two  by  love.  (2)  Their  appearance.  In  white,  the  colour  of 
heaven,  the  fa-hion  of  the  better  land.  Everything  is  white  there.  It  is  the  colour  of 
peace,  purity,  happiness,  and  glory.  It  is  a  treat  to  see  the  colour  in  this  dark  world 
of  sin  and  sorrow,  and  especially  see  it  in  a  grave.  (3)  Their  posture.  "  Sitting,  the  one  at 
the  head,  and  the  other  at  the  feet,  where,"  etc.  They  loved  even  the  place  where  he 
had  lain.  They  had  finished  their  work,  rolled  away  the  stone,  shook  the  earth,  sent 
away  the  guard  in  terror,  and  waited  upon  their  Muster,  and  helped  him  to  strip  and  bo 
clothed ;  and  now  they  sit  at  ease,  as  if  taking  rest.  (4)  Their  si/nt/iathy.  "  Woman, 
why  weepest  thou?"  This  is  a  q^iestion  of  kind  sympathy.  Ou'f  would  think  that 
the  weeping  of  a  poor  woman  would  not  affect  an  angel  at  all.     They  never  shed  tears. 


492  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [en.  xx.  1—31. 

and  experimentally  know  no  sorrow  ;  but  they  are  sympathetic  and  friendly ;  perhaps 
they  had  attended  so  much  upon  the  Lord,  that  they  would  naturally  learn  sympathy. 
(5)  Their  inspiring  confidence.  It  is  not  to  every  one  she  would  disclose  the  cause  of 
her  grief.  She  would  uistinctively  be  suspicious ;  but  the  appearance  and  language 
of  these  inspired  her  at  once  with  confidence,  that  they  were  honourable  and  friendly, 
and  probably  closely  related  to  her  Master;  hence  she  trusted  them  at  once  with  the 
secret  of  her  sorrow,  (6)  This  vision  of  angels  was  very  natural.  The  naturalness  of 
the  incident  is  to  us  much  more  important  than  the  literal  harmony  of  the  narrative. 
The  appearance  of  angels  is  natural  at  the  Resurrection,  and  a  befitting  introduction  to 
what  followed;  and  as  the  Master  had  left  the  house,  it  was  natural  that  he  should 
leave  the  servants  there  to  answer  certain  calls  which  would  be  made,  and  entertain 
visitors.  2.  Tlie  vision  of  Jesus.  (Ver.  13.)  (1)  Her  conversation  ivith  the  angels 
finished  abruptly.  Her  conduct  might  appear  almost  rude,  except  in  the  light  of  what 
followed.  She  turned  back,  beckoned,  perhaps,  by  the  angel  to  do  so,  or  she  instinc- 
tively felt  some  presence  behind  her.  Tlie  servants  will  ever  point  to  the  Master  when 
present,  and  will  observe  becoming  silence.  (2)  She  knew  not  Jesus,  and  why  f  She 
did  not  expect  to  meet  him  alive.  She  suspected  that  the  body  had  been  stolen, 
but  little  suspected  that  Life  was  the  thief.  She  was  too  much  enrapt  in  anxiety  about 
her  dead  Lord  to  recognize  him  living.  Intensity  of  feeling  is  often  unfavourable  to 
immediate  recognition,  and  Jesus  did  not  assume  the  old  appearance.  (3)  She  made  a 
good  guess,  but  still  a  mistake.  She  thought  that  he  was  the  gardener,  from  his  garb 
and  the  time  of  his  ajipearance.  This  was  a  natural  thought,  and  true  in  a  sense  of 
Jesus.  He  was  a  gardener,  and  the  best  that  ever  was  in  this  world.  She  was  glad  to 
meet  Joseph's  gardener.  "  Sir,  if  thou  hast  borne  him,"  etc.  She  at  once  told  her  story, 
sought  information,  and  her  love  made  her  feel  strong  enough  to  take  the  body  away 
herself.  (4)  The  Master  addressed  her  in  much  tlie  same  way  as  the  servant — only 
added,  "  Whom  seekest  thou  ?  "  The  angel's  question  was  only  an  echo  of  his.  It  is 
worthy  of  notice  that  this  is  the  first  question  of  Jesus  after  the  Resurrection.  "Why 
weepest  thou  ?  "  etc.  He  asks  the  question  still :  he  rose  to  wipe  away  tears,  and  to 
remove  the  cause  of  hmnan  sorrow.  (5)  These  visions  were  granted  to  love.  Where 
were  the  angels  and  the  risen  Lord  when  Peter  and  John  were  at  the  grave  ?  They 
were  there,  but  love  alone  could  see  them.  Angels  and  Jesus  appear  to  intense  and 
devoted  love ;  if  we  had  more  of  it  we  should  have  more  spiritual  visions. 

III.  The  recognition  of  love.  1.  Iler  recognition  was  in  consequence  of  a  direct 
revelation.  (1)  By  the  voice.  The  other  disciples  recognized  him  by  sight.  Thomas 
said  once  that  he  would  not  recognize  him  except  by  touch,  but  Mary  by  his  voice. 
(2)  His  vo'ce,  uttering  a  single  word — her  name,  "Mary."  She  had  not  heard  her  name 
pronounced  in  the  same  way  since  he  had  last  called  it.  She  recognized  the  old  voice 
which  spoke  to  her  first  and  olten  afterwards.  (3)  Jesus  knew  how  to  reveal  himself 
test.  He  knew  how  to  touch  a  chord  in  her  heart  which  would  bring  her  back  to 
herself  and  to  him.  2.  Her  recognition  was  warm  and  reverential.  "  Rabboni!  "  "0 
my  Master ! "  and  she  fell  at  his  feet,  and  was  about  to  embrace  them.  If  her  recogni- 
tion was  not  so  high  and  advanced  as  that  of  Thomas,  it  was  warm  and  enthusiastic. 
3.  Her  recognition  in  one  of  its  modes  was  gently  checked.  "Touch  me  not  [or, 'do 
not  cling  to  me']."  (1)  This  was  incompatible  with  the  laws  of  the  new  life  and 
relationship.  He  was  not  to  be  known  henceforth  after  the  flesh,  nor  to  be  reverenced 
after  the  old  fashion  of  physical  existence.  (2)  This  would  be  aii  impediment  to  his 
upward  progress.  "  For  I  have  not,"  etc.  He  had  not  finished  his  glorious  course  nor 
reached  his  high  goal.  He  was  on  the  way,  and  such  clinging  to  him  would  interfere 
■with  his  ascension.  Besides  it  being  incompatible  with  the  new  life,  there  was  no  time. 
He  was  ascending,  and  her  service  was  required  in  another  way.  (3)  The  new  mode  of 
homage  to  him  was  revealed  to  Magdalene  first.  She  was  the  only  one  who  attempted 
the  old ;  this  was  checked,  and  the  new  method  was  hinted.  She  had  in  heart 
devotional  feelings  advantageous  to  revelation.  Devotion  to  him  henceforth  was  to 
take  a  higher  aim  and  assume  a  higher  form.  After  his  ascension  to  the  Father,  the 
new  life  would  be  complete,  then  in  heart  and  spirit  she  could  cling  to  him  for  ever. 

IV.  The  mission  of  love.  "But  go,"  etc.  1.  Iliis  mission  contains  as  its 
substance  his  ascension.  "  I  ascend."  It  is  not  "  1  have  risen,"  but  "  I  ascend."  It 
includes  his  resurrection,  and  more.    He  could  not  ascend  unless  he  had  risen.    The  first 


cH.xx.  1— 31.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  403, 

movement  of  the  new  life  in  Jesus  was  a  movement  upwards ;  from  tlic  grave  he  began 
to  ascend,  and  the  first  intelligence  obtained  of  him  was  that  ho  was  already  ascending. 
2.  The  mission  includes  his  destination.  "I  ascend  unto  my  Father."  It  was 
ascending  somewhere,  but  unto  a  special  spot  and  special  Personage — unto  his  Father ; 
he  was  going  home  whence  he  came.  The  intelligence  of  his  final  destination  was 
important.  The  time  would  soon  arrive  when  he  would  be  duo  at  the  right  hand  of 
power  on  high.  There  was  the  attraction  now.  It  was  more  natural  for  the  risen  Lord 
to  ascend  to  the  Father  than  to  remain  here.  3.  This  mission  was  to  the  disciples, 
"  But  go  unto  my  brethren,  and  say,"  etc.  They  are  the  first  to  hear ;  they  are  the 
most  concerned  in  the  matter;  they  are  the  nearest  to  Jesus'  heart.  The  world  is  to 
hear  the  news,  but  through  tliem.  The  risen  Saviour  is  the  same  as  of  old.  4.  TTiis 
missio7i  is  to  them  in  a  new  relationship.  "My  brethren."  The  terms  of  the  mission 
explain  the  new  relationship.  "  I  ascend  unto  my  Father,  and  your  Father,"  etc. 
And  having  one  Father  and  one  God,  they  were  brethren  and  fellow-subjects  of  the 
same  kingdom  ;  brethren  in  spirit,  in  laith,  in  love,  in  circumstances,  and  in  common  rela- 
tionship. The  risen  Lord  was  more  nearly  related  to  the  disciples  than  ever.  Death  and 
resurrection  made  the  union  nearer:  he  was  their  firstborn  Brother  from  the  dead.  And 
the  Ascension  would  make  it  nearer  still :  then  they  would  be  one  in  a  common  Father. 
V.  The  obedience  of  love.  1.  The  obedience  is  mast  prompt.  There  is  no  delay. 
In  spite  of  a  strong  temptation  to  cling  to  him,  she  goes  at  once.  There  is  no  mention 
of  her  leaving  Jesus;  only  of  her  coming  to  the  disciples.  No  sooner  had  she  left  the 
furmer  than  she  was  with  the  latter.     The  obedience  of  love  is  swift  and  prompt. 

2.  Her  obedience  is  full.  She  told  the  whole  story  and  delivered  the  whole  message. 
"  I  have  seen  the  Lord,"  etc.     And  she  did  not  stop  there,  but  related  all  he  had  told  her. 

3.  Her  obedience  was  Joyous.  Her  wecpiug  was  turned  into  laughter,  her  sorrow  into 
ecstatic  joy;  and  the  dew  of  her  grief  was  kissed  away  by  the  rays  of  the  risen  Sun. 
The  news  was  good  and  joyous;  it  thrilled  her  own  heart,  it  thrilled  the  heart  of  the 
disciples,  and  it  has  thrilled  the  heart  of  the  world  ever  since. 

•  Lessons.  1.  The  ris-ii  Lord  first  appeared  to  a  woman.  Her  heart  and  eyes  of  love 
were  the  first  to  behold  the  welcome  vision,  because  she  had  the  greatest  love.  2.  A 
woman  ivas  the  first  missionary  of  Jesus.  She  was  the  first  to  publish  the  tidings  of 
his  resurrection,  because  she  was  the  first  to  get  those  tidings.  She  was  the  first  at  the 
grave,  and  her  love  would  not  permit  her  to  leave  till  she  could  find  Jesus.  She  waited 
at  the  king's  gate  till  he  appeared,  and  she  was  employed  in  his  service.  The  feminine 
heart  can  do  much  in  the  mission  of  life  and  love.  3.  Love  is  rewarded  with  visions, 
revelations,  and  employment.  In  the  degree  we  love,  we  shall  see,  know,  and  under- 
btand  the  spiritual,  and  be  employed  in  its  glorious  missions.  4.  We  must  not  cling  to 
Jesus  when  we  are  wanted  to  do  something  fur  him.  We  must  not  even  revel  at  his 
feet  when  others  require  the  news  of  his  love.  5.  Love  is  surprised  xvith  more  than  it 
exj>ects.  Mary  only  expected  to  find  the  dead  body,  but  she  found  her  living  Lord. 
The  hijjhest  expectations  of  love  will  be  more  than  realized  and  rewarded. — B.  T. 

Ver.  15. —  Weeping  for  the  wrong  thing.  I.  The  cause  of  Mary's  weeping. 
Try  for  a  moment  to  think  of  the  body  of  Jesus  as  being  only  that  of  a  common 
mortal.  Let  the  instance  be  that  of  one  dear  to  yourself.  The  body  has  been  safely 
laid  away,  and  the  earth  heaped  over  it.  Suppose,  then,  that  in  a  morning  or  two  you 
find  the  grave  broken  open  and  the  body  removed.  Your  feelings  upon  such  an 
outrage  would  enable  you  to  understand  the  feelings  of  Mary  here.  No  feeling  is  more 
proper  than  that  which  regards  the  body  of  a  dead  friend  as  something  sacred. 
Consider,  too,  what  an  extraordinary  Benefactor  to  Mary  Jesus  had  been.  Out  of  her  be 
had  cast  seven  demons. 

II.  The  question  comes  from  those  who  have  a  bight  to  ask  it.  It  is  the 
question  of  angels,  and  it  is  also  the  question  of  Jesus.  It  is  the  question  of  those  who 
know  the  real  state  of  things,  to  one  who  in  anguish  is  following  a  falsehood — one  of  the 
likeliest  of  falsehoods,  indeed,  but  a  falsehood  after  all.  As  to  Jesus,  he  would  ask  the 
question  with  a  sort  of  secret  joy,  well  knowing  how  quickly  those  tears  would  be  dried 
up,  and  how  soon  Mary  would  stand  awed  and  gladdened  before  this  stupendous 
revelation  of  immortality.  The  question  was  neither  intrusive  nor  superfluous.  How 
many  are  the  tears  and  lamentations  of  ignorance !     It  seemed  as  if,  in  this  matter  of 


494                       THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xx.  1—31. 
I ~~~~ ~* 

the  Resurrection,  the  possible  must  become  the  actual,  before  even  the  possible  could  be 
credited.  Jesus  would  not  be  astonished  at  this  weeping  of  Mary  ;  what  he  wanted 
was  to  deal  with  it  promptly.  He  did  not  seek  to  weep  with  weeping  !Mary,  but  rather 
to  have  Mary  rejoice  with  rejoicing  angels,  and  with  the  rejoicing  Jesus  himself;  and 
for  once  in  the  history  of  human  sorrow  this  was  possible.  Mary  would  have  been 
satisfied  if  she  had  found  the  corpse  of  Jesus :  what  shall  she  say  when  even  more  than 
the  former  Jesus  appears?  From  the  sense  of  absolute  loss  she  passes  to  the  sense  of 
full  possession.  And  yet,  great  as  the  joy  was,  it  was  not  the  greatest  of  joys,  seeing 
it  was  only  a  revelation  to  the  senses.  This  would  not  be  Mary's  last  experience  of 
weeping.  Though  risen  from  the  dead,  Jesus  was  about  to  vanish,  so  that  the  life  in 
him  might  be  manifested  in  another  way.  Mary  had  yet  to  win  her  way  to  the  sober, 
steady  gladness  of  the  Christian's  hope. 

III.  The  question  is  one  to  all  weepers.  Many  besides  Mary  have  groaned 
over  troubles  of  their  own  imagining.  Many  besides  INIary  have  groaned  over  one 
thing,  when  they  should  have  been  groaning  over  something  quite  different.  The 
feeling  will  not  bear  to  be  analyzed  to  its  depths,  and  traced  out  to  all  its  causes. 
Jesus  can  do  little  for  weepers  till  they  weep  for  the  right  things  and  in  the  right  way. 
Oftentimes  the  right  question  would  be,  "  Why  are  you  not  weeping  ?  "  We  are  glad 
when  we  ought  to  be  sorry,  and  satisfied  when  we  ought  to  be  anxious.  We  may  have 
had  a  very  great  deal  of  trouble,  and  yet  all  the  time  our  cares  have  never  gone  deeper 
than  our  outward  circumstances.  It  is  hard  to  satisfy  us  in  some  ways,  but  very,  very 
easy  in  others.  Jesus  will  never  complain  that  we  are  troubled  about  common  losses 
and  disappointments.  Not  to  be  troubled  about  these  would  only  argue  inhuman  want 
of  sensibility.  But  we  should  also  be  troubled  because  of  our  weakness  towards  every- 
thing that  would  make  us  Christ-like  and  well-pleasing  to  God.  We  need  not  bemoan 
the  loss  of  an  outward  Jesus,  a  visible  Jesus,  a  Jesus  after  the  flesh  ;  such  a  Jesus  could 
do  us  little  good.  We  want  a  Jesus  within,  blending  with  the  life  and  making  himself 
felt  everywhere. — Y. 

Ver.  19. — A  memoraMe  salutation.  Every  one  in  the  little  company  must  have 
heard  and  used  the  salutation,  "  Peace  be  unto  you !  "  thousands  of  times.  Often  must 
they  have  heard  it,  even  from  Jesus  himself.  Then,  however,  it  was  only  the 
utterance  of  courtesy,  and  needed  not  to  be  mentioned.  Now,  being  specially 
mentioned,  there  is  evidently  special  meaning  in  it.  Jesus  was  now  coming  to  his 
disciples  in  utterly  different  circumstances  from  any  in  which  he  had  come  befure. 

I.  Consider  how  they  had  parted.  It  was  in  the  darkness  of  Gethsemane,  in 
utter  confusion,  and  quite  unexpectedly  so  far  as  the  disciples  were  concerned. 
Everybody  thought  of  his  own  immediate  safety.  Yet  the  scattering  and  separating 
must  have  been  of  very  short  duration.  The  bond  of  union  was  stronger  than  they  yet 
comprehended.  A  higher  power  was  at  work  than  their  own  inclinations  and  tenden- 
cies. Their  conduct  shows  a  curious  mixture  of  courage  and  fear.  They  fastened  the 
doors;  but  fastened  doors  would  not  have  kept  out  very  long  any  Jews  who  wanted  to 
get  in.  If  safety  was  the  main  thing,  then  these  disciples  were  remaining  in  the  most 
dangerous  spot  of  all  the  world. 

II.  The  appearance  of  Jesus  on  the  scene.  All  at  once  he  came  out  of  the 
deepest  mystery.  We  cannot  but  think  of  his  own  words  to  Nicodemus  concerning 
the  wind  :  "  Thou  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh,  and  whither  it  goeth."  No  wonder 
the  disciples  were  terrified.  Aforetime  they  had  often  been  careless  and  presumptuous 
in  their  dealings  with  Jesus,  but  now  a  strange  feeling  of  awe  has  arisen  which  effectually 
stops  everything  like  carelessness  or  presumption.  Then  just  at  the  moment  when 
they  can  say  nothing  and  do  nothing,  Jesus  speaks  the  right  word,  "  Peace  be  unto 
you!"  They  would  feel  that  not  unjustly  he  might  have  uttered  words  of  rebuke. 
One  thinks  of  Jacob's  needless  fears  w-hen  he  heard  of  Esau  coming  to  meet  him  with 
four  hundred  men.  This  assurance  from  the  returning  Jesus  was  much  needed — an  • 
assurance  as  well  as  a  salutation.  However  weak  and  ignorant,  thoughtless  and 
stupid,  the  disciples  might  be,  the  attitude  of  Jesus  was  ever  the  same.  He  might 
have  to  wound  their  egotism  and  selfishness ;  but  the  wounds  were  always  those  of  a 
friend,  not  of  an  enemy.  There  is  an  immense  difference  between  a  surgical  operation 
and  a  malicious  stab. 


en.  XX.  1—31.]     THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  495 

III.  The  salutation  is  ever  the  same.  Out  of  the  invisible  he  sccl<s  us  all,  ami 
always  with  the  same  utterance.  Peace  is  the  desire  and  inttntion,  and  always  the  end 
to  be  secured,  however  long  and  troublesome  the  process  may  be.  Peace  is  the  aim, 
even  when  Jesus  says  that  he  comes,  bringing  not  peace,  but  a  sword.  ^len  too  oftcu 
approach  one  another,  talking  of  peace,  but  preparing  for  war,  and  seeking  for  it.  The 
appeal  ever  is,  "  Be  ye  reconciled  to  God."  It  is  not  we  who  have  to  send  up  the  vain 
and  agonizing  cry,  "  0  God,  wilt  thou  not  be  at  peace  with  us  ?  " — Y. 

Vers.  24 — 29. — The  unbelief  of  Thomas.  I.  Thomas  and  his  fellow-apostles. 
When  they  told  Thomas  they  had  seen  Jesus,  and  he  refused  to  believe,  they  must 
have  been  rather  staggered  at  first.  They  would  insist  on  how  they  had  seen  Jesus 
with  their  own  eyes,  and  heard  him  with  their  own  ears ;  not  one  of  them,  but  all.  They 
would  point  out  how  the  sepulchre  was  empty,  and  how  Jesus  had  said  that  it  behoved 
him  to  be  raised  from  the  dead.  They  might  ask  whether  Thomas  imagined  that  they 
were  all  in  a  conspiracy  to  play  an  unseemly  practical  joke  upon  him.  Yet  there  was 
really  nothing  to  complain  about  in  the  incredulity  of  Thomas.  Who  of  them  had 
believed  Jesus  as  he  deserved  to  be  believed  ?  Their  thoughts  had  never  been  really 
directed  towards  resurrection.  They  had  been  dreaming  of  individual  glory  and  self- 
advancement,  and  all  that  tended  in  a  diflerent  direction  had  been  unnoticed.  We 
must  do  them  the  justice  to  say  that  no  tone  of  complaint  against  Thomas  appears. 
They  would  be  too  conscious  that  with  the  beam  so  recently  taken  out  of  their  own 
eye,  they  had  no  right  to  declaim  against  the  mote  in  their  brother's  eye. 

II.  Thomas  and  Jesus.  Wiiat  is  Jesus  to  do  with  Thomas?  Is  he  to  remain  in  this 
state  of  emphatic  unbelief,  with  no  means  taken  to  help  him  into  faith?  Will  Jesus 
make  a  special  appearance,  all  for  Thomas's  satisfaction?  Surely  that  can  hardly  be, 
but  time  will  tell.  A  week  elapses,  and  the  disciples  are  gathered  again,  Thomas  being 
with  them.  Jesus  reappears,  just  after  the  former  fashion.  What,  then,  will  Thomas 
do?  Will  he  rush  to  Jesus,  confessing  and  bewailing  the  wickedness  of  his  unbelief? 
Jesus  removes  all  difficulty  by  taking  the  first  step  himself.  All  the  apostles  need  to 
be  taught  a  lesson.  Jesus  knows  well  that  faith  can  never  originate  in  things  that 
can  be  seen  and  felt  and  bandied.  Such  things  may  help  faith,  but  cannot  produce  it. 
The  confession  of  Thomas,  prompt  and  ardent  as  it  seems,  counts  fur  little  with  Jesus. 
He  does  not  say,  "Blessed  art  thou,  Thomas;  for  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  this 
unto  thee,  but  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  Thomas  had  to  be  both  lovingly  helped 
and  delicately  rebuked. 

HI.  Probable  afteb-experiences  of  Thomas.  Thomas  would  meet  many  of  an 
unbelieving  spirit,  who  could  not,  just  upon  his  word,  accept  the  resurrection  of  Jesus. 
And  then  Thomas  would  have  to  reply,  "I  once  thought  as  you  do;  I  insisted  on 
seeing  the  marks  of  the  wounds  ;  and  my  blaster,  in  his  boundless  condescension  to  the 
infirmities  of  his  servants,  let  me  see  what  I  wanted  to  see.  But,  at  the  .=ame  time,  he 
taught  me  a  lesson,  in  the  strength  of  which  I  have  gone  ever  since."  All  the  iipostles 
had  soon  to  believe  in  One  whom  they  could  not  see.  Where  he  had  gone,  they  knew 
not ;  and  how  he  was  to  communicate  with  them  and  they  with  him,  they  could  not 
expl  un ;  but  most  assuredly  a  real  and  fruitful  communication  was  established.  Jesus 
was  not  speaking  of  an  impossible  blessedness,  or  dangling  the  attractions  of  a  dream 
before  the  eyes  of  his  disciples.  The  unseen,  and  not  the  seen,  is  what  strengthens  faith. 
What  men  see  is  the  very  thing  that  makes  them  unbelievers,  confusing  them, 
perplexing  them,  utterly  disabling  them  from  laying  hold  on  anything  solid  and 
comforting.  If  the  seen  hides  the  unseen,  so  that  Jesus  himself  becomes  the  merest  of 
names,  then  there  is  dreadful  misery. — Y. 

Vers.  30,  31. — Tlie  purpose  of  John's  Gospel.  This  statement  comes  in  very  fitly 
after  the  narrative  of  Thomas's  doubt.  Many  more  things  might  have  been  told,  but 
a  mere  record  of  actions  is  nothing  in  itself;  it  is  precious  just  as  it  reveals  the  nature, 
the  character,  and  the  office  of  the  actor.  A  record  of  Jesus  more  encumbered  with 
details,  and  longer  spun  out,  might  not  have  given  so  clear  a  view  of  him. 

I.  John's  purpose.  Many  books  have  been  written  to  destroy  faith  ;  here  is  a  book 
written  to  produce  it.  If  a  man  believes  a  lie,  it  is  true  kindness  to  destroy  his  faith 
in  it;  equally,  if  he  does  not  yet  believe  the  truth,  it  is  a  duty  to  do  all  one  can  to  help 


496 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xxi.  1—25. 


him  into  faith.  This  was  the  bright  work  of  John,  not  to  pull  down,  but  to  build  up  ; 
not  to  destroy  faith,  but  to  produce  it.  Certainly  in  producing  a  new  faith  he  destroyed 
an  old  one ;  but  the  decaying  and  vanishing  of  the  old  was  not  felt  in  the  joy  of 
welcoming  the  new.  To  believe  is  to  be  strong,  to  doubt  is  to  be  weak.  And  now 
suppose  one  begins  to  read  through  John's  Gospel,  musing  over  the  strange  things  there 
recorded — miracles  of  healing,  language  about  the  life,  the  li';;ht,  the  bread,  the  vine, 
the  shepherd,  pondering  the  raising  of  Lazarus,  and  still  later  the  raising  of  Jesus — he 
niiiiht  be  inclined  to  say,  "  I  cannot  make  anything  of  it ;  it  looks  utterly  inexplicable." 
Then  he  comes  to  the  words  here,  and  how  he  ought  to  bs  helped.  This  work  was  not 
written  to  bewilder;  if  it  does  bewilder,  such  was  not  the  writer's  intent.  John, 
a  believing  man  himself,  wanted  to  lead  others  to  believe.  His  attachment  to  Christ 
was  not  the  blind  attachment  of  a  fanatic.  It  was  not  an  ignorant  trust.  John  was 
not  a  hired  advocate,  not  a  skilful  arranger  of  facts,  hiding  away  what  might  be  difiBcult 
to  explain  or  awkward  to  reveal. 

II.  The  evident  result.  Let  us  be  true  to  ourselves,  giving  the  book  fair  play, 
and  the  end  will  be  the  receiving  of  eternal  life.  Out  of  Christ  we  are  all  made  to  feel 
that  the  excellency  of  our  present  life  is  indeed  in  earthen  vessels.  A  sudden  accident, 
a  few  hours  of  disease,  and  all  is  gone.  Without  Jesus  we  know  not  where  we  are 
going,  or  what  may  happen  to  us.  But,  believing  in  Jesus,  we  are  sure  of  a  lite  hid 
away  from  all  the  perils  of  this  present  world.  John  does  not  put  forward  this  book  as 
furnishing  the  best  arguments  he  can  supply.  It  is  rather  Christ's  own  sufficient 
a;  peal  to  all  who  have  an  honest  desire  for  salvation  and  eternal  life.  If  there  be  not 
enough  in  this  book  to  persuade  us,  neither  would  we  be  persuaded  if  Jesus  himself 
were  to  come  in  bodily  form.  They  that  love  tho  New  Testament  will  be  fullest  of 
eternal  life,  for  they  will  be  fullest  of  faith  and  freest  from  doubts.  The  words  of  Jesus 
will  never  be  to  them  as  common  words.  Looking  round  on  the  widely  spread  and 
deeply  penetrating  evil  of  the  world,  they  will  feel  that  only  he  holds  in  his  hands  the 
complete  remedy  for  it.  The  claim  of  Jesus  is  one  that  can  never  pass  away,  seeing  it 
is  the  claim  of  the  Son  of  God — the  claim  not  merely  of  his  appointment,  but  of  his 
nature. — Y. 


EXPOSITION. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


Vers.  1 — 25. — 3.  The  epilogue,  answering 
to  the  prologue.  The  post-resurrection  life 
corresponds  with  the  pre-incaruate  energy 
of  the  Logos.  • 

1.  Long  and  sustained  controversy  has 
prevailed  on  the  question  of  the  authenticity 
and  apostolic  authorship  of  this  chapter 
even  among  those  who  admit  the  Johannine 
authorship  of  the  rest  of  the  Gospel. 

2.  Among  those  who  accept  to  the  full 
the  authenticity,  there  are  many  critics  who 
urge  that  it  is  not  an  integral  portion  of  the 
Gospel,  but  a  later  appendix,  that  the  docu- 
ment terminated,  on  its  first  composition, 
with  ch.  XX.  30,  31,  and  that  the  chapter 
before  us  is  dictated  from  a  different  motive — 
that  whereas  the  first  twenty  chapters  formed 
a  collection  of  notable  "  signs  "  of  the  Mes- 
siahship  and  Divine  Sonship  of  Jesus, 
adapted  to  produce  true  faith  and  thereby 
confer  eternal  life  on  the  believer,  the  pre- 
sent chapter  is  structurally  disposed  on  dif- 


ferent lines,  with  a  diverse  motive,  and  has 
its  own  conclusion. 

3.  The  purpose  is  variously  conceived  by 
those  who  agree  to  regard  it  as  an  appendix. 

(1)  There  are  no  rational  external  grounds 
for  attributing  any  portion  of  ch.  xxi.  (un- 
less it  be  the  two  verses,  24  and  25)  to  any 
other  hand  than  to  that  of  the  author  of  the 
previous  portion  of  the  Gospel.  Manuscript 
authority  is  entirely  unanimous  in  assuming 
the  integrity  of  the  Gospel  in  this  respect. 
There  could  not  have  been  any  period 
when  the  first  twenty  chapters  were  pub- 
lished without  the  accompaniment  of  this 
"  appendix."  If  any  appreciable  time  had 
elapsed  when  this  was  the  case,  the  fact 
would  have  been  testified  by  the  discrepancy 
of  the  codices,  or  references,  or  versions  of 
antiquity.  It  seems  that  there  is  some  du- 
biety in  the  original  form  of  Codex  N  as  to 
the  twenty-fiftli  verse,  though  the  doubt  of  its 
editor  did  not  extend  to  ver.  24.  Critics  are 
divided,  however,  on  purely  subjective  and 
internal    considerations.     Even    Hengsten* 


CH.  XXI.  1—25.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


berg,  who  urgently  maintains  that  the  chap- 
ter is  an  original  and  integral  portion  of  tho 
Gospel,  yet  feels  the  contrast  so  great  in  its 
general  tone  that,  apart  from  the  spiritual 
and  allegorical  interpretation  to  which  ho 
resorted,  ho  would  "  have  preferred  to  pass 
tho  whole  chapter  by."  Doubtless  tliere 
are  details  which  are  to  some  extent  stag- 
gering ;  but  the  burden  of  argument  is 
strongly  in  favour  of  its  Johannine  origin, 
whatever  may  be  its  precise  meaning.  Vers. 
14 — 18  are  without  question  eminently  and 
luminously  Johannine,  and  the  reference  to 
the  second  advent  is  in  entire  harmony  with 
ch.  xiv.  3  and  other  passages  of  the  valedic- 
tory discourse.  Tlie  use  of  a  few  words  and 
phrases  like  irpcotaj  yivonevrjs  for  vpwi,  and 
of  roXuay  and  tjerd^eii',  is  so  trifling  that 
similar  deviations  from  customary  phrase 
might  really  be  found  in  almost  every  other 
chapter.  Tho  whole  chapter  forms  a  com- 
plete paragrapli,  well  compacted,  and  it  can- 
not bo  torn  to  pieces.  So  that  we  conclude, 
both  on  internal  and  external  grounds,  that 
nil  difficulties  are  surmounted  by  the  sup- 
position that  the  author,  after  makinc:  a 
formal  close  to  his  Gospel  as  a  whole,  with 
vers.  30  and  31  of  the  previous  chapter,  did, 
before  publication,  either  contemporaneously 
or  shortly  afterwards,  produce  an  appendix, 
which  was  closely  connected  with  the  pre- 
ceding, yet  with  a  different  but  highly  sig- 
nificant intention. 

(2)  Critics  have  differed  upon  the  inten- 
tion. Some  have  urged  that  it  is  simply  a 
continuation  and  completion  of  the  narra- 
tive, with  the  object  of  revealing  tho  person- 
ality of  the  author  and  afi'ording  the  means 
of  identification.  Ewald,  with  Grotius  and 
Keim,  suggests,  indeed,  that  it  was  written 
by  John  tiie  presbyter,  or  some  friend  of 
the  apostle  under  his  sanction,  with  no  in- 
tention of  concealing  his  part  in  the  com- 
position. Others  have  supposed  that  the 
motive  was  to  explain  tho  origin  of  the 
legend  that  had  arisen  witli  reference  to  tlie 
prolongation  of  the  apostle's  life,  by  link- 
ing it  to  the  veritable  wo'ds  of  the  Master 
liiiiisclf.  The  view  of  Ur.  Westcott  is  tliat 
tlie  conviction  of  Thomas  (ch.  xx.  24 — 29)  is 
the  key  to  the  method  of  this  continuative 
narrative;  that  the  writer  proceeds  to  give 
other  and  analogous  illustrations  of  the 
method  in  wliich  obstacles  to  faith  may  be 
joux. — U. 


overcome.  I  think,  with  Dr.  Salmond,  in 
an  article  in  tho  Monthly  Interpreter,  April, 
1885,  that  all  tho  incidents  proceed  on  tho 
supposition  that  tho  disciples  had  all  coino 
to  a  clear  understanding  that  the  Lord  had 
risen.  They  were  beginning  to  estimate 
the  new  liglit  that  this  would  cast  on  liuniau 
life,  and  a  believer's  duty  in  the  world.  The 
great  majority  of  modern  critics  see  in  it 
the  representation,  by  the  aid  of  one  of  the 
numerous  manifestations  of  the  forty  days 
before  the  Ascension,  of  tho  nature  of  our 
Lord's  continuous  presence  witli  his  dis- 
ciples to  the  end  of  time  ;  his  participation 
and  enjoyment  in  the  work  which  he  had 
assigned  to  them;  tho  special  commission 
he  gave  to  the  two  conspicuous  and  beloved 
disciples,  with  indications  of  the  meaning  of 
apostolic  work,  the  perils  it  miglit  encounter, 
and  the  principles  of  holy  service  till  he 
should  come  again  in  his  glory.  Those  who 
regard  tlic  Gospel  as  a  pious  romance  tieat 
the  chapter  as  a  spiritualization  of  tlie  Acts  of 
the  Apo.stlcs  written  by  a  theologian  of  the 
second  century.  Thus  Thoma.  Very  many 
of  these  have  called  attention  to  tho  obvious 
references  in  this  narrative  to  the  Galilreau 
ministry  and  service  of  the  fishermen  as  given 
in  the  synoptic  records,  with  the  points  of 
special  contrast  between  the  first  and  the 
latest  draught  of  fishes.  Some,  in  an  ad- 
verse sense,  have  supposed  tliat  the  evan- 
gelist simply  transfers,  from  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Galilsean  ministry,  the  whole 
incident,  and  modifies  the  details  to  suit  his 
different  ideas  concerning  tlie  Lord  and  his 
apostles.  This  is  contradictory  of  the  entire 
theory  that  we  have  urged  with  reference  to 
the  Gospel  itself.  Those  who  are  not  strongly 
prejudiced  against  the  iilea  of  harmonizing 
the  four  narratives  rightly  show  that  John 
here  blends  the  twofold  traditions,  pieservefl 
in  Slatthew  and  Luke,  of  the  scenes  of  our 
Lord's  post- resurrection  self-manifL-stations. 
Matthew  lays  all  his  emphasis  on  our  Loi d's 
appearance  in  Galilee,  for  which  he  had 
prepared  tho  disciples  on  the  night  of  tho 
Passion  (xxvi.  32),  and  again  by  the  mes- 
sage of  the  angels  (xxviii.  10)  ;  and  this  he 
sets  forth  in  great  majesty,  corresponding 
probably  with  St.  Paul's  assurance  that  it 
was  made  or  accompanied  by  an  appearai:cc 
to  more  than  five  hundred  brethren  at  once. 
Luke,  on  the  other  hand,  fails  to  refer  to  any 


498 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xxi.  1—25. 


Galilasan  appearance,  and  confines  his  record 
to  tlie  self-raunifestations  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Jerusalem,  or  on  the  Mount  of 
Olives.  John,  wilh  characteristic  differ- 
ences, shows  that  ho  well  remembers  special 
appearances  to  tlie  disciples  in  Jerusalem, 
and  also  on  the  familiar  shores  of  the  Lake 
of  Tiberias,  confirming,  therefore,  the  value 
of  each  of  the  groups  of  facts  recorded  in  the 
synoptic  Gospels. 

Once  more,  it  is  contended  by  many  who 
admit  the  composition  of  the  twenty-first 
chapter  to  be  by  St.  John,  that  he  was  here 
producing  a  striking  epilogue  to  the  whole, 
which  answers  in  many  ways  to  the  prologue 
in  the  first  chapter;  that  as  the  prologue 
illustrates  (a)  the  pre-incamation  energy 
and  presence  of  the  Logos  (ch.  i.  1—5),  so 
we  have  here  the  idea  of  the  post-resurrec- 
tion energy  and  presence  of  the  "Son  of 
God  "  in  the  work  of  the  Church,  watching, 
waiting,  guiding,  helping,  co-operating  with 
his  own,  "  who  received  him,  and  to  whom  he 
gave  power  to  become  sons  of  God ; "  (6)  that 
as  in  ch.  i.  6  we  have  the  various  methods 
by  which  the  oi  XSioi  receive  and  bear  wit- 
ness to  the  archetypal  light,  from  John  the 
Baptist  to  the  company  of  the  regenerated, 
80  here  from  vers.  14—19  we  have  a  repre- 
sentation of  the  principle  of  witness,  the 
powers  and  ends  of  holy  love,  the  methods 
and  law  of  Divine  pleasing ;  and  (c)  that  as 
in  ch.  i.  14 — 18  the  prologue  sets  forth  his 
first  coming  in  the  flesh  full  of  grace  and 
truth,  in  vers.  20 — 23  the  risen  Lord  pre- 
dicts and  to  a  certain  extent  defines  the 
second  coming.  This  is  a  very  attractive,  if 
somewhat  conjectural,  series  of  comparisons. 
It  cannot  be  said  that  these  analogies  do  not 
exist.  The  correspondence  consists  in  the 
two  sets  of  facts  rather  than  in  the  art 
of  the  writer.  The  true  representation  of 
the  efiicacity  of  the  Lord's  resurrection- 
life  and  ascended  majesty  is  contained 
historically  in  the  "Acts,"  which  are  far 
more  certainly  "  Acts  of  the  Risen  Lord " 
than  "  Acts  of  the  Apostles,"  and  are  con- 
tained prophetically  in  the  Eevelation  of 
St.  John.  We  have  in  this  appendix  or 
epilogue  to  the  Gospel,  indications  and 
specimens  of  the  kind  of  intercourse  which 
prevailed  between  Jesus  and  his  disciples 
during  the  forty  days,  and  a  specimen  which, 
after  the  manner  of  John,  made  the  deepest 


and  most  ineffaceable  impression  upon  his 
own  mind.  It  was,  indeed,  the  third  appear- 
ance to  the  apostles  after  his  resurrection, 
but  not  the  last.  M'Clellan,  in  liis  special 
dissertation  on  the  subject,  treats  with  great 
warmth  and  vigorous  denunciation  the 
theory  of  the  Gospel  being  concluded  with 
ch.  XX.,  and  of  the  subsequent  addition  by 
the  apostle  of  ch.  xxi.  His  arguments  are 
little  better  than  assertions,  based  upon  the 
translation  or  paraphrase  which  he  gives  of 
the  iroWa  fi.ku  ovv,  etc.,  of  ch.  xx.  30.  This 
is  as  follows  :  "  '  Accordingly  (ovv),  whilst  it 
is  true  (yuef)  that  Christ  wrought  many  other 
miracles  in  the  presence  of  his  disciples, 
besides  (koI)  those  which  are  written  in  the 
Holy  Scriptures  of  this  book,  yet  (5f)  these 
which  are  recorded,  are  recorded  with  this 
special  object,  that  ye  may  believe  in  Christ 
[though  ye  have  not  seen  him],  and  that  be- 
lieving, ye  might  have  life  in  his  Name.' 

"  The  appropriateness  of  the  position  and 
language  of  the  comment  in  reference  only 
to  this  one  particular  incident  is  obvious ; 
and  the  conclusion  theory  tumbles  to  the 
ground.  V/ith  it,"  he  adds  with  character- 
istic .impetuosity,  "  deservedly  perishes  the 
dangerous  appendix  theory  concerning  ch. 
xxi."  After  enumerating  numerous  theories 
with  derogatory  comment,  he  adds,  "  But  for 
the  hypothesis  that  the  Gospel  originally 
ended  with  ch.  xx.,  the  theory  (of  its  being 
an  appendix)  would  never  have  been  heard 
of,  and  with  the  utter  collapse  of  that  hypo- 
thesis, it  is  shattered  to  atoms !  So  perish, 
we  may  firmly  believe,  one  after  another,  the 
conceits  of  '  modern  criticism.'  "  Of  course, 
the  two  ideas  stand  and  fall  together.  No 
words  are  needed  to  vindicate  one  of  these 
positions  without  the  other.  It  is  unfortu- 
nate that,  in  paraphrasing  the  clause  on 
which  the  conclusion  rests,  Mr.  M'Clellan 
should  have  begged  the  question  at  issue 
by  introducing  a  phrase  which  gives  the 
apostolic  comment  a  specific  reference  to  the 
words  of  Jesus  as  addressed  to  Thomas,  and 
omitted  the  weighty  reference  to  the  whole 
of  the  proof  which  demonstrates  that  "  Jesus 
is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God."  This  able 
commentator  often  forces  on  his  reader  the 
contradictory  of  his  own  conclusions. 

Vers.  1—14. — (1)  The  manifestation  of 
himself  in  the  work  of  life. 


CH.  XXI.  1—25.]    THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


499 


Vor.  1. — After  these  things  Jesus  mani- 
fested himself  again  to  the  disciples  at  the 
sea  of  Tiberias.  The  opening  formula  ia 
one  often  adopted  by  John  (see  particularly 
ch.  ii.  12;  v.  1,  14;  vi.  1);  considerable 
periods  of  time  and  cycles  of  ministry  are 
frequently  covered  by  it.  Anotlier  chapter 
is  opened,  another  scries  of  events  to  be 
recorded  which  had  left  undying  impression 
on  the  apostle's  mind,  and,  in  full  view  of 
numerous  other  traditions,  was  chosen  by 
himself  as  especially  worthy  of  record. 
"Jesus  manifested  himself."  In  ch.  ii.  11 
we  hear  that  "  he  manifested  Ids  glory ; " 
now  ho  manifested  his  Person,  as  an  act  of 
his  own  will.  He  was  "manifested  in  the 
flesh"  (1  Tim.  iii.  16),  but  now  that  flc^h  was 
itself  more  directly  under  the  control  of  his 
personality,  and  the  mere  sensuous  eye  and 
carnal  understanding  could  not  without  his 
special  permission  realize  that  wondrous 
presence.  The  passive  form  of  the  verb  is 
used  in  Mark  xvi.  12,  14.  The  touch  of 
feeling  involved  in  the  active  voice  must 
not  be  overlooked.  The  "  again "  clearly 
points  bnck  to  the  previous  manifestations 
described  in  ch.  xx.  14,  19,  26.  On  each 
occasion  his  coming,  though  in  a  recognizable 
human  body,  was  a  body  (a  ixopcpri,  not  a 
(Txvt^)  which  liad  the  qualities  of  spirit. 
"The  disciples"  are  afterwards  mentioned 
by  name.  It  was  to  disciples  only  that  he 
"appeared."  Believers  in  him  were  those 
alone  who  could  see  this  spiritual  body. 
The  effect  produced  upon  them  was  that  of 
objective  reality,  but  this  was  made  to  pre- 
pared spirits.  Such  a  proceeding  is  akin 
to  all  the  grander  operations  of  nature,  and 
the  most  august  manifestations  of  God. 
"  At  the  sea  of  Tiberias."  This  is  the  only 
place  where  the  "sea  of  Galilee,"  or  of 
"  Gennesareth,"  is  called  the  "  sea  of 
Tiberias."  That  it  was  identical  with  the 
familiar  lake  is  evident  from  the  known 
site  of  Tiberias  (now  represented  by  the 
modern  town  Tubarieh),  a  city  which  is 
mentioned  by  Josephus  ('  Ant.,'  xviii.  2.  3 ; 
'Bell.  Jud.,'  ii.  9.  1;  'Vit.,'  §§  12,  13,  64), 
and  which,  from  its  schools  of  learned  men, 
had  a  great  place  in  later  Jewish  liistory. 
Moreover,  in  ch.  vi.  1,  23,  if  the  Greek  be 
accurately  rendered,  tiie  writer  ."-poke  of 
"  the  sea  of  Galilee,  of  Tiberia?,"  interpret- 
ing tlie  name  well  known  by  tlie  Jews, 
through  another  name  by  whicli  it  would 
be  better  recognizeil  by  Gentile's  (se^  note 
on  ch.  vi.  I).  Dr.  Farrar,  '  Mcs.sago  of  the 
Books,'  sees  in  tlie  nomenclature  a  hint  of 
the  later  origin  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  than 
the  date  assigned  to  tlie  synoptic  narrative. 
'Eiri  is  used  becau.se  the  shore  where  they 
saw  him  wad  a  raised  beach  or  cliff  "  above  " 
the  sea.  It  must  be  observed  tiiat  llie  same 
phrase  is  used  in  ch.  vi.  19  and  Matt.  xiv. 


25  for  Christ's  walking  "  upon  the  sea ; " 
but  the  ^irl  is  itself  explained  hero  by  the 
cuyta\6v  of  ver.  4,  just  as  tlio  preposition 
receives  elsewhere  more  literally  another 
meaning  from,  the  context.  And  he  mani- 
fested himself  thus;  "on  this  wise,"  i.e. 
after  tiie  manner  to  be  described.  This  is 
the  commencement  of  our  Lord's  discourses 
on  the  kingdom  of  God  (Acts  i.  3).  This 
was  the  beginning  of  the  great  fulfilment 
of  his  own  predictions  (JIatt.  xxvi.  32 ; 
xxviii.  10),  and  of  the  angel's  words  to  the 
women.  The  narrative  gives  the  deep  heart- 
tones  and  genuine  teaching  of  the  risjn 
Lord. 

Ver.  2. — There  were  together.  Not  the 
whole  company  of  the  eleven  apostles  ;  five 
are  especially  mentioned,  and  two  are  left 
unnamed.  The  five,  of  wliom  the  Gospel 
knows  much,  are  Simon  Peter,  whose  two- 
fold name  denotes  that,  notwithstanding  his 
grievous  failure,  he  had  not  lost  his  faith, 
and  btiil  stood  at  the  head  of  the  company, 
the  man  of  rock  and  tiie  man  of  impetuous 
energy.  Thomas  called  Didymus,  wiiose 
incredulity  liad  vanisiied,  and  whoso  devoted 
love  had  emerged  front  the  depths  of 
despondency  to  tlie  loftiest  faith,  who  had 
come  to  feel  and  say  that  the  risen  Christ 
was  both  Lord  and  God.  Thomas,  wlm 
had  shrunk  from  the  society  of  las  fellow- 
apostles,  was  now  closely  united  with  them, 
more  than  he  had  ever  previously  seemed  to 
have  been.  Thomas  is  the  apostle  last  men- 
tioned by  the  evangelist.  Elsewhere  he  is 
associated  with  Philip  of  Bctlisaida,  and  this 
town  may  have  been  his  home.  Nathanael 
of  Cana  in  Galilee  is  mentioned  by  way  of 
recalling  the  two  miracles  recorded  by 
John  as  having  taken  place  in  this  "  Cana 
of  Galilee"  (ch.  ii.  1—12;  iv.  16).  The 
former  of  the  miracles  followed  immediately 
on  the  mention  of  tlie  calling  of  Natlianael 
(ch.  i.  45).  The  reference  to  the  little 
place  in  Galilee  where  the  glory  of  Clirist 
had  been  first  of  all  seen  and  had  led  to 
the  faith  of  the  disciples,  calls  attention  to 
the  place  and  province  of  tiiis  manife.station, 
and  to  what  was  contained  in  tiie  niemcry 
of  one  of  the  witnesses.  And  the  (sons  ')  of 
Zebedee— a  phrase  used  for  James  and  John 
in  Matt.  xx.  20 ;  xxvi.  37 ;  xxvii.  56.  This 
is  tiie  only  time  that  Zebedee  is  mentioned 
in  this  Gospel;  but  the  reason  for  his  sons 
being  thus  designated  points  unmistakably 
to  the  first  call  of  these  two  men  to  disciple- 
ship  by  tiie  side  of  this  very  lake,  after  they 
had  witnessed  the  draught  of  fi.shes,  becoming 

'  N,  D,  E,  read  oi  uloi  instead  of  ol  only. 
The  latter  reading  is  j)refcrred  bv  Alfurd, 
Tregclles,  Ti.schendorf  (8th  edit.),  Westcott 
and  Hurt,  and  R.T.  Tregelles  places  viol 
in  the  margin. 


500 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xxi.  1—25. 


Irom  that  time  forward  "  fishers  of  men  " 
(Matt.  iv.  21;  Mark  i.  19,  20;  Luke  v.  10). 
That  they  should  here  be  mentioned  after 
Thomasandafter  Nathanael  corresponds  with 
tlie  reticence  and  modesty  of  the  evangelist. 
This  is  still  more  probable  if  the  two  other 
disciples  were  fiadrtral  in  the  broader  sense. 
The  simple  fact  that  they  are  mentioned 
after  the  five  apostles  has  been  thought  by 
some  to  imply  that,  whosoever  these  were, 
they  were  not  of  the  number  of  the  eleven. 
No  one  writing  the  story  in  the  second 
century  would,  in  an  enumeration  like  this, 
have  placed  the  proto-martyr  James  and 
the  intimate  friend  of  Peter,  the  great 
"  liglit  of  Asia,"  the  admitted  author  of  the 
Apocalypse,  and  the  spiritual  father  of 
Folycarp  and  Papias,  after  Thomas  and 
Nathanael.  After  his  manner,he  (theauthor) 
liere  prepared  for  the  implicit  fcubsequent 
ideutific.ition  of  the  "  disciple  whom  Jesus 
loved,"  and  also  the  author  of  the  Gospel, 
with  one  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee.  The  sup- 
position that  Andrew  and  Philip  are  meant 
hy  the  "two  other  disciples"  is  not  without 
vt  ridimilitude,  irom  their  mention  in  ch.  i. 
If  this  were  the  case,  both  of  them  are 
practically  discriminated  from  the  "disciple 
whom  Jesus  loved  "  by  the  obvious  refer- 
ences to  them  elsewliere  by  name,  while 
"  John  "  never  thus  signalizes  himself.  The 
mention  of  seven  disciples  reveals  the  love 
of  the  writer  for  the  number  "  seven,"  with 
its  division  into  two  gi'oups  of  three  and 
four  (see  Introduction,  pp.  Ixxviii.,  Ixxix.). 
And  it  is  remarkable  that,  if  Andrew  and 
Philip  are  the  unnamed  ones,  the  seven 
would  correspond  with  the  first  seven 
apostles  mentioned  in  Matthew's  enumeration 
(x.  2—4).  Matthew,  James  the  son  of 
Alphaeus,  Judas  the  brother  of  James,  or 
Tliiuldffius,  and  Simon  the  Zealot  were  not 
present.  This,  of  course,  rests  on  the  hypo- 
thesis that  Nathanael  and  Bartholomew  are 
identical  (ch.  i.  45,  note). 

Ver.  3. — Simon  Peter  saith  unto  them,  I 
go  a-fisMng.  The  abruptness  of  the  lan- 
guage addressed  to  six  (^fj-ad-nral )  disciples, 
who  seemed  to  be  living  as  in  one  family, 
suggests  a  lengthened  waiting,-  and  some 
disappointment  as  to  the  effect  upon  their 
daily  life  of  the  great  revelation.  They  are 
summoned  by  the  most  commanding  spirit 
among  them  to  resume  what  was,  for  some 
uf  them  at  least,  their  customary  calling. 
He  would  seek  in  humble  fashion,  along  the 
lines  of  ordinary  duty  to  his  family  and  him- 
self, the  supply  of  daily  wants.  According 
to  some  writers,  Peter  felt  a  presentiment 
of  the  coming  of  his  Lord  under  scenes 
identical  with  those  of  his  first  call  (Luke 
V.  1 — 11).  According  to  others,  Peter  ex- 
hibited some  of  the  heart-sickness  of  defeiTed 
hope.    On  either  supposition  we  see  a  new 


illustration  of,  and  testimony  to,  the  cha- 
racter of  the  man  who  w^as  so  conspicuous 
an  initiator.  They  say  to  him,  We  also  come 
(or,  go)  with  thee.  They  do  not  "  follow  " 
him,  as  they  had  been  summoned  once  to 
follow  their  Lord;  but  they  are  willing, 
even  eager,  to  accompany  the  strong-hearted 
man,  and  ready  to  take  his  lead.  They 
share  at  once  either  in  his  presentiment  or 
in  the  expression  of  his  delayed  hope.  They 
went  forth ;  i.e.  from  the  home  which  they 
had  made  for  themselves  on  this  well- 
remembered  spot — from  Capernaum,  which 
was  most  probably  the  early  home  of  Peter, 
and  a  spot  to  which  lie  would  naturally 
revert.  And  entered  into  the  ship ; '  the 
veritable  vessel  that  had  often  served  them 
on  that  lake  of  storms.  Though  Peter  and 
Andrew,  James  and  John,  had  left  their 
boats  and  nets  and  hired  servants,  it  is  not 
unlikely  that  members  of  their  two  families 
had  retained  them.  And  that  night  they  took 
nothing.  Let  the  unusual  word  be  noticed. 
UidCeii'  occurs  three  times  in  this  brief 
narrative  and  six  times  in  the  Gospel,  in 
the  sense  of  "laying  hold,"  "  taking  posses- 
sion of,"  but  nowhere  in  the  synoptists. 
It  occurs,  however,  in  Acts  xii.  4 ;  2  Cor. 
xi.  32 ;  Ecclus.  xxiii.  21 ;  and,  what  is  more 
remarkable,  in  the  sense  of  "taking  animals" 
in  Rev.  xix.  20  (f-rridadri  rh  6i]piou) ;  so  the 
LXX.  for  mx  (Cant.  ii.  15).  The  night 
was  then,  as  now,  the  most  convenient  time 
for  fishing,  and  the  fruitless  efibrt  must 
have  reminded  them  of  the  night  described 
in  Luke  v.  Some  critics  have  supposed 
this  failure  to  be  parabolic  or  symbolic  of 
the  comparatively  barren  results  of  the 
apostolic  ministry  to  the  Jews,  while  what 
followed  was  prophetic  of  the  great  success 
which  should  accompany  their  appeal  to  the 
Gentiles.  But  Peter's  wonderful  success  on 
the  Day  of  Pentecost  and  on  subsequent 
occasions  in  dealing  with  Jews,  contradicts 
this  interpretation.  The  only  analogy 
which  offers  itself  to  our  minds  is  the 
limited  success  of  all  their  endeavours  until 
the  apostles  were  veritably  endowed  with 
power  from  on  high. 

Ver.  4. — When  the  day  was  now  breaking,^ 
Jesus  stood  on^  the  beach.     If  the  els  be  the 

'  'Ave$i}(Tav  is  the  reading  of  T.R. ;  but 
N,  A,  B,  C,  D,  etc.,  read  ivi^rjffav,  and  are 
followed  by  all  the  modern  editors.  Euflecoj 
is  omitted  by  Meyer,  Westcott  and  Hort, 
Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  and  R.T.,  on  the 
authority  of  X,  B,  C,  D,  L,  X,  A,  numerous 
versions  and  cursive  manuscripts,  but  not 
by  Godet ;  evdvs  is  the  reading  of  T.R. 

'  Many  manuscripts,  with  N,  Vulgate, 
and  Syriac,  omit  ^5rj.  It  is  not  expunged 
by  Westcott  and  Hort,  nor  Tischendorf  (8th 
edit.),  nor  R.T.     r<i/o/ii€Vrjj  is  preferred  by 


en.  XXI.  1—25.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


501 


tn:e  reading,  it  would  imply  that  he  stood 
fortli,  as  hiiving  come  from  some  iinperceived 
region.  If  the  iwl  remain,  the  idea  is  that 
the  morning  light,  as  it  was  breaking  over 
them  througli  the  curtain  of  dense  mist 
which  hung  before  sunrise  on  the  eastern 
hills,  discovered  Jesus  standing  upon  the 
beach.  There  is  obvious  reference,  in  the 
manner  of  his  approach,  to  that  "  stand- 
ing" in  the  midst  of  them,  with  which  they 
had  become  familiar  (see  ch.  xx.  14,  19,  20). 
Howbeit  (jxfvroi  suggests  something  unusual, 
ch.  iv.  27;  xii.  42)  the  disciples  knew'  not 
that  it  was  Jesus.  lie  is  not  walking  on 
the  waters  as  of  old,  but  standing  on  the 
solid  ground.  Just  as  Mary  of  Magdala, 
and  as  the  tlisciplcs  on  the  way  to  Emmaus, 
and  as  even  the  disciples  themselves  on  the 
Easter  night,  were  in  doubt,  at  first,  who 
and  what  this  manifestation  miglit  mean, 
80  now  the  chosen  seven  fail  to  understand 
that  which  was  before  their  very  eyes.  Tlie 
morning  mist  and  shadows  adding  to  tlie 
obscurity  produced  by  some  hundred  yards 
of  distance,  together  with  wearied  and  toil- 
some effort  and  a  sleepless  night,  may  sug- 
gest some  explanation  of  the  marvel;  but 
the  mystery  is  baffling.  Two  or  three 
remarks  may  be  made.  (1)  These  various 
appearances  seem  at  first  to  confuse  their 
perceptions  by  reason  of  the  ordinary  human 
cliaracteristics  that  accompanied  them. 
Mary  for  a  moment  mistook  him  for  the 
owner  or  worker  in  the  garden ;  the  "  two 
disciples  "  imagined  that  he  was  "  a  stranger 
in  Jerusalem ; "  and  these  disciples  think 
him,  for  the  moment,  to  have  bcea  a  stray 
wanderer  by  the  lake-side.  Their  pre- 
supposition concerning  the  reappearance  of 
their  risen  Lord  would  probably  have 
involved  some  strange  and  awe-striking 
fulgurution  of  his  power;  but  the  true 
"  spiritual  body  "  does,  when  it  pleases,  take 
on  forms  far  more  familiar.  (2)  The  slow- 
ness of  the  process  by  which  the  apostles 
became  finally  convinced,  against  their 
prejudices  and  sense-bound  views,  that  he 
had  risen  into  a  new  form  of  living,  and 
into  new  conditions  of  existence. 

Vers.  5,  G. — Jesus  therefore  saith  unto 
them.  They  failed  to  recognize  his  first 
appearance,  so  he  permits  them  to  hear  the 

R.T.,  Westcott  and  Hort,  and  Tischendorf 
(8th  edit.)  for  y(vofj.fvris  of  T.R.,  Laciimann, 
and  Alford,  on  the  authority  of  A,  D,  C,  E, 
L,  though  the  latter  has  X  on  its  side.  N, 
A,  D,  L,  etc.,  read  M  instead  of  tis  [rbv 
alyia\6v'] ;  RT.  and  T.R.  read  its ;  Westcott 
and  Hort  place  <V1  in  the  margin,  Lach- 
mann  and  Tiachendorf  (8th  edit.)  in  the 
text. 

'  Tregelles  (margin)  reada  tyvucrav  in 
place  of  ^Sfiffav, 


voice  which  had  often  poured  such  music 
into  their  ears.  Children ;  not  TfKvia,  the 
phrase  used  in  ch.  xiii.  33,  but  waiSla. 
"  young  people."  "  lads  "—a  term  of  less 
intimate  familiarity,  though  the  apostlc 
himself  used  it  in  1  John  ii.  13,  18  (in  vers. 
1  and  12  TtKvia  is  used,  apparently  in  in- 
terchange with  it)  The  /xi)  n  suggests  a 
negative  answer.  npocT(pdytov  is  that  which 
is  eaten  with  bread,  and  is  commonly  6\f/uf 
or  6^/(0|^)lov,  some-thing  roasted  for  the  purpose 
of  eating  with  bread.  Since  fish  was  very 
frequently  used  for  the  j)urpose.  the  word 
was  often  used  for  "  fish "  itself  (LXX., 
Numb.  xi.  22  ;  ch.  vi.9,  11.  Other  equivalent 
words  are  found  in  Attic  Greek,  wpocrcpdynixa. 
irpo(T6y^T]fji.a).  Children  (lads,  young  men 
yonder),  you  have  nothing,  I  suppose,  to  eat  1 
They  answered  him,  No.  lu  all  this  scene 
the  risen  Lord  showed  himself  interested 
and  co-operating  with  them  in  their  daily 
toil,  as  engaged  in  the  same  work  witli 
them.  Their  listless  manner  showed  that 
they  had  toiled  in  vain,  and,  perhaps  with 
tone  or  gesture  of  unwillingness  to  confess 
their  failure,  they  replied  in  the  negative. 
Then  he  said  '  to  them,  Cast  the  net  on  the 
right  side  of  the  ship;  thr  side  opposite  to 
that  on  which  they  were  dragging  it  along. 
Moreover,  the  "  right  hand,"  the  "  right 
eye  "  the  "  right  ear,"  the  "  right  side,"  are 
proverbially  the  more  useful,  fruitful,  or 
honourable.  The  imagery  is  preserved 
throughout  Scripture.  And  ye  shall  find. 
Therefore  they  cast  it.  And  in  order  to  do 
this  tliey  would  probably  have  had  to  haul 
a  considerable  portion  of  it  into  the  boat 
for  the  necessary  transference  from  left  to 
right.  They  at  once  obeyed  the  summons, 
remembering  what  they  had  previously 
found  to  have  been  their  experience  (Luke 
v.),  and  no  longer  were  they  able,  or  hail 
they  strength,  to  draw  it  into  the  boat. 
'EKKvcrai  is  here  quite  a  different  process 
from  the  avpoyrfs  of  ver.  8,  which  describes 
the  hauling,  tugging,  of  the  net  to  shore. 
The  difficulty  arose  from  (or,  because  of) 
the  multitude  of  the  fishes.  The  miracle 
here  is  a  simple  indication  of  the  higher 
knowledge  which  the  Lord  possessed.  This 
huge  shoal  may,  humanly  speaking,  have 
been  perceived  in  its  approach ;  so  that  the 
event  is  more  impressive  in  its  analogical 
force  than  iu  its  supernatural  machinery. 
It  suggests  the  surprising  results  that  would 
accomjiany  their  labour  when  they  sliould 
under  tlie  Lord's  own  injunction  and  inspi- 
ration, become  veritable  fishers  of  men.  '1  ho 
parabolic  teaching  of  this  miracle  is  un- 
usually obvious. 
Ver.  7.— Therefore,  as  a  distinct  conse- 

'  Tischendorf    (8th    edit.)     reads     Aryti 
instead  of  tiirty. 


502 


THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.      [cu.  xxi.  1—25. 


quencc  of  the  vivid  reminiscence  of  the  past, 
with  sudden  intuition  given  to  him  by  the 
event,  and  a  fresh  realization  of  the  identity 
of  tlie  risen  Lord  witli  the  Master  Jesus,  that 
disciple  therefore  whom  Jesus  loved — wlio 
must  have  been  either  one  of  the  sous  of 
Zebedee  or  one  of  the  two  unnamed  disciples. 
The  latter  supposition  is  inapposite  from  the 
intimacy  between  Peter  and  John,  which  the 
synoptic  narrative,  and  references  in  the  Acts 
and  Gal.  ii.,  have  recorded ;  tliat  disciple 
and  no  other,  the  one  so  often  referred  to, 
one  of  the  seven,  saith  unto  Peter,  It  is  the 
Lord.  Had  he  not  again  and  again  done 
wondrous  things  of  power,  wisdom,  and 
love  oil  this  very  spot, in  these  very  waters? 
So  John  comes  intuitively  and  with  true  in- 
sight to  the  sacred  truth  and  reality,  and  his 
conduct  is  again  contrasted  wonderlully  with 
tiie  energetic  and  impulsive  Peter  (ch.  xx.  5, 
6).  1  he  same  relative  characteristics  of  the 
two  apostles  have  been  preserved  throughout 
the  fivefold  narrative.  Such  a  contrast  so 
delicately  and  persistently  sustained  lends 
certainty  to  the  objective  reality.  Accord- 
ingly Simon  Peter,  when  he  heard.  It  is  the 
Lord — for  the  words  flashed  conviction  into 
him — hurried  at  once  to  put  his  new  idea 
to  practical  proof.  The  word  of  John 
satisfied  him,  and,  not  seeing  for  himself 
what  John  saw  with  mental  eye,  he  accepted 
the  joyful  news,  and  was  the  first  to  spring 
into  the  sea,  and,  with  his  usual  energy,  to 
cabt  himself  at  his  Master's  feet.  He  girt 
his  coat  about  him  (for  he  was  naked).  The 
word  'Yvixv6s  does  not  mean  perfectly  nude. 
A  man  who  had  simply  the  x"<^v  or  tunic 
upon  him  was  practically  thus  regarded. 
The  word  yvnv6s  occurs  in  Isa.  xx.  2  ;  1  Sam. 
xix.  24 ;  Job  xxi  v.  10  in  the  same  sense.  The 
proper  name  for  the  tunic,  or  garment  next 
the  skin,  was  vTrolvT7}s,  and  that  which  was 
put  over  the  tunic  was  eirevSuTris  and  e'rreVSu/ia 
(Meyer  and  Wettstein,  ia  loc).  The  Talmud 
has  Aramaized  the  word,  calling  it  Nnuax 
(ependetha),  and  used  it  for  the  workman's 
frock  or  blouse,  often  without  sleeves,  and 
fastened  with  a  girdle.  Dr.  Salmond  truly 
eays  that  this  reference  to  an  act  which 
to  ordinary  men  would  have  suggested  a 
different  arrangement  of  dress,  reveals  the 
eye-witness.  Hengstenberg  suggests  that 
Peter  simply  girded  his  upper  garment  for 
the  purpose  of  swimming  more  easily  ;  but, 
as  Luthardt  observes,  with  this  e7rev5wT7jj 
already  upon  him,  he  would  not  have  been 
"  naked"  And  he  cast  himself  into  the  sea, 
intending,  whatever  might  be  the  fate  of 
the  laden  net,  to  be  tlie  first  to  greet  and 
worship  the  Lord.  Of  the  reception  he 
met  with  John  says  nothing:  he  knew 
nothing.  The  Lord  had  some  special  in- 
struction for  him  a  little  later.  It  is  not  in 
harmony  with  the  words,  as  Gerhard  sup- 


posed, that  Peter  walked  triumphantly  upon 
the  waters.  Not  a  hint  of  it  occurs.  The 
hundred  yards  were  rapidly  covered,  either 
by  swimming  or  wading  to  the  shore  mean- 
while, r 

Ver.  8. — But  the  other  disciples  came  in  the 
little  beat.  Either  what  was  first  described 
as  tJ>  ir\o7oy  is  now  more  minutely  described 
as  TTKoidpiov,  "  the  (same)  little  boat,"  or 
else  they  had  transferred  themselves  from 
the  more  cumbrous  fishing-smack  to  the 
smaller  craft  which  was  tethrred  to  the 
larger  one.  The  reason  why  the  otlier 
disciples  came  in  the  boat  is  given  in  the 
parenthesis  :  (for  they  were  not  far  from  the 
laud,  but  as  it  were  two  hundred  cubits  off) ; 
i.e.  about  three  hundred  leet,  half  a  stadium, 
a  hundred  yards.  'Anh  to  denote  distance 
from,  is  used  in  this  Gospel  (see  note,  ch.  xi. 
18)  and  the  Revelation  (xiv.  20).  The  disciples 
came  in  the  boat  over  this  distance,  dragging 
the  net  (full)  of  fishes.  The  net  was  not 
broken,  though  filled.  They  did  not  further 
attempt  to  lift  it ;  they  hauled  it  to  the  shore 
as  it  was.  Str.iuss,  who  tries  to  show  that 
we  have  a  glorifying  myth  framed  out  of 
an  amalgam  of  the  narratives  of  the  first 
miraculous  draught  and  that  of  Peter  walk- 
ing on  the  water,  is  singularly  unfortunate  ; 
for  there  is  less  of  the  supernatural  in  the 
story  than  in  either  of  the  two  narratives  to 
which  he  refers. 

Ver.  9. — So  when  they  were  come  to  land 
(literally,  with  Revised  Version,  got  out  of 
the  boat  upo7i  the  land ;  N  reads  avf^rjaav 
instead  of  ajrg/Srjtrai'),  they  see  a  fire  of  coals 
there.  The  word  audpaKla  occurs  only  in  ch. 
xviii.  18  and  in  this  place.  It  is  derived 
from  dvOpa^,  a  "coal  of  fire,"  or  burning 
charcoal.  Observe  the  form  Keifxevjjv  (cf. 
ch.  ii.  6),  which  implies  that  the  burning 
brazier  was  placed  there  for  a  purpose.  And 
fish  laid  thereon,  and  a  loaf.'  {'Oxf/dpiov  and 
oifcipjo,  used  both  in  the  singular  and  the 
plural  for  the  roast  relish  eaten  with  bread, 
and,  by  reason  of  the  customary  food  of  the 
people,  is  often  used  for  "  fish  "  or  "  fishes.") 
Our  Lord  was  regarding  the  whole  of  this  pro- 
ceeding from  the  standing  of  one  who  woulil 
meet  their  hunger,  and  was  conscious  of 
power  to  feed  the  world  in  its  utmost  need. 
So  the  provision  which  was  thus  made  in 
advance  for  the  need  of  the  disciples  be- 
comes symbolic  of  Christ's  power  to  meet 
all  the  wants  of  the  dying  world.  Numerous 
speculations  have  been  hazarded  about  the 
met'iod  employed  by  our  Lord  to  prepare 
thif  meal.  The  early  Fathers,  Chrysostom, 
Thnophylact,  with  Grotius,  have  appealed 

'  "A  fish"  and  "a  loaf"  are  put  in  the 
nargin  of  the  Revised  Version,  in  contrast 
with  the  many  fishes  which  are  now  at  their 
disposal. 


CH.  XXI.  1—25.]      THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


503 


to  Christ's  creative  power.  Luthardt  thinks 
of  the  ministry  of  angels.  Soiuo  have 
suggested  that  Peter  prepared  the  liasty 
repast  during  the  interval  that  elapsed 
between  his  landing  on  the  shore  and  the 
approach  of  the  boat.  Our  Lord,  who  knew 
how  to  arrange  for  the  last  supper  with  his 
disciples,  and  who  bad  all  the  resources 
of  Providence,  and  iiosts  of  di^ciples  along 
the  shore,  would,  with  sujieilutive  ease,  and 
without  revealing  himself  to  strangers,  have 
made  this  simple  meal ;  and,  with  iiis  know- 
ledge of  the  case,  would  have  still  de- 
lighted to  act  towards  his  beloved  ones  as 
at  once  their  Host  and  their  IMinister.  He 
simply  prepared  for  his  own  what  he  has 
been  doing  ever  since. 

Ver.  10. — Jesus  saith  to  them,  Bring  of 
the  fish  (oi^apia)  which  ye  have  now  taken 
(see  note  on  ver.  H).  It  is  not  exactly  said 
what  was  done  with  this  fish.  The  impli- 
cation is  that  to  the  scanty  meal  already 
provided,  the  new  supply  was  added,  and 
that  the  Lord  permitted  his  disciples  to  join 
his  repast,  and  to  rejoice  with  him  at  the 
success  of  their  labour.  They  and  he  sliared 
in  the  travail,  and  were  satisfkd  therewith. 
The  circumstance  is  highly  parabolic  of 
the  common  joy  which  would  fill  his  heart 
and  theirs  when  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles 
should  be  brought  in,  and  all  Israel  be 
saved. 

Ver.  11. — Then  Simon  Peter  went  up.' 
Here  again  Simon  is  first  in  action,  as  John 
is  the  more  rapid  and  real  in  his  mental 
processes.  The  other  disciples  may  have 
aided  him,  following  his  lead  ;  but  the 
singular  verbs  are  used  on  both  occasions 
(di/fjSij  and  (XKKvae).  In  like  manner, 
though  the  twelve  apostles  took  part  in  the 
transactions  of  Pentecost,  Peter  opened  his 
mouth  to  speak.  On  other  occasions,  while 
John  spake  by  the  eloquent  glances  of  his 
eye,  and  the  rest  of  the  disciples  joined  their 
leader  in  testimony  and  prayer,  Peter's 
voice  was  that  which  conveyed  the  mighty 
exultation  of  their  common  heart  (Acts  iii. 
12,  etc. ;  iv.  8,  etc. ;  viii.  20,  etc. ;  x.  34 — 
xi. ;  XV.  7 — 11).  The  word  dvf^r],  "went 
up,"  must  be  explained  by  the  fact  that 
ava^atvui/  is  used  f)f  embarking  in  a  vessel 
(ch.  xxi.  3;  Mark  vi.  ."il ;  Acts  xxi.  6), 
though  in  each  case  there  is  some  ditference 
in  the  manuscripts,  with  reference  to  the 
text,  as  there  is  also  here.  If  the  vessel 
was  drawn  up  on  the  shore,  with  the  net 
attached  to  it,  the  form  of  expression  is 
explicable.  Peter  went  u|)  into  the  boat 
for  the  lines  of  the  net,  and,  having  secured 
it,  he  drew  the  net  to  the  land,'  full  of  great 


'  N  and  L  read  iviSr)  instead  of  avi^r}. 
2  'Eirl  TTJj  77) J  of  T.R  has  been  replaced 
by  R.T.,  Tischeudorf  (8th  edit.),  Tregelles, 


fishes,  a  hundred  and  fifty  and  three.  Various 
eflforts  have  been  made  from  Ciirly  times  to 
give  some  symbolic  mcaidng  to  this  enume- 
ration. Canon  Westcott  has  detuiletl  several 
of  these  strange  guesses.  Cyril  of  Alexan- 
dria set  the  example,  and  was  followed  by 
Ammonius  the  presbyter,  who  both  in  dif- 
ferent ways  regarded  the  3  as  representative 
of  the  Trinity,  the  100  -f-  hi)  representing,, 
in  ditferent  proportions,  the  success  of  the 
apostolic  ministry  among  Gentiles  and  Jews. 
Augustine  observes  that  10  is  the  number  of 
the  Law,  and  7  the  number  of  the  Spirit, 
10  +  7  =  17 ;  and  the  numbers  from  1  -f  2 
+  3  .  .  -|-  17  =  153;  so  that  the  niimher  re- 
presents all  who  are  brought  to  God  under 
every  disjiensation  of  grace.  Grcffory  the 
Great  reaches  the  value  17  in  tlie  same 
fashion  as  Augustine,  but,  says  he,  it  is  only 
by  faith  in  the  Trinity  that  either  Jew  or 
Gentile  ever  reaches  the  fulness  of  salvation  ; 
17  is  therefore  multiplied  by  3  =.  3  x  17, 
which  produces  51,  which  is  the  number  of 
true  rest ;  multiplied  again  by  3,  which  com- 
pletes the  glory  of  the  perfected,  it  is  153. 
Hengstenberg,  following  Grotius,  supposes 
a  reference  to  the  153,600  Canaanitish  prose- 
lytes who  were  received  into  the  kingdom 
in  Solomon's  day  (2  Chron.  ii.  17) !  though 
the  odd  600  certainly  confuse  the  reckoning. 
Jerome  refers  to  the  opinion  of  a  learned 
naturalist  of  the  second  century,  Oppian, 
who  is  said  to  have  ascertained  that  there 
were  153  ditlerent  kinds  of  fish  in  the  seas, 
and  that  the  apostles  took  of  every  kind, 
revealing  the  ultimate  success  of  the  fishers 
of  souls  with  every  kind  of  man — an  allegory 
based  on  false  science  and  insecure  data, 
and  involving  a  stupendous  miracle,  if  it 
be  meant  for  an  historical  fact.  Several  of 
the  modern  Tubingen  school,  in  various  but 
unsntisfactory  ways,  see  in  the  number  one 
made  up  by  the  letters  composing  the  name  of 
Simeon  (71)  bar  (22)  Jonah  (31)  Kephas  (29) ; 
and  here  even  Keim  follows  suit.  Thouia 
finds  the  number  in  the  mystic  1X0T2, 
"Jesus  Clirist  the  Son  of  God,  Saviour." 
Reuss  discourages  mystical  or  occult  mean- 
ing. The  remark  of  Baumgarten-Crusius, 
that  the  number  is  simply  an  iiuUx  of  the 
authenticity  of  the  narrative,  and  of  the  fact 
that  the  fishes  were  countrd  on  tlu!  ncoiision, 
is  eminently  sensible  (so  Godet  and  Meyer). 
The  fact  that  it  is  not  a  round  number  adds 
to  the  probability  of  this  sbitemeut,  and 
enters  a  caveat  against  allegorical  interjjre- 
tation.  And  for  all  they  were  so  many,  the 
net  was  not  rent.  Tliis  is  obviously  a  point 
of  contrast  with  the  first  miraculous  drauglit 
of  fisliLS,  when  the  nets  brake  and  the  boats 
began  to  sink.     This  does  form  a  probable 


Alford,  and  Westcott  and  Hort,  by  tij  riiv 
yrjv,  with  N,  A,  B,  and  numerous  cursives. 


50i 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xxi.  1—25. 


allo:];ory  of  the  success  with  which  the  final 
iugathering  of  souls  shall  be  effected. 

Ver.  12. — Jesus  saith  to  them,  Come  and 
break  your  fast.  A  word  is  used  which 
does  not  denote  the  principal  meal  of  the 
day  (not  SetTrj/eui,  but  dpicrTdu,  from  ipiarov), 
but  a  slight  refreshment  that  was  taken  in 
early  morning,  or  at  least  before  noon,  and 
answers  to  our  breakfast  at  the  dawning  of 
the  day.'  He  calls  them  to  the  repast.  He 
becomes  once  more  their  Host  and  their 
Minister.  Even  still,  metaphorically,  he 
washes  their  feet.  He  attends  to  their  re- 
quirements. He  feeds  them  from  this 
strangely  bestowed  supply.  He  joins  them 
in  their  hunger  for  souls.  He  inspires  their 
methods.  He  shares  in  their  victory,  after 
painful  fruitless  toil.  Now^  not  one — i.e. 
uot  eveu  Thomas  —of  the  disciples  durst  in- 
quire of  Mm — put  to  him  the  interrogatory — 
Who  art  thou  ?  knowing,  each  one  of  them, 
that  it  was  the  Lord.  The  use  of  tlerao-oj 
instead  of  kp<iiTi)aou,  John's  own  word,  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at,  as  he  does  not  think 
of  a  simple  inquiry,  but  of  such  an  exami- 
nation as  would  furnish  them  with  facts. 
Those  they  possessed.  A  feeling  of  awe 
and  reverence  possessed  them.  They  were 
of  one  mind  about  the  marvellous  revelation 
of  himself  to  them.  Some  strange  emotion 
sealed  their  lips.  He  had  not  manifested 
himself  to  the  world,  but  to  his  disciples, 
and  to  them  by  "the  interpretations  they 
were  putting  upon  their  own  experience" 
(Westcott).  They  knew  it  was  the  Lord. 
They  looked  into  that  other  world.  They 
were  lost  in  silent  amaze,  and  received  the 
revelation  once  more  of  their  risen  Master 
and  Lord. 

Ver.  13. — Jesus  cometh,'  and  takcth  the 
bread,  and  giveth  them,  and  the  fish  likewise. 
It  would  seem  that  the  specific  bread  and 
lish  already  referred  to  (ver.  9)  Mas  the 
material  of  at  least  the  first  part  of  this 
sacjramental  meal.  No  benediction  or  prayer 
is  mentioned.  If  this  may  not  be  presup- 
posed, his  presence  made  the  feast,  and  was 
the  blessing.  Meyer  says,  however,  that 
'dprov  and  oi^apiof,  as  in  earlier  verses,  are 
simply  generic.  On  either  supposition,  it 
is  clear  from  ver.  15  that  more   fish  were 

>  See  '  Diet.  Bible,'  art.  "  Meals."  The 
substantial  (Ziltrvov')  meal  took  place  in  the 
evening  (Joscplius, '  Vita,'  §  44  ;  '  Bell.  Jud.,' 
i.  17.  4),  called  by  our  translators  "  dinner  " 
or  "  supper." 

^  Authorities  for  the  5e  after  ouSet's  are 
much  divided.  Tisehendorf  (8th  edit.)  and 
K.T.  retain  it ;  but  Alford  and  Westcott  and 
Hort  reject  it. 

'  X,  B,  C,  D,  L,  X,  Tisehendorf  (Sth  edit.), 
Tregelles,  Alford,  Westcott  and  Hort,  and 
E.T.  omit  the  olv  of  A.  r,  A,  and  T.R. 


prepared  and  used  by  the  seven  disciples 
than  the  solitary  loaf  and  6\f/dpiov  which 
were  first  seen  upon  the  fire.  The  Lord 
gave  them  symbolically  the  entire  gift  of 
his  love  by  that  which  he  came  forward  at 
this  moment  to  supply. 

Ver.  14. — This  is  now— or,  as  Meyer  puts 
it,  this  time  already  is — the  third  time  that 
Jesus  was  manifested  (passive,  not  active,  as 
in  ver.  1)  t6  the  '  disciples,  after  that  he  was 
risen  from  the  dead ;  or,  when  he  had  been 
raised  from  the  dead.  The  implication  is 
that  there  had  up  to  this  time  been  no  other 
manifestation  to  groups  of  his  disciples  than 
those  which  John  had  related.  Therefore 
those  other  occurrences  mentioned  by  Luke, 
Matthew,  and  Paul  must  be  supposed  to  lie 
stdl  in  the  future.  That  there  were  other 
manifestations  is  not  obscurely  hinted  by 
the  word  ^Stj.  The  appearances  to  the 
women,  to  Cephas  and  James,  are  not  of 
the  class  so  carefully  described  by  John. 
The  elra  toIs  SwoeKa  of  1  Cor.  xv.  5,  etc., 
might  be  regarded  as  this  third  manifes- 
tation to  the  disciples  (Luthardt).  Godet 
agrees  that  the  two  appearances  in  Luke 
(Emmaus  and  Peter)  are  not  reckoned  by 
John,  any  more  than  that  made  to  Mary 
INIagdalene.  The  statement,  "  to  the  dis- 
ciples," is  clearly  the  explanation.  Paul 
mentions  the  appearance  (1)  to  Simon  Peter ; 
(2)  then  to  the  twelve  (ch.  xx.  19,  26);  (3) 
to  the  five  hundred,  at  the  head  of  whom 
may  have  been  the  eleven  of  Matt,  xxviii. 
16—20;  (4)  James;  (5)  the  twelve  (the  as- 
cension not  described  by  John).  Since  Luke 
and  Paul  (Godet)  omitted  the  narrative  be- 
fore us,  John  is  here  repairing  the  omissions 
of  tradition.  It  seems  quite  as  reasonable 
to  place  this  third  revelation  to  a  group  of 
apostles  as  the  third  of  Paul's  enumera- 
tions. John  is  explicit  in  recording  appear- 
ances to  the  special,  combined,  and  chosen 
witnesses,  while  he  not  only  implies,  but 
mentions,  other  manifestations.  Paul  recites 
the  special  manifestations  of  various  kinds, 
and  gives  most  important  details  dropped  by 
other  traditions.  The  apocryphal  '  Gospel 
according  to  the  Hebrews,'  as  related  by 
Jerome  ('Cat.  Script.  Eccl.  "Jacobus"'), 
quotes  the  passage  which  refers  to  the  in- 
terview between  James  and  the  risen  Lord. 
Gregory  of  Tours  ('Hist.  Francorum,'  i.  21) 
refers  to  the  tradition  as  though  he  had 
taken  it  from  some  analogous  but  not  iden- 
tical source  (see  a  full  discussion  of  the 
passage  in  Nicholson's  '  Gospel  according  to 
the  Hebrews,'  pp.  62—68).  If  the  previous 
manifestations  of  the  risen  Lord  were  made 

»  Tisehendorf  (8th  edit.),  Tregelles,  Al- 
ford, R.T.,  and  "Westcott  and  Hort  reject 
the  ai/Tov,  with  N,  B,  C,  L,  and  numerous 
cursives. 


en.  XXI.  1—25.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


505 


to  Jove,  to  thought,  to  earnest  though  trcm- 
bliug  inquiry,  to  spiritual  vision  only,  so 
here  we  timl  that,  amid  the  ordinary  duties 
of  life  and  the  activities  and  disappoint- 
ments of  daily  service,  tbe  Lord  manifests 
himself.  The  eye  of  love  and  the  heart  of 
rock  are  made  ready  for  special  assurances 
of  the  Master's  presence  and  power  to  help 
and  guide  disciples  throughout  that  myste- 
rious future  in  which  they  are  to  feel  and 
realize  his  words,  "  Lo !  I  am  with  you 
alway,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world." 

Vers.  15— 19.— (2)  Tfie  revelations  to  he 
made  in  the  services  dictated  by  love  and 
issuing  in  martyrdom.  The  confession  made 
hy  Simon  Peter,  and  the  charge  given  to  him. 

Ver.  15. — When  therefore  they  had  break- 
fasted, Jesus  saith  to  Simon  Peter.  His  full 
name  and  Christ-given  appellation  is  in  the 
mind  of  the  evangelist ;  but  he,  vrith  marked 
emphasis,  shows  that  our  Lord  went  back 
to  his  relations  with  Simon  before  the  latter's 
first  introduction  to  him  (see  ch.  i.  42,  etc.), 
and  recalls  the  attitude  Christ  had  taken  to 
Simon  on  more  than  one  memorable  occasion 
(Matt.  ivi.  17 ;  Luke  xxii.  31).  On  two  of 
these  occasions  the  simple  humanity  of  the 
apostle  was  the  basis  on  which  the  Lord 
proceeded  to  confer  upon  him  the '  high 
official  designation.  The  grace  of  God,  in 
the  fii-st  instance,  selected  Simon  of  Jonah 
to  bo  a  rock.  In  the  second,  "  not  flesh  and 
blood,"  but  the  Father's  grace,  revealed  the 
mystery  of  the  Divine  Sonship  to  him,  and 
won  the  name  of  Peter.  In  the  third,  the 
utter  weakness  of  Simon's  own  flesh  reveals 
the  power  of  tlie  prayer  of  Jesus  for  him, 
80  that  he  might  ultimately  convert  his 
brethren ;  and  now  "  Simon  "  is  reinstated 
after  his  fall  into  liis  apostolic  ofKce.  Simon, 
Bon  of  Jona— or,  John  '  (see  ch.  i.  42,  note) — 
lovest  thou  me  more  than  these  1  i.e.  more 
than  these  other  disciples  love  me  ?  Thou 
hast  seen  more  of  my  compassion,  farther 
into  my  heart,  deeper  into  my  Person,  my 
position,  and  my  work,  than  they  have  done ; 
thou  hast  dared  again  and  again  to  ask  for 
higher  service  and  more  conspicuous  dis- 
tinction. Thou  hast  made  louder  protesta- 
tions than  any  of  these  of  thine  unworthiness 
to  serve  me,  and  in  the  deep  consciousness  of 
humiliation  tliou  hast  been  more  emphatic 

'  The  authorities  are  much  divided  as  to 
the  readings.  (1)  'ludwov  is  given  in  N',  B, 
C*,  D,  L,  a,  b,  d,  Vulgate.  Meyer  here 
and  ch.  i.  42,  with  Westcott  and  llort,  R.T., 
and  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  thus  read.  (2) 
'Iwdvov,  on  the  authority  of  some  corrected 
manuscripts,  is  adopted  by  Lachmann,  Al- 
ford,  Tregelles,  and  Bile  Revisers.  (3) 
'Iwva,  by  T.R.,  with  A,  C%  X,  A,  and  other 
manuscripts,  numerous  versions  and  quota- 
tions; and  this  is  *itiU  retained  by  Lange. 


than  any  of  them  in  refusing  grace  which 
tliou  thoughtest  it  might  dishonour  mo  to 
give.  Thou  didst  iudi  ed  say,  "  Though  all 
men  should  bo  offended  at  me  or  should  deny 
me,"  thou  wouldst  never  be  offended  and 
never  deny  me.  "  Dost  thou  love  me  more 
than  they  do  ?  "  There  is  no  positive  refer- 
ence to  the  denial  and  fall  of  I'eter;  but  the 
implication  and  suggestion  cannot  be  hidden, 
though  Hengstenberg  and  others  fail  to  ap- 
preciate it.  The  circumstance  that  Peter  was 
"grieved"  because  the  Lord  put  this  ques- 
tion to  him  a  third  time  makes  the  reference 
very  little  less  than  explicit.  The  real 
significance  of  the  narrative  is  the  reinsti- 
tution  of  Peter  in  the  position  of  importance 
he  had  filled  throughout,  and  an  iudieatitm 
of  tho  nature  and  quality  of  that  service. 
In  Simon's  reply,  Yea,  Lord ;  thou  knowest 
that  I  love  thee,  three  things  are  very 
noticeable.  (I)  Peter  says  nothing  of  the 
superiority  of  his  afiectiou  for  his  Lord  over 
that  of  his  colleagues.  Had  they  not  in 
outward  act  been  more  faithful  than  he? 
He  could  not  arrogate  any  sweeter,  dearer, 
more  abounding  afl'ection  than  he  was  willing 
to  believe  that  they  felt  for  their  Master. 
It  is  scarcely  worth  while  to  notice  the 
miserable  translation  that  some  few  com- 
mentators have  suggested :  "  Lovest  thou 
mo  more  than  (thou  lovest)  these  fishing- 
smacks  and  this  thriving  business  on  the 
lake?"  Observe  (2)  Peter's  admission 
that  the  Lord  knew  his  inmost  heart,  con- 
cedes, therefore,  that  the  question  was  merely 
intended  to  test  his  faitiifulness,  and  force 
him  to  a  more  salutary  and  binding  acknow- 
ledgment. Notice  (3)  Peter's  change  of 
phraseology.  Tiie  word  used  for  "  love  "  by 
the  Lord  is  d7airaa>,  but  that  which  is  used 
in  response  by  the  apostle  is  <pi\w,  the  love 
of  natural  emotion,  and  even  tender,  intimate, 
personal  affection.  The  liatin  language,  by 
rendering  (piKu  by  amo  rather  than  diligo, 
expresses  the  subtle  shades  of  meaning 
between  (piKflv  and  ayairav.  There  is,  how- 
ever, no  English  word  but  "love"  for  them 
both.  The  admirable  remarks  of  Archbishop 
Trench  ('  Synonyms  of  New  Testament,' 
§  xii.)  find  special  illustration  in  these  verses. 
Many  passages  occur  in  which  amo  and 
</>iAe'a)  seem  to  mean  more  and  have  deeper 
intensity  than  diligo  and  ayaTtdu.  Amari  ia 
the  affection  whieli  a  friend  may  desire  from 
a  friend,  even  more  than  diligi ;  but  the  latter 
denotes  choice,  mental  conviction,  and  self- 
recognition  of  the  fact.  Antony,  in  his 
funeral  oration  over  Crosar  (Ui>>n  Cassius, 
xli.  48,  quoted  by  Trench),  says,  'EfiK-nffare 
aurhi/  oiy  irartpa  Ka\  i)ya7rr)(TaTt  aij  tltpyi- 
TTiv.  Thus  in  the  New  Testament  we  are 
continually  told  of  the  iyoTruj'  rhv  &t6v, 
but  never  of  tlie  <pt\(7y  rhv  Ht/iv.  God  ia 
himself  said  to  ityarrui/  and  (piKuv  rhy  vi6y. 


506 


THE   GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.   JOHN.    [ch.  xxi.  1— 23. 


When,  therefore,  the  Lord  here  asks  Simon, 
'Ayaira^, "  Dost  thou  esteem  me  worthy  of  thy 
love  ?  "  Simon,  with  a  burst  of  personal  affec- 
tion, says,  yet  with  a  certain  humility,  "  I 
love  thee  "—meaning,  "  Such  love  as  I  can 
lavish  upon  thee,  such  as  I  may  dare  in 
my  humility  to  offer  thee,  O  my  Master, 
Brother,  Friend  !  "  This  being  the  case, 
Jesus  saith,  Feed  my  lambs.  Love  to  Christ 
is  the  first,  high,  main  condition  of  faithful 
service.  The  chief  of  tiie  apostles  will  have 
this  as  his  prime,  chief,  and  most  laudable 
service.  Each  of  the  terms  of  the  commis- 
sion, in  its  threefold  repetition,  resembles  the 
other;  and  Meyer  says  the  whole  duly  of 
the  pastor  of  souls  and  earthly  shepherd  of 
the  flock  is  involved  in  each  of  the  three 
expressions.  Our  Lord  commences,  however, 
with  providing  true  food,  seasonable  nourish- 
ment, for  the  "lambs"  of  the  flock.  The 
t.'uder  emotion  involved  in  the  term  cannot 
be  excluded,  but  it  is  a  comprehensive  and 
suggestive  one,  and  embraces  the  young 
converts,  the  first  believers,  those  who  with 
impetuosity  and  gladness  receive  the  Word; 
the  little  children  who  will  literally  crowd 
into  the  Church  become  the  highest^and 
sacredest  care  of  the  chiefest  apostles  and 
most  honoured  of  pastors.  The  first,  the 
main  thing  they  need,  is  the  milk  of  the 
Word,  and  the  sweetest  pastures.  This 
consideration  of  the  next  generation,  and 
gracious  care  for  the  children  and  the  child- 
like of  every  successive  age,  is  one  of  the 
sacred  signs  of  Divine  revelation.  Our  Lord 
is  represented  in  the  synoptics  as  "  suffering 
the  little  children "  to  "  come  to "  him,  as 
"blessing  them,"  and  rejoicing  in  their 
Iiosannas.  St.  John  preserves  and  glorifies 
the  whole  conception  by  recording  this  com- 
mission of  the  risen  Lord  to  the  greatest  of 
the  apostles.  If  the  babes  and  sucklings 
had  "  held  their  peace,  the  stones  would 
have  cried  out,"  is  the  pathetic  approval  of 
the  rejected  Lord.  "  Feed  my  lambs  "  is 
the  gracious,  unexpected  summons  of  the 
triumphant  Christ  and  Lord  of  all. 

Ver.  16. — He  saith  to  him  again  the  second 
time,  Simon,  son  of  Jonas  (John),  lovest  thou 
me  ?  Here  our  Lord  omits,  as  Peter  had 
done,  the  "  more  than  these,"  but  he  again, 
with  perhaps  deeper  meaning,  uses  the  word 
aya-iras.  Dost  thou  render  me  even  more 
in  one  sense,  though  less  in  another,  of  thy 
heart's  reverence  ?  Dost  thou  treat  me  with 
the  confidence  and  esteem,  submission  and 
admiration,  which  are  my  due  ?  Again  Peter, 
with  his  heart  bursting  with  personal  affec- 
tion, feels  that  he  caii  and  must  say,  Yea, 
Lord ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee  ((ptAu 
06 ;  i.e.  love  thee  dearly).  The  commission 
thit  follows  is  the  second  stage  of  pastoral 
office.  He  saith  to  him,  Tend  ("  act  the  part 
of  shepherd  ")  my  sheep.    Christ  is  the  "  good 


Shepherd,"  and,  as  Peter  puts  it  in  1  Pet. 
V.  4,  the  "chief  Shepherd."  He  has  laid 
down  his  life  with  a  view  of  taking  it  again, 
and  ever  after  discharging  the  functions  of 
the  Shepherd.  He  means  to  bring  all  the 
"  sheep  "  into  one  flock.  They  shall  all 
hear  his  voice,  and  receive  from  him  ever- 
lasting life.  Meanwhile  the  leader  of  the 
apostles  is  made  to  appreciate  that  love 
is  the  condition  of  all  healthy  guidance. 
Faculty  for  rule  is  part  of  the  very  nature 
of  the  pastoral  care.  The  sheep  will  need 
this  even  more  than  the  "  lambs ;  "  the  old 
disciples  will  require,  even  more  than  the 
young  converts,  both  direction  and  command. 
In  this  respect  the  subsequent  career  of 
Peter  was  more  conspicuous  than  that  of 
the  rest  of  the  apostles  (see  Hev.  ii.  27  ;  vii. 
17 ;  Acts  XX.  28 ;  1  Pet.  v.  2  for  the  use  of 
the  word).  But  the  shepherding  of  the 
sheep  is  an  essentially  necessary  and  integral 
portion  of  every  pastor's  care.  When  assailed 
by  the  wolf  of  heresy, by  the  hostile  marauder, 
by  new  conditions  of  any  kind,  by  special 
danger,  unless  he  can  in  self-forgetting  love 
pilot  and  protect  his  flock,  he  is  no  true 
shepherd. 

Ver.  17. — And  now  Peter  seems  to  have 
conquered,  by  his  persistence,  the  heart  of 
his  Lord,  and  Jesus  adopts  the  very  phrase 
which  Peter  twice  over  had  substituted  for 
that  which  he  had  himself  used;  for  he 
saith  unto  him  the  third  time,  Simon,  son  of 
Jonas  (John),  lovest  thou  me  T  ((pi\i7s  /ue ;) ; 
as  if  he  had  said,  "  Dost  thou  indeed  love  me 
dearly,  love  me  as  a  friend,  love  me  with  the 
earnestness  and  fervour  that  twice  over  has 
corrected  my  word  into  one  more  congenial 
to  thee,  and  more  ample  and  true  than  that 
used  by  myself?  "  This  trait  of  Peter's  cha- 
racter, which  John  has  hinted  on  several 
occasions,  is  abundantly  illustrated  in  the 
synoptic  narrative  and  in  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles.  Peter  was  grieved  because  he  said 
unto  him  the  third  time,  Lovest  thou  me  ? 
The  grief  was  natural.  The  repeated  question 
suggests  some  doubt  about  his  sincerity,  and 
the  adoption  of  the  apostle's  own  word  cut 
him  with  a  more  poignant  heart-thrust  ?  He 
may  have  thought  thus  :  Jesus  seems  to  dis- 
trust the  reality  of  my  personal  affection, 
and  will  not  accept  my  implication  that 
this  is  more  to  me  than  the  most  thought- 
ful ayair-^,  the  most  deeply  meditated  and 
measured  reverence.  He  was  grieved 
because  a  third  time  seems  like  an  infinite 
repetition,  and,  if  repeated  thus  a  third  time, 
it  may  be  asked  me  again  and  again  every 
day  of  my  life.  He  was  grieved  from  the 
irrtsistible  analogy  between  the  threefold 
denial  of  which  he  had  been  guilty,  and  this 
threefold  interrogatory.  He  does  not  say  as 
before,  "  Yea,  Lord  ; "  but  commences,  Lord, 
thou  knowest  (oJ5as)  all  things.  Omniscienco 


CH.  XXI.  1—25.]    THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


507 


ia  freely  conceded  fothe  Lord.  AUthingslhat 
Peter  did,  thought,  or  felt,  all  his  bewilder- 
lueut,  all  his  mistakes,  all  his  impulsiveness 
and  mixture  of  motive,  all  his  self-assertion, 
all  his  weakness  and  disloyalty,  aro  known ; 
but  so  also  all  the  inner  spriups  and  lines  of 
his  nobler  nature,  and  that  though  he  played 
the  fool,  he  was  a  hypocrite  in  his  denials. 
The  Lord  knew  that  his  faith  did  not  really 
fail,  though  his  courage  did ;  and  in  virtue 
of  this  breadth  of  the  Lord's  knowing,  he 
must  have  come  to  full  cognizance  of  the 
entire  meaning  of  Peter's  life.  Thou  (seast) 
hast  come  fully  to  know  that  I  love  thee ! 
Just  because  thou  intuitively  knowest  all 
things.  The  play  on  oUas  and  7ti'ci<TK€is  is 
obvious  (see  ch.  x.  14  ;  xvii.  3,  etc.).  Jesus 
saith  to  him,  Feed  my  little  sheep.'  It  is  said 
by  some  that,  even  if  this  be  the  true  read- 
ing, we  have  simply  a  renewal  of  the  tender- 
ness and  strong  emotion  which  led  the  Lord 
to  speak  of  the  apvta  on  the  first  occasion. 
Doubtless  deep  and  glowing  affection  per- 
vades the  use  of  these  epithets ;  but  if  this 
be  the  sole  explanation,  then  the  reason  of  the 
adoption  of  irpS^aTu  in  the  second  commis- 
sion is  not  evident,  opvta  would  have  answered 
the  purpose.  There  is  distinct  progress  in 
the  ideas:  (1)  "Feed  my  Iambs;"  (2)  "Rule 
(shepherd)  my  sheep ; "  (3)  "  Feed  my  little 
sheep."  First,  let  Peter,  let  the  apostolic 
company,  let  any  one  of  the  successors 
of  the  apostles,  learn  the  delicate  duty  of 
supplying  the  just  and  appropriate  nourish- 
ment to  those  that  are  young  in  years 
or  in  gmces ;  then  let  him  also  learn  to 
guide,  direct,  protect  from  outward  foes, 
the  mature  disciples,  and  preserve  the  dis- 
cipline of  the  tlock,  seeking  the  lost  sheep 
until  it  be  found ;  and  he  will  find  that  then 
a  third  duty  emerges.  The  sheep  that  are 
young  in  heart,  the  old  men  that  are  childlike 
in  spirit,  the  trembling  sheep  that  need  even 
more  care  than  the  lambs  themselves,  are 
specially  thrown  upon  the  shepherd's  care. 
Was  not  Peter  himself  a  wpofiaTiSf?  Had 
he  not  shown  that  he  was  a  most  imperfect 
master  of  himself?  He  was  mature  in  years, 
but  childish  as  well  as  childlike  in  character. 
He  could  (for  a  while)  only  see  one  thing  at 
a  time,  and  he  was  impatient  of  tho  future. 
Mark  weli  lis  ch  iracteristic  word^,  "  Depart 
fr Jui  me,  lor  I  am  a  .sinful  man,  O  Loid!" 
"Th.it  ue  far  i rom  thee, O  Lord ! "  "Why 
cannot  I  follow  thee  nowi"  "Tliou  shalt 
never  wat^h  my  feet !  "  "  Not  my  ft-c  t  only, 
but  my  hands  and  my  htad!"  "Let  us 
build   for  thee  three  tabirnacles  I  "     "Not 

'  UpSBara  is  the  reading  of  N,  D,  and 
many  nianu8crij)ts;  but  irpoBand  is  in  A,  B, 
C,  both  the  Syriac  versions,  and  is  accepted 
by  R.T.,  Westci)tt  and  Hort,  Tischendorf 
(8th  edit.),  Tregelles,  Godt.  t,  and  Meyer. 


so;  I  have  never  eaten  anything  common  or 
uncli  an  I "  These  aro  familiar  illustrations 
of  tho  childishness  and  infantile  simplicity, 
babyish  audacity,  of  the  old  disciple.  Even 
after  tho  Loid  has  risen  from  the  dead,  Peter 
ventures  to  correct  his  language.  Christ, 
moreover,  accepts  his  persistent  alteration  of 
the  word  for  "love"  from  the  lips  of  this 
wpo&aTiov.  Thus  the  Lord  summons  him  to 
undertake  a  duty  which  he  would  on  reflec- 
tion be  specially  able  to  appreciate. 

Ver.  LS.— Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
thee.  This  form  of  address  links  tho  i)re- 
resurrection  life  to  that  which  follows, 
proclaims  tho  identity  of  the  being  and 
the  unity  of  tiio  Person  of  the  Clirist  under 
new  conditions.  More  than  that,  much 
solemnity  is  conferred  on  this  final  word 
of  the  Master.  When  thou  wast  younger 
than  tiiou  art  now ;  i.e.  belore  tliou  earnest 
under  my  sway;  when  thou  wert  supremo 
ruler  of  the  fishing-fleet  of  Capernaum, 
with  wife  and  family  dependent  on  thee; 
when  Andrew,  James,  and  John  (thy  part- 
ners) were  in  a  measure  all  doing  thy  will, 
following  in  thy  train,  submitting  to  thy 
behests, — thou  girdedst  thyself  for  whatever 
task  was  set  before  tlioe ;  thou  hadst  the 
choice  of  duties  and  pleasures ;  thou  hadst 
time  at  thy  disposal,  thy  method  of  service 
in  thine  own  hands,  even  as  now  it  was  thy 
will  to  gird  thee  for  the  task  of  swimming 
to  my  feet  (see  Isa.  xlv.  5 ;  Prov.  xxxi. 
17;  1  Kings  xviil.  46;  ch.  xiii.  4,  5, 
Sio^cowu/it ;  Luke  xii.  35 — 37 ;  xvii  8 ;  Acts 
xii.  8,  irepi^dfwui ;  1  Pet.  i.  13,  ava^uvwui. 
'J'he  simple  verb  is  used  here  in  reference  to 
a?Z  kinds  of  "girding").  So  that  the  Lord 
reminds  him  of  his  natural  self-will,  so 
conspicuous  and  prominent,  the  secret  of 
all  his  weakness  and  much  of  his  individu- 
ality. And  thou  walkedst  whither  thou 
wouldest;  or  literally,  thou  wert  in  the 
habit  of  walking  lohither soever  thou  icert 
loillinfj  or  desiring  to  do;  i.e.  thine  outward 
conduct,  and  the  whole  line  of  thy  daily 
enterprise  and  duty,  was  not  only  an 
utterance  of  thine  own  self-mastery,  but  even 
thy  wishes,  the  momentary  waywardness  of 
thy  purposes,  found  immediate  gratification. 
But  a  great  change  has  come  over  thee; 
thou  h;i8t  passed  through  a  now  experi- 
ence. Already  thou  fetlust  that  thou  art 
not  thiTie  own;  thy  heart  and  strength, 
thy  hands,  thy  feet,  thy  very  girdle  and 
sandals,  are  beginning  to  seem  to  thee  no 
longer  at  thine  own  disposal.  Thy  self-will 
is  checked,  thy  natural  audacity  ami  power 
of  initiation  are  repressed  into  much  nar- 
rower limits.  Thou  hast  found  thyself 
weaker  than  a  little  child  ;  tiiou  art  in  need 
of  this  Divine  principle  of  "/ore,"  <!eep  and 
fervent,  reverential  as  well  as  personal,  not 
only  to   utter  bold  expressions  of  regard, 


508 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO   ST.  JOHN.    [en.  xxi.  1— 25. 


but  to  form  the  very  focus  and  new  central 
force  of  thy  whole  beiug;  and  so  it  will 
come  to  pass  that  this  new  force  will  more 
tlian  master  thee ;  and  when  thou  shalt  be 
old  and  gray  with  years,  thy  service  to  that 
other  and  higher  will  shall  be  complete: 
thou  wilt  stretch  forth  thy  hands  in  token 
of  entire  submission  to  the  will  of  another, 
however  it  may  be  revealed  to  thee — 
whether  at  the  instance  of  "  the  angel  "  or 
"Herod,"  of  "Cornelius"  or  Nero's  execu- 
tioner! This  remarkable  phrase  has  often 
been  supposed  to  mean  the  "  stretching 
forth  of  the  haud^  of  the  crucified  "  on  his 
being  appended  to  the  cross.  But  such  a 
process  vionld  fulloio  rather  tha,n  precede  the 
'■  girding,"  which  is,  on  such  an  interpreta- 
tion, taken  literally  of  the  girding  that  pre- 
ceded the  nailing.  Tliere  can  be  no  doubt, 
from  the  language  of  St.  John,  that  this 
was  the  final  and  forcible  illustration  of  Ihe 
new  principle  that  would  take  full  posses- 
sion of  Simon  Peter.  But  meanwhile  it  was 
a  long  life  of  willing  surrender  to  the 
Supreme  Will  which  gives  its  highest 
meaning  to  these  words.  And  another  shall 
gird  thee,  and  carry  thee  '  (or,  hring  thee) 
whither  thou  art  not  wishing  to  go.  The 
old  self-will,  though  it  be  indeed  mastered, 
will  not  have  utterly  vanished.  If  it  be  not 
so,  where  would  be  the  sacrifice  ?  Even  the 
blessed  Lord  himself  said,  "  Not  my  will, 
but  thine  be  done."  Terily,  even  the  sancti- 
fied nature  of  the  sinless  Man,  prepared  in  the 
spotless  womb  of  the  blessed  Virgin  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  anointed  by  the  Spirit,  and  in 
living  absolute  union  with  the  only  begotten 
Son, — even  he  was,  in  human  consciousness, 
disposed  to  cry,  "  If  it  be  possible,  let  tliis 
cup  pass  from  me,"  etc.  We  need  not 
wouder,  then,  that  to  the  very  last,  when  the 
supreme  will  was  manifested  to  Peter  in 
the  approaches  of  violent  death,  he  shoidd 
feel  the  will  of  the  fle^h  thwarted.  The 
exquisite  legend  embodied  in  the  "  Domine, 
(Juo  vadis?"  (see  ch.  xiii.  33)  confirms  the 
entire  representation  of  the  character  of 
Peter.  So  also  does  the  story,  preserved  by 
Tertullian  ('  De  Prses.,'  35  ;  'Ad  Scorp.,'  15) 
and  Eusebius  ('  Hist.  Eccl.,'  iii.  1),  that  the 
apostle  preferred  crucifixion  with  his  head 
downwards,  on  the  plea  that  to  be  crucified 
as  his  Master  was  too  great  an  honour  for 
one  that  had  denied  his  Lord. 

Ver.  19.— This  he  said,  adds  the  evange- 
list, signifjdng  by  what  manner  of  death, 
not  necessarily  crucifixion  (Godet),  but  that 
violent  and  martyr-death  to  which  the 
prince  of  the   apostles  was   called.      How 

>  Lachmann,  Tischendorf,  T.E.  and  Pi.T. 
put  ae  before  (axxfi.  N,  D,  IT,  read  dWot 
^(caovai.  a,  for  olcrei  birov,  reads  irotriffovffi 
troi  Sua,  "  shall  do  to  thee  whatsoever,"  etc. 


many  anticipations,  partial  beginnings,  of 
the  final  scene  must  Peter  have  passed 
through  before,  in  utter  human  helplessness, 
but  iu  Divine,  supernatural  strength,  he 
stretched  out  hi^  hands,  allowed  another  io 
gird  him,  prepare  him  lor  the  day's  work, 
and  carry  him  whither  all  his  nature  would 
shrink  to  go  !  There  is  no  other  hint  what- 
ever of  literal  crucifixion  than  this  phrase 
of  "  stretching  out  the  hand,"  which  is  no- 
where else  ajjplied  to  the  peculiar  method 
in  which  the  crucified  ones  suffered. 
Doubtless  the  transposition  of  the  two 
phrases  must  not  be  pressed  too  much,  since 
the  stretching  of  the  arms  might  possibly 
bear  the  literal  interpretation  of  the  action 
which  was  forced  upon  the  victim,  and  the 
subsequent  "  girding  "  refer  to  the  subliga- 
culum,  by  which  he  was  fastened  to  the 
instrument  of  torture ;  while  the  "  being 
carried  whither  he  would  not "  might, 
though  by  some  forcing  of  the  phrase,  be  sup- 
posed, though  enigmatically  and  obscurely, 
to  refer  to  the  uplifting  of  the  cross  with 
its  living  burden.  The  phrase,  "  signifying 
by  what  manner  of  death  he  should  glorify 
God,"  is  peculiarly  Johannine  (ch.  xii.  33; 
xviii.  32).  This  sublime  term  for  the 
sutfering  of  the  great  saints,  taken  from 
the  light  which  the  Lord's  agony  had  cast 
upon  holy  death,  became  a  permanent 
Christian  idea  (Suicer,  '  Thes.,'  i.  94:9). 
When  John  wrote,  the  fact  of  Peter's  death 
must  have  been  well  known  throughout 
the  Church.  There  is  every  probability 
that  he  had  long  since  been  crucified,  and 
the  solemnity  of  the  utterance  was  aug- 
mented and  pointed  by  the  well-known 
manner  of  the  death  of  the  illustrious 
apostle.  This  was,  however,  by  no  means 
the  only  meaning  that  naturally  flows  out 
of  the  warning;  nor  is  Peter's  experience 
the  only  illustration  that  it  bears.  And 
when  he  had  spoken  this,  Jesus  saith  to  him, 
Follow  me.  There  may  have  been  a  piimary 
interpretation  derived  from  Christ's  removal 
to  a  distance  from  the  rest  of  the  disciples, 
and  the  intention  of  conferring  upon  Peter, 
there  and  then,  special  and  further  instruc- 
tions. But  from  the  context,  in  which  the 
contrasts  of  life,  character,  and  service  are 
conspicuous,  it  would  seem  impossible 
(Meyer)  so  to  restrict  the  meaning,  as 
Tholuck  and  others  do.  The  command  is 
the  concentration  into  one  burning  utterance 
of  all  that  is  meant  by  Christian  life — that 
coming  into  relation  with  the  living  Lord, 
that  imitation  of  his  principle  of  action, 
which,  as  St.  Paul  in  Phil.  ii.  has  shown, 
was  capable  of  imitation  in  the  narrower 
and  smaller  circle  of  our  human  experience. 
If  it  be  rational  for  the  Lord  to  have  said, 
"  Be  ye  perfect,  as  your  Father  in  heaven  is 
perfect,"  and  for  Paul  to  have  pressed  upon 


CH.  XXI.  1—25.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING   TO  ST.  JOIIX. 


609 


his  converts,  "  Be  ye  followers  of  God,  as 
dear  children  ; "  "  Be  ye  followers  of  ine,  as 
I  am  of  Chribt," — then  the  Lord  gath(Teil 
all  the  rules  of  conduct  which  were  involved 
in  his  previous  discourses  into  one  word, 
when  he  laid  upon  the  man  who  should  bo 
a  fisher  of  souls,  a  feeder  of  lambs,  a  shep- 
herd of  sheep,  a  feeder  of  tlie  little  sheep  of 
the  Hock,  the  comprehensive  duty,  "  Follow 
me."  Those  interpretations  which  make 
the  words  mean  "  Follow  me  as  universal 
bishop  and  pastor,"  as  that  of  Chrysostom 
does,  are  incompatible  with  the  narrative; 
or  if  we  suppose  them  (o  signify,  ''  Follow 
me  into  the  invisible  world,"  or  "  Imitate  me 
in  my  martyrdom,"  this  would  be  unpractical, 
and  by  no  means  in  obvious  harmony  with 
the  kind  of  injunctions  just  given.  We  give 
the  passage  from  James  Innes'  translation 
of  Aug.,  '  Tr.,'  cxxiii.  4,.  which  Westcott 
justly  implies  is  beyond  trauRlation  :  "  Such 
was  the  end  reached  by  that  denier  and 
lover;  elated  by  his  presumption, prostrated 
by  his  denial,  cleansed  by  his  weeping, 
approved  by  his  confession,  crowned  by  his 
suffering, — this  was  the  end  he  reached  :  to 
die  with  a  perfected  love  for  the  Name  of 
him  with  whom,  by  a  perverted  forwardness, 
he  hiid  promised  to  die.  He  would  do, 
when  strengthened  by  Christ's  resurrection, 
what  in  his  weaknesss  he  had  promised 
prematurely.  The  needful  order  was  that 
Christ  should  first  die  for  Peter's  salvation, 
and  then  that  Peter  should  die  for  the 
preaching  of  Christ."  Our  Lord,  when 
appealed  to  with  reference  to  John,  does  not 
merely  repeat  the  injunction,  "  Follow  me," 
but  forces  upon  Peter  the  original  summons. 
This  undoubtedly  gives  a  solemnity  and 
siJecialty  to  the  work  of  Peter,  to  which  the 
subsequent  career  of  John  was  not  an  exact 
parallel.  It  cannot  be  said  tliat  our  Lord 
in  any  sense  forbids  John  to  follow  him, 
but  says  that,  though  John  may  abide,  may 
rest,  may  meditate,  may  see  visions  and 
dream  dreams,  until  he  the  Lord  should 
come,  that  would  in  no  respect  alter  the 
direct  advice  given  to  Peter.  On  referring 
to  the  earliest  scene  described  in  this  Gospel 
between  Jesus  and  his  disciples,  we  find 
that  "  Follow  me  "  was  addressed  to  Philip, 
Moreover,  Andrew  and  John  were,  on  their 
first  introduction  to  Jesus  as  "the  Lamb  of 
God,"  already  (aKoi^ovOovyras)  "following 
him,"  and  they  were  even  then  asking  for 
power  or  permission  to  "  abi<le "  (fjLtvfiv) 
with  him.  But  Peter  was  not  then  told  to 
"  follow  him,"  but  was  simply  invested 
with  the  great  name  of  Cephas  (ch.  i.  42). 
These  details  are  obviously  supplemented 
by  those  before  us.  The  entire  phraseology 
is  borrowed  from  the  earlier  narrative. 
The  true  solution  of  the  problem  of  the 
|)aragrapb  is  that  John  had  followed  the 


Master  from  the  first,  and  clung  to  him 
(e/xeivf),  al)i'de  with  him.  from  tliost! early  <lnys 
till  the  moment  at  which  tiieso  niemorab'lo 
words  were  uttered.  In  the  journeys  to 
Jerusalem,  at  the  interview  With  Nico- 
demus,  in  Samaria,  at  the  pool  of  Bethi  sda, 
in  the  hall  of  the  high  priest,  and  in 
Pilate's  piasforium,  at  the  upper  chamber, 
and  in  the  garden,  to  the  cro.-s,  and  to  the 
grave  of  Joseph,  the  beloved  disciple  had 
"  followed "  his  Master.  Peter's  devotion 
was  intense  and  at  times  passionate,  but  it 
was  marked  with  a  striking  disposition,  from 
first  to  last,  to  had  as  well  I'.a  "follotr," 
to  advise  as  well  as  to  be  guided,  to  stretch 
fortli  his  hands,  and  to  gird  himself  for  his 
own  enterprises.  But  with  all  his  extra- 
ordinary peculiarities,  he  had  never  really 
broken  the  bond  or  relin([nished  his  faith ; 
and  now  the  Lord  in  one  word  corrects 
every  one  of  his  failings  anew,  and  institutes 
him  into  his  sublime  mission  by  the  call, 
"  Follow  me."  But  even  yet,  Peter's  extra- 
ordinary characteri-itie,  to  guide  rather  than 
to  follow,  leads  him  once  more  to  take  the 
initiative.  For  whatever  gesture  it  was 
that  our  Lord  made,  which  induced  Peter  to 
think  of  immediate  action,  we  cannot  say ; 
but  it  would  seem  that,  even  before  he  began 
to  follow,  he  gave  another  intensely  vivid 
characteriz  ition  of  himself. 

Vers.  20—23. — (3;  The  recelatinns  made 
to  patient  waitinfj  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord, 
Willi  correction  of  a  niif:understaiidin(j  touch- 
ing the  disciple  wltom  Jesus  loved. 

Yer.  20. — Having  turned  himself  round, 
instead  of  keeping  every  glance  for  his 
Lord,  Peter  seeth  the  disciple  whom  Jesus 
lovod  following  (aKoKovOoivTa),  obeying  the 
command  without  oflering  one  suggestion. 
The  writer  adds,  by  way  of  further  identifi- 
cation, he  who  also  leaned  back  at  the 
supper,  upon  his  breast,  and  said.  Who  is  ho 
that  betrayeth  thee  t  (see  notes  on  ch.  xiii. 
28).  The  note  is  hero  introduced  to  show 
the  close  connection  of  Peter  and  the  beloved 
disciple.  It  was  Simon  Peter  who  had 
beckoned  at  the  supper  to  the  beloved  dis- 
ciple to  ask  this  very  question. 

Vers.  21,  22. — Peter  then,'  seeing  this 
man,  saith  to  Jesus,  Lord,  and  this  man, 
whati  What  is  the  duty,  place,  fate,  or 
honour  of  thi^  man  ?  Panlus  and  Tliolnck 
suggest  in  the  words  the  inquiry,  "  May 
not  this  man  come  now  and  hear  our  inter- 
course, share  in  my  travail  and  the  like?" 
Meyer  supposes  it  to  be  dictated  by  a  certain 
jealousy  or  curiosity,  a  consciousni'ss  of  con- 
trast between  his  own  impetuosity  and  tho 

'  This  ouv,on  the  authority  of  N,  B,C,  D, 
33,  and  Vulgate,  Coptic,  and  Syiiac,  is  in- 
troduced by  Tischendorf  (8th  edit.),  Tre- 
gelles,  and  R.T.    T.R.  omits  it. 


510 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCOKDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xxi.  1—25. 


beloved  disciple's  quietude  and  self-posses- 
sion. Clearly  the  inquiry  was  not  altogether 
pleasing  to  the  Lord,  and  led  liini  once 
more  to  reiterate  the  original  injunction, 
If  I  will  that  he  abide  until  I  come,  what 
is  that  to  theel  Follow  thou  me.  Do 
thou  follow  me,  and  cease  to  inquire  after 
another's  duty.  Meyer  considers  that  the 
fjLfvetv  is  the  opposite  to  aKoKovdelv — that  the 
latter  word  means  "  following  unto  death 
and  martyrdom,"  while  the  former  means 
"  to  be  preserved  alive,"  and  turns  to  Phil, 
i.  25  and  1  Cor.  xv.  6  in  vindication.  Doubt- 
less that  was  the  crude  explanation  which 
led  to  the  subsequent  legend  of  his  immor- 
tality on  earth,  and  the  apostle's  own  dis- 
claimer; but  the  word  /xeVeii/  seems  to  be 
used  in  ch.  i.  37,  39,  40,  and  in  many  other 
places,  of  the  complement  and  entire  fulfil- 
ment of  the  idea  and  practice  of  dKo\ovdflv — 
of  that  abiding  in  Christ  which  is  the  full 
result  of  heartfelt  following  and  unquestion- 
ing submission  to  the  Saviour's  will  (ch.  xv. 
4,  5,  10;  see  also  1  John  ii.  fi,  17,  24,  26; 
iii.  24 ;  iv.  15).  Taking  with  these  passages 
the  corresponding  and  alternative  use  of  the 
word  to  express  the  manner  in  which  God, 
truth,  or  love  "abides"  in  the  child  of  God, 
it  would  seem  as  though  it  were  the  key- 
note of  much  of  John's  most  mature  ex- 
perience— a  fact  which  is  very  remarkably 
elucidated  by  the  passage  before  us.  Baur, 
Hilgenfeld,  Schwegler,  Strauss,  have  urged 
from  this  passage  that  the  writer  was  con- 
tending against  the  Petrine  tendency  in  the 
Church,  by  representing  John  as  the  higher 
and  more  distinguished  apostle  ;  and,  ac- 
cording to  Kcistlin,  a  precisely  opposite  ex- 
pression was  conveyed  by  the  unknown 
writer,  who  meant  to  flatter  the  Roman 
primacy,  in  the  second  century,  by  the  dig- 
nities thus  conferred  upon  the  chief  of  the 
apostles.  Both  hypotheses  are  baseless. 
The  beloved  disciple  quietly  accepts  here 
the  role  of  "  abiding,"  "  waiting,"  "  resting 
in  the  Lord,"  and  admits  the  superior  energy 
and  constant  initiation  which  Peter  was,  as 
a  man,  constrained  to  pursue.  There  is  no 
jealousy  between  them,  nor  the  hint  of  it.  John 
receives  more  than  he  asks.  "  If  I  will  that 
he  abide  till  I  come,"  etc.,  has  been  variously 
interpreted  (the  condition  is  not  a  simple 
supposition,  there  is  a  probability  or  uncer- 
tainty in  the  period  of  the  "  abiding  " — the 
apodosis  declares  the  as  yet  unuttered  con- 
dition to  be  without  bearing  on  Peter's  im- 
mediate duty).  Some  have  said  that  it 
means,  "If  I  will  that  he  enjoy  the  long 
life  and  the  natural  death  of  one  who  rests 
with  Christ  until  he  comes  to  take  him 
home  by  a  quiet  departure,  until  he  comes 
to  receive  him  to  himself"  (ch,  xiv.  3.  So 
Ewald  and  Olsiiausen).  This  view  is  im- 
probable, because  most    certainly  in   that 


sense,  Peter  too  followed  and  tarried  and 
abode  with  Christ  till  the  day  when  he  was 
taken  home.  liUthardt  suggests  that  the 
saying,  as  here  given  and  interpreted  by 
John  himself,  not  of  physical  immortality, 
but  of  the  coming  itself,  is  John's  way  of 
asserting  that  the  Lord  has  come ;  that  in 
the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  a.d.  70,  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  theocracy,  and  the  obvious  estab- 
lishment of  the  true  kingdom  in  all  the  world 
was  the  "  coming,"  the  napovcla,  the  €pxoixat, 
of  which  the  Saviour  had  always  spoken. 
John  "  sees  the  coming  of  the  Lord  in  that 
event."  In  this  general  interpretation,  Stier 
and  Hengstenberg  concur.  Westcott  throws 
more  light  upon  it  by  wisely  emphasizing 
(e&jy  fpxofj^ai)  the  coming,  not  as  one  great 
event,  but  that  continuous  realization  of  his 
return  which  is  the  lofty  privilege  of  faith ; 
and  shows  that  in  numerous  places  e«s  points, 
not  so  much  to  the  ultimate  consummation, 
as  to  the  interval  which  will  elapse  between 
the  commencement  and  the  consummation 
of  the  coming  (cf.  ch.  ix.  4 ;  xii.  35 ;  Mark 
vi.  45  (with  dizoKvti);  1  Tim.  iv.  13;  Luke 
xix.  2 ;  Matt.  v.  25).  How  frequently  has 
Christ  spoken,  in  the  latest  discourses,  of 
coming  again,  to  fill  the  sorrowing  with  joy, 
to  teach  in  the  power  of  the  Comforter,  to 
judge  the  prince  of  this  world,  to  raise 
and  quicken  the  dead !  Such  abiding  is  the 
full  issue  of  faithful  following.  Surely  two 
types  of  character  pervade  the  whole  dis- 
pensation— the  Martha  and  the  Mary  types ; 
the  faithful  servant  who  icorhs  and  trades 
with  his  talents,  and  the  virgin  who  waits 
for  the  Bridegroom ;  and  these  two  types 
both  meet  with  appropriate  advice.  Simon 
is  bidden  to  follow,  and,  occupied  with  bu.«y 
cares  of  the  Church,  leave  results  to  Christ ; 
but  John,  who  has  passed  into  the  sanctuary 
of  holy  love,  is  encouraged  to  rest  patiently, 
and  in  obscurity  and  silence,  to  glory  and 
serve  by  "  standing  and  waiting." 

Ver.  23. — We  need  not  be  surprised  that 
the  sublime  meaning  of  these  words,  "  Wait 
while  I  am  ever  coming  to  him,"  should 
have  been  misunderstood.  Therefore  this 
word  went  forth  to  the  brethren.  The 
designation,  "  brethren,"  only  occurs  in  ch. 
XX.  17  and  Luke  xxii.  32.  The  more  fa- 
miliar names  of"  disciples  "  and  "  chililren," 
"  servants  "  and  "apostles,"  are  used  in  the 
Gospels.  The  Acts  and  Epistles  introduce 
a  new  group  of  titles,  e.g.  "  believers "  as 
well  as  "  brethren,"  "  saints "  as  well  as 
"  disciples,"  "  Christians,"  "  slaves  and 
soldiers  of  Christ,"  "sons  of  Gol,"  "priests 
and  kings,"  and  "  little  children  ;  "  but  now, 
acting  on  the  Divine  hint  of  the  Lord's  own 
words,  John  speaks  of  his  fellow-disciples 
who  are  called  into  the  sacred  fellowship 
as  "  brethren."  The  word  went  forth  that 
that  disciple  dieth  not  (e/cetros,  equivalent 


en.  XXI.  1—25.]    THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING   TO  ST.   JOHN. 


511 


to  "  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved "). 
This  was  not  an  unnatural  8uppo^itio^,  as 
his  age  advanced,  ami  ho  was  roj^arded  as 
the  "  groat  light  of  Asia,"  the  depositary 
of  the  latest  traditions,  as  the  link  between 
the  days  of  our  Lord's  ministry  and  two 
succeeding  generations  of  believers,  the  seer 
of  mighty  visions,  the  enemy  of  all  un- 
righteousness, and  the  apostle  of  love  to  the 
lost.  In  virtue  of  this  very  tradition,  three 
hundred  years  later  it  was  said  that  the 
holy  apostle  was  still  sleeping  in  his  tomb 
at  Ephesus,  and  that  the  dust  moved  lightly 
on  his  heaving  breast  (Augustine,  '  Tr.  on 
John,'  cxxiv.  2).  Here  was  the  beginning 
of  a  genuine  myth,  which,  having  no  real 
root  in  fact,  faile  1  to  establish  itself.  "  John 
the  Baptist  is  risen  from  the  dead,'  ex- 
claimed Herod  Antipas,  "  and  therefore 
mighty  powers  energize  in  him."  But 
there  was  no  life  and  no  truth  in  the  story, 
and  even  among  the  disciples  of  St.  John 
Baptist  it  did  ndt  take  any  place  as  a  sup- 
posed fact.  It  is  interesting  to  see  that  here 
a  myth  was  started  without  positively  bad 
faith,  and  based  itself  upon  a  recorded  say- 
ing of  the  Lord  ;  but  it  perished  !  The  aged 
apostle  strikes  the  folly  dead  with  one  stroke 
of  his  pen.  The  language  is  remarkable, 
as  helping  to  prove  that  John  wrote  this 
chapter  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  Gospel. 
Yet '  Jesus  said  not  unto  him,  that  he  dieth 
not ;  but,  If  I  will  that  he  abide  while  I  am 
ever  coming,  what  is  that  to  thee  1  Meyer, 
who  always  insists  on  the  apostolic  idea  of 
the  nearness  of  the  vapovaid,  thinks  that  John 
does  not  decide  here  whether  the  rumour 
was  true  or  false,  and  simply  says  it  must, 
when  he  wrote,  have  been  left  still  uncertain 
and  unsettled  (^o  Lutlier).  The  tradition  is 
not  authoritatively  condemned  ;  but  it  is 
shown  to  be  a  mere  inference,  one  inftronce 
out  of  many,  from  words  partially  understood. 
The  Epistles  of  Jolin  show  how  deeply  John 
pondered  the  idea,  and  how  much  he  crowded 
into  the  words,  '"abide  in  hira,"  until  the 
coming,  and  before  and  during  and  after  the 
various  comings  of  the  Ijord  to  him.  Mr. 
Browning,  in  'A  Death  in  the  Desert,'  makes 
St.  John  say  in  his  last  hours — 

"  If  I  live  yet,  it  is  for  good,  more  love 
Through    me   to  men :   be  nought    but 

ashes  here 
That  keep  awhile  my   semblance,   who 

was  John, — 
Still  when  they  scatter,  there  is  left  on 

earth 

»  On  the  authority  of  N,  B,  C,  33,  etc.,  ovk 
flirt  5«  is  preferred  to  Kcd  ovk  fine,  by  West- 
cott  and  Hort,  Tregelles,  and  R.T. ;  but  not 
bv  Tischendorf  (yth  edit),  Laclimann,  or 
Alford. 


No  one  alive  who  knew  (consider  this!) 
— Saw  with  hia  eyes  and   handled  with 

his  hands 
That  which  was  from  the  first,  the  Word 

of  life. 
How  will  it  be  wlien  none  more  saith,  '  1 

saw '  ? 
Such   ever  was  love's  way :    to  rise,   it 

stoops. 
Since  I,  whom  Christ's  mouth  taught,  was 

bidden  teach, 
I  went,  for  many  years,  about  the  world. 
Saying,  '  It  was  so ;  so  I  heard  and  saw,' 
Speaking   as  the  ease  asked :    and   men 

believed. 

•  •  •  *  • 

"  To  me   that  story — ay,   that    Life    and 

Death 
Of  which  I  wrote  '  it  was ' — to  me  it  is ; 
— Is,  here  and  now  :  I  apprehend  nought 

else. 
Yea,  and  the  Resurrection  and  Uprise 
To  the  right  hand  of  the  throne —  .  .  . 
I  saw  the  Power ;  1  see  the  Love,  once 

weak, 
Resume  the  Power ;  and  in  this  word  '  I 

see ' 
liO,  there  is  recognized  the  Spirit  of  both 
That    moving    o'er    the   spirit   of  man, 

unblinds 
His  eye  and  bids  him  look.  .  .  . 
Then  btand  before  that   fact,  that   Life 

and  Death, 
Stay  there  at  gaze,  till  it  dispart,  dis- 

pread, 
As  though  a  star  should   open  out,  all 

sides. 
Grow  the  world  on   you,   as    it  is  my 

world." 

In  ver.  23  we  find  the  significant  close  of  the 
Fourth  Gospel,  and  tliere  is  much  to  make  it 
highly  probable  that  the  two  remaining  verses 
were  added  by  the  Kphesian  elders,  as  their 
certificate  of  its  authorship,  and  their  iden- 
tification of  the  beloved  disciple  with  (he 
author  of  the  Gospel.  It  dill'ers  from  the 
similar  passage,  ch.  xix.  35,  where  the  writer 
himself  gives  his  own  autoptic  testimony  to 
the  great  miracle  of  the  speiir-thrust ;  and 
where  that  testimony  is  declared  by  himself 
to  be  d^vOtvf},  "  veritable,"  i.e.  answering  to 
the  very  idea  of  testimony.  Here  the  person 
and  verb  are  plural. 

Vers.  2i,  25. — (4)  Note  of  Huhteqtient  edi- 
tors toith  reference  to  the  authortfhip  and  the 
fulness  of  unrecorded  traditions  touching  Ike 
uords  and  deeds  of  Jesus. 

Ver.  24. — This  is  the  disciple  who  testifieth 
conceming  these  things — whether  those 
narrated  in  the  twenty -first  chapter  or  in 
the  entire  Gospel.  He  is  still  testifying. 
He  has  not  yet  departed.    Ho  still  proclaims 


512 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [cu.  xxi.  1—25. 


his  gospel  of  the  love  of  God,  his  memories 
of  "the  Word  made  flesh,"  of  "the  Light 
of  the  world,"  his  doctrine  of  the  "  eternal 
life  which  was  with  the  Father,  and  lias 
been  manifested  unto  us."  And  wrote  these 
things — compare  "  these  things  write  we 
unto  you,  that  your  joy  may  be  full "  (1 
John  i.  4)— and  we  know  (as  a  matter  of 
fact,  olSafx.ev)  that  his  testimony  is  true 
(aA7)0ir)y),  "veracious."  We  know  him;  we 
believe  in  his  representation;  we  know  with- 
out any  shadow  of  doubt  upon  our  mind 
that  what  he  has  said  answers  to  the  fact. 
It  does  not  need  that  any  of  the  elders 
should  have  seen  the  Lord  to  justify  the 
use  of  olSa/xev.  Meyer  supposes  that  these 
words,  notwithstanding  their  plural  foim, 
simply  show  that  John  identities  himself 
with  his  readers,  and,  from  the  peculiar 
delicacy  of  his  mind,  hides  himself  and  his 
individuality  among  them  or  behind  them. 
Alford  compares  it  with  ch.  i.  14,  "  We  have 
seen  his  glory,"  and  I  John  iv.  14,  16 ;  v. 
18.  Chrysostom  and  Theophylact  read,  in 
place  of  oldafiiv,  oJSa  fiev,  "  I  indeed  know 
that  his  testimony  is  true."  This  ingenious 
method  is  rejected  by  modern  scholars,  on 
the  principle  that  the  writer  would  not  thus 
have  passed  from  third  person  to  first.  This 
does  not  seem  to  be  insuperable :  Paulus 
adopted  this  solution.  The  chief  diiBculty  of 
admitting  that  these  words  are  a  note  by  the 
Ephesian  presbyters,  and  of  ignoring  Chry- 
sostom's  suggestion,  is  that  ver.  25  contains 
an  unquestionable  reintroduction  of  the  first 
person  in  the  ol^ai.  This  difficulty  is,  how- 
ever, surmounted  by  Meyer,  on  the  supposi- 
tion that  the  last  verse  is  not  Johannine. 
Meyer  and  Tischendorf  (who  excludes  it 
from  his  text)  suppose  it  to  have  been  a  gloss 
by  later  hands,  one  which  departs  from  the 
gravity  and  dignity  of  an  apostle  by  its 
strong  hyperbole.  Still  no  codex  but  the 
Sinaiticus  omits  it,  and  the  omission  may 
be  due  to  the  loss  of  the  last  folio,  on  which 
it  may  have  been  written  ;  while  every  other 
codex  contains  it.  Godet  thinks  the  writer 
was  one  of  the  elders  who  had  joined  in  the 
previous  authentication,  and  refers  to  "  the 
strange  notice  which  Tischendorf  records 
from  a  manuscript  in  the  \'atican,  that  Papias 
was  the  secretary  to  whom  John  dictated  the 
entire  Gospel,"  and  imagines  that  the  hyper- 
bolic style  of  some  of  the  extant  fragments 
of  Papias  might  account  for  the  extravagance 
of  the  statement  it  contains.  Lange  and 
Alford  regard  the  whole  verse,  together  with 
ver.  24,  as  Johannine,  and  suppose  that 
John  here  speaks  in  propria  persona  when 
the  fulness  of  his  memor)'  baffled  all  ex- 
pression. Some  treat  the  olfiat,  etc.,  as  a 
possible  saying  of  John's  which  was  added 
b}'  the  authors  of  loth  verses.  We  think 
that  the  presence  of  the  olfxai  (a  very  unusual 


word  in  the  New  Testament)  is  possibly 
accounted  for  by  the  recollection  which  some 
of  those  who  had  often  heard  the  beloved 
apostle  speak  may  have  had  of  his  way  of 
describing  the  superlative  richness  of  the 
life  of  our  Lord,  and  tl.at  the  brief  appendix 
by  those  who  bore  this  testimony  to  the 
veracity  and  authenticity  and  apostolic 
origin  of  the  whole  narrative  is  of  priceless 
value.  Undoubtedly  it  asserts  witli  perfect 
clearness  that  John  the  son  of  Zebedee 
was  the  author  of  the  Gospel.  If,  neverthe- 
less, the  work  be  that  of  a  forger,  m'Iio  secured 
an  accomplice  in  his  deed  of  imposition,  ho 
is  a  moral  anomaly ;  for,  while  acting  so 
unworthily,  he  was  nevertheless  glorifying 
the  doctrine  tliat  God  is  true,  and  that 
every  lie  is  of  the  devil  (ch.  viii.  44),  and 
has  produced  a  work  which  turns  from  end 
to  end  on  a  realization  of  the  truth.  The 
words  on  which  so  many  speculations  have 
been  raised  are — 

Ver.  25. — There  are  also  many  other  things 
which  Jesus  did,  the  which,  if  they  should 
be  written  one  by  one  (or,  each  by  itself), 
I  suppose  even  the  world  itself  would  not 
contain  the  books  which  woxild  (then)  be 
written.  Some  have  suggested  the  idea 
that  x'^P^cf^"}  or  x^P^^<^°-h  me^iis  "morally 
contain,"  "boar  with,"  "endure."  Tliis  is 
unsatisfactory.  The  writer,  by  the  use  of 
the  name  "Jesus,"  is  not  going  back  to 
the  pre-existing,  premundane  activity  of  the 
Logos,  but  is  simply  conveying  his  enthusi- 
astic sense  of  the  inexhaustible  fulness  of  the 
human  life  of  the  blessed  Lord.  The  whole 
redeeming  life,  word,  and  work  of  the  Word 
made  flesh  had  a  quality  of  infinity  about 
it.  The  entire  evangelic  narrative  has  only 
touched  the  fringe  of  this  vast  manifestation, 
a  few  hours  or  days  of  the  incomparable  life. 
Every  moment  of  it  was  infinitely  rich  in 
its  contents,  in  its  suggestions,  in  its  in- 
fluence. Every  act  was  a  revelation  of  the 
Father,  of  the  Son,  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
giving  vistas  into  the  eternities,  and  open- 
ings into  the  heart  and  bosom  of  Deity.  Let 
all  that  thus  was  done  take  thought-shape 
in  human  minds,  and  word-sliape  in  hun^.an 
speech,  and  book-shape  or  embodiment  in 
human  literature,  and  tliere  are  no  conceiv- 
able limits  to  its  extent.  We  use  such  ex- 
pressions continually,  without  feeling  that 
we  are  adopting  any  unnatural  or  unhealthy 
hyperbole.  The  infinite  abundance  of  the 
teaching  and  significance  of  the  blessed  life 
of  the  Son  of  God  is  ample  justification  of 
the  apostolic  enthusiasm.' 


'  The  "  Amen  "  is  no  part  of  the  original 
text,  says  Westcott;  i.e.  it  is  not  found  iit 
N,  B,  0,  D,  and  several  important  versions 
and  cursives.  A  very  large  number  do,  how- 
ever, contain  it. 


CH.  XXI.  1—25.]    THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING   TO   ST.  JOHN.  513 


HOMILETICS. 

Vers.  1 — 8. — The  fishing  in  Qalilee.  This  chapter  is  an  appendix  to  the  Gospel 
written  by  the  Apostle  John. 

I.  The  scene  ok  our  Lord's  next  appearance  to  the  disciples.  "  After  these 
things  Jesus  showed  himself  again  to  the  disciples  at  the  sea  of  Tiberias."  1.  It  tvas 
not  at  Jerusalem,  ivhicfi  was  now  forsaken  and,  in  a  sense,  abandoned  to  its  own  delusions. 
2.  It  was  at  the  scene  of  our  Lord's  opening  ministry.  (1)  Galilee  was  the  place  to 
which  he  had  ordered  the  disciples  to  repair,  with  a  promise  that  he  would  meet  them. 

(2)  It  was  the  place  from  which  he  had  drawn  all  his  disciples  save  Judas  Iscariot. 

(3)  It  was  the  scene  of  his  greatest  popularity  and  acceptance. 

II.  The  disciples  to  whom  oub  Lord  appeared.  "There  were  together  Simon 
Peter,  and  Thomas  called  Didymus,  and  Nathanael  of  Cana  in  Galilee,  and  the  sons  of 
Zebedee,  and  two  other  of  his  disciples."  There  were,  therefore,  but  five  of  the  eleven 
apostles  and  two  disciples. 

III.  Their  occupation.  "  Simon  Peter  saith  unto  them,  I  go  a-fishing.  They  say 
unto  him.  We  also  go  with  thee."  They  resumed  their  old  mode  of  life  as  fishermen, 
awaiting  the  sign  that  should  fix  their  future  course.  1.  This  step  was  necessary  for 
their  daily  subsistence.  2.  The  apostles  give  us  an  example  of  diligence  in  their  codling. 
They  do  not  care  to  eat  the  bread  of  idleness.  3.  The  scenes  around  the  Galilxan  sea 
would  vividly  remind  them  of  nuiny  a  miracle  a7id  many  a  discourse  of  their  blessed 
Lord.     Quiet  recollection  is  part  of  our  education  for  duty. 

IV.  The  Lord's  help  in  the  prosecution  of  their  calling.  1.  The  disciples 
passed  a  fruitless  night  iqwn  the  tvaters.  "  That  night  they  caught  nothing."  2.  The 
appearance  of  Jesus  to  them.  "  Bat  when  the  morning  was  now  come,  Jesus  stood  on 
the  shore  :  but  the  disciples  knew  not  that  it  was  Jesus."  (1)  They  were,  perhaps,  so 
preoccupied  that  they  did  not  recognize  him.  (2)  Jesus  may  be  near  to  his  people,  in 
their  extremity,  though  they  may  not  know  if.  3.  Bis  directions  to  the  icearied  and 
dispirited  fishermen.  "Cast  the  net  on  the  right  side  of  the  ship,  and  ye  shall  find." 
(1)  The  want  of  former  success  must  not  discourage  from  fresh  eflbrts.  (2)  The  first 
duty  of  disciples  is  to  obey  the  Divine  command.  (3)  Two  factors  are  needful  to 
success — the  faithful  work  of  the  disciples,  and  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  upon  it.  (4) 
The  success  of  their  fresh  effort.  "  They  cast  therefore,  and  now  they  were  not  able  to 
draw  it  for  the  multitude  of  fishes."   What  a  proof  of  our  Lord's  omniscience  and  power ! 

V.  The  glad  recognition  of  our  Lord  through  the  miracle,  1.  John  is  the 
first  to  know  him.  "  It  is  the  Lord !  "  His  penetrative,  contemplative  insight  is  quick 
to  make  the  discovery.  2.  Peter's  eagerness  to  reach  his  Lord.  "  Now  when  Simon 
Peter  heard  that  it  was  the  Lord,  he  girt  his  fisher's  coat  unto  him  (for  he  was  naked), 
and  did  cast  himself  into  the  sea."  What  an  instance  of  the  characteristic  impetuosity 
and  affection  of  Peter ! 

Vers.  9 — 14. — Tlie  repast  on  the  sea-shore.  I.  The  Lord  makes  provision  for  thb 
IMMEDIATELY  PRESSING  WANT  OF  THE  DISCIPLES.  1.  Tliey  must  have  been  hungry  and 
exhausted  with  the  long  and  fruitless  efforts  of  the  night.  Mark  our  Lord's  considera- 
tion for  their  bodily  comfort !  "  Thou  shalt  eat  the  labour  of  tliy  hands."  "  Come  and 
dine."  2.  Mark  the  awe  of  the  disciples.  "  None  of  the  disciples  durst  ask  him.  Who 
art  thou  ?  knowing  that  it  was  the  Lord."  There  was  something  mysterious  in  the 
appearance  and  manner  of  the  Lord  that  kept  them  in  awe. 

II,  The  object  of  this  repast.  1.  It  was  partly  to  make  the  disciples  feel  their 
continued  dependence  upon  the  Lord.  2.  It  u-as  partly  to  afford  an  opportunity  for  his 
significantly  important  dealing  with  the  Apostle  Peter. 

Vers.  15 — 17. — The  restoration  of  Peter.  Though  the  Lord  had  already  appeared  to 
his  disciple  (Luke  xxiv.  34  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  5),  he  had  not  yet  formally  restored  him  to  the 
place  he  had  forfeited  by  his  three  denials. 

I.  The  SOLEMN  question  of  our  Lord  to  Peter.  "Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest 
thou  me  more  than  these?"  1.  The  question  is  thrice  repeated,  that  it  may  elicit  a 
threefold  confession  answerable  to  the  threefold  denial  of  our  Lord.  2.  The  question  in 
JOHN. — II.  2  It 


514  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xxi.  1—25. 

its  first  form  seems  to  remind  the  apostle  of  the  presumptuous  superiority  he  had  claimed 
for  himself  above  all  the  disciples.  "  Though  all  men  forsake  thee,  yet  will  not  I."  "  Lovest 
thou  me  more  than  these  ?  " — these  other  disciples.  It  is  a  suggestive  fact  that  Peter's 
assertion  of  extreme  devotion  had  occurred  in  immediate  connection  with  the  promise  of 
our  Lord  to  meet  his  disciples  in  Galilee.  3.  The  question  is  concerning  the  higher  love 
of  veneration  and  confidence  which  is  the  spring  of  the  Christian  life  {ayan^y)  ;  not  the 
feeling  of  mere  natural  affection  or  simple  personal  attachment  {(pi\e'iv).  4.  The  question^ 
makes  an  appeal  to  personal  experience.  (1)  It  is  not  an  appeal  to  faith,  but  to  love ; 
for  love  is  a  far  more  practical  test  than  faith.  (2)  It  is  implied  that  love  is  that  of 
which  a  man  may  be  conscious.  It  may  be  known  by  itself,  and  not  merely  by  its 
doings.  (3)  It  is  that  feeling  which — first  to  come,  last  to  go — tells  most  surely  the 
heart's  relation  to  Christ.  Hence  the  Apostle  Paul  girdles  the  whole  Church  with  this 
girdle  when  he  utters  the  catholic  blessing,  "  Grace  be  with  all  them  that  love  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity."  Hence  also  he  fences  off  the  Church  from  the  world  by  the 
terrible  anathema,  "  If  any  man  love  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  him  be  Anathema 
Maran-atha." 

II.  Peter's  three  answers  to  our  Lord's  threefold  question.  1.  The  first 
answer  is,  "  Yea,  Lord ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee."  (1)  He  appeals  to  our  Lord's 
omniscience.  Experience  had  taught  him  to  distrust  his  own  judgment  in  a  matter  so 
personal  and  so  solemn.  (2)  There  is  deep  humility  in  the  answer,  (a)  He  does  not 
now  boast  of  his  superiority  to  the  other  apostles,  as  if  to  say,  "  I  love  thee  above  them 
all ;  "  he  now  merely  ranks  himself  with  true  lovers  of  Christ,  (b)  He  does  not  adopt 
the  higher  term  (ayan^v)  used  in  the  question,  but  contents  himself  with  the  mere  term 
of  simple  and  friendly  relationship  (<pt\('iv).  2.  The  second  answer  is,  "  Yea,  Lord ;  thou 
knowest  that  I  love  thee."  (1)  The  Lord  had  dropped  the  words,  "more  than  these," 
from  his  second  question,  because  the  answer  to  the  first  showed  that  the  words  in 
question  had  done  their  work.  (2)  The  apostle  repeats  his  appeal  to  the  Lord's 
omniscience.  (3)  He  still  shrinks  from  using  the  higher  word  (ayairai/).  3.  The  third 
ansiver.  "  Peter  was  grieved  because  he  said  unto  him  the  third  time,  Lovest  thou  me  ? 
And  he  said  unto  him,  Lord,  thou  knowest  all  things ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee." 

(1)  The  grief  of  the  apostle  was  excited  by  the  remembrance  that  his  past  conduct 
might  well  suggest  a  doubt  of  his  present  love.  (2)  Our  Lord  drops  the  higher  term 
and  adopts  the  lower  ((pi\fii'),  as  if  to  test  the  truth  of  the  feeling  now  twice  expressed 
by  the  apostle.  The  change  of  term  must  have  touched  Peter  to  the  quick.  (3)  The 
answer  is,  accordingly,  a  passionate  appeal  to  our  Lord's  absolute  omniscience,  in  which 
is  included  his  special  knowledge  of  Peter's  heart.  The  variety  of  the  terms  employed 
is  very  significant:  "Thou  knowest  all  things  " — oiSas,  with  the  knowledge  of  Divine 
intuition ;  "  thou  knowest  that  1  love  thee  " — yiv^ffKus,  with  the  knowledge  of  direct 
observation, 

III.  The  solemn  charges  given  to  Peter  by  our  Lord.  They  imply  that  our 
Lord  accepted  the  apostle's  answers  in  all  their  deep  and  touching  sincerity.  1.  First 
charge.  "  Feed  my  lambs."  This  is  shepherd's  work.  (1)  The  young  members  of  the 
flock  are  to  be  cared  for.  They  prepare  the  generations  following.  (2)  They  need  to  be 
fed  with  "  the  sincere  milk  of  the  Word  "  (1  Pet.  ii.  2),  as  well  as  guarded  against  false 
seductions  and  kept  from  wandering.  2.  Second  charge.  "  Lead  my  sheep."  (1)  The 
more  mature  Christians  are  to  be  cared  for.  (2)  They  need  watchful  guidance. 
3.  Third  charge.  "  Feed  my  sheep."  (1)  Our  Lord  returns  to  the  word  "  feed,"  as  if 
to  emphasize  the  importance  of  instructing  the  whole  flock  in  the  pure  Word  of  God. 

(2)  We  hear  the  echo  of  our  Lord's  charge  in  the  voice  of  this  under-shepherd  long 
after  :  "  Feed  the  flock  of  God  which  is  among  you  "  (1  Pet.  v.  2). 

Vers.  18,  19. — Prediction  of  Peter's  death.  Our  Lord  next  announces  what  will  be 
the  manner  of  the  end  of  his  disciple's  ministry. 

I.  The  Lord  has  fixed  the  time  of  Peter's  end.  1.  Job  speaks  of  the  days  of 
man  being  determined..  "The  number  of  his  months  are  with  thee  ;  thou  hast  appointed 
his  bounds,  that  he  cannot  pass."  2.  Jesus  has  a  lordship  over  the  life  and  death  of  his 
saints.  "  If  we  die,  we  die  unto  the  Lord  ;  "  "  He  is  the  Lord  both  of  the  living  and 
of  the  dead"  (Rom.  xiv.  8,  9).  3.  The  Lord's  disposal  of  his  saints'  lives  makes  them 
immortal  till  their  work  is  done. 


CH.  XXI.  1—25.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  515 

II.  The  Lord  dktebmines  the  manner  op  Peter's  death.  It  was  to  be  a 
death  of  violence.  He  was  to  become  a  martyr  of  the  Christian  fiiith.  "  When  thou 
wast  young  " — Peter  was  now  a  middle-aged  man — "  thou  girdedst  thyself" — possessing 
full  liberty  of  life — "and  walkedst  whither  thou  wouldest" — with  full  freedom  of  move- 
ment— "  but  when  thou  slialt  be  old,  thou  shalt  stretch  forth  thy  hands  " — as  helpless 
and  in  the  power  of  others — "  and  another  shall  gird  thee  " — as  a  condemned  criminal — 
*'  and  carry  thee  whither  thou  wouldest  not."  A  violent  death,  as  being  unnatural,  is 
shrunk  from.  But  these  words  are  to  be  regarded  solely  from  the  standpoint  of  natural 
feeling.  1.  The  apostle  understood  the  exact  nature  of  this  prediction,  as  we  know  by 
his  own  words,  "Knowing  that  shortly  I  must  put  off  this  my  tabernacle,  even  as  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  hath  showed  me  "  (2  Pet.  i.  14).  2.  The  death  of  the  apostle  tvas  to  redound 
to  the  glory  of  God.  "  This  spake  he,  signifying  by  what  death  he  should  glorify  God." 
The  martyrs  glorify  God  (1)  by  their  readiness  to  sacrifice  their  lives  for  the  sake  of 
God;  (2)  by  their  patience  and  resignation  in  death;  (3)  by  the  evidence  afforded  in 
their  deaths  of  the  sustaining  and  comforting  presence  of  the  Lord.  3.  'J'he  martyrdom 
of  Peter  took  place  in  the  year  a.d.  64.  It  was,  therefore,  now  a  past  event  which  the 
evangelist  records. 

III.  Peter's  duty  henceforth  in  life.  "  Follow  me."  1.  It  tvas  a  solemn  thought 
to  the  apostle  to  know  the  destined  end  of  his  apostolic  labours.  2.  TTiis  knowledge  would 
intensify  his  eager  zeal  to  ivork  tvithout  pause  during  the  term  of  life  that  remained  to 
him.  3.  The  command  to  follow  Christ  implied  (1)  that  Peter  should  cast  in  his  lot 
with  Christ,  and  make  common  cause  with  him ;  (2)  that  he  should  learn  his  will  and 
do  his  commands ;  (3)  that  he  should  walk  in  the  footsteps  of  his  holy  life. 

Vers.  20 — 23. —  The  mystery  of  John^s  future.  The  Apostle  Peter  began  to  follow 
Jesus  as  he  went  forth,  and,  turning  round,  saw  John  following.  He  is  anxious  to  know 
the  future  destiny  of  his  fellow-disciple. 

I.  Peter's  question  concerning  John.  "  Lord,  and  what  shall  this  man  do  ?  "  or, 
literally,  "Lord,  and  this  man!  what?"  1.  Consider  the  motive  of  this  question. 
(1)  It  was  not  prompted  by  mere  curiosity ;  (2)  nor,  as  some  unworthily  suppose,  by 
a  feeling  of  rising  jealousy,  as  if  the  Lord  had  reserved  for  John  a  happier  destiny  and 
a  more  peaceful  end  than  that  predicted  for  Peter  himself.  (3)  It  was  prompted  by 
the  purest  love  to  a  disciple  from  whom  Peter  did  not  desire  to  be  separated  in  life  or 
in  death,  (a)  They  were  two  apostles  most  intimately  linked  together  in  the  associa- 
tions of  our  Lord's  ministry.  They  were  two  of  the  three  honoured  with  the  more 
intimate  confidence  of  our  Lord — apart  with  him  (a)  in  the  house  of  Jairus ;  (;8)  in  the 
Mount  of  Transfiguration  ;  (7)  in  the  garden  of  Geihsemane.  (6)  Their  very  variety 
of  gifts  and  tempeiament  tended  to  cement  the  relationship  more  closely  together.  The 
one  was  the  man  of  reflection ;  the  other,  of  action.  2.  Consider  the  meaning  of  this 
question.  "  Lord,  and  what  shall  this  man  do  ?  "  Is  he  destined  to  suffer  and  die 
like  me?  Or  is  he  destined  to  a  still  longer  life  and  a  more  peaceful  and  natural 
death? 

II.  Odr  Lord's  answer  to  the  question.  "  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come, 
what  is  that  to  thee  ?  "  1.  The  answer  assumes  a  certain  tone  of  rebuke,  as  if  Peter's 
question  lay  somewhat  outside  the  sphere  of  his  own  direct  concernment  and  duty. 
2.  It  implies  that  the  Lord  exercises  a  J)ivine  sovereignty  over  the  lives  and  over  the 
deaths  of  his  servants.  The  Lord  can  make  his  servants  "  tarry  "  in  the  world  as  long 
as  it  pleases  him.  3.  It  implies  that  his  servants  ought  to  tarry  till  the  Lord  comes. 
The  words,  therefore,  rebuke  (1)  the  madness  of  the  wretched  suicide  who  is  in  haste 
to  fling  away  his  life;  (2)  and  the  eager  longing  for  death,  sometimes  manifested  even 
by  God's  saints,  who  are  weary  of  the  troubles  of  life  and  anxious  for  the  rest  of  heaven. 
They  ought,  rather,  to  work  on  till  the  Lord  comes,  and  to  accept  either  death  or  life, 
after  Paul's  manner,  as  either  may  seem  best  to  the  Lord  himself  or  best  for  the  good 
of  the  Church  (Phil.  i.  24).  4.  The  answer  of  our  Lord  implies  that  each  disciple  has 
a  distinct  position  in  the  world.  "What  is  that  to  thee?  follow  thou  me."  (1)  It 
asserts  each  man's  individuality.  Each  man  has  (a)  his  more  separate  sphere  of 
responsibility;  (b)  his  sei)arate  cares;  (c)  his  separate  destiny.  (2)  Therefore  each  man 
must  look  primarily  to  himself  and  his  own  duty,  (a)  Our  Lord  does  not  censure 
the  regard  of  social  relations ;  (6)  but  the  neglect  of  individual  concern,  the  disposition 


516  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xxi.  1—25. 

to  interest  one's  self  unduly  in  other  people's  concerns.  5.  Tlie  answer  of  our  Lord 
implies  that  we  are  hound  to  follow  him  through  all  the  mystery  that  surrounds  our  path. 
"  Follow  thou  me."  Peter  is  to  follow  Christ  whether  he  knows  or  not  the  future  destiny 
of  his  beloved  fellow-disciple.  (1)  Men  are  sometimes  loth  to  follow  Christ  because  of 
the  pressure  of  intellectual,  or  moral,  or  personal  difficulties.  This  is  a  ruinous  as  well 
as  foolish  policy.  (2)  Our  duty  is  to  follow  Christ  in  the  hope  either  (a)  that  he  will 
solve  our  difficulties,  (6)  or  that  he  wdl  give  us  peace  in  presence  of  difficulties,  in  tl.e 
hope  of  their  future  solution.  Let  us  deal  with  the  duty  of  the  hour,  and  leave  the 
future  to  God.  6.  The  answer  of  our  Lord  implies  that  John  would  tarry  till  his 
coming.  "  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come."  The  words  are  dark  enough  in  the  r 
meaning,  yet  history  seems  to  interpret  them.  (1)  The  brethren  of  that  day  imagined 
that  John  would  never  die.  John  himself  corrects  this  misapprehension,  withou^*, 
however,  giving  any  interpretation  of  our  Lord's  mysterious  words.  (2)  The  traditio  n 
existed  long  in  the  Church — even  in  the  third  and  fourth  centuries — that  John  was  eve  a 
then  alive,  awaiting  the  Lord's  coming.  (3)  The  Lord  meant  to  say  that  John  woiild 
survive  till  his  coming — at  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  This  event  was  not  more  than 
a  generation  distant  at  the  time,  (a)  Scripture  speaks  of  the  Lord's  coming  in  connec- 
tion with  that  event,  which,  by  sweeping  away  the  Jewish  commonwealth,  would  leave 
the  ground  clear  for  the  establishment  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  (6)  John  did,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  long  survive  this  event. 

Vers.  24,  25. — Conclusion  of  the  appendix  to  the  Gospel.  These  last  words  are  added, 
not  by  the  apostle,  but  by  some  other  hand. 

I.  A   TESTIMONY   TO   THE   AUTHORSHIP   AND   TRUTH   OF   THIS   GoSPEL.      "  This    is   the 

disciple  which  testifieth  of  these  things,  and  wrote  these  things:  and  we  know  that  his 
testimony  is  true."  This  language  implies :  1.  TJiat  John  was  still  alive.  2.  That 
lie  was  an  eye-witness  and  an  ear-ioitness  of  all  recorded  in  this  Gospel.  3.  That  the 
narratives  were  writtenhy  his  hand  in  a  spirit  of  truth,  free  from  all  exaggeration  or 
falsehood. 

II.  A   COMPLETE   LIFE   OF  ChRIST  WOULD   BE   PRACTICALLY   OF   INFINITE   DIMENSIONS. 

"  And  there  are  also  many  other  things  which  Jesus  did,  the  which,  if  they  should  be 
written  every  one,  I  suppose  that  even  the  world  itself  could  not  contain  the  books  that 
should  be  written."  1.  A  hook  of  limited  extent  could  never  describe  the  acts  of  an  infinite 
Being.  2.  T/ie  emphatic  place  given  to  our  Lord's  works,  including  his  miracles,  shows 
the  stress  that  is  to  be  laid,  evidentially,  upon  miracles  as  an  argument  for  Christianity. 
3.  The  passage  implies  a  vast  activity  of  Christ.  After  all,  we  have  but  few  miracles 
of  his  life  recorded.  He  verily  "  went  about  every  day  doing  good."  What  an  amount  of 
beneficial  work  he  compressed  into  the  three  years  of  his  public  ministry !  4.  It  is  satis- 
factory for  faith  to  know  that  nothing  is  omitted  in  the  record  of  Scripture  essential 
to  salvation.  5.  It  luas  a  sign  of  Divine  consideration  to  the  wants  of  men  that  the 
Scriptures  should  be  suitable,  in  respect  of  their  extent  as  loell  as  their  contents.  The 
Bible  is  large  enough,  but  not  too  large  for  human  use.  6.  Let  us  prize  it  as  the  exhibi- 
tion of  a  Divine  life  revealed  for  the  salvation  of  the  world. 

HOMILIES  BY  VARIOUS  AUTHORS. 

Ver.  7. — The  cry  of  joyful  recognition.  First  uttered  by  John  when  he  discerned  the 
form  of  his  beloved  Master  upon  the  beach  of  the  Galilsean  lake,  this  exclamation  has 
passed  into  the  hearts  and  the  lips  of  all  Christian  people,  who,  amidst  the  various 
scenes  of  life,  have  recognized  their  Saviour's  presence,  and  have  ever  been  wont  to 
acknowledge  with  reverential  faith,  "It  is  the  Lord!"  The  circumstances  in  which 
the  words  were  uttered,  as  well  as  the  words  themselves,  are  full  of  instruction,  sugges- 
tion, and  comfort. 

I.  How  Jesus  comes  to  be  hidden.  Others,  beside  the  twelve,  have  for  a  time 
failed  to  recognize  the  Son  of  God.  1.  It  may  be  through  human  misapprehension. 
Many  there  are  who  never  really  see  and  know  Jesus.  They  misunderstand  his 
character  and  purposes,  his  disposition  with  reference  to  themselves ;  and  consequently 
tbey  remain  altogether  estranged  from  him.  2.  It  may  be  through  human  unbelief. 
Muu  may,  and  do,  deliberately  draw  a  veil  between  themselves  and  Christ.    Their  sins, 


CH.  XXI.  1—25.]    THE   GOSPEL   ACCORDING   TO  ST.  JOHN.  517 

their  unspirituality,  area  complete  barrier  to  their  really  knowing  him ;  they  arc  without 
the  receptiveness  and  sympathy  which  are  necessary  iu  onior  to  such  knowledge.  3.  It 
may  bo  through  human  jierplexity  and  despondency.  In  the  case  of  the  disciples  this 
seems  to  have  been  the  explanation  of  their  failure  to  perceive  at  once  that  the  form 
upon  the  shore  was  that  of  their  Lord.  Their  minds  were  preoccupied  with  their  own 
distress,  uncertainty,  and  troubles.  And  thus  they  were  for  a  while  blind  to  that  very 
presence  which  alone  could  bring  them  relief  and  blessing. 

II.  How  Jesus  comes  to  be  recognized.  He  was  hidden  for  a  short  season  fn^ni 
the  eyes  even  of  his  own  attached  friends;  but  the  hiding  was  not  for  long.  Nor  will 
he  fail  to  make  his  nearness  and  his  grace  known  to  those  who  are  prepared  to  receive 
the  revelation.  This  he  does:  1.  By  the  voice  of  Divine  authority  in  which  he  speaks. 
There  was  command  in  the  tones  of  Jesus  when  he  bade  the  fishers  let  down  their  net. 
He  never  speaks — however  graciously  and  with  however  much  of  encouragement  and 
kindly  invitation — save  in  a  manner  divinely  authoritative.  And  the  true  disciples 
recognize  that  royal  tone.  2.  By  the  language  of  sympathy  and  love  which  he  uses. 
As  Jesus  pitied  the  poor  fishermen  who  had  toiled  all  night  in  vain ;  as  he  aiidressed 
them  as  his  children,  and  showed  commiseration;  so  does  he  ever  appeal  to  the  tendercst 
feelings  of  human  hearts,  awakening  the  response  which  love  gives  to  love.  3.  By  the 
provision  which  he  makes  for  the  needs  of  his  nwn.  There  is  a  practical  aspect  in  the 
spiritual  ministry  of  the  Saviour.  He  provided  breakfast  for  the  disciples;  how  could 
he  have  given  them  a  homelier  welcome?  Thus  does  he  give  his  flesh  for  the  life  of 
the  world.  His  Deity  is  recognized  in  his  devotion  and  sacrifice.  They  who  once  see 
what  he  has  done  for  man  can  never  doubt  who  he  is. 

III.  How  the  recognized  Jesus  is  greeted.  With  the  cry,  "It  is  the  Lord!" 
This  is :  1.  The  cry  of  faith,  on  discovering  in  him  the  Truth  of  God.  The  long-looked- 
for  vision  breaks  upon  the  soul.  He  who  has  been  desired  draws  near.  2.  Tlie  cry  of 
obedience,  as  his  will  is  felt  to  be  authoritatively  binding.  He  speaks  the  language  of 
command  ;  and  the  obedient  soldier  adopts  the  wish  as  law,  and  does  the  bidding  of  his 
Captain;  for  "  it  is  the  Lord!  "  3.  The  cry  of  submission  and  resignation,  as  his  hand 
is  discerned  in  the  chastisements  of  life.  Let  a  man  say,  "It  is  fate!"  or,  "It  is 
fortune  ! "  and  how  can  he  submit  with  profit  ?  But  let  hira  say,  "  It  is  the  Lord !  " 
and  he  will  add,  "  Let  him  do  as  seemeth  good  in  his  sight."  4.  The  cry  of  witness, 
as  Christ's  presence  is  proclaimed  to  all  around.  It  is  the  mission  of  the  Church  to  all 
the  world,  to  direct  attention  to  the  world's  Saviour  and  Lord. 

IV.  How  the  recognized  Jesus  rewards  his  faithful  disciples.  1.  With 
his  society  and  friendship.  2.  With  his  liberality  and  bounty,  by  which  all  their 
spiritual  wants  are  supplied.  3.  With  his  power  and  benediction  upon  the  life  and 
work  of  each  one  who  acknowledges  and  serves  him.  4.  With  the  final  vision  of  his 
face.  They  who  have  seen  him  by  faith  ou  earth  shall  see  him  as  he  is  above. 
Blessed,  rapturous,  shall  be  the  recognition,  when  the  disftple  shall  open  his  eyes  in 
heaven,  and  shall  exclaim,  "  It  is  the  Lord  !  " — T. 

Ver.  12. — The  diffidence  of  reverent  hearts.  It  does  at  first  sight  seem  strange  that 
when  John  had  exclaimed,  "  It  is  the  Lord !  "  when  Peter  had  plunged  into  the  lake  to 
swim  to  the  shore  where  Jesus  stood,  when  all  the  little  company  had  indubitable 
evidence  that  Jesus  was  indeed  with  them,  there  should  still  have  been  this  reticence, 
this  diffidence,  this  awe.  Yet  such  conduct  is  not  inconsistent  with  human  nature; 
and  its  analogue  is  still  to  be  discerned  in  human  experience. 

I.  The  soul  recognizes  Christ  by  his  Divine  demeanour  and  language.  The 
authority  and  the  considerateness  with  which  Jesus  addressed  the  disciples,  and  the 
provision  which  he  made  for  their  wants,  were  to  them  an  assurance  that  they  were 
not  mistaken  in  their  conviction  that  they  were  in  the  presence  of  their  Lord.  Only 
let  the  heart  be  open  to  the  manifestations  of  the  spiritual  presence  of  the  Divine  Lord 
and  Saviour  of  men,  in  his  Word  and  in  human  society,  and  the  conclusion  will  be 
reached  speedily  and  certainly  that  the  work  witnesses  to  the  Worker;  that  the  light 
and  heat  are  an  index  to  the  presence  of  the  sun.  The  correspondence  between  human 
need  on  the  one  hand  and  Divine  provision  on  the  other  is  so  marked  and  so  perfect  as 
to  suggest,  and  indeed  to  require,  belief  in  the  authoritative  mission  of  Christ,  and  iu 
his  eternal  presence  in  human  society. 


518  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xxi.  1— 25. 

II.  The  soul  may  be  deterred  by  its  very  reverence  from  intellectual 
iNQureY  into  Christ's  credentials.  No  doubt  there  are  those  who  believe  as  they 
have  been  taught  and  trained  to  believe,  and  v?hose  belief  is  simply  the  reflection  of 
that  of  others.  Yet  there  are  natures,  refined  and  sensitive,  who  are  so  perfectly  con- 
vinced of  our  Lord's  Deity  and  mission,  that  to  doubt  of,  and  even  to  inquire  into,  this 
matter  seems  almost  like  a  scrutiny  into  a  mother's  virtue  or  a  father's  integrity. 
They  have  the  witness  within  themselves.  For  some,  evidences  and  investigation  and 
criticism  may  be  necessary ;  but  for  these  reverent  souls  is  no  such  need.  Knowing 
"it  is  the  Lord,"  they  dare  not  ask  him,  "Who  art  thou?" 

III.  Such  faith  is  sufficient  for  him  who  exercises  it,  and  is  acceptable 
to  the  Lord  himself.  Men  may  reason  and  argue  and  dispute,  and  yet  never  come 
to  faith,  whilst  there  are  believing  souls  who  are  altogether  indififerent  to  logical 
processes  and  insusceptible  to  critical  doubt.  The  heart  may  be  peaceful  and  strong 
in  fellowship  with  the  Saviour  who  has  revealed  himself  to  it.  And  he  whose  claims 
will  endure  all  scrutiny,  and  whose  right  transcends  all  debate,  is  yet  willing  to  accept 
the  homage  of  the  child-like,  and  the  devotion  of  the  congenial  and  the  pure. — T. 

Ver.  15. — "  Lovest  thou  me  ?  "  To  comprehend  this  interview  and  dialogue,  it  is 
necessary  to  look  at  preceding  circumstances.  In  a  conversation  which  took  place 
before  our  Lord's  betrayal,  Peter  had  made  the  most  ardent  professions  of  attachment 
and  devotion  to  his  Master.  Though  all  should  forsake  Jesus,  yet  would  not  he !  He 
was  willing  even  to  die  with  him!  But  the  events  of  the  awful  night  of  the  Lord's 
apprehension  and  mock  trial  before  the  Jewish  council,  had  made  evident  the  moral 
weakness  of  spiritual  fibre  which  was  hidden  by  his  impetuous  fervour.  Peter's  faith 
had  failed,  and  he  had  been  led  by  timidity  to  deny  the  Lord  he  loved.  That  he 
repented  of  his  cowardice,  and  that  with  bitter  tears,  was  known  to  the  Master  whom 
he  had  wronged.  These  circumstances  account  for  the  language  of  Jesus  when  he  met 
his  disciple  by  the  lake  of  Galilee.  Jesus  elicited  from  his  follower  the  thrice-repeated 
expression  of  his  love,  and,  having  done  this,  treated  Peter  as  one  restored  and  recon- 
ciled, imparted  to  him  his  apostolic  commission,  and  predicted  his  future  of  service  and 
of  martyrdom.  Turning  from  the  special  incident  which  called  for  the  question  and 
the  answer  here  recorded,  we  direct  attention  to  what  is  practical  and  of  universal 
application. 

I.  A  POINTED  QUESTION.  "  Lovcst  thou  me  ?  "  1.  This  question  implies  that  Christ 
has  a  claim  upon  our  love.  This  claim  is  founded  upon  :  (1)  His  supreme  worthiness  to 
be  loved.  Who,  in  himself,  in  character,  in  moral  excellence,  can  be  compared  with 
Jesus,  as  the  Object  of  human  afifection  ?  He  was  admired  and  loved  on  earth  ;  but  since 
his  ascension  he  has  been  more  intensely  and  far  more  widely  admired  and  loved  by 
those  whom  he  has  left  behind  him.  In  a  word,  he  deserves  love ;  and  we  "  needs  must 
love  the  worthiest."  (2)Hi#love  to  us.  Christ's  is  no  cold,  elevated  dignity  and 
excellence.  He  is  a  Being  of  benevolence,  compassion,  and  tenderness ;  and  these 
quaUties  he  has  displayed  towards  us.  His  love  and  kindness  to  men  are  simply  the 
expression  of  his  holy,  gracious  nature.  He  first  loved  us ;  and,  if  we  love  him  not,  we 
prove  our  insensibility  and  moral  debasement.  There  is  nothing  meanly  interested  and 
unworthy  in  the  love  Christ's  people  bear  him.  (3)  Especially  upon  his  sacrifice  and 
death.  "  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his 
friends ; "  and  this  proof  of  Divine  affection  Jesus  gave.  His  was  the  love  which  is 
"  stronger  than  death." 

"  WTiich  of  all  our  friends,  to  save  us, 

Could  or  would  have  shed  his  blood  ? 
But  Immanuel  died  to  have  us 

Reconciled  in  him  to  God. 
This  was  boundless  love  indeed : 
Jesus  is  a  Friend  in  need." 

2.  This  question  implies  that  Christ  is  solicitous  and  desirous  of  our  love.  Men  often 
seek  the  friendship  of  those  who  are  above  them  in  abilities,  in  station,  in  character,  in 
power.  Jesus  does  just  the  contrary  when  he  condescends  to  ask  our  love.  It  is  a 
proof  of  his  disinterested  and  benevolent  afifection,  that  Jesus  should  deign  to  address  to 


CH.  XXI.  1—26.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  519 

each  hearer  of  His  Word  the  question,  "Lovest  thou  me?"  3.  This  question  implies 
that  in  Christ's  view  our  love  towards  himself  is  of  vast  importance  to  us.  To  love 
him,  as  he  knows  full  well,  is  to  man  the  spring  of  the  truly  religious  life.  It  is  the 
surest  means  of  becoming  like  him.  Nay,  to  love  Christ  is  to  be  in  the  way  of  loving 
everything  that  is  good.  It  must  not  be  supposed  that  such  affection  is~the  merely 
sentimental  side  o"f^ligion ;  it  is  closely  connected  with  practice,  for  love  is  the 
divinely  ordered  motive  to  duty  and  service.  How  different  is  Christianity  from  other 
and  merely  human  religions !  These  teach  men  to  fear  God,  to  propitiate  God,  but  never 
to  love  God.  Jesus  draws  our  love  towards  himself,  and  thus  leads  us  into  love  to  God 
as  the  element  of  our  higher  life. 

II.  An  ardent  response.  In  the  case  of  Peter,  the  reply  to  our  Lord's  pointeil 
question  was  most  satisfactory.  It  may  well  be  jxjndered  as  an  example  for  us,  as 
Christians,  to  imitate.  It  was :  1.  An  affirmative  answer,  inconsistent  with  coldness, 
indifference,  and  mere  respect.  2.  A  modest  and  not  a  boastful  answer.  Peter  had 
endured  a  bitter  experience  of  the  mischief  of  self-confidence  and  boastfuluess ;  into 
this  sin  he  was  not  likely  again  to  fall.  3.  A  cordial  and  sincere  answer,  opposed  to 
merely  formal  and  verbal  profession.  4.  An  open  and  public  answer,  such  as  should 
ever  be  given  to  the  rightful  Lord  and  holy  Friend  of  man.  5.  A  consistent  answer- 
one  supported  by  a  life  of  loving  devotion.  6.  An  acceptable  and  accepted  answer. 
When  Jesus  asks  our  heart,  and  we  yield  it,  never  need  we  fear  lest  he  should  reject 
what  we  oflfer. — T. 

Ver.  18.^-  The  primacy  of  Peter.  The  career  of  St.  Peter  is  a  striking  instance  of 
elevation  from  obscurity  to  fame.  From  a  Galilcean  fisherman  he  was  promoted  to  the 
leadership  of  the  college  of  apostles,  and  has  for  centuries  been  revered  by  a  great  part 
of  the  Christian  world  as  the  earthly  head  of  the  Church.  The  ardour  of  his  love  and 
the  boldness  of  his  confessions  endeared  him  to  the  Master;  yet  his  self-confidence 
and  his  temporary  unfaithfulness  grieved  the  Master's  heart.  In  the  singular  alterna- 
tions of  feeling  and  conduct  he  reminds  us  of  David  in  the  older  dispensation.  Both 
have  gained  a  position  in  human  regard  which  the  cold  and  blameless  have  failed  to 
reach. 

I.  Peter  was  the  first  among  the  favoured  group  admitted  to  witness 
Christ's  glory  and  humiliation.  Peter,  James,  and  John  were  the  favoured  three 
who  beheld  the  glory  of  the  Son  of  man  upon  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  and  his 
woe  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane.  Not  only  is  his  name  mentioned  first,  but  precedence 
in  action  is  on  both  occasions  referred  to  him.  It  was  he  who  exclaimed  upon  the 
mount,  "  It  is  good  for  us  to  be  here,"  proposing  that  tents  should  be  reared  for  the 
illustrious  visitors  and  for  their  Lord.  It  was  he  who,  when  the  foes  of  Jesus  would 
have  arrested  him,  drew  the  sword  in  the  Master's  defence. 

II.  Peter  was  the  first  to  bear  witness  to  the  Lord's  Divinity.  What 
the  others  thought  of  Jesus  at  the  time  when  he  asked  them,  "  Whom  say  ye  that  I 
am?"  we  do  not  know;  but  it  is  recorded  that  Peter  promptly  and  boldly  replied, 
"  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God."  His  ready  apprehension  of  his 
Lord's  nature,  dignity,  and  office  gave  rise  to  the  cordial  acknowledgments  of  him  to 
whom  he  testified. 

III.  Peter  was  the  first  of  the  apostles  to  bear  witness  to  Christ's 
resurrection  from  the  dead.  When  on  the  evening  of  the  day  the  disciples  met, 
the  subject  for  wonder  and  for  rejoicing  was  that  the  Lord  had  ajipeared  unto  Simon. 
And  Paul  tells  us  that  after  his  resurrection  Jesus  was  seen  first  of  Cephas.  It  is 
recorded  that,  upon  receiving  tidings  from  the  women,  Peter  with  John  hurried  to  the 
empty  tomb;  it  must  have  been  soon  after  this  that  this  apostle  was  favoured  with 
the  interview  twice  referred  to  in  the  New  Testament. 

IV.  Peter  was  the  first,  after  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  preach  the 
Gosi-el  to  his  fellow-men.  The  record  in  the  Book  of  the  Acts  is  explicit  ujwn  this 
jwint.  Peter,  standing  up  with  the  eleven,  lifted  up  his^  voice  and  spake  forth  to  the 
people,  proclaiming  the  Lordship  and  Messiahship  of  tlTe  Kisen  One,  and  announcing 
through  him  remission  of  sins  to  the  jjenitent  and  believing.  In  this  he  was  the  mouth- 
piece of  the  Christian  community,  and  the  leader  of  the  great  company  who  published 
the  Word  of  the  Lord. 


520  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xxi.  1—25. 

V.  Peter  was  the  first  among  Christian  confessors  to  endure  and  defy  the 
BAGE  OF  THE  PERSECUTOR.  In  the  fourth  and  fifth  chapters  of  the  Acts  we  have  the 
record  of  this  apostle's  boldness  when  confronted  with  the  enmity  of  the  rulers  among 
the  Jews.  How  dignified  was  his  demeanour,  how  faithful  was  his  testimony,  bow 
patient  was  his  endurance  of  hostility  and  of  persecution  for  Christ's  sake,  the  author  of 
that  book  makes  abundantly  apparent  to  every  reader. 

VI.  Peter  was  the  first  among  the  twelve  to  welcome  the  believing  Gen- 
tiles INTO  the  Christian  Church.  First  in  the  case  of  Cornelius,  and  then  upon 
the  occasion  of  what  is  called  the  Council  of  Jerusalem,  Peter  proved  himself  to  be 
possessed  with  the  Spirit  of  his  Lord,  in  whom  there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Gentile.  It 
was  he,  occupying  a  position  of  peculiar  authority  and  advantage,  who  may  be  said  to 
have  thrown  open  the  gates  of  the  Church  to  those  of  Gentile  descent.  Paul  was 
indeed  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles ;  but  if  we  turn  aside  from  the  speculations  of  the 
"  higher  criticism,"  and  confine  our  attention  to  historical  facts,  we  shall  see  it  was 
Peter  who  made  it  possible  to  widen  the  foundations  of  the  Church,  and,  without 
endangering  unity,  to  receive  the  believers  in  Christ  from  every  race  and  nation  into 
the  enjoyment  of  equal  privileges  and  hopes. 

VII.  Peter  was  the  first  concerning  whom  it  was  foretold  that  he  should 
SUFFER  A  death  OF  MARTYRDOM  FOR  THE  SAKE  OF  Christ.  It  is  Certainly  very  singular 
that  our  Lord  should  choose  the  moment  when  Peter  made  protestation  of  his  love  and 
devotion,  and  when  he  himself  formally  entrusted  Peter  with  authority  to  feed  the 
spiritual  flock,  as  the  moment  for  predicting  his  martyrdom,  particularly  foretelling  by 
what  death  he  should  glorify  God.  His  Epistles  assure  us  that  this  language  was  not 
lost  upon  the  faithful  servant,  but  that  he  learned  to  rejoice  in  the  prospect  of  partaking 
Christ's  sufferings. — T. 

Ver.  19. — God  glorified  in  death.  There  is  something  startling  in  this  language  of 
our  Lord.  God  is  .the  Giver  of  life ;  and  death,  according  to  the  scriptural  teaching, 
comes  by  sin.  In  life  God  is  glorified.  Yet,  as  Christianity  transmutes  dross  into  gold, 
it  is  credible  that  even  death  may  tend  to  the  Divine  glory.  In  the  case  of  Christians 
we  can  indeed  see  how  this  should  be  so. 

I.  The  Christian,  in  order  to  glorify  God  in  death,  must  first  glorify  him  in 
LIFE.  Such  was  conspicuously  the  case  with  Peter,  with  regard  to  whom  this  language 
was  first  employed.  Active  energies  were  consecrated  to  no  personal  end  of  self- 
advancement,  but  to  the  highest  end  of  life.  Similarly  with  every  Christian,  however 
lowly  his  position  and  however  brief  his  career.  Ihe  end  crowns  the  work.  He  who 
lives  well,  dies  well. 

II.  God  may  be  glorified  by  the  Christian's  death,  whether  that  death  be 
natural  or  violent.  In  the  case  of  Peter,  the  language  of  Jesus  evidently  pointed  to 
crucifixion  as  the  mode  of  that  apostle's  end.  And  in  the  early  age  of  Christianity 
there  were  evident  reasons  why  many  should  be  permitted  to  seal  their  testimony  by 
their  blood.  But  then  and  always  the  highest  purposes  may  be  secured  by  whatever 
mode  of  dissolution  Divine  providence  allows.  And  a  peaceful  decease,  though  it  may 
be  less  impressive  upon  men,  may  be  equally  acceptable  to  God,  and  perhaps  even 
equally  serviceable  to  survivors,  as  a  triumphant  martyrdom. 

HI.  The  spirit  in  which  death  is  met  by  Christians  is  glorifying  to  God. 
This  is  emphatically  the  spirit  of  submission.  Since  men  naturally  shrink  from  disso- 
lution, a  principle  of  especial  power  is  needed  in  order  to  overcome  this  tendency.  On 
the  part  of  some  dying  Christians  there  is  something  more  than  patient  acquiescence; 
there  is  joy  and  even  ecstasy  in  the  prospect  of  being  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better. 
But  even  where  such  experience  is  wanting,  there  may  be  the  manifestation  of  a  truly 
submissive  spirit.     God  is  glorified  in  the  patience  of  the  saints. 

IV.  God  is  glorified  by  the  results  which  the  Christian's  death  produces 
UPON  survivors.  The  consequences  which  flowed  from  the  early  martyrdoms  have 
been  o-enerally  acknowledged.  It  is  proverbial  that  "  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  is  the 
seed  of  the  Church."  Even  persecutors  have  been  touched  by  the  exhibition  of  con- 
stancy, fortitude,  and  expectation  of  glory  which  they  have  witnessed  on  the  part  of 
sufferers.  And  in  how  many  instances  have  children  traced  their  new  and  holier  life  to 
the  dying  confession  and  victory  of  their  Christian  parents !     Christ's  death  was  the 


CH.  XXI.  1—25.]    THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  €21 

life  of  the  world ;    and  the  death  of  his  followers  is  ever  fruitful  of  spiritual  and 
immortal  good. — T. 

Vers.  21,  22, — Curiosity  rebuked.  Peter  and  John  were  the  two  among  the  twelve 
who  were  nearest  to  Christ,  and  they  were  peculiarly  intimate  in  their  friendship  and 
congenial  in  their  disposition.  It  was  very  natural  that,  when  the  risen  Jesus  had 
uttered  so  explicit  a  prediction  concerning  the  future  of  the  apostle — viz.  that  he  should 
live  to  old  age,  and  then  should  glorify  God  by  enduring  a  martyr's  death  by  cruci- 
fixion— a  general  desire  should  be  aroused  in  the  breasts  of  the  disciples  to  know  some- 
thing of  the  future  history  and  the  end  of  John.  Especially  it  was  very  natural  that 
Peter  should  put  to  the  Lord  the  question  here  recorded.  Yet  Jesus  not  merely 
declined  to  comply  with  this  request,  he  even  rebuked  the  questioner  for  his  curiosity. 

I.  The  causes  of  curiosity.  1.  Of  these  one  is  good,  viz.  the  natural  desire  to 
know,  with  which  is  conjoined  that  sympathy  that  transfers  to  another  the  feelings  of 
interest  first  belonging  to  one's  self.  A  person  utterly  indifferent  to  the  prospects  of 
his  neighbours  would  be  regarded  as  morally  imperfect  and  defective.  2.  On  the  other 
hand,  there  is  something  of  evil  in  the  springs  of  curiosity,  inasmuch  as  this  habit  of 
mind  arises  very  much  from  the  tendency  to  remove  attention  from  principles,  and 
attach  it  to  persons.  He  who  thinks  only  of  principles  is  pedantic,  and  his  pedantry  is 
blamed ;  but  he  who  thinks  only  of  persons  and  of  what  happens  to  them  is  curious, 
and  his  disposition  is  condemned  as  trivial  and  prying.  Peter's  question  was  evidently 
regarded  by  our  Lord  in  this  latter  light. 

II.  The  mischief  of  curiosity.  In  two  respects  this  mental  habit  is  injurious.  1. 
There  is  a  great  danger  of  the  curious  man's  attention  beiug  drawn  away  from  what 
relates  to  himself  and  his  own  true  welfare.  2.  There  is  a  further  danger  lest  the 
curious  man  should  yield  to  the  temptation  to  indulge  in  gossip,  and  even  in  scandnl. 
It  is  not  easy  to  speculate  much  about  the  circumstances  and  prospects  of  others  with- 
out talking  about  their  afi'airs,  and  surmising  with  regard  to  matters  upon  which  we 
have  no  means  of  exact  knowledge. 

III.  'J  HE  REBUKE  AKD  CURE  OF  CURIOSITY.  The  language  of  the  Lord  Jesus  was  very 
emphatic  and  very  just.  1,  Let  every  man  remember  his  own  personal  responsibility. 
"  Follow  thou  me,"  said  Jesus  to  Peter.  We  are  not  accountable  for  our  neighbours, 
but  we  are  accountable  for  ourselves.  2.  Let  every  man  remember  that  the  case  of 
others  is  in  the  hands  of  Divine  wisdom  and  beneficence.  "If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till 
I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee? "said  Jesus;  i.e.  fear  not;  he  is  cared  for  equally  with 
thyself;  a  good  hand  is  over  him,  and  he  shall  not  be  forsaken.  There  is  often  good 
reas'in  for  us  to  bear  in  mind  the  somewhat  sharp  but  very  needful  rebuke  of  Christ, 
"  What  is  that  to  thee  ?"— T. 

Ver.  23. —  The  untrustworthiness  of  tradition.  Tradition  is  the  handing  down  from 
one  person  to  another  of  what  is  not  committed  to  writing.  It  is  customary  in  those 
primitive  societies  where  writing  is  unkno\vn.  It  is  practised  also  in  communities  more 
advanced  in  civilization,  when  there  is  some  special  reason  why  it  should  be  preferred  to 
documentary  preservation  and  transmission.  That  there  was  traditional  teaching  con- 
cerning our  Lord's  ministry  is  undoubted  ;  and  it  has  been  disputed  to  what  extent  our 
Gospels  embody  such  teaching.  But  this  passage  seems  to  have  been  inserted  here  as 
if  to  remind  us  how  carefully  coming  ages  of  the  Church  have  been  preserved  from  a 
fruitful  source  of  error. 

I.  There  were  peculiar  reasons  why  the  saying  here  recorded  should  have 
BEEN'  PRESKKVED  IN  ITS  INTEGRITY.  1.  In  this  case  the  saying  concerning  John  was 
a  saying  of  Christ,  and  as  such  might  be  supposed  to  bo  treasured  with  the  greatest 
care  and  reverence.  2.  It  was  uttered  in  the  hearing  of  the  select  friends  of  our  Lord, 
who,  if  any  could  do  so,  would  guard  it  from  corruption.  3.  The  apostles  of  Christ  must 
have  been  the  reporters  of  this  saying  to  their  fellow-Christians.  4.  The  person  con- 
cerning whom  the  tradition  went  abroad  was  living  at  the  time  that  the  misrepresenta- 
tion was  repeated. 

II.  Yet   AN   ALTOGETHER   ERRONEOUS   VERSION  OF   THIS   SAYING  WAS  CURRENT  IN  THE' 

EARLY  Church.     Although  Jesus  had  simply  said  to  Peter,  "If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till 
I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee?"  which  might   be  simply  a  strong  way  of  rebuking 


528  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.    [ch.  xxi.  1—25. 

curiosity,  or  an  intimation  that  John  should  survive  until  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem ; 
yet  there  went  abroad  a  notion  that  Jesus  had  expressly  assured  his  beloved  disciple 
that  he  should  never  die !  Could  there  be  a  more  remarkable  perversion  of  the  Lord's 
words  ?  a  more  signal  instance  of  the  untrustworthiness  of  oral  tradition  ?  Yet,  what 
happened  then  has  often  happened  before  and  since.  Passing  from  one  man's  lips  to 
another's,  facts  may  dissolve  into  fictions,  and  opinions  may  be  reversed. 

IIL  This  instance  suggests  how  wise  and  merciful  an  arrangement  is  that 

BY  WHICH  the  gospel  IS  NOT  LEFT   TO  ORAL  TRADITION,   BUT  HAS  BEEN  EMBODIED  IN 

authenticated  documents.  By  inspiring  his  apostles  to  commit  the  gospel  facts  to 
writing,  our  Lord  has  secured  us  against  the  mischiefs  attending  tradition.  The  truth 
cannot  be  injured  either  by  the  zeal  of  friends  or  by  the  malice  of  foes. 

Practical  lesson.  Eeaders  of  the  New  Testament  are  bound  in  reason  to  accept 
and  credit  what  there  is  no  room  for  any  candid  inquirer  to  distrust. — T. 

Ver.  24. —  Witness  authenticating  witness.  That  the  last  two  verses  of  this  Gospel 
are  not  the  composition  of  the  evangelist  whose  name  it  bears  is  plain  enough.  But  it 
is  almost  equally  plain  that  this  fact  does  not  detract  from  their  value,  but,  all  things 
considered,  rather  adds  to  it. 

I.  It  IS  EVIDENT   that  THIS   GoSPEL   WAS   KNOWN  TO   THE   CONTEMPORARIES  OF   THE 

Apostle  John.  Whoever  wrote  these  supplementary  sentences,  this  appendix  to  the 
treatise,  it  is  clear  that  the  treatise  itself  was  in  his  hands,  and  that  he  added  his 
witness  in  the  earliest  age,  and  in  all  likelihood  while  the  aged  John  was  still  living. 

II.  John  himself  was  known  by  the  writer  of  this  appendix  to  be  the  author 
OF  the  Gospel.  No  one  who  is  unprejudiced  can  suppose  that  this  addition  was  made 
long  after  the  writer  was  dead,  and  longer  still  after  the  death  of  the  great  Subject 
of  the  memoir.  We  have  not  here  the  record  of  an  opinion ;  it  is  not  the  case  of  an 
anonymous  Christian  giving  expression  to  his  judgment  that,  as  a  matter  of  criticism, 
John  was  probably  the  author  of  the  Gospel.  "  We  know,"  he  says — speaking  for  others 
as  well  as  for  himself — "  that  his  [the  beloved  disciple's]  testimony  is  true."  Th'ey  had 
doubtless  heard  many  of  the  contents  of  the  book  from  the  lips  of  John  himself,  and 
they  had  doubtless  heard  the  aged  apostle  acknowledge  the  authorship. 

III.  The  verse  contains  a  guarantee  of  the  veracity  of  John.  In  stating  that 
they  knew  that  John's  testimony  was  true,  the  guarantors  and  attestors  must  have 
been  deliberately  laying  claim  to  independent  sources  of  information.  What  more 
reasonable  than  to  believe  that  they  had  seen  and  listened  to  some  who  had  been 
witnesses  of  the  Lord's  death  and  of  his  resurrection-life  ?  They  may  not  only  have 
entertained  other  apostles  at  Ephesus ;  they  may  have  visited  Jerusalem,  and  have  seen 
those  who  in  their  youth  had  seen  the  Lord.  In  many  ways  they  may  have  satisfied 
themselves  that  the  records  of  John  were  not  "  cunningly  devised  fables ;  "  that  he  had 
spoken  what  his  eyes  had  seen  and  his  ears  had  heard  of  the  Word  of  life. 

IV.  The  witness  thus  borne  to  the  Gospel  confirms  its  claim  upon  our 
reverent  attention  and  faith.  This  was  the  intention  with  which  the  appendix 
was  added.  And  as  the  interest  and  value  of  the  document  centre  in  the  Being  to  whom 
it  mainly  relates,  wo  may  justly  acknowledge  that  we  are  imder  a  moral  obligation  to 
study  the  testimony  borne.  The  Gosj^el  of  John  is  to  be  treated  as  an  ordinary  book 
in  so  far  that  its  acceptance  as  credible  depends  upon  evidence  of  an  appropriate  and 
convincing  character.  But  its  contents  are  far  from  ordinary;  they  are  so  extraordinary 
that  it  is  reasonable  and  right  for  the  reader  to  look  for  a  valid  foundation  for  his 
credence.  And  inasmuch  as  the  manifest  purpose,  the  professed  purpose,  for  which  the 
Gospel  was  written  was  to  produce  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  we  shall  only  receive 
the  testimony  of  this  unnamed  but  credible  and  veracious  attestor  so  as  to  secure 
our  highest  enlightenment  and  welfare,  if  we  are  convinced  that  Jesus  Christ  is  indeed 
the  Son  of  God  and  the  Saviour  of  mankind.  Even  assent  to  historical  truth  is  insufli- 
cient ;  for  this  is  the  means  to  an  end,  and  that  end  is  "  saving  faith." — T. 

Vers.  15 — 17. — The  pastoral  office.     Notice — 

I.  The  love  required.  1.  Jn  some  of  its  leading  features.  (1)  It  is  the  highest 
order  of  love.  "  Lovest  (d-yoiras)  thou,"  etc.  ?  Love  varies  in  its  quality,  from  the 
common  love  of  man  to  man  up  to  the  most  spiritual  and  Divine  love  of  the  soul  to 


en.  XXI.  1—25.]      THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  523 


God.  The  love  required  of  the  shepherd  is  the  latter,  nlthouf^h  the  former  is  by  no 
means  to  be  desi>isid,  bnt  is  advantageous.  (2)  It  is  the  liighost  order  of  love  to  Christ. 
"  Lovest  thon  me  f  "  This  high  honour,  devotion,  and  attachment  must  be  felt  towards 
Jesus — his  Person,  his  character,  his  cause,  and  grand  purposes  of  salvation.  Christ  in 
his  Person  and  character  demands  the  hiszhest  devotions  of  the  heart  and  soul.  (3)  It 
is  the  highest  order  of  personal  love  to  Christ.  "  Lovest  thou"  etc.  ?  It  nuist  not  be 
merely  historical,  but  experimental.  Not  the  love  of  some  one  else,  but  that  of  the 
individual  himself — the  fire  of  his  own  heart,  the  glow  of  his  own  allections,  the  enthu- 
siasm of  his  own  soul,  and  the  warm  devotion  of  his  own  feelings.  There  is  much  that 
is  borrowed  and  second-hand  in  religious  experience  and  Christian  love.  Christ  requires 
the  really  experienced  love  of  the  individual.  (4)  It  is  the  highest  order  of  love  to 
Christ  in  the  greatest  degree.  "  More  than  these" — more  than  the  other  disciples  love 
me.  This  doubtless  has  a  retrospective  reference  to  Peter's  jirofession  of  love,  and 
serves  as  a  rebuke;  but  it  has  a  prospective  reference  to  the  fulfilment  of  personal  love 
in  the  future,  and  serves  as  a  guide  and  inspiration.  Love  to  him  is  not  only  to  be  of 
the  best  quality,  but  also  of  the  greatest  quantity.  It  should  strive  to  excel.  Christ 
is  to  be  supreme  in  the  heart,  and  occupy  the  throne  without  a  successful  competitor. 
2.  In  its  supreme  importance.  (1)  It  is  important  to  the  disciple  himself,  (a)  As  the 
test  of  his  Christian  character.  The  possession  or  non-possession  of  luve  dot'ides  at 
once  his  relationship  to  Christ.  Without  love  he  is  none  of  his  ;  with  it  he  is  Christ's 
disciple,  {h)  As  the  sum  of  his  Christian  being.  What  a  man's  love  is,  he  is  to 
Christ.  Love  only  weighs  in  the  Christian  balance.  A  man  may  be  all  things,  but 
without  love  he  is  nothing  ;  in  the  absence  of  love  every  excellence  goes  for  nothing. 
It  is  the  sum  and  soul  of  our  Christian  being,  (c)  As  the  essential  qualification  for 
Christian  service.  It  is  the  only  basis,  inspiration,  and  support  of  Christian  work  and 
usefulness.  Great  faith  may  make  a  great  hero,  great  intellect  may  make  a  great 
scientist ;  but  great  love  alone  can  maice  a  great  preacher  and  missionary.  (2)  It  is 
important  in  relation  to  Jesus,  (a)  He  is  anxious  that  all  should  love  him.  Hence 
the  question.  A  cold  Stoic  cares  not  for  the  love  of  others ;  but  a  loving  nature  craves 
to  be  loved.  He  who  is  love,  and  came  on  an  errand  of  infinite  love,  is  anxious  to  be 
loved  of  all.  (b)  He  is  anxious  to  know  how  all  feel  towards  him,  especially  his 
disciple  and  candidate  for  apostleship.  He  is  anxious  to  learn  from  his  own  lips  the 
true  sentiment  of  his  heart,  (c)  Only  those  who  specially  love  him  can  be  of  special 
and  real  use  to  him.  He  wants  shepherds,  workers,  preachers, and  soldiers;  but  only 
those  who  love  him  supremely  are  eligible  for  his  service,  especially  to  be  shejiherds 
of  his  flock.  3.  In  its  special  trial.  (1)  It  is  tried  by  Christ.  He  asks  his  all- 
important  question.  He  is  the  Examiner  and  Judge,  and  he  alone  is  fit  for  this  oflice. 
He  alone  knows  what  is  in  man.  (2)  The  trial  is  'personal.  Christ  stood  face  to  face 
with  Peter,  and  asked  him,  "  Lovest,"  etc.  ?  The  trial  of  love  is  still  between  the  soul 
and  Christ.  The  personal  Christ  comes  to  the  soul  and  asks,  "  Lovest  thou  me  ?  " 
The  candidate  for  the  ministry  may  be  questioned  by  the  Church  through  some  of  its 
officials;  but  the  real  examination  is  that  in  the  human  heart  by  the  ever-living  and 
present  Saviour.  (3)  The  t'ial  is  most  searching.  The  question  is  thrice  repeated, 
almost  in  the  same  words.  It  rang  in  his  ears,  i)enetrated  his  heart,  went  through  and 
through  his  whole  moral  being,  and  stirred  his  soul  unto  its  very  foundation.  4.  In  its 
satisfactory  evidence.  (1)  The  evidence  of  his  imvard  consciousness.  He  felt  in  his 
very  heart  that  he  loved  him.  His  inmost  spirit  testified  to  this.  (2)  The  evidence 
of  his  public  confession.  He  emphatically  answers  to  the  question,  "  I  do  love  thee." 
There  is  no  hesitation,  but,  with  every  rei)etition  of  the  question,  his  affirmative  answer 
is  growingly  earnest.  (3)  The  evidence  of  the  perfect  knowledge  of  Jesus.  At  each 
answer  he  appeals  to  this.  "Thou  knowest,"  etc.  He  is  willing  to  be  judged  by  his 
past  conduct  in  spite  of  bis  denial.  He  had  confidence  in  his  Judge.  He  was  conscious 
of  his  omniscience,  and  still  to  this  he  confidently  appeals.  (4)  The  evidence  of  his 
modest  self -distrust.  He  had  more  confidence  in  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  than  in  hia 
own.  He  finally  leaves  the  matter  with  his  Judge.  This  is  unlike  old  Peter;  there 
must  have  been  some  inflow  of  new  life  and  light.  At  his  third  repetition  of  the 
question  he  was  grieved ;  if  he  was  not,  we  should  be  inclined  to  grieve  for  him.  It 
was  human  and  Christian  to  feel  so.  It  was  the  natural  pain  of  sincere  love  at  being 
questioned,  its  blush  at  being  apparently  doubted — a  strong  evidence  of  its  sincerity. 


524  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.     [ch.  xxi.  1—25. 

(5)  The  direct  evidence  of  Jesus.  "  Feed  ray  lambs."  This  was  a  final  proof  that  his 
love  was  genuine.  Christ  would  not  entrust  his  lambs  but  to  the  bosom  of  genuine 
love,  nor  his  sheep  but  to  the  arms  of  warm  affection.  His  employment  in  his  service 
was  the  strongest  proof  of  the  sincerity  of  his  love. 

II.  The  skevice  demanded.  1.  TJiis  service  is  special.  "  Feed  my  lambs,"  etc. 
(1)  Christ  has  his  lambs  and  sheep.  He  has  his  little,  weak,  young,  helpless,  ignorant 
and  wayward  ones  ;  and  he  also  has  some  that  are  more  mature  and  strong.  (2)  T?iese 
require  feeding.  Neither  the  weak  nor  the  strong  can  live  without  food.  The  weak 
are  not  too  weak  to  take  it,  the  strong  are  not  too  strong  to  require  it.  Food  is  as 
essential  to  the  health  and  growth  of  spiritual  life  as  it  is  of  the  physical.  (3)  It  is 
the  special  duty  of  the  pastor  to  supply  them  ivithfood.  The  provision  must  be  appro- 
priate and  suitable  in  quality  and  quantity.  It  must  be  spiritual,  and  not  carnal  and 
material.  It  must  be  real,  and  not  illusive.  Souls  will  starve  if  they  have  to  breakfast 
on  mere  rhetoric,  dine  on  mere  words,  and  sup  on  empty  ceremonies.  The  food  must 
be  appropriate,  plentiful,  and  timely  ;  otherwise  the  sheep  and  lambs  of  Christ  will  not 
thrive.  2.  The  service  is  various.  (1)  Some  portions  of  it  are  comparatively  easy  and 
simple.  "  Feed  my  lambs."  Compared  with  other  portions  of  the  pastoral  office,  this 
is  simple.  It  embraces  the  first  elements  of  knowledge,  the  first  principles  of  truth, 
the  alphabet  of  Christianity,  and  the  milk  of  the  Word.  (2)  Some  portions  of  it  are 
viore  difficult  and  honourable.  "  Tend  and  feed  my  sheep."  This  requires  great 
wisdom,  intellect,  and  spiritual  power  and  penetration  to  dive  down  for  the  hidden 
treasures,  and  climb  some  of  the  higher  branches  of  the  tree  of  life  for  the  ripest  fruits. 
(3)  The  various  portions  of  the  office  demand  all  our  energies.  Food  must  be  provided 
and  wisely  administered.  This  will  involve  thought,  search,  energy,  and  tender  care, 
and  will  demand  all  the  vitality  of  head  and  heart;  and  this  must  be  supplied  by  the 
great  Shepherd.  (4)  Those  tvho  faithfully  perform  the  simplest  duties  of  the  service 
are  fitted  and  allowed  to  perform  the  most  difficult  and  honourable.  He  who  is  willing 
and  able  to  feed  the  lambs  is  allowed  to  feed  the  sheep.  Those  who  teach  the  young 
in  the  Sunday  school  are  specially  trained  to  teach  the  more  advanced  in  the  congre- 
gation. Those  who  are  faithful  over  a  few  things  shall  rule  over  many.  If  you  will 
not  feed  the  lambs,  who  will  entrust  you  the  sheep?  (5)  The  performance  of  the 
simplest  portions  of  the  service  requires  the  m,ost  love.  After  the  answer  to  the  question, 
"  Lovest  thou  me  more  than  these  ? "  Jesus  said,  "  Feed  my  lambs."  To  feed  and 
nurse  the  little,  weak,  and  invalid  ones  requires  tenderer  and  more  patient  love  than  to 
satisfy  the  strong  and  healthy.  If  the  latter  require  more  wisdom  and  eloquence,  the 
former  require  more  love.  The  father  will  rule  and  instruct  the  healthy  and  robust  of 
his  family  ;  but  the  mother  alone  will  nurse  the  babe,  and  watch  over  the  invalid  child. 
The  more  honourable  portions  of  Christian  service  may  be  performed  from  the  love 
of  fame,  popularity,  and  self-interest ;  but  its  drudgery  can  scarcely  be  inspired  by 
anything  but  the  pure  love  of  Christ.  If  you  wish  to  manifest  disinterested  love  for 
Christ,  feed  his  lambs,  and  this  is  the  only  training  for  advancement.  3.  This  is  a 
service  which  can  only  be  properly  performed  by  supreme  love  to  Christ.  (1)  This  alone 
can  make  it  possible.  It  involves  physical,  mental,  and  spiritual  energy,  and  self- 
sacrifice,  tender  and  patient  care  and  watching ;  and  these  can  only  be  inspired  and 
sustained  by  supreme  love  to  Christ.  (2)  This  alone  can  make  it  valuable  to  the 
shepherd,  to  the  sheep,  and  to  Christ.  (3)  This  alone  can  make  it  pleasant  and 
delightful.  Otherwise  it  will  be  a  burden  and  an  unbearable  drudgery ;  but  love  will 
make  its  most  unpleasant  duties  a  sweet  delight.  (4)  This  alone  can  make  it  really 
successful.  The  food  provided  and  administered  in  love  will  alone  be  multiplied  and 
blessed;  and  in  its  participation  the  lambs  and  sheep  of  Christ  will  lie  down  in  green 
pastures,  beside  the  still  waters. 

Lessons,  1.  It  was  proper  that  Peter's  love  should  be  severely  tried.  This  was 
required  by  the  nature  of  the  case.  He  denied  Christ  thrice,  and  thrice  was  the 
question  of  love  put  to  him.  A  damaged  vessel  must  be  well  examined  and  repaired 
before  being  sent  to  sea  again.  2.  The  omniscience  of  the  Master  is  a  great  comfort  to 
the  sincere  servant.  On  account  of  his  essential  failings  and  shortcomings  at  best,  he 
is  liaHe  to  be  upon  the  whole  misguided  by  men ;  but  from  their  petty  court  he  can 
appeal  to  the  "  King's  bench,"  and,  if  right  there,  he  has  a  consolation  in  the  duties  of 
his  office,  which  will  inspire  him  in  all  difficulties,  and  which  no  man  can  take  away. 


CH.  XXI.  1—25.]      THE  GOSPEL   ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.  525 

3.  Let  the  pastor  ever  remember  that  the  sheep  are  not  his  own,  hut  Christ's.  Although 
he  is  the  shepherd,  the  provider,  and  the  feeder,  yet  he  is  not  the  owner.  Their  owner 
is  Christ,  and  let  them  be  treated  as  such  in  all  their  peculiarities  and  failings  for  liis 
sake.  4.  Those  who  love  Christ  are  commissioned  by  him  to  do  his  ivork.  Let  the  fact 
of  personal,  genuine  love  to  him  be  established,  and  their  commission  follows  as  a 
matter  of  course.  Love  to  Christ  is  entitled  to  work  for  him,  and  will  work  for  him. 
It  will  ever  find  employment,  and  the  fidelity  with  which  it  performs  its  duties  is  the 
final  proof  of  its  power  and  sincerity.  In  the  degree  we  love  Christ  we  shall  feed  and 
tend  his  lambs  and  sheep. — B.  T. 

Ver.  1. — A  new  manifestation  on  an  old  scene.  I.  The  old  scene.  This  verse  gets 
all  its  SHggestiveuess  just  as  we  remember  the  place  which  Jesus  chose  for  this  jjar- 
ticular  manifestation.  Persons  and  time  and  place  were  all  combined  together  into  one 
complete  lesson  of  truth.  Capernaum  stood  on  that  sea,  the  one  place  that  came  nearest 
to  a  home  for  him  who  all  the  years  of  his  public  life  had  no  true  home.  While  walk- 
ing on  the  margin  of  its  water.*,  Jesus  called  his  first  disciples  to  become  "  fishers 
of  men"  (Luke. v.  1 — 11).  To  the  disciples  of  Jesus  gathered  on  tlie  shores  of  this 
lake  everything  should  have  been  eloquent  with  stirring  memories  of  their  Master. 
Everything  in  the  way  of  circumstance  and  association  was  m*le,  as  far  as  it  could  be, 
into  a  hook  and  a  help. 

II.  What  was  changed  since  the  company  had  been  there  before  ?  The 
interval  could  not  have  been  very  long ;  yet  what  momentous  things  had  happened  in 
it  1  There  was  no  change  to  speak  of  in  the  scene ;  a  spectator  from  some  coign  of 
vantage  would  have  seen  pretty  much  the  same  as  before.  Nor  would  there  be  much 
change  in  the  disciples.  A  great  preparation  was  going  on ;  but  the  change  itself  had 
yet  to  come.  But  in  Jesus  himself,  what  a  glorious  change  1  The  mortal  had  put 
on  immortality,  the  corruptible  had  put  on  incorruption.  A  great  gulf  separated  him 
and  his  disciples — an  immense  difference  added  on  to  all  the  differences  existing  before. 
Best  of  all,  the  difference  was  laden  with  hope  and  encouragement  for  all  who  could 
look  at  it  in  the  right  way.  The  change  in  Jesus  heralded  and  initiated  a  change  in 
every  one  of  these  disciples,  and  through  them  a  change  in  many  with  whom  they 
would  have  to  deal. 

III.  The  essential  Jesus  still  remained.  He  had  not  to  make  confession  of 
former  errors  and  new  discoveries.  The  change  in  Jesus  was  but  a  metamorphosis ;  the 
change  in  the  disciples  was  a  regeneration.  Jtsus  would  look  different,  for  he  had  put 
on  the  body  of  his  glory.  Before  long,  the  disciples,  looking  outwardly  the  same,  would 
have  been  profoundly  changed. 

IV.  The  need  of  a  new  manifestation  to  us  in  the  old  scenes  of  our  life. 
Most  people  have  to  spend  their  days  among  scenes  that  are  as  familiar  to  them  as 
ever  the  shores  of  Galilee  were  to  these  seven  disciples.  Life  may  become  very  dull 
and  monotonous  in  these  circumstances.  But  a  manifestation  of  Jesus  will  make  a 
wondrous  change.  Then,  and  only  then,  will  there  be  sense  and  comfort  in  the  utter- 
ance, that  "  old  things  have  passed  away,  and  all  things  become  new."  The  Galiliean 
cities  are  gone  long  ago  ;  but  humanity  remains,  needing  all  the  manifestations  of  Jesus 
as  much  as  ever  it  did, — Y. 

Yer.  15. — An  under-shepherd's  great  necessity.  Reasons  based  on  previous  experiences 
of  Peter  will  at  once  suggest  themselves  as  explaining  why  the  question  of  Jesus  was 
addressed  to  Peter  rather  than  another  disciple.  But  the  best  reason  of  all  is  that 
Jesus  knows  best  whom  to  ask,  and  when.  There  was  need  why  Peter  should  be 
especially  addressed  ;  but  the  other  listeners  were  not  shut  out.  Love  to  Jesus  was  as 
much  a  necessity  and  a  duty  to  the  other  six  as  to  Peter. 

I.  Look  at  the  question  in  the  light  of  the  "  thou."  "  Lovest  thou  me  ?  " 
Jesus  addressed  no  stranger,  no  occasional  acquaintance,  but  the  constant  companion 
and  servant  over  a  very  considerable  time.  Jesus  cannot  come  to  a  stranger  with  this 
question.  But  who  of  us  should  be  able  to  plead  the  stranger's  plea?  Have  we  not 
heard  the  forerunner's  voice,  "  Repent "  ?  Have  we  not  heard  the  Master's  voice, 
**  Follow  me  "?  What  a  solemn  reminder  t^is  question  contains  of  the  headway  some 
of  us  may  have  to  make  up !     It  is  very  plain  that  such  a  question  must  bo  preceded 


526  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.      [ch.  xxi.  1— 25. 

by  dealings  leading  up  to  love.  A  mother  can  say,  "  Lovest  thou  me  ?  "  to  a  child  that 
never  remembers  the  time  when  that  mother's  face  was  not  the  most  familiar  object. 
But  the  same  woman  cannot  say  to  a  strange  child,  on  her  very  first  meeting  with  it, 
"  Lovest  thou  me  ?  "  She  will  have  to  do  something  before  love  can  spring  up.  If  we 
have  not  had  experiences  of  repenting  and  of  endeavouring  to  follow  Jesus,  it  is  vain 
for  us  to  listen  and  wait,  as  if  love  to  Jesus  would  spring  up  mysteriously  without 
apparent  cause. 

II.  Look  at  the  question  in  the  light  of  the  "  me."  In  a  few  days  Peter  will 
have  entered  on  a  new  and  momentous  chapter  of  life,  where  everything  will  depend  on 
the  completeness  of  his  devotion  to  Jesus.  He  will  not  be  of  the  slightest  use  if  he  is 
to  be  a  man  of  divided  interests  and  fluctuating  attachments.  He  is  to  be  a  shepherd 
of  the  flock  of  Jesus,  and  it  wiU  take  all  his  energy  and  all  his  care.  The  comparison 
is  ever  being  instituted  between  the  claims  of  Jesus  and  the  claims  of  self.  Jesus 
must  be  first  and  last,  and  all  that  lies  between.  If  Jesus  is  just  to  tinge  our  lives 
with  a  superficial  influence,  and  modify  our  selfishness  a  little,  we  shall  do  little  indeed 
for  his  sheep.  Why  should  we  serve  the  world  by  candlelight  when  we  can  do  it  by 
sunlight?  why  by  twilight,  when  we  can  do  it  by  noonday?  "We  ere  bound  to  do 
our  very  best  for  men,  and  we  can  only  do  it  by  being  servants  of  Jesus.  We  do  more 
than  others,  because  w^  are  able  to  do  more. 

III.  Look  at  the  question  in  the  light  of  the  "lovest."  The  feeling  of  love 
is  seed  and  soil  to  everything  else.  Love  binds  the  "  thou  "  and  the  "  me "  together. 
Mere  admiration  of  Jesus  will  do  nothing.  The  love  of  Jesus  is  the  only  effectual 
fountain  to  wash  away  the  selfishness  continually  rising  in  our  hearts,  and  especially 
will  the  love  of  Jesus  keep  us  from  becoming  weary  of  loving  the  loveless.  The  sin- 
stricken  life,  the  heart  polluted  with  evil  thoughts  and  affections,  needs  love.  Yet  love 
is  what  such  a  life  too  often  fails  to  get.  We  fall  most  naturally  into  speaking  angrily 
and  contemptuously  of  bad  people.  But  a  heart  full  of  living  love  to  Jesus,  with  him 
ever  in  observation,  will  love  and  pity  the  wicked  far  more  than  be  angry  with  them. 
Whatever  other  good  qualities  we  possess,  love  to  Jesus  must  crown  them.  If  only 
we  can  respond  fully  to  this  question  of  Jesus,  we  shall  escape  many  an  irritating 
thought,  many  a  vexatious  brooding  over  the  meannesses  and  duplicities  of  loau- 
kind.— Y. 


HOMILETICAL  INDEX 


TO 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


VOLUME   II. 


CHAPTER  rx. 

TRUn  PAGE 

Cure  of  the  Man  born  Blind             ...  15 

The  Investigation  of  the  Miracle      ...  16 

Tlie  Moral  Result  of  the  Miracle      ...  18 
Moral  Result  of  Christ's  Coming  into 

the  World          18 

The  Passage  of  a  Soul  from  Darkness 

into  Light         ...            ...            ...  19 

The  Final  Cause  of  Human  Sufifering  20 

The  Day  is  for  Labour        ...            ...  21 

Spiritual  Sight  contrasted  with  Spiri- 
tual Blindness  ...            ...            ...  22 

An  A^eal  for  Disciples     ...            ...  23 

The  Attestation  of  Christ's  Works  to 

his  Divinity       ...             ...            ...  24 

A  Heart  made  ready  for  Faith         ...  25 

Enlightening  and  Blinding  Power   ...  25 
The  Blind  Man  and  the  Sight-giving 

Saviour              ...            ...            ...  26 

A  Noble  Defence                 28 

A  Happy  Meeting               ...            ...  30 

The  Supreme  Worker  and  his  Oppor- 
tunity ...            ...            ...            ...  32 

Spontaneous  Judgment  and    Self-en- 
acting Verdict  ...            ...            ...  34 

Manifesting  the  Works  of  God          ...  37 

The  Limits  of  Opportunity                ...  38 

Excommunication                ...            ...  38 

The  Testimony  of  Individual  Blessing  39 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Allegory  of  the  Shepherd  ...      53 

Allegory  of  the  Door  ...  ...      54 


THEUE 

Allegory  of  the  Good  Shepherd 
Another     Visit    to     Jerusalem     and 

Another  Address 
The  Charge  of  Blasphemy  . .  . 
The  Brief  Sojourn  in  Persoa 
The  Shepherd  and  the  Sheep 
Christ  the  Door    ... 
Life  and  Abundance 
Mutual  Knowledge 
The  Great  Offering 
The  Sheep  of  the  Other  Fold 
The  Unity  of  the  Flock      ... 
Calumny  confuted 
The  Explanation  of  Unbelief 
The  Two  Missions 
The  Death  of  Christ 
The  Portal  of  Safety  and  Promise 
"  The  same  yesterday,  and  to-day, 

forever"  ... 

"  Quis  separabit  ?  "  ••• 

The  Familiar  Voice 
The  Fulness  of  Life  in  Jesus 
The  Good  Shepherd 
The  Dedicated  Life 
The  Father's  Perfect  Protection 


CHAPTER  XL 
The  Raising  of  Lazarus      ... 
Jesus  and  Martha  ... 

Jesus  and  Mary    ...  ... 

The  Miracle 

The   Effect    of  the   Miracle   on    the 
Siiectatora 


TAG* 

55 


.  56 

.  56 

.  57 
57,70 
58,64 

.  59 

.  60 

,.  60 

.  61 

,.  62 

,.  63 

.  64 

,.  66 

.  68 

.  73 


and 


75 
77 
80 
80 
81 
82 
83 


100 
102 
103 
103 

104 


INDEX. 


THEME  PAGE 

The  Decision  of  the  Sanhedrin         ...  101 

A  Brief  Period  of  Retirement           ...  105 

Jesus  as  a  Friend...            ...            ...  105 

Sleeping  and  Waking         ...            ...  106 

The  Absence  of  Jesus          ...            ...  107 

The  Living  and  Life-giving  Lord    ...  107 

A  Good  Confession             ...    •        ...  108 

The  Coming  and  the  Call  of  Christ  ...  109 
Unavailing  Kegrets  and  Unfounded 

Fancies              ...            ...            ...  109 

The  Tears  of  Jesus              ...            ...  110 

A  Significant  Admission     ...            ...  Ill 

Selfishness  blinds  Men  to  Righteous- 
ness    ...            ...            ...            ...  112 

The  Counsel  of  Caiaphas    ...            ...  113 

Three  Views  of  Three  Vital  Subjects  114 

Good  in  Apparent  Evil       ...            ...  116 

Martha's  Faith     ...            ...            ...  117 

Martha's  and  Mary's  Faith                ...  120 

The  Saviour's  Tears            ...            ...  122 

The  Vision  of  the  Divine  Glory        ...  123 

Death  and  Sleep  ...            ...            ...  126 

Martha's  and  Mary's  Comforters       ...  127 

The  Teacher  wanting  his  Disciple   ...  127 

Why  these  Tears ?               ...            ...  128 

Mistaken  Patriotism           ,„            ...  128 

CHAPTER  XIL 

The  Supper  at  Bethany      ...            ...  149 

The  Triumphal  Entry  into  Jerusalem  150 
The  Interview  of   the  Greeks    with 

Christ 151 

The  Causes  of  Jewish  Unbelief  ...  153 
A  Movement  Christward  among  the 

Chief  Rulers      ...            ...            ...  153 

The     Responsibilities    attaching    to 

Jewish  Unbelief               ...             ...  154 

The  Odorous  Offering         ...             ...  154 

The  Desire  to  see  Jesus      ...            ...  155 

The  Hour  of  Glory              ...            ...  156 

Death  and  Fruitfulness       ...            ...  156 

Service  and  Reward            ...            ...  158 

The  Soul-Conflict  of  Christ                ...  158 

Divine  Attraction...             ...             ...  159 

The  Son  of  Man    ...            ...            ...  160 

Light  on  the  Path               ...            ...  161 

"Sons  of  Light" 162 

The  Knowledge  of  the  Eternal  through 

Christ 162 

The  Immortal  Box  of  Ointment        ...  166 

Jesus  and  his  Enemies        ...            ...  168 

Through  Trouble  to  Triumph           ...  170 


THEME  PAGE 

The  Saving  Influence  of  Christ        ...  172 

Christ's  Farewell  Sermon  to  the  Public  173 

A  Good  Work  wrought  in  Season     ...  174 

"  Mors  janua  Vitse  "            ...            ...  177 

A  Sister's  Expression  of  Gratitude  ...  179 

The  Triumphal  Entry        ...            ...  ISO 

The  Fruitfulness  of  the  Dying  Jesus  180 

The  Father  glorifying  his  Name       ...  181 

The  All-attracting  Jesus     ...             ...  182 

A  Warning  to  the  Traveller              ...  183 

Believing,  yet  not  Confessing           ...  183 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Farewell  Token  of  Christ's   Love  to 

his  Disciples     ...            ...            ...  197 

The  Washing  of  the  Disciples'  Feet ...  198 
The  Explanation  of  the  Washing  of 

the  Disciples'  Feet          ...             ...  199 

The  Exception  to  this  Blessedness  of 

the  Disciples     ...            ...            ...  199 

The  Dismissal  of  Judas      ...            ...  200 

Separation  and  its  Issue     ...            ...  200 

Christ's  Constancy  of  Love                ...  201 

Christ's  Consciousness  of  his  Mission  20  2 

Mastership  and  Subjection  ...            ...  203 

Humility  and  Mutual  Service           ...  203 

The  Supreme  Example       ...            ...  205 

The   Blessedness  of  Intelligent  Obe- 
dience...           ...            ...            ...  206 

A  Disciple  and  yet  a  Traitor             ...  207 

The  Intimate  Friend  of  Jesus           ...  208 

Mutual  Love         ...            ...            ...  209 

Promptness  in  following  Jesus          ...  210 

Jesus  loving  to  the  End      ...            ...  211 

Jesus  and  the  Traitor          ...            ...  212 

The  New  Commandment    ...            ...  215 

A  Last  Act  of  Love             ...            ...  217 

The  Lordship  of  Jesus         ...            ...  217 

The  Happiness  of  Christian  Activity  21 8 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Comfort  under  Separation  ...            ...  232 

Thomas's  Questioning        ...            ...  233 

Philip's  Questioning           ...             ...  233 

The  Nature  and  Conditions  of  Christ's 

Manifestation    ...            ...            ...  235 

The  Promise  of  a  Fuller  Revelation 

and  of  an  Abiding  Peace               ...  235 
The  Propriety  of  the  Disciples'  Glad- 
ness at  Christ's  Exaltation             ...  235 
The  Crisis  at  Hand             ...            ...  236 


INDEX. 


THEME  PAGE 

The  Revelation  made  to  Faith  ...     236 

The  Way  to  God  ...             ...  ...     238 

Christ  the  Truth  ...            ...  ...     239 

Christ  the  Life     ...            ...  ...     240 

The  Greater  Works             ...  ...     241 

Christiau  Prayer  ...            ...  ...     242 

Love,  the  Christiau  Motive  to  Obedi- 
ence   ...            ...            ...  ...     243 

"Another  Comforter"         ...  244,263 

Hidden,  yet  Revealed         ...  ...     245 

Life  in  Christ        ...            ...  ...     246 

Fidelity  rewarded                ...  ...     246 

The  Bequest  of  Peace         ...  ...     247 

Anticipation          ...             ...  ...     248 

Faith  banishing  Fear          ...  ...     248 

The  Desired  Vision              ...  ...     250 

Love  and  Obedience             ...  ...     252 

The  Comforts  of  Christ        ...  ...     254 

The  Special  Legacy  of  Jesus  to  his 

Disciples           ...            ...  ...     257 

Trouble  on  the  Surface,  Peace  in  the 

Depths               ...             ...  ...     259 

The  Work  of  the  Ascended  Jesus  ...     260 
Ample  Supply  for  Three  Great  Needs    260 

Acquaintance  and  yet  Ignorance  ...     261 
The  Greater  Works  of  the  Believer  ...     262 

Asking  in  the  Name  of  Jesus  ...     262 

Separated,  but  not  Orphaned  ...     264 
What  makes  the  True  Manifestation 

Possible             ...            ...  ...     264 

How  the  Teaching  of  Jesus  becomes 

Abiding  and  Eftectual     ...  ...     265 

A  Priceless  Legacy             ...  ...     266 

CHAPTER   XV. 

The  Vine  and  the  Branches      276,  279,  295 

The  Condition  of  Abiding  under  the 

Power  of  Christ's  Love    ...  ...     277 

The  Disciples  and  the  World  ...     278 

The  Divine  Vinedresser      ...  ...     280 

Apart  from  Christ               ...  ...     280 

Divine  Joy             ...             ...  ...     281 

Christ's  Friendship  for  his  People  ...     281 

Our  Friendship  for  Christ  ...  ...     282 

Cl\oice  and  Appointment     ...  ...     283 

The  World's  Hatred  284 

Unliclief  Inexcusable          ...  ...     285 

Witness,  Divine  and  Human  ...     286 

The  Vine  aiv\  the  Husbandman  ...     287 

The  Union  of  Christ  and  Believers  ...  288 
The  Joy  of  the  Master  and  the  Joy  of 

the  Disciples     ...            ...  ...     290 


The  Sin  of  neglecting  the  Saviour  ...  202 

Abiding  in  the  Love  of  Jesus  ...  295 

Servants  and  Friends  ...  ...  296 

Jesus,  the  Decider  and  Provider  ...  207 

The   World   hating   the   Servants  of 

Jesus  ...  ...  ...  ...  298 

The  Joint  Witnessing         ...  ...  298 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

A  W^arning  of  Future  Persecutions  ...  311 

The  Victory  of  the  Disciples  ...  311 

The  Spirit's  Office  is  not  confined  to 

the  Conviction  of  the  World  ...  312 

The  Departure  of  Jesus,  with  its  Ex- 
periences of  Sorrow  and  Joy  to  the 

Disciples  ...  ...  ...  313 

The  Consequences  of  Christ's  Ascen- 
sion to  the  Father  ...  ...  313 

The    Faith    now   acknowledged    was 

destined  to  be  severely  tried  ...  314 

Persecution  foreseen  and  foretold      ...  314 

The  Absorbing  Power  of  Sorrow       ...  315 

The  Advantages  of  Christ's  Departure  316 

Conviction  of  Sin  ...  ...  ...  317 

Conviction  of  Righteousness  ...  318 

Conviction  of  Judgment      ...  ...  319 

The  Guidance  of  the  Spirit  ...  320 

Grief  and  Gladness  ...  ...  320 

"  I  will  see  you  again "       ...  ...  321 

The  Father's  Love  ...  ...  322 

Words  of  Cheer     ...  ...  ...  323 

The  Expediency  of  Christ's  Departure  323 

An  Epitome  of  Christ's  History        ...  325 

Faith  in  Calm  and  Storm    ...  ...  327 

Christ  alone,  and  not  alone...  ...  329 

In  Christ  and  in  the  World  ...  331 

The  Christ  glorified  by  the  Spirit     ...  333 

Concerned  for  the  Stumbling-blocks  336 
Absent  in  the  Body,  present  by  the 

Spirit  ...  ...  ...  ...  336 

The  Convicting  Work  of  the  Spirit  ...  337 

How  to  get  at  the  Fulness  of  Truth  ...  338 

The  Ground  of  Successful  Prayer     ...  338 

The  Loneliness  of  Jesus      ...  ...  339 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

Christ's  Intercessory  Prayer  .,.    355 

Our  Lord's  Prayer  for  his  Disciples         356 
Christ's     Petition    for    his    Disciples 
supported  by  Various  Considerations    357 


ir 


INDEX. 


THBMB  PAGE 

The    World's    Hatred    and    Christ's 
Prayer  for  the  Disciples'  Safe  Keep- 
ing against  it  ...            ...            ...  358 

Christ's  Prayer  for  all  Believers        ...  358 
A  Prayer  that  the  Disciples  may  share 

in  the  Lord's  Glory         ...            ...  359 

An  Appeal  to  God's  Righteousness  ...  359 

The  Divine  Idea  of  Glory   ...             ...  360 

Christ's  Consciousness  of  Power       ...  360 
Knowledge   and   Life ;    a  Sermon  for 

the  Young          ...             ...             ...  361 

The  Perfect  Work               ...            ...  362 

The  Transcendent  Glory  of  the  Divine 

Word  ...            ...      '     ...            ...  363 

The  Advocate  and  the  Clients           ...  363 

The  Purifying  Power  of  Truth          ...  363 

Comprehensive  Intercession               ...  364 

Blessed  with  Christ             ...            ...  3i35 

God  Unknown  and  Known                ...  366 

Fighting,  not  Falling          ...             ...  367 

Christian  Unity     ...             ...             ...  370 

Heaven  ...            ...            ...            ...  371 

The  Father  glorified  through  the  Son  373 

What  Eternal  Life  is  given  for          ...  374 

Jesus  praying  for  his  own  ...             ...  374 

Not  Removal,  but  Safety    ...             ...  375 

The  Element  of  True  Holiness          ...  376 

The  Two  Apostleships        ...            ...  377 

Prayer  for  Persuaders  and  Persuaded  377 

A  Prayer  for  Unity             ...            ...  378 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

The  Apprehension  of  Jesus  ...  399 

Jesus  before  Annas  and  Caiaphas  ...  399 

The  Three  Denials  of  Peter  ...  400 

The  Trial  before  Pilate       ...  ...  401 

Gethsemane          ...            ...  ...  403 

The  Unselfishness  of  Christ  ...  404 

The  Sword  and  the  Cup     ...  ...  405 

Ardent  Affection  and  Timorous  False- 
hood   ...             ...             ...  ...  406 

The  Publicity  of  Christ's  Ministry  ...  407 

Defilement,  Ceremonial  and  Real  ...  407 

The  Unworldly  Kingdom   ...  ...  408 

'•What  is  Truth?"              ...  ...  409 

No  Crime  in  Christ             ...  ...  410 

The  Moral  Courage  of  Jesus  ...  411 

A  Hallowed  Spot...             ...  ...  412 

The  Vanity  of  Violence      ...  ...  413 

The  FoUy  of  Fear       ,         ...  ...  414 


THESTE  PAGB 

Nothing  to  conceal  ...  ...  414 

The  Right  People  to  ask  ...  ...  415 

"TheKingof  the  Jews"  ...  ...  415 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  Crucifixion     ...            ...  ...  437 

The  Inscription  on  the  Cross  ...  437 

The  Parting  of  the  Raiment  ...  438 

The  Mother  of  Jesus  at  the  Cross  ...  438 

The  Death  of  Jesus              ...  ...  438 

The  Breaking  of  the  Legs  ...  ...  439 

The  Burial  of  Jesus            ...  ...  439 

The  Crown  of  Thorns          ...  ...  410 

'•EcceHomo!"     ...             ...  441,456 

"  Whence  art  thou  ?  "          ...  ...  442 

"Behold  your  King!"        ...  ...  442 

Three  Crosses        ...             ...  ...  443 

The  Third  Word  from  the  Cross  ...  444 

The  Fifth  Word  from  the  Cross  ...  445 

Tlie  Sixth  Word  from  the  Cross  ...  446 

A  Disciple,  but  secretly      ...  ...  447 

The  I^ast  Stage  of  the  Saviour's  Hu- 
miliation           ...             ...  ...  448 

The  Division  of  his  Garments  ...  459 

Clinging  to  the  Cross          ...  ...  451 

Filial  Love  Stnmg  in  Death  ...  453 

Secret  Discipleship              ...  ...  455 

Human  Power  Heaven-bestowed  ...  457 
The  King  acknowledged  by  the  High 

Priests                ...             ...  ...  458 

'■  Jesus  in  the  Midst  "         ...  ...  458 

The  Great  Model  of  Filial  Duty  ...  459 

Suifering,  yet  not  Ascetic  ...  ...  459 

The  Finished  Work            ...  ...  460 


CHAPTER   XX. 

The  Resurrection  :  Peter  and  John  at 
the  Sepulchre    ...  ...  ...     480 

Mary  Magdalene  the  First  Herald  of 
the  Risen  Lord  ...  ...     481 

The  First  Appearance  of  Jesus  to  his 
Disciples  ...  ...  ...     482 

The  Second  Appearance  to  the  Dis- 
ciples ...  ...  ...  ...     483 

The  Close  of  the  Evangelist's  Narra- 
tive     ...  ...  ...  ...    483 

The  Ignorance  which  Evidence  dis- 
pelled   484 

Sorrow  and  Despondency  exchanged 
for  Joy  and  Service  ...  ...     485 


INDEX. 


THEMK 

A  Message  full  of  Meaning 
The  First  Lord's  Day  Evenin-jj 
The  Glad  Vision  ... 
The  Mission  of  the  Son    and  of 
Servants 

The  Cry  of  Faith  and  Joy  ... 

The  Blessetlness  of  Faith    ... 

Scripture.  Faith,  and  Life  ... 

The  Powers  of  Holy  Love  ... 

-Weeping  for  the  Wrong  Thing 

A  Memorable  Salutation    ... 

The  Unbelief  of  Thomas     . . . 
The  Purpose  of  John's  Gospel 

CHAPTER  XXL 

The  Fishing  in  Galilee 
The  Repast  on  the  Sea-Shore 


PACK     I     THEMB 

4StJ      The  RosUiration  of  Peter    ... 
480      Prediction  of  Peter's  Death 

487  The  Mystery  of  John's  Future 

the  Conclusion  of  the    Appeudix    to    the 

...    487  Gospel 

488  The  Cry  of  Joyful  Recognition 

,..    489      The  Diffidence  of  Reverent  Hearts  ... 

489  "  Lovest  thou  me  ?  " 
491      The  Prim:u;y  of  Peter 

493  God  glorified  in  Death 

494  Curiosity  rebuked  ...  ••• 

495  The    Untrustworthincss  of  Tradition 
495  Witness  authenticating  Witness 

The  Pastoral  Office 

A    New   Manifestation    on    an    Old 

.     513  Scene  ... 

513  I   An  Under-Shepherd's  Great  Necessity 


AOB 

513 
5U 
515 

5ltj 

51G 

517 

518 

519 

520 

521 

521 

522 

523 

525 
521 


i) 


Date  Due 


